Background The British Thoracic Society recommends that patients with chest drains should be nursed on a ward familiar with their care. Instruction from doctors and appropriate training of nursing staff is imperative to minimise complications associated with chest drains. Our audit aimed to determine the nurses' level of knowledge regarding chest drain management and the support and direction provided by doctors following drain insertion. Methods We undertook a prospective case-note audit of chest drain insertion, management and complication rates. In addition we interviewed 100 nurses across medical wards familiar with chest drains, and they undertook a structured questionnaire about training, knowledge and confidence in chest drain care. Results 29 chest drains were inserted. 65% patients suffered no complications but 25% patients reported pain during or following drain insertion. Potential for serious incidents was high; 20% of effusions drained >2 l within the first hour and 10% of pneumothoraces were clamped following insertion. Although all nurses reported to have managed a drain only 12% had received formal training and only 34% felt confident in managing a drain. Complication rates correlated with nurses' responses; 34% believed pain-relief was only indicated following insertion; 8% would clamp a drain inserted for a pneumothorax, while 20% were unsure whether a pneumothorax drain should be clamped; 16% believed pleural effusion drains should never be clamped, while 28% were unsure. Of those who believed an effusion drain should be clamped, 29% felt this was indicated after >2 l was drained within the first hour. Of concern, nurses on respiratory wards appeared to have limited knowledge of drain management. 78% of nurses felt poor instruction was provided by ward doctors with regard to chest drain management. Conclusions Lack of evidence-based nursing care and insufficient training has resulted in uncertainty and knowledge deficit in important aspects of chest drain care, exposing patients to avoidable complications. Poor instructions to nurses from doctors following drain insertion further compromises patient care. A carefully designed and implemented care bundle to guide nurses through drain management could significantly lower post-insertion complications; an example has been rolled out and is illustrated.


BACKGROUND Eccrine spiradenoma is a well-differentiated benign tumor of the sweat glands. Malignant change arising within eccrine spiradenoma is rare. OBJECTIVE We describe a patient with malignant eccrine spiradenoma exhibiting both carcinomatous and sarcomatous differentiation. METHODS Case report and literature review. RESULTS A 37-year-old woman noted enlargement of a left axillary tumor that had been present for 20 years. The tumor was resected and the specimen, measuring 3.0 cm × 1.5 cm, revealed an encapsulated benign eccrine spiradenoma as well as an undifferentiated carcinoma possessing both carcinomatous and sarcomatous components. A transition zone was evident between the benign eccrine spiradenoma and the undifferentiated carcinoma, suggesting that the latter had arisen from the benign tumor. The malignant areas consisted principally of undifferentiated carcinoma (70%), although squamous cell carcinoma (10%), adenocarcinoma (10%), and chondrosarcomatous (10%) components were also present. Numerous mitotic figures were noted within the areas of malignant change, suggesting that the tumor was aggressive in nature. The patient died of systemic metastases 7 months after diagnosis. CONCLUSION Although eccrine spiradenomas are usually benign, they can, on rare occasions, undergo malignant transformation. This case report describes one such occurrence of malignant transformation of a benign eccrine spiradenoma that unfortunately resulted in the patient's death from systemic metastases 7 months after diagnosis.


E-3810 and AG-1749, new proton pump inhibitors, were administrated in single doses or over a long period of time in order to evaluate their effect on the rat stomach. E-3810 inhibited gastric acid secretion for a shorter period of time than AG-1749 in both the single dose and long-term administration. While hypergastrinemia persisted with long-term administration of AG-1749, serum gastrin levels returned to normal upon cessation of treatment with E-3810. Both E-3810 and AG-1749 caused vacuolar formation of parietal cells and an increase in gastric acid secretion after cessation of long-term treatment, suggesting that these changes are common after treatment with proton pump inhibitors.


Rosehip is among the most important plants with high economic value, mainly used in foods and beverages from ancient times to the present. In this study, Rosa canina L. and Rosa pimpinellifolia L. roots, consumed as tea in Aktoprak Village of Erzurum province, were collected together with the fruits. The main goal of the study was to investigate the in vitro bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds in the roots and fruits of R. canina and R. pimpinellifolia by a simulated gastrointestinal digestion procedure. Methanolic and aqueous extracts were prepared for the analysis of phenolic compounds in roots, whereas only methanolic extracts were used for the analyses of fruits. Total phenolic and total flavonoid contents were evaluated spectrophotometrically, while four different methods were used for antioxidant capacity measurements. The quantification of individual phenolic acids, flavonoids, and anthocyanins was performed with HPLC-PDA. Results demonstrated that R. canina and R. pimpinellifolia have high levels of total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity. The roots of R. pimpinellifolia and R. canina were observed to contain higher amounts of phenolics compared to the fruits. Epicatechin, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, gallic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, naringenin, and ellagic acid were not determined in the fruit extracts of R. pimpinellifolia and R. canina, while they were detected in aqueous extracts of roots. Bioaccessibility analyses carried out on aqueous root extracts showed total phenolic recovery was 12.73% in R. canina, 10.71% in R. pimpinellifolia, and total flavonoid recovery was 0% in both species.


Background Advances in antiretroviral therapy have resulted in more potent and safe drugs, with higher success rates due to improved adherence and better control of the HIV infection. Efforts to improve the control of HIV infection should be reflected in increased quality of life. Purpose To analyse the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of HIV-infected patients over the age of 50 on antiretroviral treatment. Materials and methods Cross sectional study. We included patients on antiretroviral treatment aged over 50 years. Study variables were collected at interview, in the clinical history and pharmacy records. Variables were: sex, age, CD4 count, viral load, antiretroviral treatment, adherence, comorbidities and quality of life. The HRQL was assessed through the 'Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey' (MOS-HIV) questionnaire. The adherence was estimated using the SMAQ questionnaire. Results The study included 70 patients, 81% were men, average age of 57 years old. Most of them presented CD4 >500 cells/mm3 and undetectable viral load. The most prescribed antiretrovirals were darunavir and tenofovir and 50% of patients were adherent. The most frequent comorbidities were: metabolic syndrome (36%), hypertension (30%) and hypercholesterolemia (37%). Concerning quality of life, social functioning obtained the highest score (mean 86) and general health perception the lowest score (mean 48). The average dimensions of HRQL in patients older than 60 years were higher than in patients aged 50–59, except in the physical functioning dimension, and the difference was significant in the dimensions pain, energy and health distress. Lower scores were observed in the patients using a protease inhibitor, with a significant difference in the dimensions general health perception (p = 0.024) and pain (p = 0.01). Conclusions The general perception of health was the dimension with the worst score and social function the best. Patients aged over 60 have a better perceived quality of life than patients aged 50–59 years. The use of protease inhibitors was associated with worse quality of life. No conflict of interest.


Chickpea has potential as a rotation or break crop in the northern grains region of New South Wales and Queensland. Definition of that potential requires information on chickpea N2 fixation and on effects of chickpea on maintenance of soil N fertility and delivery of mineral N for use by a following cereal crop. Results from 6 experiments in northern NSW in which chickpea and wheat in one season were followed by wheat in subsequent seasons indicated variable N2 fixation by chickpea (mean 73 kg/ha; range 4-116 kg/ha), associated with variable Pfix (percentage of chickpea N derived from N2 fixation) (mean 57%; range 4-79%). There were no consistent differences between chickpea and wheat in effects on soil water, either pre-harvest or after the summer fallow. Chickpea 'spared' nitrate, relative to wheat (mean 15 kg/ha; range 1-35 kg/ha), and mineralised additional nitrate during the summer fallow (mean 18 kg/ha; range 5-40 kg/ha). Nitrate-N in the top 1·2 m of the soil profile at sowing of the following wheat crop was on average 89 kg/ha after chickpea (range 63-113 kg/ha) and 56 kg/ha after wheat (range 33-94 kg/ha). Nitrogen mineralisation rates during the summer fallow at 2 sites of 0·17 and 0· 21 kg N/ha · day (after chickpea), although greater than the rates after wheat (0· 07 and 0·12 kg N/ha · day), were not sufficient to meet the N requirements of a moderate to high yielding cereal crop. We concluded that chickpea did not fix sufficient N2 or mineralise sufficient N from residues either to maintain soil N fertility or to sustain a productive chickpea{wheat rotation without inputs of additional fertiliser N.


This case study aimed at identifying family dynamics in face of risk situation, and to propose care strategies for health education based on the King's model. The case was a family considered to be at risk in the periphery of Fortaleza, Ceari, Brazil. Data were collected by domiciliary visits, participant observation, and interviews. The results showed that family care transcends the biomedical dimension, contemplates the family's perceptual field, and demands its participation in the elaboration of educational proposals aiming at the social construction of health under a participant and transforming perspective.


Why do humans continue to hunt and fish for sport, especially in the face of growing public opposition? Why are the social sciences so reluctant to investigate these popular human sporting recreations? How do the new technological advances in hunting and fishing equipment affect the sporting standards of "fair play?" How are hunting and fishing portrayed in the popular culture media of film and boys' adventure literature? These questions and more are answered by the author who takes the reader afield with him as he travels to various parts of three continents in order to experience first-hand what commercial hunting opportunities offer their customers.


This article considers the interpretation of provisions in international economic agreements that protect intellectual property as they relate to public health measures, and in particular to restrictions on the use of tobacco trademarks. A series of decisions, most recently the World Trade Organization (WTO) panel decision holding that Australia's plain packaging measures for tobacco products comply with WTO obligations, allow for some generalisations. These include: (1) the nature of intellectual property rights is to confer a privilege of exclusive use on the rights-holder; (2) the interpretation of generally-worded treaty provisions is apt to be informed by recognition of the power of States to regulate for the purposes of public health; and (3) where provisions contain their own specifically-worded balancing tests, any direct or indirect reference to regulation for public health contained in the treaty is likely to be treated as weighing very heavily in favour of the legality of regulatory measures.


This article examines adult social care policy in Wales. It argues that successive Welsh Governments have sought to develop policy which rejects the principles of marketisation and individualisation that have characterised the public sector policy of UK governments for decades, and upholds instead a distinctive set of socialist-inclined values. It assesses whether Welsh social care policy and legislation effectively diverge from the Westminster paradigm, and how Welsh Governments have dealt with the narrative of 'personalisation' which dominates social care discussion elsewhere in the UK. It finds that Welsh Governments have to date struggled to craft social care policies that incorporate their stated principles, explores the difficulties inherent in superimposing new principles on inherited policy narratives and mechanisms, and considers the implications for devolved policymaking.


Background Syndecan binding protein (SDCBP), an adapter protein containing PDZ domains, contributes to the tumorigenicity and metastasis of many malignant tumors, such as malignant melanoma. Our study aimed in revealing the expression profile of SDCBP in breast cancer (BCa) and its role in tumor cell proliferation, and then exploring its value in the targeted treatment of BCa. Methodology/Principal Findings We first evaluated the SDCBP expression by immunohistochemistry in normal breast and BCa tissues. Then we explored the expression profile of SDCBP in different BCa cell lines. By constructing SDCBP-silenced BCa cell clones, we further assessed the effects of SDCBP suppression on tumor cells in vitro by cell culture and in vivo by tumorigenicity. SDCBP expression was detected in 80.6% (n = 160) of BCa tissues, in contrast to its expression in 13% (n = 23) of normal breast tissues (P<0.001). Among the tumors, the level of its expression was positively correlated with histological grade and tumor staging while negatively correlated with the estrogen receptor (ER) expression. Higher expression of SDCBP was also noted in ER-negative BCa cell lines. It was also identified that SDCBP expression was down-regulated in a dose-dependent mode by 17-β estradiol in estrogen-responsive MCF-7. Furthermore, SDCBP silence inhibited ER-negative tumor cell growth in vivo and in vitro. Cell cycle studies showed that SDCBP silence increased G1 cell population and resulted in related cell-cycle-regulator changes: up-regulation of p21 and p27 while down-regulation of cyclin E. Conclusion/Significance Our results suggested that SDCBP played an important role in tumor growth of ER-negative BCas. In these tumors where the estrogen signaling pathway is not available, SDCBP probably contribute to tumor growth through an alternative signaling pathway by promoting tumor cells passing the G1/S checkpoint into the cell cycle. Suppression of SDCBP expression may have its potential to become a targeted therapy for ER-negative BCas.


Purpose

With the advent of the maker movement, there has been a new push to explore how spaces of learning ought to be designed. The purpose of this paper is to integrate three approaches for thinking about the role of design of the learning environment: the makerspace movement, Reggio Emilia's Third Teacher approach, and the positive technological development (PTD) framework.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper describes two case studies that involved the design of two different early childhood makerspaces (ECMSs) through a co-participatory design experience: the Kindergarten Creator Space at the International School of Billund in Denmark; and the ECMS at (removed for blind review), a resource library in Medford, MA.

Findings

Based on the foundational education framework of PTD, and ideas from the field of interior design, this paper describes the design principles of several successful makerspaces, and case examples of children who use them.

Originality/value

By grounding the theoretical discussion in three approaches, the authors aim to suggest design elements of physical spaces in schools and libraries that can promote young children's learning through making. Recommendations are discussed for practitioners and researchers interested in ECMSs.


Introduction: Teenage marital pregnancy is a critical issue responsible for complex and life threatening health problems of both mother and children. This study aimed to determine various demographic, socioeconomic, and spatial factors responsible for teenage pregnancy in Bangladesh. Methods: This study used Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2014 data. A sample of 4,608 teenage (age<20years) married women were included in the analysis. Kaplan Meier Product Limit approach was used to estimate the mean and median teenage pregnancy, and the log-rank test was used to test whether two (or more) groups were equal or not. Finally, Cox proportional hazard model was used to determine the risk factors of teenage pregnancy. Results: Among participants, approximately 90% had experienced teenage pregnancy. The mean (±standard deviation) age of the teenage pregnancy was 17.7 (±2.79) years. Among the demographic and socioeconomic factors, women's and their husband's lower education, lowest wealth index, Islamic faith, unemployment, and no access to mass media were the risk factors associated with the teenage pregnancy. Furthermore, spatial variables, residence in Rangpur division, and rural areas also had higher odds of getting pregnant at teenage. Conclusion: Government should initiate different protective and preventive measures to minimize early marriage and pregnancy, including improvement of female enrolment and completion rate of education, encouragement of female employment opportunities to increase wealth index for women through financial support and technical skill development, and reinforcement family planning utilization using religious texts and knowledge among people at individual and community levels.


A novel automated framework for the segmentation of the left ventricle (LV) wall from contrast enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance images (CE-CMRI) is proposed. The framework consists of two main steps. First, the inner cavity of the LV is segmented from the surrounding tissues based on finding the Maximum A Posteriori (MAP) estimation of a new energy function using a graph-cuts-based optimization algorithm. The proposed energy function consists of three descriptors: 1st-order visual appearance descriptors of the CE-CMRI, a 2D spatially rotation-variant 2nd-order homogeneity descriptor, and a LV inner cavity shape descriptor. Second, the outer contour of the LV is segmented by generating an orthogonal wave, starting from the LV inner contour, by solving an Eikonal partial differential equation with a new speed function that combines the prior shape and current visual appearance models of the LV wall. The proposed framework was tested on in-vivo CE-CMR images and validated with manual expert delineations of left ventricle borders. Experiments and comparison results on real CE-CMR images confirm the robustness and accuracy of the proposed framework over the existing ones.


H2O is a key molecule in characterizing atmospheres of temperate terrestrial planets, and observations of transmission spectra are expected to play a primary role in detecting its signatures in the near future. The detectability of H2O absorption features in transmission spectra depends on the abundance of water vapor in the upper part of the atmosphere. We study the three-dimensional distribution of atmospheric H2O for synchronously rotating Earth-sized aquaplanets using the general circulation model (GCM) ROCKE-3D, and examine the effects of total incident flux and stellar spectral type. We observe a more gentle increase of the water vapor mixing ratio in response to increased incident flux than one-dimensional models suggest, in qualitative agreement with the climate-stabilizing effect of clouds around the substellar point previously observed in GCMs applied to synchronously rotating planets. However, the water vapor mixing ratio in the upper atmosphere starts to increase while the surface temperature is still moderate. This is explained by the circulation in the upper atmosphere being driven by the radiative heating due to absorption by water vapor and cloud particles, causing efficient vertical transport of water vapor. Consistently, the water vapor mixing ratio is found to be well-correlated with the near-infrared portion of the incident flux. We also simulate transmission spectra based on the GCM outputs, and show that for the more highly irradiated planets, the H2O signatures may be strengthened by a factor of a few, loosening the observational demands for a H2O detection.


Tralkoxydim is the active ingredient in a postemergent herbicide used in cereal crops. During preregistration trials, tralkoxydim was observed to cause hepatic porphyria and cholestasis in laboratory mice. Porphyria was not seen in similarly exposed rats or hamsters, but data were not collected regarding the susceptibility of any wild small mammal species to the tralkoxydim‐induced porphyria. To address this data gap, we exposed small mammals to tralkoxydim, to 3,5‐diethoxycarbonyl‐1,4‐dihydrocol‐lidine (DDC; a known porphyrinogenic chemical), or to sunflower oil alone. We studied small mammal species that might be exposed following agricultural applications of the herbicide, including the white‐footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus), the deer mouse (P. maniculatus), and the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Because of their known susceptibility to both tralkoxydim‐and DDC‐induced porphyria, commercially supplied Mus musculus (CD‐1 Swiss mice) were exposed as positive‐control animals. We also exposed offspring of wild‐caught M. musculus to compare their responses to those of the commercially supplied animals. Potential hepatotoxicity was determined by assessing the accumulation of liver protoporphyrin. Of the species tested, only M. musculus was susceptible to the porphyrinogenic action of tralkoxydim, and no significant accumulation of protoporphyrin was observed in any of the other species exposed to the herbicide.


A 2.5-year-old intact male miniature lop rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) was presented with multiple nodules surrounding the eyes, nose, mouth, and prepuce. Cytological evaluation of the periocular nodules revealed the presence of intracellular (within macrophages) and extracellular yeast organisms. The yeast organisms were approximately 3–5 µm in diameter, round to oval, with a thin clear capsule, and contained an eccentrically placed basophilic crescent-shaped nucleus. The clinical pathological interpretation was granulomatous inflammation with intralesional yeast of a morphology consistent with Histoplasma spp. The rabbit was treated with microsized griseofulvin (25 mg/kg, orally, once a day) for 12 days pending final cytological diagnosis of histoplasmosis. No significant improvement was noted during the treatment period, and humane euthanasia was performed. Postmortem examination revealed the presence of intracellular and extracellular yeast organisms in the small intestine, skin (antebrachium, perioral, palpebral, perianal, and pinnal), penis, penile urethra, rectum, axillary lymph node, and conjunctiva. Postmortem fungal culture yielded Histoplasma capsulatum. Based on clinical and postmortem findings, a definitive diagnosis of disseminated histoplasmosis was made. Disseminated histoplasmosis appears to be unreported in rabbits. Although the treatment used did not provide noticeable improvement, available information on histoplasmosis treatment in other species has been reviewed to provide useful information for future management of this condition in rabbits.


Two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is becoming increasingly interesting for wider engineering applications. Thermal exfoliation is being suggested as a facile technology to produce large quantities of 2D h-BN. Further optimization of the process requires fundamental understanding of the exfoliation mechanism, which is hardly realized by ex situ techniques. In this study, in situ synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction experiments are conducted while heat treating bulk h-BN up to 1273 K. During the heating process, linear expansion of c-axis is observed and the contraction of a-axis up to around 750 K is consistent with previous research. However, a changing behavior from contraction to expansion in a-axis direction is newly observed when heating over 750 K. With the consideration of previous thermally oxidation studies, a hypothesis of thermal assisted exfoliation with oxygen interstitial and substitution of nitrogen at high temperature is proposed.


ABSTRACT This study was carried out to determine the carbon (C) allocation of tree components following water stress in radiata pine (Pinus radiata) seedlings. The seedlings were exposed to various water contents (low, moderate and high soil water content) for 30 days and labelled with 14CO2 gas for six hours on the 31st day. Biomass in all seedling components (foliage, stems and roots) was significantly higher in the moderate soil water content treatment than in the low soil water content treatment, while seedling biomass did not significantly differ between the moderate soil water and high soil water content treatments. The shoot/root ratio of seedlings decreased when soil water content decreased. The C concentrations of radiata pine seedlings were not affected by the soil water content, whereas the soil water stress-induced difference in the C allocation of seedlings was attributed to differences in seedling biomass. The translocation of pulse-labelled 14C from the foliage to the roots was enhanced by low soil water content. The distribution of 14C was highest in foliage, followed by roots, stems and soil. The results indicate that soil water content was one of the primary factors influencing biomass allocation in the early growth of radiata pine seedlings.


Constructivist projects are usually discussed as art objects divorced from their social context and physical surroundings. Rarely are the Constructivist landscape and site planning ever discussed. This article examines Moisei Ginzburg9s Narkomfin Communal House in Moscow (1928-1929) and its associated structures as they developed in architectural writings and then were constructed, modified and lived in through the Soviet period. Archival site plans are examined that situate the Narkomfin as an element in a Constructivist landscape.


Colorectal carcinoma, primarily a disease of adulthood, accounts for 0.2% of malignancies in adolescents and has very rarely been reported in childhood. Herein, we report a 15-year-old boy who presented with rectal bleeding, lower abdominal pain, and diarrhea. His physical examination revealed tender abdomen with hepatomegaly. A hard mass was palpated by digital rectal examination. Histologic examination revealed a mucinous rectal adenocarcinoma. He died 4 months after diagnosis. This case highlights the need for awareness of colorectal carcinomas and their invasive nature in the differential diagnosis of rectal bleeding and diarrhea in adolescents.


Advances in modern medicine and technology represent the factual premise to deal with the question of legitimateness and justification of non-strictly therapeutic interventions on a 'quite new' class of individuals termed in the 1990s 'unpatients'. Main aim of this paper is to identify the major ethical and legal aspects concerning this topic today, in order to define the borders of the map traced with regard to the ethical and legal debate some decades ago. A close examination of the ethical dilemmas of non-strictly therapeutic interventions will highlight characteristic perspectives and specificity of treatments administered to unpatients. To some of these peculiarities legal regulation has already provided answers, whereas with regard to other aspects a balance among different principles at stake is needed along with mechanisms set to safeguard their implementation.


Mobile nodes are interconnected by multihop routing paths consist of unstable radio links in ad hoc wireless network. It is complex and difficult to provide QoS routing in such network because of imprecise network information, insufficient bandwidth and dynamic topology. For improving network stability and throughput, multipath routing protocols are proposed. A sender node discovers multiple disjoined routing paths and spread traffic into multiple streams according to their delay or bandwidth. For real-time streaming, unstable throughput or insufficient bandwidth invites unexpected delay or jitter if it is a multimedia streaming. Some multipath routing protocols pre-evaluate available bandwidth of paths and select enough total bandwidth from them if real-time applications demand for QoS constraint. For minimizing the cost of these paths, a path with smaller hopcounts is prior selected. These disjoined paths are general too closed with each other and the total throughput cannot just be sum up because of "paths interfering". Discovering and selecting multiple high-interfering paths is ineffectual and the total available bandwidth is not precise. In this paper, we proposed an interfering-aware QoS multipath routing protocol for QoS-constraint multimedia and real-time applications in ad hoc wireless network. We apply a scheme to evaluate available bandwidth according to the network capacities with different media access control (MAC) protocols. A concept of "interfering ratio" of multipath is discussed and we evaluate the stability and throughput improvement by simulations.


In England, a new scheme for collating and sharing General Practitioners' data has faced resistance from various quarters and has been deferred twice. While insufficient communication and ambiguous safeguards explain the widespread dissatisfaction expressed by the public and experts, we argue how dwindling public trust can be the most damaging variable in this picture - with implications not only for this scheme, but for any future project that aims to mobilise health data for medical research and innovation. We also highlight the indispensability of deliberative public engagement on the values being prioritised in health data initiatives, the significance of securing social license in addition to legal assurances, and the lessons in it of global pertinence.


ABSTRACT Purpose To report a case of bilateral acute uveitis following the first and subsequent doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination. Method A case report. Results A 74-year-old Caucasian woman was presented with a one-day history of blurred vision, pain, photophobia, and redness in both eyes after receiving her first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Clinical evaluation confirmed bilateral anterior and intermediate uveitis six days later. Targeted diagnostic testing excluded infectious or autoimmune etiologies. After treatment with topical and oral corticosteroids, the patient had a resolution of symptoms with the recovery of visual function within seven weeks. Subsequently, she developed a recurrence of uveitis following the second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which required similar treatment, with slower tapering of corticosteroids over ten weeks. The patient had a full visual recovery. Conclusion Our case highlights the possibility of uveitis as an ocular complication of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination.


This qualitative investigation, nested within a randomized controlled trial (RCT), describes the experiences of adolescent participants accessing psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a school-based setting. Supervised nurses provided the psychotherapeutic interventions. Twelve participants who took part in the RCT were invited, and 10 agreed to share their experiences through recorded face-to-face, semistructured, in-depth interviews and treatment-specific focus groups. Basic thematic analysis was applied using Atlas.ti software. Adolescents described a mixed range of perceived poor, ambivalent, and good support experiences when accessing treatment, and were particularly motivated when they had access to a caring adult. During the trial, adolescents used calculated disclosure strategies to reduce their vulnerability to marginalization and stigma. School-based therapy was well received but could be improved if sessions were offered after school hours. This study provides suggestions for improvement and scale-up of school-based PTSD interventions for adolescents.


We tested the hypothesis that the protective effects of hyperthermia (HT) could be augmented by ischemic postconditioning (PostC) via enhancement of reperfusion-induced Akt phosphorylation. The role of the mitoKATP channel as an effecter to protect hearts against ischemia/reperfusion injury was also investigated. In isolated perfused heart experiments using a Langendorff apparatus, 30 min of no-flow global ischemia was followed by 120 min of reperfusion. Ischemic PostC, 5 cycles of 10-sec reperfusion/10-sec ischemia, was achieved at the initial moment of reperfusion. Hyperthermia (HT, 43°C for 20 min) was applied 24 hr before ischemia onset. Ischemic PostC alone did not show significant protection, but HT did. The HT-induced protection in terms of infarct size, recovery of left ventricular performance, amount of released creatine kinase and apoptosis were enhanced by ischemic PostC. These protective effects were consistent with the levels of Akt phosphorylation 7 min after reperfusion and were completely blocked by the pretreatment with the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin. HT-induced protection was also completely abolished by concomitant perfusion with 5-hydroxydecanoate (5HD, 100 μM), an inhibitor of the mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium (mitoKATP) channel. However, the potentiated protection by ischemic PostC remained, even in the presence of 5HD. In conclusion, ischemic PostC could potentiate the protective effects of HT possibly via enhancement of reperfusion-induced Akt phosphorylation. Although the opening of the mitoKATP channel is predominantly involved as an effecter in HT-induced protection, potentiated protection by ischemic PostC may involve mechanisms other than the mitoKATP channel.


St. Nicolas Church from the Pesteana de Jos village, Farcasesti commune, Gorj county, Romania was built between 1705-1709 and rebuilt in 1806, being one of the country's historic monuments. The painting materials used in this church have been analyzed with the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR spectroscopy), atomic absorption spectroscopy and thin layer spectroscopy in order to identify and analyze the used paint.


In this paper, urea-doped ZnO (U-ZnO) is investigated as a modified electron transport layer (ETL) in inverted polymer solar cells (PSCs). Using a blend of Poly{4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy] benzo [1,2-b:4,5-b'] dithiophene-2,6-diyl-alt-3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl] thieno [3,4-b] thiophene-4,6-diyl}(PTB7), and [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) as light absorber, a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 9.15% for U-ZnO ETL based PSCs was obtained, which is 15% higher than that of the pure ZnO ETL based PSCs (7.76%). It was demonstrated that urea helps to passivate defects in ZnO ETL, resulting in enhanced exciton dissociation, suppressed charge recombination and efficient charge extraction efficiency. This work suggests that the utilization of the U-ZnO ETL offer promising potential for achieving highly efficient PSCs.


Somatic cells express genes that suppress telomerase activity and these genes may be inactivated in tumour cells. We postulated that cancer cells acquire immortality by activation of telomerase by the loss of such a gene. We have reported recently that a telomerase repressor gene may be located on 10p15.1 by deletion mapping using microcell-mediated chromosome transfer (MMCT), radiated microcell fusion (RMF), fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and STS analysis. To independently confirm this result, we correlated expression of RNA component of telomerase (hTR) as a marker of telomerase expression by in situ hybridization with allelic loss in pulmonary carcinoid tumours. Unlike most malignant tumours, pulmonary carcinoids (which are low-grade malignant tumours) are heterogeneous for telomerase expression. Loss of 5 closely spaced polymorphic markers on 10p15.1, especially D10S1728, were highly correlated with hTR expression. In an additional experiment, 10p15.1 showed higher and more significant correlation than any region of 3p where it has been predicted as another chromosomal location of telomerase repressor with allelic loss of the region. Our findings strongly suggest that 10p15.1 harbours a gene involved in repression of telomerase RNA component in human somatic cells and each putative repressor (on 3p and 10p) may act independently. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.com


The Billiards Machine in 1973 is a novel with the theme of finding. On one hand, the narrator tells the story of two heroes: Rat and I. They were trying to get rid of alienation and find the exit in life. On the other hand, the narrator is looking for an exit to escape from his present life. It reveals the author's wish: a man will get salvation by writing.


Dual-function RNAs in bacteria encode a small protein and also base pair with mRNAs to act as small, regulatory RNAs. Given that only a limited number of dual-function RNAs have been characterized, further study of these regulators is needed to increase understanding of their features. ABSTRACT Small base-pairing RNAs (sRNAs) and small proteins comprise two classes of regulators that allow bacterial cells to adapt to a wide variety of growth conditions. A limited number of transcripts encoding both of these activities, regulation of mRNA expression by base pairing and synthesis of a small regulatory protein, have been identified. Given that few have been characterized, little is known about the interplay between the two regulatory functions. To investigate the competition between the two activities, we constructed synthetic dual-function RNAs, hereafter referred to as MgtSR or MgtRS, comprised of the Escherichia coli sRNA MgrR and the open reading frame encoding the small protein MgtS. MgrR is a 98-nucleotide (nt) base-pairing sRNA that negatively regulates eptB encoding phosphoethanolamine transferase. MgtS is a 31-amino-acid (aa) small inner membrane protein that is required for the accumulation of MgtA, a magnesium (Mg2+) importer. Expression of the separate genes encoding MgrR and MgtS is normally induced in response to low Mg2+ by the PhoQP two-component system. By generating various versions of this synthetic dual-function RNA, we probed how the organization of components and the distance between the coding and base-pairing sequences contribute to the proper function of both activities of a dual-function RNA. By understanding the features of natural and synthetic dual-function RNAs, future synthetic molecules can be designed to maximize their regulatory impact. IMPORTANCE Dual-function RNAs in bacteria encode a small protein and also base pair with mRNAs to act as small, regulatory RNAs. Given that only a limited number of dual-function RNAs have been characterized, further study of these regulators is needed to increase understanding of their features. This study demonstrates that a functional synthetic dual-regulator can be constructed from separate components and used to study the functional organization of dual-function RNAs, with the goal of exploiting these regulators.


Mangunwijaya introduced humanist educational philosophy and integrality. Education, according to Mangunwijaya, must create a climate that allows the child to divide themselves into an independent person. Education should aim to deliver learners in recognizing and developing human potential itself into a whole (not just the brain, but all aspects of humanity: skilled, intelligent, piety, solidarity, capable, and responsible). An education system should be humane. That is, a system of compulsory education to respect human dignity, particularly in the person of the child. Schools should thus be understood as a division of talent and togetherness with others. Consequently, the teaching system should not be alienated from the life of the concrete. That is, not merely biased cognitive, intellectualist or mere romantic extreme, but really develop talent, art, language, manners, morals, taste, religiosity, and social life.


Abstract.
 The Yellow Rail (Coturnicops noveboracencis) is among the most enigmatic and least studied North American birds. Nesting exclusively in marshes and wetlands, it breeds largely east of the Rocky Mountains in the northern United States and Canada, but there is an isolated population in southern Oregon once believed extirpated. The degree of connectivity of the Oregon population with the main population is unknown. We used mitochondrial DNA sequences (mtDNA) and six microsatellite loci to characterize the Yellow Rail's genetic structure and diversity patterns in six areas. Our mtDNA-based analyses of genetic structure identified significant population differentiation, but pairwise comparison of regions identified no clear geographic trends. In contrast, microsatellites suggested subtle genetic structure differentiating the Oregon population from those in the five regions sampled in the Yellow Rail's main breeding range. The genetic diversity of the Oregon population was also the lowest of the six regions sampled, and Oregon was one of three regions that demonstrated evidence of recent population bottlenecks. Factors that produced population reductions may include loss of wetlands to development and agricultural conversion, drought, and wildfire. At this time, we are unable to determine if the high percentage (50%) of populations having experienced bottlenecks is representative of the Yellow Rail's entire range. Further genetic data from additional breeding populations will be required for this issue to be addressed.


Here, we provide an overview of the different mechanisms whereby three different chaperones, Spy, Hsp70, and Hsp60, interact with folding proteins, and we discuss how these chaperones may guide the folding process. Available evidence suggests that even a single chaperone can use many mechanisms to aid in protein folding, most likely due to the need for most chaperones to bind clients promiscuously. Chaperone mechanism may be better understood by always considering it in the context of the client's folding pathway and biological function.


The goal of this paper is an exhaustive investigation of the link between the tail measure of a regularly varying time series and its spectral tail process, independently introduced in Owada and Samorodnitsky (2012) and Basrak and Segers (2009). Our main result is to prove in an abstract framework that there is a one to one correspondance between these two objets, and given one of them to show that it is always possible to build a time series of which it will be the tail measure or the spectral tail process. For non negative time series, we recover results explicitly or implicitly known in the theory of max-stable processes.


Objective To analyse the difference in bone mineral content (BMC) between the left and right trunk generally obtained by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) by creating identical images over the liver region and the contralateral side. Patients and design Fifty-four patients were selected at random from 1722 subjects examined by DXA because of osteoporosis. Another five patients were selected who had been followed for osteoporosis by repeated DXA two to five times at intervals from 2 to 36 months. One healthy volunteer was followed for one day by means of DXA total body measurements. All protocols were analysed with respect to BMC, fat mass (FM) and lean tissue mass (LTM) of the imaged trunk and liver. Results BMC of the right trunk exceeded that of the left trunk in 78% of the investigated subjects. The right (liver) image dominated in all 81 investigations calculated from 60 subjects. There were intraindividual short- and long-term variations between repeated DXA examinations. The amounts of FM and LTM were distributed symmetrically between the right and left trunk. Conclusions DXA registers BMC in the liver, which explains the general dominance of the right trunk. The absorption over the liver region varies in the same individual in repeated measurements at intervals of hours to months.


Affective computing is advancing as a field that allows a new form of human computer interaction, in addition to the use of natural language. There is a wide perception that the future of human-computer interaction is in themes such as entertainment, emotions, aesthetic pleasure, motivation, attention, engagement, etc. Studying the relation between natural language and affective information and dealing with its computational treatment is becoming crucial. In this paper we present a linguistic resource for a lexical representation of affective knowledge. This resource (named WORDNET-AFFECT) was developed starting from WORDNET, through the selection and labeling of the synsets representing affective concepts.


Global constitutionalism is an agenda that identifies and advocates for the application of constitutionalist principles in the international legal sphere. Global constitutionalization is the gradual emergence of constitutionalist features in international law. Critics of global constitutionalism doubt the empirical reality of constitutionalization, call into question the analytic value of constitutionalism as an academic approach, and fear that the discourse is normatively dangerous because it is anti-pluralist, artificially creates a false legitimacy, and promises an unrealistic end of politics. This article addresses these objections. I argue that global constitutionalization is likely to compensate for globalization induced constitutionalist deficits on the national level, that a constitutionalist reading of international law can serve as a hermeneutic device, and that the constitutionalist vocabulary uncovers legitimacy deficits of international law and suggests remedies. Global constitutionalism, therefore, has a responsibilizing and much-needed critical potential.


The radio technique for the detection of cosmic rays is nowadays a well-established experimental technique, and several projects intend to adapt it for the detection of neutrinos. When a primary particle interacts with a target particle in a medium, a shower containing electrically charged particles is created, and an electric field is emitted. The measurement and analysis of this electric field can reveal the properties of the primary particle. In order to be able to produce an accurate reconstruction of the properties of the primary particle, a reliable calculation of the electric field is needed. Although almost every current radio detection experiment is located near a boundary (e.g. ground), the effect of this boundary on the calculation of the electric field is either not taken into account or the field is decomposed into direct, reflected and transmitted components, which is a correct description in the far-field approximation only. When the emitting shower and the detector are close to the boundary with respect to the observation wavelength, this approximation breaks down, as it is the case for the EXTASIS experiment when the particles are near ground level. We present in this work a frequency-domain calculation of the electric field from a charged particle track lying in two semi-infinite media separated by a planar boundary. We also give an estimate of the expected signal from a full air shower using a toy model.


Spacetimes which represent the interaction of two plane asymptotic waves are defined, and shown to be a more realistic generalisation of colliding plane waves. For the case of collinear polarisation, general asymptotic waves, restricted by the criterion that they have bounded amplitudes at their caustics, generically produce an unavoidable curvature singularity. The results are first illustrated by a class of exact solutions. The methods used apply equally to colliding plane waves.


The two main exocellular polysaccharides produced in vitro by Phomopsis foeniculi, a fungal pathogen of fennel, were isolated and characterized by chemical and spectroscopic methods as a galactan with the known structure [-->6)-beta-D-Galf-(1-->5)-beta-D- Galf-(1-->5)-beta-D-Galf-(1-->]n and a mannan. The latter consists of a backbone of alpha-(1-->6)-linked mannopyranose units. Almost all of these are branched at the 2 position with arms containing 2- and 3-linked mannopyranose units. The crude polysaccharide fraction and its components, galactan and mannan, showed phytotoxic effects, i.e. chlorosis, necrosis and/or wilting, on fennel and on two non-host plants, tobacco and tomato.


Anemia is often caused by a lack of iron in food; parasites in the body consume substances that inhibit the absorption of iron before, during, and after eating, such as the tannins found in tea. The goal of this study is to improve mothers' understanding of pregnant women about iron nutritional anemia and understanding of making healthy drinks from beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) and nutritional sources that contain lots of iron and factors that inhibit and facilitate the absorption of iron in the body. The method used involved pretest treatment and posttest. Results and discussion focused on increasing the knowledge of pregnant women about iron nutritional anemia and how to prevent and overcome the occurrence of iron nutritional anemia through the consumption of various sources of iron nutrition. There has been a change in understanding of the pharmacist's role as a caregiver; this can be seen in question no 1. There has been a change in understanding of how to get medicine at a pharmacy (Dagusibu); this can be seen in question no 2. There has been a change in understanding of getting drug information; this can be seen from the correct answer to question no. 3.


Synthetic antiferromagnetic nanodots with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy are promising candidates for improving the performance of magnetic random-access memory or spin torque nano-oscillators; however, the mechanism for the interlayer antiferromagnetic coupling is still not completely understood. Therefore, we numerically investigated the ferromagnetic resonance characteristics of perpendicularly magnetized bilayer nanodots with interlayer antiferromagnetic coupling. The results show that the resonance frequency strongly depends on the interlayer antiferromagnetic coupling intensity and the individual layer thickness. It was found that external fields induce opposite resonance peak shifts, reflecting the contradicting Zeeman energy effect on individual layers with opposite magnetization directions. The resonance properties were successfully reconfigured by adjusting the uniaxial anisotropy and coupling intensity. Moreover, bistable (parallel and antiparallel) magnetization states were controlled by applying an external field sweep. The difference between the resonance frequencies of two bistable states was enhanced by decreasing the layer thickness and increasing the antiferromagnetic coupling intensity. Our numerical results demonstrate the potential ability of currently available strong interlayer exchange coupling for further increasing of high resonance frequencies in the synthetic antiferromagnet system with perpendicular anisotropy.Synthetic antiferromagnetic nanodots with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy are promising candidates for improving the performance of magnetic random-access memory or spin torque nano-oscillators; however, the mechanism for the interlayer antiferromagnetic coupling is still not completely understood. Therefore, we numerically investigated the ferromagnetic resonance characteristics of perpendicularly magnetized bilayer nanodots with interlayer antiferromagnetic coupling. The results show that the resonance frequency strongly depends on the interlayer antiferromagnetic coupling intensity and the individual layer thickness. It was found that external fields induce opposite resonance peak shifts, reflecting the contradicting Zeeman energy effect on individual layers with opposite magnetization directions. The resonance properties were successfully reconfigured by adjusting the uniaxial anisotropy and coupling intensity. Moreover, bistable (parallel and antiparallel) magnetization states were controlled by ap...


When parasitized by the Ichneumonid parasitoid Campoletis sonorensis, larvae of the Noctuid moth, Heliothis virescens, are unable to mount an effective immune response against parasitoid eggs. Defensive melanization of plasma and cellular encapsulation of parasite eggs are dramatically inhibited by infection with the symbiotic immunosuppressive C. sonorensis ichnovirus (CsIV). This study demonstrates that the CsIV-mediated inhibition of melanization is associated with reduction in the enzymatic activity and protein titer of key enzymes in the melanization pathway, phenoloxidase, dopachrome isomerase, and DOPA decarboxylase. Inhibition of the synthesis of key melanization enzymes leads to reductions in the melanization substrates l-dihydroxyphenylalanine, N-acetyldopamine, and N-beta-alanyl dopamine from millimolar to nanomolar levels in parasitized larvae. By contrast, concentration of a precursor catecholamine, dopamine, rises fourfold in these larvae. Thus in CsIV-infected larvae, enzymatic deficiencies in the melanization pathway lead to reduced concentrations of specific enzyme substrates, causing failure of melanization in parasitized insects.


Abstract Since regaining independence in 1991 the massive job of resurveying all land boundaries in Latvia has almost been completed. All boundary corners are coordinated which allows easy integration of cadastral boundaries into Geographic Information Systems. This paper outlines the surveying process in Latvia today, as well as giving an historical overview which reveals why Latvia uses a coordinated cadastre.


Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a well-established neurosurgical procedure commonly used in movement and psychiatric disorders. Its widespread clinical implementation, however, may not be commensurate with medical education. No current assessment of medical student's understanding of DBS as a treatment option for indicated conditions is available, potentially threatening the availability of DBS to future patients. The aim of the present study is to explore the current knowledge and attitudes of medical students toward DBS as a treatment modality. Methods: A total of 65 medical students at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine were surveyed regarding their knowledge of DBS. The survey consisted of a 25-item questionnaire including a demographic section and 3 separate inventories designed to assess bias, knowledge, and self-assessment of knowledge specific to DBS therapy. Students in pre-clinical and clinical years were analyzed separately to describe changes in knowledge or attitude associated with clinical exposure to DBS. Comparisons were analyzed using t tests, ANOVA, and Pearson correlations. Results: Of surveyed students, 36% were unsure of the FDA approval status of DBS treatment; 65% of students believed they had not been adequately educated about DBS and its utility; and 10.6% of students believed that DBS is likely associated with severe adverse effects and/or brain damage. The overall baseline attitudes of students toward DBS were positive. There was no observed difference between surveyed pre-clinical and clinical students, highlighting a lack of exposure throughout the clinical years of medical school education. Conclusion: Although DBS is an effective treatment modality for various conditions, current education is non-commensurate with its application, which can negatively impact awareness and understanding for its implications by medical professionals. In order to better serve patients who may benefit from DBS, medical curricula must change to educate future physicians on the benefit of this intervention.


Purpose
This study aims to explore how the ideal employee effects of internal marketing are created and sustained. It aims to reveal the role that outbound marketing activities play in the reproduction of a brand-centric employee culture.

Design/methodology/approach
From an organizational ritual perspective, this study conducts a qualitative study of a Chinese department store's anniversary celebration, which is a multi-day annual sales event. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, supplemented with corporate documents and field observation.

Findings
This study reveals that the focal event remains a success because the well-managed coordination of its onstage and backstage activities serves to reproduce an employee culture of espousing and voluntarily enacting corporately mandated role norms, values and beliefs.

Practical implications
For the management of retail events with the aim of building organizational culture, this study points to the importance of emphasizing the symbolism of the sales promotion aspects of an event and paying as much attention to employees' backstage experiences as to the public execution of a consumer event.

Originality/value
This study shows that external marketing could set the stage for internal marketing, with the ideal effects of internal marketing actually constructed and institutionalized during activities and procedures comprising outbound marketing. This suggests that a more nuanced view of the practice of internal marketing is warranted.


This dissertation examines several issues in the phonology and morphology of the Bantu language Runyankore. While this language has been studied in the past, to date there has been no extensive discussion of the tonal patterns, reduplication, or the syntax-phonology interface. Along with a descriptive account of these aspects of the language, this disserta tion also seeks to examine the role of Optimality Theory in a grammatical analysis of the language. The verbal system of Runyankore contains a number of different types of tonal pat terns. These are described and analyzed from an Optimality Theoretic perspective. Ulti mately, two major categories of tone pattern emerge: lexical and melodic. The lexical tone patterns contain high tones that are associated with some segmental morpheme. On the other hand, the melodic tone patterns contain a high tone that is morphologically as sociated with the tense/aspect and with no specific segmental morpheme. We find that in order to describe adequately these patterns the notion of constraint must be extended to include macroconstraints, which comprise two or more constraints that are joined in a Boolean relationship. These constraints are associated with specific tense/aspect and out rank those constraints responsible for the more general lexical tone patterns. In fact, the linking of the macroconstraints with particular patterns indicates a close relationship be tween constraint conjunction and morphology. Reduplication in Runyankore exhibits the familiar pattern found in many Bantu lan guages. However, there are two very interesting features of Runyankore reduplication that have special theoretical interest. First, very short verbs in Runyankore cannot un dergo reduplication because they do not contain enough segmental material to create a well-formed reduplicant. This is explained by reference to the possibility that a null parse is a possible candidate as an output from Gen. Secondly, we find a number of morpho logically conditioned consonant mutations in Runyankore. There is an asymmetry


The Radioactive accident with Cesium 137 in Goiânia is the second largest incident involving radioactive substance after Chernobyl. This study is a follow up and aims at studying the perception of the people directly affected by the accident, with emphasis on surveys of the victims' views of their problems at the critical moment and remnants after 3 years, and those manifested in their statements to the newspapers after 15 years of the accident launching. It also registers a systematic evaluation of the accident, as well as the reactions and feelings described by the victims. It concludes that radioactive contaminated people underwent severe physical, psychological and social suffering. The comparison between the results of both studies points out the victims' problems and concerns: health and psychological issues, prejudice, disregard and omission of the authorities, the impossibility of overcoming the trauma. Such problems and concerns are still part of their lives, being their present and future most acute fears.


We address the problem of the automatic synthesis of concurrent programs within a framework based on Answer Set Programming (ASP). Every concurrent program to be synthesized is specified by providing both the behavioural and the structural properties it should satisfy. Behavioural properties, such as safety and liveness properties, are specified by using formulas of the Computation Tree Logic, which are encoded as a logic program. Structural properties, such as the symmetry of processes, are also encoded as a logic program. Then, the program which is the union of these two encoding programs, is given as input to an ASP system which returns as output a set of answer sets. Finally, each answer set is decoded into a synthesized program that, by construction, satisfies the desired behavioural and structural properties.


The evaluation of root canal instrumentation is important to observe the action of endodontic instruments in the root canal walls. Aim: This study introduces a method to standardize the acquisition of images before and after preparing root canals by using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods: Sixteen mandibular molars were included in acrylic resin blocks. Samples were inserted in a stable wood box, which was filled with plaster and served as a guide to reinsert the samples. The apparatus was used for the CBCT examination before and after cervical flaring of root canals. The software IcatVision® was used to equalize the images before and after instrumentation with two computers operating at the same time. The measurements between root canal center and the furcation area were determined. The statistical analysis was performed using the t-test for paired samples (a=0.05). Results: The values for dentin thickness in the risk zone before and after root canal flaring with Gates-Gliden drills were 1.096 (± 0.27) mm and 0.742 (± 0.24) (p<0.01), respectively. Conclusions: The proposed method assures the same positioning of the samples before and after root canal preparation. It is extremely important, as any mesiodistal or buccolingual movement can produce a different topogram for comparison procedures.


The main purpose of broad crested weir used in open channels is to raise and control upstream (U/S) water level. In this study, a new performance was added to this weir, by making a step at downstream (D/S) of weir. The energy dissipation, the height of the weir/the upstream water height ratio and Froude number relationships (E% – P/h – Fr) for three range of flume slop S = 0.0, 0.002 and 0.004 were simulated. The experiments were performed in a laboratory horizontal channel of 4.6 m length, 0.3 m width and 0.3 m depth for a wide range of discharge. The D/S step height of the weir was 7.5 cm. FLUENT software was used as numerical model which represent a type of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model in order to simulate flow over weirs. The Volume of Fluid (VOF) method with the Standard k – e turbulence model was used to estimate the free surface profile and the structured mesh with high concentration near the wall regions. The experimental results of the water surface profile gave a high agreement with the results of the numerical models. The maximum value 28.78 of E% was obtained in single step broad crested weir in the experimental result and 27.35 in numerical result at S = 0.004. Finally, the range of the relative error of the energy dissipation between experimental and numerical results was achieved and the maximum was 6.76 in all runs.


Contents: Introduction, Charles Krinsky Part I Defining Youth and Youth Culture: Introduction to part I Justice undone: public panic and the condemnation of children and youth, Bernard Schissel Virtual panic: children online and the transmission of harm, Robert Payne 'The monsters next door: what made them do it?' Moral panics over the causes of high school multiple shootings (notably Columbine), John Springhall. Part II Sex Panics: Introduction to part II How to make 'kiddie-porn' in Canada: law enforcement, the media, and moral panic in the age of AIDS, Vincent Doyle Naming, blaming, and framing: a moral panic over child molesters and its implications for public policy, Pamela D. Schultz The moral panic that never was: news media, law enforcement, and the Michael Jackson trial, Charles Krinsky. Part III Schools and Schooling: Introduction to part III Speak of the devil, Mary deYoung Panic between the lips: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Ritalin, Toby Miller 'Don't know much about history': a critical examination of moral panics over student ignorance, Sheldon Ungar. Part IV Urban Youth: Introduction to part IV Marginalized youth and urban revitalization: a moral panic over street children in Cape Town, Tony Roshan Samara Race, space, and crime: the city, moral panics, and 'risky' youth, Elizabeth Brown New savages in the city: moral panics, delinquent hoodlums, and the French juvenile court, Susan J. Terrio Index.


Optic nerve colobomas are rare congenital anomalies that result from failure of the superior end of the embryonic fissure to close. Ocular abnormalities associated with optic nerve colobomas include the presence of posterior lenticonus, posterior embryotoxon, optic nerve pit, optic sheath cyst, and remnants of the hyaloid artery. 1 We describe a patient with a peripapillary subretinal neovascular membrane associated with an isolated optic nerve coloboma. Report of a Case. —A 48-year-old man who previously had 20/20 OU visual acuity complained of blurred vision in his right eye of 1 month's duration. Best corrected visual acuity was 20/50 OD and 20/20 OS. The anterior segments of both eyes were normal. Ophthalmoscopic examination of the right eye revealed an isolated optic nerve coloboma. The optic nerve was mildly pale, completely excavated, and approximately twice larger than the left in diameter. The retinal vessels entered and exited from the borders and coalesced


Increasing penetration of distributed energy resources complicate operations of electric power distribution systems by amplifying volatility of nodal power injections. On the other hand, these resources can provide additional control means to the distribution system operator (DSO). In this work we develop a data-driven distributionally robust decision-making framework in the DSO's perspective to overcome the uncertainty of these injections and its impact on the distribution system operations. We develop an ac optimal power flow formulation for radial distribution systems based on the LinDistFlow ac power flow approximation and exploit distributionally robust optimization to immunize the optimized decisions against uncertainty in the probabilistic models of forecast errors obtained from the available observations. The model is reformulated to be computationally tractable and tested on multiple IEEE distribution test systems. We also release the code supplement that implements the proposed model in Julia and can be used to reproduce our numerical results.


It has been shown that redundant actuation provides an effective means for eliminating singularities of a parallel manipulator, thereby improving its performance such as Cartesian stiffness and homogeneous output forces. Based on this concept, several high-performance parallel manipulator prototypes have been designed. A major difficulty that prevents application of the vast control literature developed for the serial counterparts to redundantly actuated parallel manipulators is the lack of an efficient dynamical model for real-time control. In this paper, using the Lagrange-D'Alembert formulation, we propose a simple scheme for computing the inverse dynamics of a redundantly actuated parallel manipulator. Based on this approach, four basic control algorithms, a joint-space proportional derivative (PD) control, a PD control in generalized coordinates, an augmented PD control, and a computed-torque control, are formulated. A two-degrees-of-freedom redundantly acutated parallel manipulator designed for a high-speed assembly task is used to verify the simplicity of the proposed approach and to evaulate the performance of the four control algorithms.


Agricultural biodiversity has always been influenced by several factors and socio-economic factors have an undeniable effect on crop diversity. The purpose of this study was to examine the diversity of crops in the Hashilan wetlands protected area in western Iran using indices of biodiversity and determining the effective socio-economic and environmental factors. Data collection was carried out by direct observation, interview and questionnaire (N=119) with the farmers. The survey was conducted in nine villages, six inside the wetland protected area and three outside it. The results showed that 10 species were cultivated in the study area and wheat occupied the most acreage. The highest numbers of species were in the Poaceae and Leguminosae families. The species richness index in the wetland area (10 species) was greater than outside it (5 species), but the Shannon diversity index was higher in villages outside the wetland because of uniform species abundance. In the wetland, species richness was high, but the dominance of wheat and barley decreased the Shannon index. The results of correlation testing for the effect of land factors, distance to the river, farm type, number of land plots, farmer education, income from the wetland, farmer age and experience, use of chemical fertilizers and the number of farmer family members on species richness and the Shannon indices showed great diversity of crops in the villages surrounding them. It can be concluded that regional protection has not created the differences between the two areas, but other factors have contributed to the change.


Sugar-sweetened beverage (sugar-SB) consumption is associated with body weight gain. We investigated whether the changes of (Δ) circulating leptin contribute to weight gain and ad libitum food intake in young adults consuming sugar-SB for two weeks. In a parallel, double-blinded, intervention study, participants (n = 131; BMI 18–35 kg/m2; 18–40 years) consumed three beverages/day containing aspartame or 25% energy requirement as glucose, fructose, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or sucrose (n = 23–28/group). Body weight, ad libitum food intake and 24-h leptin area under the curve (AUC) were assessed at Week 0 and at the end of Week 2. The Δbody weight was not different among groups (p = 0.092), but the increases in subjects consuming HFCS- (p = 0.0008) and glucose-SB (p = 0.018) were significant compared with Week 0. Subjects consuming sucrose- (+14%, p < 0.0015), fructose- (+9%, p = 0.015) and HFCS-SB (+8%, p = 0.017) increased energy intake during the ad libitum food intake trial compared with subjects consuming aspartame-SB (−4%, p = 0.0037, effect of SB). Fructose-SB decreased (−14 ng/mL × 24 h, p = 0.0006) and sucrose-SB increased (+25 ng/mL × 24 h, p = 0.025 vs. Week 0; p = 0.0008 vs. fructose-SB) 24-h leptin AUC. The Δad libitum food intake and Δbody weight were not influenced by circulating leptin in young adults consuming sugar-SB for 2 weeks. Studies are needed to determine the mechanisms mediating increased energy intake in subjects consuming sugar-SB.


ulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is probably the most common form of vaginal infection, although bacterial vaginosis is believed to be more frequent. 1,z Even though Candida assumes a role as a pathogen, it is an opportunistic organism causing systemic infections usually in patients who are immunosuppressed or critically ill on multiple antibiotics. However, several studies have demonstrated that C. albicans is a member of the host's endogenous vaginal and gastrointestinal microflora. Auger and Jolly3 isolated Candida from approximately 70% of healthy women. Other investigators have isolated C. albicans from the lower genital tracts of healthy, asymptomatic women with a frequency of 5-55%. It is estimated that 75% of all women will experience one episode of symptomatic VVC during their lifetime.7,8 Unfortunately, 40-50% of women will have at least one recurrence of VVC and at least 5% will have chronic or repeated episodes of VVC. Perhaps this condition should be viewed as a disturbance in the vaginal ecosystem rather than a disease in view of the fact that Candida is part of the complex endogenous microflora of many individuals. Alterations in the vaginal ecosystem can be favorable to the growth of C. albicans and other species. Once the yeast becomes dominant, it may result in a symptomatic condition and even produce findings consistent with acute infection. No doubt, the symptomatic condition is extremely prevalent, as evidenced by the 13 million prescriptions written in the United States between 1980 and 1990.1 While C. albicans is the predominant yeast, causing 85-90% of all cases of VVC, information is slowly being accumulated on a rising incidence of VVC due to non-albicans species such as C. (Torulopsis) glabrata, C. tropicalis, and C. krusei (Table 1).9 This rising incidence has become even more of a concern in view of the availability of several antimycotic agents that no longer require a prescription (over-the-counter products). The easy accessibility of antimycotic intravaginal preparations has raised at least three major concerns: 1) The wanton or indiscriminate use of these agents may exert selective pressure for resistant strains; 2) the indiscriminate use of these agents may allow for replacement by other species such as C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, or C. krusei; and 3) the treatment may be misdirected if the individual has another or concomitant infection. Added to these concerns is the fact that the


This paper contributes to emerging research on the impacts of climate change on communities in the Global South by mapping and analyzing its impacts on rural livelihoods in semi-arid Matobo District in Zimbabwe. It investigates the possibilities and scope for climate change adaptation in this region as communal households adjust and diversify their livelihood portfolios. In so doing, it finds that climate change has had remarkable consequences on the livelihoods of people in this semi-arid area. It has altered the ecosystem leading to the disappearance of certain plant and insect species that were an essential part of the local natural habitat and livelihoods of local people. Rainfall patterns have also become unpredictable leading to erratic, mostly, poor farming seasons with direct implications on the local food system and rural economy. In response to these climate change induced impacts, a variety of new livelihood strategies are emerging as households seek to cushion themselves against this threat to their sustainability. However, a pertinent question is: how far can these adaptation strategies evolve under the increasing pressure of climate change impacts? In other words, are these communal households urging towards tipping points?


About 80% of the worlds people depend largely on traditional plant-derived drugs for their primary health care (PHC). Medicinal plants serve as sources of direct therapeutic agents and raw materials for the manufacture of more complex compounds as models for new synthetic products and as taxonomic markers. Some essential plant-derived drugs are atropine codeine morphine digitoxin/digoxin and quinine/artemisinin. Use of indigenous medicinal plants reduces developing countries reliance on drug imports. Costa Rica has set aside 25% of its land to preserve the forests in part to provide plants and other materials for possible pharmaceutical and agricultural applications. The Napralert database at the University of Illinois establishes ethnomedical uses for about 9200 of 33000 species of monocotyledons dicotyledons gymnosperms lichens pteridophytes and bryophytes. Sales of crude plant drugs during 1985 in China equaled US$1400 million. Even though many people use medicinal plants pharmaceutical firms in industrialized nations do not want to explore plants as sources of new drugs. Scientists in China Germany and Japan are doing so however. Screening chemical analysis clinical trials and regulatory measures are needed to ensure safety of herbal medicines. WHO has hosted interregional workshops to address methodologies for the selection and use of traditional medicines in national PHC programs. WHO the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and the World Wide Fund for Nature developed guidelines for conservation of medicinal plants. Their 2-pronged strategy includes prevention of the disappearance of forests and associated species and the establishment of botanical gardens. WHOs Traditional Medicine Programme hopes that people will apply known and effective agroindustrial technologies to the cultivation and processing of medicinal plants and the production of herbal medicines and the creation of large-scale networks for the distribution of seeds and plants.


Ilex paraguariensis A.St.-Hil. is an arboreal species whose leaves are used in the preparation of mate and in the cosmetics and food industries. Due to diffi  culty found in the sexual propagation of the species, this paper aimed to test effi  ciency of indolebutyric acid (IBA) in saplings production from semi-woody cuttings. On the fi rst experiment, cuttings were taken from young plants, immersed in diff erent concentrations of IBA and established in substrate. On the second experiment, cuttings were established in four diff erent substrates previously submersed in IBA. A concentration of 3.0 mg L-1 of IBA and a substrate composed of biostabilized pine bark, limestone and vermiculite + carbonized rice hull, have shown a greater effi  ciency in rooting of young I. paraguariensis saplings, and could be used to facilitate yerba mate propagation.


Professor Mendelson's interesting paper reaches one conclusion with which I have no quarrel. Under his "most likely" future scenario, he argues for the need for the individual investor in the stock market to enhance the external equity capital-raising abilities of corporations. However, on the way to that conclusion, he dispenses a number of inconsistencies and confusing points.


Results of tight-binding and eight-band k.p calculations of the electronic band structure of long wavelength Ga1-xInxSb/InAs superlattices are compared with experimental energy gap and absorption coefficient data. The effective masses, band splittings and absorption coefficients observed in this system illustrate the potential of these structures for application in focal plane array systems demanding high detectivities or relaxed cooling requirements. Comparisons with Hg1-xCdxTe, the industry standard, are particularly favourable at longer wavelengths (8-12 mu m and beyond), due to both a substantial reduction in tunnel currents and a suppression of impact ionization noise processes. The authors also find that the InSb- or Ga1-xInxAs-like nature of the interfaces should affect the energy gap of a Ga1-xInxSb/InAs superlattice, and that substantially larger optical absorption coefficients are to be expected in structures with InSb-like interfaces. Their calculations are in agreement with experimental absorption spectra and with observed dependences of energy gaps on interfacial chemistry, measured in samples in which the nature of the interfaces was controlled through appropriate shuttering sequences and use of interrupts during growth by molecular beam epitaxy.


Background:
 Stroke and dementia are closely related but no prospective study ever focused on dementia in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

 Objective:
 To determine incidence, prognostic factors and possible mechanisms of post-ICH dementia in a large population of non-demented ICH patients over a long period of follow-up.

 Methods:
 Prospective cohort of consecutive adults with spontaneous ICH. Patients free of dementia and alive at 6 months were included. We studied clinical and neuroradiological (MRI) biomarkers with a prespecified subgroup analysis according to ICH location. Age-adjusted analyses were used to select variables (p<0.1) included in multivariable models that took into account death as competing risk.

 Results:
 In a cohort of 218 ICH patients (108 males; median age 67.5, interquartile range (IQR) 55-76), 63 patients developed new onset dementia during a median follow-up of 5.4 years (IQR, 4.2-5.8). At 1 year after ICH, the overall incidence of dementia was 20% (95% CI 15-25). It differed between lobar ICH (n=77, 30% 95% CI 20-40) and non lobar ICH (n=141, 16% 95% CI 10-22). Prognostic factors of new onset dementia were lobar Iocation (Hazard Ratio (HR): 2.21; 95% CI 1.30-3.79), older age (HR: 1.06 per year; 95% CI 1.03-1.09), history of previous stroke or transient ischemic attack (HR: 2.56; 95% CI 1.42-4.61), higher NIHSS (HR: 1.03 per year; 95% CI 1.01-1.06), severe leucoaraïosis (HR: 2.87; 95% CI 1.63-5.07) and recurrent stroke during follow-up (HR: 3.22; 95% CI 1.27-8.15). Prognostic neuroradiological biomarkers were increasing cortical atrophy (HR: 2.7; 95% CI 1.7-4.3), presence of disseminated superficial siderosis (HR: 7.10; 95% CI 3.93-12.83), higher number of lobar cerebral microbleeds (HR: 3.40; 95%CI 1.87-6.18). Among lobar ICH, superficial siderosis was a strong predictor (HR: 6.74; 95% CI 3.32-13.68).

 Conclusion:
 The incidence of new onset dementia is high after ICH with a strong influence of lobar location. Among patients with lobar ICH, prognostic factors suggested a strong implication of underlying cerebral amyloid angiopathy that might predict future risk of dementia. Results of our study suggest that all prognostic factors of dementia are already present before the ICH occurs.


PurposeOrganic food consumption is growing, increasing the need for studies investigating the importance of organic certification labels in emerging countries. The research aims to identify the influence of certification labels and fresh organic produce categories (greenery, vegetable or fruit) on consumer trust and purchase intention.Design/methodology/approachAn online experimental survey 3 × 3 was administered among 349 Brazilian consumers. Certification label and fresh organic produce category were designated as independent variables and manipulated to explore consumer trust and purchase intention. The authors performed a multivariate covariance analysis (MANCOVA) to analyze the data.FindingsResults show that the certification label does not directly affect the dependent variables. It acts as a moderator and indirectly affects both consumer trust and purchase intention. Moreover, depending on the fresh organic produce category considered (greenery, vegetable or fruit), consumer trust changes. Sociodemographic characteristics, age and household income are also important. Finally, the greater the purchase frequency (the main predictor of the model), the greater the purchase intention and consumer trust.Originality/valueThe study contributes to deepen and expand studies involving organic food and to pave the way for future studies that aim to investigate the importance of certification labels of organic foods for consumers.


We propose a novel ranking-based semantics for Dung-style argumentation frameworks with the help of conditional logics. Using an intuitive translation for an argumentation framework to generate conditionals, we can apply nonmonotonic inference systems to generate a ranking on possible worlds. With this ranking we construct a ranking for our arguments. With a small extension to this ranking-based semantics we already satisfy some desirable properties for a ranking over arguments.


Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have shown invaluable societal benefits and applications in drug targeting, biological imaging and industrial products. ENPs enter the water body through various paths during the processes of production, usage and emission, therefore the behavior and the biosafety of ENPs in water bodies have attracted increasing attention. As the primary producer of ecosystems, phytoplankton provide nutrients, energy and oxygen for both themselves and organisms at higher trophic levels in the aquatic ecosystems. These primary producers may be exposed to the biological and unpredictable effects of this emergent pollutant to the aquatic ecosystems. Numerous studies have proved the toxic effects of ENPs on phytoplankton, but the mechanisms of entry into the aquatic organisms as well as the stability, fate and biotransformation in phytoplankton still remain unclear. Here, we present a review of the pathways of ENPs entering the water, the subsequent behavior and biological effects of ENPs on phytoplankton with an emphasis on latest findings and current knowledge. Future research and endeavors shall focus further on the understanding of mechanisms, fate and transport of ENPs in the aquatic ecosystems.


ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between oxytocin (OXT), vasopressin (AVP) and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) levels and cognitive functions in schzophrenia as well as to compare the findings to those in healthy controls. Method: Patients with chronic schizophrenia and (n=63) healthy controls (n=60) were evaluated with the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (VLT), the Trail Making Test A-B (TMT), the Stroop Test, the Wechsler Memory Scale-Visual Production Subscale (WMS-V) and the Facial Emotion Recognition Tests. Blood samples were analysed by using ELISA. In the data analysis, the percentage distributions of the variables were obtained, the centrality and prevalence measures (mean, standard deviation) were calculated for the continuous variables, and the dependent and independent variables were evaluated using the chi-square test, the Student's t-test, and the Pearson correlation test. High score variables were determined by principal component analysis. For comparisons between groups; MANOVA applied. Results: Serum OXT, AVP and ANP levels did not differ between the groups. In the healthy control group, subscales of the Stroop, WMS-V and TMT-B tests showed better scores and correlated with levels of OXT (p < .05). In the healthy controls, ANP levels and social cognition had a relationship with response times to happy facial expressions (p < .05). The correlations of OXT, AVP and ANP with the social and cognitive parameters were different between the control group and the schizophrenia group (p < .05). Conclusion: The different correlations in the healthy controls and schizophrenia group suggest deteriorations in the interactions and functions of hormones in patients and highlights the need for new investigations into different neurodegenerative illness samples.


Title compds. I [A = (un)substituted aryl or heteroaryl; Q = halo; R1 = C(O)NR6R7; R2 and R4 independently = H, halo, CN, NO2, alkyl, or haloalkyl; R3 and R5 independently = H, halo, alkyl, or haloalkyl; R6 and R7 = together with the atoms to which they are attached form an (un)substituted heterocyclic ring contg. one or more heteroatoms selected from N, O, or S;], and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts, are prepd. and disclosed as glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) modulators. Thus, e.g., II•HCl was prepd. by cyclocondensation of 5-bromopyridine-2,3-diamine with terephthalic monomethyl ester followed by chlorination, iodination, sapon., amidation with N-methylpiperazine, and coupling with 4-methoxyphenyl boronic acid. I were evaluated in GSK3β scintillation proximity assays, e.g., II•HCl demonstrated an Ki value of 97 nM. [on SciFinder(R)]


The dendrochronological studies were carried out on very well preserved sub-fossil pine wood found in the biogenic deposits of the Rucianka raised bog (NE Poland). Local floating chronologies, covering the period 990-460 cal BC, were dated on the basis of radiocarbon analyses. Growth depressions in annual treering widths indicated periodical deterioration of the environmental conditions, which affected tree growth. Identified germination and dying-off phases (GDO) should be related to the wetter climatic periods. The extinction of trees took place during periods of higher groundwater level which, in turn, caused favourable conditions for growth of young pines.


In data center networks, the reliability of Service Function Chain (SFC)—an end-to-end service presented by a chain of virtual network functions (VNFs)—is a complex and specific function of placement, configuration, and application requirements, both in hardware and software. Existing approaches to reliability analysis do not jointly consider multiple features of system components, including, (i) heterogeneity, (ii) disjointness, (iii) sharing, (iv) redundancy, and (v) failure interdependency. To this end, we develop a novel analysis of service reliability of the so-called
 generic SFC,
 consisting of
 n
 =
 k
 +
 r
 sub-SFCs, whereby
 k
 ≥ 1 and
 r
 ≥ 0 are the numbers of arbitrary placed primary and backup (redundant) sub-SFCs, respectively. Our analysis is based on combinatorics and a reduced binomial theorem—resulting in a simple approach, which, however, can be utilized to analyze rather complex SFC configurations. The analysis is practically applicable to various VNF placement strategies in arbitrary data center configurations, and topologies and can be effectively used for evaluation and optimization of reliable SFC placements.


Background: Cognitive impairment is one of the core symptoms of schizophrenia, which is considered to be significantly correlated to prognosis. In recent years, many studies have suggested that metabolic disorders could be related to a higher risk of cognitive defects in a general setting. However, there has been limited evidence on the association between metabolism and cognitive function in patients with early-stage schizophrenia. Methods: In this study, we recruited 172 patients with early-stage schizophrenia. Relevant metabolic parameters were examined and cognitive function was evaluated by using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) to investigate the relationship between metabolic disorder and cognitive impairment. Results: Generally, the prevalence of cognitive impairment among patients in our study was 84.7% (144/170), which was much higher than that in the general population. Compared with the general Chinese setting, the study population presented a higher proportion of metabolic disturbance. Patients who had metabolic disturbance showed no significant differences on cognitive function compared with the other patients. Correlation analysis showed that metabolic status was significantly correlated with cognitive function as assessed by the cognitive domain scores (p < 0.05), while such association was not found in further multiple regression analysis. Conclusions: Therefore, there may be no association between metabolic disorder and cognitive impairment in patients with early-stage schizophrenia. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03451734. Registered March 2, 2018 (retrospectively registered).


The joint design of the optical system and the downstream algorithm is a challenging and promising task. Due to the demand for balancing the global optimal of imaging systems and the computational cost of physical simulation, existing methods cannot achieve efficient joint design of complex systems such as smartphones and drones. In this work, starting from the perspective of the optical design, we characterize the optics with separated aberrations. Additionally, to bridge the hardware and software without gradients, an image simulation system is presented to reproduce the genuine imaging procedure of lenses with large field-of-views. As for aberration correction, we propose a network to perceive and correct the spatially varying aberrations and validate its superiority over state-of-the-art methods. Comprehensive experiments reveal that the preference for correcting separated aberrations in joint design is as follows: longitudinal chromatic aberration, lateral chromatic aberration, spherical aberration, field curvature, and coma, with astigmatism coming last. Drawing from the preference, a 10% reduction in the total track length of the consumer-level mobile phone lens module is accomplished. Moreover, this procedure spares more space for manufacturing deviations, realizing extreme-quality enhancement of computational photography. The optimization paradigm provides innovative insight into the practical joint design of sophisticated optical systems and post-processing algorithms.


Background The Medicines Information Centre is contacted when medicine has been exposed to temperatures deviating from their specific standard storage conditions. In order to determine whether or not the medicine should be discarded, many factors have to be taken into consideration. When lacking approved stability data, we must deduce and extrapolate from facts to make a 'professional judgement' (eg, can it be used conditioned by reduced shelf life?). This may result in variations in our case handling and hence conclusions. There are a number of incentives which support investing time in finding a rational solution other than discarding the medicine (eg, a large number of medicine stored in the refrigerator are very expensive and we experience more frequent backorder situations). Handling a case of a medicine stored incorrectly can be resource consuming and therefore it is also relevant to find a balance between the time invested in case handling and the price of the medicine. Purpose To develop a procedure which embraces tools and guidelines to ensure uniform quality and consistency in our decision making regarding a medicine stored under non-standard conditions. Material and methods In addition to professional judgement, we have developed the following tools and guidelines to support the caseworker. List of databases and sources of information retrieval: SmPC; local database of previous cases; UK database; Micromedex and other databases on storage and stability; manufacturer. A guide to use shelf life estimation methods (ie, when to use an equation to estimate the reduced expiration date). De minims limit: Obtaining a balance between resources spent on case handling and the cost of the medicine. Results Over a 5 month period, 330 medicines were processed as having incorrect storage. In 186 cases (56%) only guidelines and tools were applied; in 85 cases (26%) guidelines, tools and professional judgement were applied; and in 59 cases (18%) only professional judgement was applied. All of the above mentioned guidelines and tools were applied in the cases. Conclusion All of the guidelines and tools are important and useful in the case handling of incorrect storage of drugs, but they cannot stand alone in all cases. Professional judgement remains an essential element to complete the cases. No conflict of interest.


The intention of the authors of Cognitive Rehabilitation ofMemoiy: a Practical Giiiele was to provide a practical resource manual for clinical use with adult clients who have sustained a neurological insult. This is indeed achieved. Although the t-our authors come from a variety of backgrounds ( psychotherapy, psychology, cognitive rehabilitation, and speech language pathology), the overall impression is of an integrated, client-centred approach to assessment and treatment that is functionally based. A great deal of emphasis is placed on empowerment of the individual. The ideas and treatiyient suggestions are compatible with occupational therapy. The book is well organized with an extensive reference list and comprehensive appendices at the end of each chapter to provide specific examples of tasks, lists of materials and vendors as well as purchasing information. There are three main sections of the book: part I provides an introductory overview and outlines various memory theories and types of memory; part II reviews principles of assessment, goal setting and treatment planning; finally, part III is the primary clinical portion of the text providing practical clinical applications. This final section includes a chapter on direct retraining tasks (pen & paper, three-dimensional and computerized), one which provides a menu of compensatory strategies, and lastly one on compensatory aids (prosthetic & cognitive orthotic devices). Emphasis is placed on the importance of simultaneously using these modalities with the ultimate goal of the client generalizing these skills to real life situations. The chapter on goal setting and treatment planning provides a holistic perspective, although for the experienced clinician, it is perhaps redundant. The authors have developed an eight step treatment model, to be implemented after a comprehensive assessment which is used as a framework throughout the book. In conclusion, this book is a valuable resource for therapists involved in the direct rehabilitation of memory. Catheriiie Brock Sexuality and the person with traumatic brain injury: A guide for families


We consider conditions that allow us to find an optimal strategy for sequential decisions from a given data situation. For the case where all interventions are unconditional (atomic), identifiability has been discussed by Pearl & Robins (1995). We argue here that an optimal strategy must be conditional, i.e. take the information available at each decision point into account. We show that the identification of an optimal sequential decision strategy is more restrictive, in the sense that conditional interventions might not always be identified when atomic interventions are. We further demonstrate that a simple graphical criterion for the identifiability of an optimal strategy can be given.


It has long been known that a Milnor invariant with no repeated index is an invariant of link homotopy. We show that Milnor invariants with repeated indices are invariants not only of isotopy, but also of self Ck-equivalence. Here self C k -equivalence is a natural generalization of link homotopy based on certain degree k clasper surgeries, which provides a filtration of link homotopy classes.