Resistance of Helicobacter pylori to antibiotics ranges from 3% to 10% and may exceed these levels in some countries. The pathophysiology of clarithromycin resistance is reviewed, including the mode of action by which the antibiotic inhibits protein synthesis and the mechanism of resistance, which involves a mutation at position 2142 or 2143 in the V loop domain of the 23SrRNA genes. Mutations of A2142G confer a higher minimum inhibitory concentration than mutations of A2143G. The former demonstrate cross-resistance to macrolide, lincosamide and streptogramin antibiotics, whereas the latter are susceptible to streptogramin B. In vitro mutagenesis combined with natural transformation were used to create several types of clarithromycin-resistant mutants. H pylori strains with A2142G and A2143G mutations had a higher growth rate than those with A2142C, A2143 or A2142T mutations. Data from this study indicate why clarithromycin-resistant clinical isolates of H pylori are more likely to have A2142G or A2143G mutations and only occassionally A2142C mutations.


Seed dispersal is the main movement mechanism used by plants. The last decade saw rapid progress in understanding the underlying processes, especially for dispersal by wind, in part due to new mechanistic modeling approaches that account for turbulent fluctuations. Yet, current wind dispersal models stop short of explicitly incorporating the effects of landscape topography on the main transporting vector – wind, so that the effects of wind variability over hills on dispersal patterns remain by and large unstudied. A new mechanistic model was developed that combines Eulerian wind statistics derived from a simplified analytical approach of flow over gently sloped forested hills with a Lagrangian seed trajectory model. Model runs were used to explore the effects of seed release location along the hill on dispersal kernels predicted by the new model in relation to their flat-terrain counterparts. The model was parameterized for a Pinus taeda plantation, and a range of seed motion capacities represented by terminal velocity and release height, and realistic topographic variation were then explored. To evaluate model performance, computed kernels were compared to kernel measurements collected in a large flume for spherical 'seeds' released near the top of a rod canopy covering gentle cosine hills. The evaluation showed that the model reproduced the key experimental differences in dispersal patterns for releases at the hill crest and bottom. The simulations revealed several novel findings. For seeds released within the canopy, both median and 99th percentile dispersal distances on the hill upwind side were up to two times longer than on flat terrain for the same motion capacity. Seeds released on the lee side traveled mostly toward the hill crest – following the local within-the-canopy wind direction. This direction was contrary to the 'regional' wind direction set by the flow conditions above the canopy. There, the directionality of the long-distance dispersal was additionally dependent on uplifting probability, affected by seed motion capacity. It was demonstrated that neglecting the effects of even gentle topography in mechanistic seed dispersal models can lead to biased estimates of dispersal distances and directionality on hilly terrain. These results are pertinent to plant population demography, connectivity and spread on hills. More broadly, the approach developed here can be extended to movement of pollen and various airborne organisms over hills. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


Acquired tracheal diverticulum is a rare clinical entity with only limited reports in the literature. We report a case of a tracheal diverticulum that was identified as part of a work-up for a worsening cough. In this case the diverticulum was observed 2 years after surgical management of a retropharyngeal abscess. It was felt that pooling of secretions in the acquired pouch was a contributing factor in the exacerbation of the patient's chronic cough. Because of the patient's extensive comorbidities, observation and serial computed tomography scans were recommended.


In a five years period (1982 till 1986) the spectrum of pathogenic bacteria and fungi in acute meningitis was analysed. The appearance, spreading and suspected spectrum of pathogens have to be followed by special aspects considering effective therapeutic proceedings. 361 out of 392 positive cerebrospinal fluids (92.1%) were derived from only 3 (neurosurgical, neurological and pediatric department) out of 14 possible departments. Whereas in the pediatric department the classical pathogens of acute meningitis predominated, the patients in the neurosurgical department mainly showed nosocomial infections. There has to be considered the accidental infection, especially in the severely ill patients of the neurosurgical intensive care unit, which favours highly resistant pathogens. Furthermore, to initiate an infection, the pathogenicity of nosocomial microorganisms is not required to be high. The correlation of clinical signs and the proof of pathogens showed that often so called contaminants could be of higher value to be the infectious agent as assumed. Nevertheless, there seemed to be a regression of acute meningitis due to better diagnostic and therapeutic proceedings.


Surgical treatment for patients with Parkinson disease (PD) under general anesthesia has become frequent. PD is a significant predictor of postoperative complications. However, the factors that predict complications in patients with PD remain unknown. We retrospectively recruited patients with PD who underwent surgery between April 2015 and March 2019. The prevalence of postoperative complications was analyzed. We compared the patient characteristics, medical data, and surgical data between patients with and without postoperative complications. We also estimated the odds ratios (OR) for postoperative complications in patients with PD who underwent surgery. Sixty-five patients were enrolled. Eighteen patients presented with 22 complications, including urinary tract infections (UTI) (n = 3; 5%), pneumonia (n = 1; 2%), surgical site infections (SSI) (n = 3; 5%), postoperative delirium (POD) (n = 7; 10%), and others (n = 8; 12%). Four patients presented with 2 complications each. The operation time, the red blood cell transfusion and the rate of rotigotine usage were higher in patients with complications than those without (314 ± 197 min vs 173 ± 145 min, P = .006; 0 [0–560] mL vs 0 [0–0] mL, P = .02; 39% vs 6%, P = .003, respectively) (mean ± standard deviation or median [interquartile range]). Preoperative rotigotine usage (OR: 9.33; 95% confidential interval [CI]: 2.07–42.07; P = .004) was an independent risk factors for postoperative complications. The findings indicate that clinicians should closely monitor postoperative complications when patients with PD who have received transdermal dopamine agonists undergone longer time surgery.


Lead has adverse effects on health, society, and the economy. Lead exposure results in increased blood lead levels and storage in bones. Calcium and lead are competitively absorbed and as such calcium can be used to mitigate the body lead burden. Twenty-eight quantitative research studies were reviewed that examined lead exposure (in blood, bone, or breastmilk) and calcium intake or serum calcium to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fortifying potable water supplies with calcium to mitigate lead absorption or resorption. Eighteen of the studies reported a significant inverse relationship between biomarker lead levels and calcium intake or serum calcium. The relationship was most evident with high calcium intake, suggesting a dose-dependent relationship. An intervention with calcium-fortified water could offer an accessible source of supplemental calcium to help meet the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) and mitigate lead absorption. A concentration of 60 mg-Ca/L can supply 22.0 and 16.3% of a 1,000 mg-Ca RDA for men and women, respectively, at the recommended daily water intake.


In this paper, the nonnegative Q-matrix completion problem is studied. A real n × n matrix is a Q-matrix if for k ∈ {1, . . . , n}, the sum of all k × k principal minors is positive. A digraph D is said to have nonnegative Q-completion if every partial nonnegative Q-matrix specifying D can be completed to a nonnegative Q-matrix. For nonnegative Q-completion problem, necessary conditions and sufficient conditions for a digraph to have nonnegative Q-completion are obtained. Further, the digraphs of order at most four that have nonnegative Q-completion have been studied. 2010 MSC: 05C20, 05C50


Recently introduced incomplete tree structures for the magnetic-field integral equation are modified and used in conjunction with the mixed-form multilevel fast multipole algorithm (MLFMA) to employ a novel broadband incomplete-leaf MLFMA (IL-MLFMA) to the solution of potential integral equations (PIEs) for scattering/radiation from multiscale open and closed surfaces. This population-based algorithm deploys a nonuniform clustering that enables to use deep levels safely and, when necessary, without compromising the accuracy resulting in an improved efficiency and a significant reduction for the memory requirements (order of magnitudes), while the error is controllable. The superiority of the algorithm is demonstrated in several canonical and real-life multiscale geometries.


A mode-locked laser, a rotating beam splitter, and a streak camera are the primary components of an imager with the ability to record three-dimensional images of remote (up to several kilometers) objects in real time in broad daylight. Immediate and future applications are noted.


permitted in the operating theatres because of the alleged loss of heat through glass windows; the floor and lower half of the walls were lined with green terrazzo, and the ceiling and upper part of the walls were painted green. The only lighting in the actual theatre, apart from the central operating light, was provided by fluorescent tubes in the ceiling cornices, and the result was disastrous, being a worry to the anaesthetist and a danger to the patient. How much of this colour distortion could be attributed to reflection from the ceiling and walls, or how much was due to the colour of light from the fluorescent tubes, I could not be certain, but, judging from the position in the anaesthetic rooms, where a window was provided, I would lay the blame on both factors. We have no need to simulate daylight over its whole colour range, but we are interested primarily in the red-pink part of the spectrum, and I have yet to be shown that for this an incandescent light can be improved upon. Could a lighting engineer corroborate this ? We do need more direct and precise information and not second-hand administrative opinions.-I am, etc.,


Asthma is caused by T-helper 2 (Th2)-driven immune-responses in which upregulation of GATA-3 has been shown to play a crucial role in both in humans and in murine models of this disease.
 T-cell tolerance, induced by respiratory exposure to allergen prior to allergen sensitization, can inhibit the development of airway hyperractivity (AHR), a cardinal feature of asthma. However, the subset of T cells that mediates this protective function in allergic asthma has not been clearly identified yet. We recently set up a tolerogenic model of allergic asthma. In this model, peripheral T cell tolerance is induced by respiratory exposure to allergen and is characterized by decreased Th2 (IL-4,IL-5 and IL-13)-based responses via downregulation of the main Th2 transcription factor GATA-3 in the lung which results in decreased allergen induced AHR and lung eosinophilia.
 In addition, we found that our tolerogenic model is characterized also by decreased differentiation of Th17 cells. Moreover respiratory exposure to allergen prior to sensitization protected also airway hyperreactivity induced in the absence of T-bet. Thus this model suppressed effector Th2 and Th17 mediated immune responses also in the absence of IFN-gamma and could therefore provide a new avenue also for genetically determined allergic diseases.
 This work is supported by a SFB 548-B8 project in Mainz, Germany


This article, considering the mechanical characteristic of wind turbine (WT), presents a nonlinear adaptive control strategy which is developed based on a two-mass model. Meanwhile, the nonlinear controller, applying backstepping adaptive approach based on virtual parameters, contributes to eliminate the undesirable effects of parametric uncertainties and stochastic disturbance. Moreover, the controller makes the rotor speed track the optimum value exactly by regulating the generator torque. The effectiveness of the proposed controller design methodology is finally demonstrated through numerical simulations.


The review has been prepared by staff of the CEGB who are actively studying different aspects of large-scale electrical energy storage. Some areas, such as pumped storage, have been studied in considerable depth, since this technique has been exploited commercially for many years in many parts of the world. Other topics, such as superconducting magnetic storage, are at a much less advanced stage of development and are still at the laboratory and paper study stage. The review starts by examining the role of storage on an electricity-supply system. At present, the major use is put to reducing the flexibility requirements on other plant, but in the future, load smoothing for use with those systems with a large nuclear component could be important. The benefits and limitations of storage in conjunction with renewable energy sources are also discussed. Turning to the technical possibilities, a description is given of the widely used pumped hydrostorage technique. Potential development such as the use of an underground lower reservoir are discussed. It is possible to store the compression energy of a gas turbine as compressed air in an underground cavern. A plant operating on this principle has been built at Huntorf in Germany, but it requires a premium fuel such as natural gas or distillate oil. The possibility of developments leading to a reduction or elimination of this fuel requirement are discussed. It is also possible to store hot water at a power station and re-use it in the steam cycle. This technique has had some practical use for many years and its advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Batteries have been used for storage for many years, but current types are generally too expensive for use for large scale electrical utility applications. The state of development is discussed of new types, which although primarily envisaged for use with electric vehicles, could be used in central stores. Flywheels are also being developed for use with electric vehicles and their potential application to large-scale electrical energy storage is reviewed. Perhaps the most technically advanced storage technique would be to use a large superconducting magnet. The status of studies of this possibility is described. Finally, the relative advantages and disadvantages of the various technical possibilities are discussed.


The mechanism for anaerobic metabolism of benzene remains unknown. To date, there have been only a few studies reporting metabolites of anaerobic benzene biodegradation, in part because anaerobic benzene-degrading enrichment cultures are not very common and only two isolates have been characterized to date. Phenol and benzoate, metabolites consistent with benzene hydroxylation or benzene carboxylation, have been identified previously in mixed cultures, and more recently benzene methylation to toluene has been proposed as another possible mechanism for anaerobic benzene degradation. In this study, 13C6-benzene was added to nitrate-reducing and methanogenic enrichment cultures and specific 13C-labeled metabolites were monitored over time. The putative metabolites were detected by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in ether extracts of 100-mL samples of culture taken at each time point. This method of analysis provided the sensitivity required to accurately quantify low concentrations of these compounds. In addition, benzoate trapping was used in an attemptto increase concentrations of upstream metabolites. In both cultures, in the presence and absence of unlabeled benzoate (trap), [ring-13C]-toluene and [ring-13C]benzoate were detected transiently during degradation. The data strongly support initial methylation of benzene to toluene, followed bytransformation to benzoate. Although benzene methylation has been proposed previously, this is the first direct evidence to supportthis pathway. In the methanogenic culture only, 13C6-phenol was also detected. The transient appearance of phenol, which appeared to be further transformed to benzoate, suggests that a pathway involving hydroxylation to phenol, as proposed in other studies, was also operative.


This paper develops a real business cycle model with labor market search and matching frictions, which endogenously links both the cyclical fluctuations and the mean level of unemployment to the aggregate business cycle risk. The key result of the paper is that business cycles are costly for all consumers, regardless of their wealth, yet that unemployment fluctuations themselves are not the source of these costs. Rather fluctuations over the cycle induce higher average unemployment rates as employment is non-linear in job-finding rates and past unemployment. We first show this result analytically in special cases. We then calibrate a general equilibrium model with risk-averse asset-holding and liquidity-constrained workers to US data. Also under these more general circumstances, business cycles mean higher unemployment for all workers. The ensuing cost of cycles rise further for liquidity-constrained agents when replacement rates are lower or when workers' skills depend on the length of (un)employment spells.


I chuckle inside when I hear discussions about what the next "age" in history will be. I'll admit, my ideas on what this means for education may be perceived as fanciful as well. But, after nearly three decades of technology experience and research work in artificial intelligence and cognitive science, I hope I've learned enough to render a reasonable opinion. Thus far, we've seen the Industrial Age and the Information Age; now, I believe that we are heading toward the Intelligence Age. I'm not talking about robots running our schools; rather, systems that can intelligently gather and analyze data. In education, there is an interesting convergence developing between assessing and evaluating student capabilities and progress, legislation, technology, and communications. This convergence will naturally lead to an increased use of intelligence systems to collect, manage and report data. There is no question that to succeed, K- 12 education must remain hands-on with live classroom interaction between teacher and student, students and their peers, as well as parents and the community. I also know that intelligence systems can enhance education tremendously, and I believe assessment is the vehicle for achieving this. Embracing Technology I've marveled at the fact that education does not appear to have embraced technology to the same degree that other industries have. In banking, for instance, complicated models determine whether or not a loan applicant should receive funds based on historical and personal characteristics. Also, in an effort to prevent fraud and abuse, credit card companies now alert you when your purchasing patterns have fallen out of the norm. In addition, where 20 years ago computer-related jobs were a small minority, now studies report that somewhere between 60% and 80% of those actively employed use technology in the workplace (Borghans 2001; Handel 2003). Yes, there are student information systems, library systems, the Internet, skills-based software, online classrooms and e-mail; however, these systems are designed to operate on the periphery of the education process, behind the scenes, or to serve isolated duty. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to collect test results, cognitive traits, comprehension and rich skill analysis data so that teachers, and even parents, could understand the strengths and weaknesses of students on an individual basis. This concept would be unthinkable without technology The good news is that there are interesting assessment technologies--either just around the corner or available right now--to detect students' abilities, gather and analyze the data, and communicate the results effectively to both teachers and parents. Assessment systems, whether online, local network or PC-based, can yield real benefits beyond "training for the test." One would certainly expect these systems to determine whether students can demonstrate proficiency in the specific skills tested, but the data from periodic testing can also be used to adjust curriculum in real time. For instance, using an assessment software system, students are given a short unit quiz that tests a few skills, If the class as a whole has difficulty with one of the skills, then the assessment results will inform teachers and administrators about areas that deserve more attention. The curriculum is then adjusted, more time is spent on an important skill, and instruction goes on. Intelligent Systems So, where does intelligence come into play? I suggest that these are potentially intelligent systems because they can perform logical and analytical tasks faster than we can, and with fewer mistakes. Scoring tests is an easy and very useful application of this technology. Educators might say that there is no replacement for paper-based tests wherein students show their work; I agree. For this reason, I still believe that paper-based tests have a place interspersed throughout periodic computer-based assessment. …


Tortula cuneifolia (Dicks.) Turner, a submediterranean species, was found in Russia in Anabar Plateau in subarctic East Siberia. This is the northernmost of Eurasian localities of the species situated in more than 3000 km from the nearest locality in Tian-Shan Mountains in Middle Asia. The paper provides description and illustrations of plants that represent apparently a relic population occurring in xerophytic communities of North Siberia. A distinction of T. cuneifolia from similar species is discussed.


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

Metastasis remains the primary cause of cancer-related death. Metastasis reduces the 5-year survival rate dramatically, as observed in prostate cancer, and yet, little is known about the genes that control the metastatic process. shRNA libraries are emerging as powerful tools for the identification of genes with specific functions. Here, we describe the successful application of this functional gene-discovery system by identifying genes suppressing tumor invasion, a process that is essential for metastasis. After infecting human prostate cancer cells, LNCaP, with Decode lentiviruses encoding the entire human genomic shRNA library, highly invasive variants were selected using Matrigel invasion assays. After three cycles of selection, we isolated highly invasive clones from 7 shRNA library pools. Using DNA sequence analysis and a database search, we identified five genes previously not associated with control of tumor cell invasiveness: forkhead box O4 (FOXO4), kinesin family member 3B (KIF 3B), signal transducing adaptor molecule (SH3 domain and ITAM motif) 1 (STAM), SUMO1/sentrin specific peptidase 1 (SENP1), and Homo sapiens solute carrier family 17 (SLC17A4). Silencing of FOXO4, a member of Forkhead transcription factors family, by small interfering RNAs indeed increased invasion of LNCaP cells. Reintroducing FOXO4 decreased invasion in the highly invasive prostate cancer cell lines DU145 and CWR22v1. In order to show that increased invasiveness was not a result of a change in survival ability, apoptosis and proliferation were assessed. The results indicate that FOXO4 did not affect proliferation and apoptosis in LNCaP cells. In mammals, the FOXO family comprises four members (FOXO1, FOXO3, FOXO4 and FOXO6). Though FOXO1, 3 and 4 have previously been described as having redundant functions, it appears that FOXO4 has unique metastasis suppressor function in prostate cancer. Additionally, an analysis of web-based gene expression databanks indicates that FOXO4 typically is downregulated in metastatic lesions of breast, prostate and colon cancers when compared to primary lesions. Further characterization of these candidate genes would clarify the complex mechanisms of invasion and metastasis and might reveal new classes of therapeutic targets distinct from known metastatic genes.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1449. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-1449


Abstract In recent years, there has been a great deal of interest in lightweight vehicle design due to regulations about reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Lightweight design of vehicle components is one of the most important research topics in vehicle design. Developing the optimum structure in the early stages of design process is very important for minimizing the vehicle weight and production costs. In this paper, an automobile hinge component has been developed using PA66 GF60 glass fiber-reinforced polyamide composite materials instead of conventional steel. The automobile hinge component has been conceived using computer aided design software. Topology optimization was made under specific loadings subject to the constraints of finite element method analysis. As a result of this study, optimum dimensions of the component have been obtained and the weight of the component has been reduced via structural topology optimization techniques while satisfying displacement and stress conditions. The results show that composite materials are an important alterative in lightweight vehicle design.


A spatial signature is the response vector of a base-station antenna array to a mobile unit at a certain location. Mobile subscribers at different locations exhibit different spatial signatures. The exploitation of spatial diversity (or the difference of spatial signatures) is the basic idea behind the so-called space-division multiple-access (SDMA) scheme, which can be used to significantly increase the channel capacity and quality of a wireless communication system. Although SDMA schemes have been studied by a number of researchers, most of these studies are based on theoretical analyses and computer simulations with ideal assumptions. Not much experimental study, has been reported on spatial signature variation due to nonideal perturbations in a real wireless communication environment. The purpose of this paper is to present, for the first time, extensive experimental results of spatial signature variation using a smart antenna testbed. The results presented include the spatial signature variation with time, frequency, small displacement, multipath angle spread and beamforming performance. The experimental results show the rich spatial diversity and potential benefits of using an antenna array for wireless communication applications.


Introduction: The lenticular process of the incus succumbs to necrosis in chronic otitis media. Few researchers have addressed the issue of autograft incus preservation in the soft tissue of the tragus or mastoid cavity. Nonetheless, preservation of the incus in this method during the second stage of ossiculoplasty is a subject that is still up for debate. This study was carried out to demonstrate the hearing outcome after a modification of the incus interposition technique, which involved preserving it in the periauricular soft tissue. Materials and Methods: In the primary operations, tympanoplasty was performed with a postauricular incision. At the end of the surgery, a small pocket was created to preserve the incus beneath the temporalis fascia. The second stage of ossiculoplasty was performed 6 to 18 months after the primary operation. Post-operative pure tone audiometry was analyzed after at least 12 months and was considered successful after achieving an air-bone gap (ABG) within 20 dB. Results: In this paper, we analyzed 199 ears. The mean duration of follow up was 2.5 years. We achieved post-operative ABG within 20 dB in 157 patients (78.9% of patients). Conclusion: This study indicates the efficacy and safety of incus interposition when it is preserved in the postauricular soft tissue.


A double balanced Gilbert-cell class-A amplifier bleeding mixer (DBGC CAAB mixer) is proposed and implemented. The injection current is utilized to amplify the local oscillator (LO) signal to improve the performance of the transconductor stage. The DBGC CAAB mixer achieves a conversion gain of 17.5 dB at -14 dBm LO power, and the noise figure is suppressed from 45 dB to 10.7 dB. It is important to stress that the new configuration will not drain additional power in contrast to the former current bleeding mixers. This topology dramatically relieves the requirement of the LO power. The DBGC CAAB mixer is implemented by using 0.18-μm RFCMOS technology and operates at the 2.4 GHz ISM application with 10 MHz intermediate frequency. The power consumption is 12 mA at 1.5 V supply voltage. The DBGC CAAB mixer features the highest FOM figure within a wide range of LO power.


In the search for more selective anticancer drugs, we designed and synthesized seven conjugates varying the structure of the linker connecting the 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine (IUdR) to the ICF 01012 melanoma-carrier for potential intratumoural specific drug release. Chemical and in vitro metabolic stability evaluations showed that, except for the ester conjugate (1), the ketal (2b), acetal (2a), carbonate (4) and carbamate (3) conjugates were compatible with our approach. The acetal (2a) and its PEGylated derivative (2c) were of particular interest for further in vivo development owing to their respective pH-dependent stability and limited metabolic degradation in order to exploit the acidic subcellular environment of malignant melanocytes to trigger the release of therapeutics upon internalization in cells.


Radiologists, like other physicians, need to know how to use sedatives, analgesics, and local anesthetics; however, their exposure to patients requiring discomfort control is limited, not just during residency but also in postgraduate practice. The purpose of this article is to provide a reference guide for radiologists who need pertinent and ready information on discomfort control. The authors discuss policies and standards that the Joint Commission has established for sedation providers; also discussed are the clinical pharmacology and dosage recommendations for the sedative, analgesic, anesthetic, and reversal agents that radiologists are most likely to use. Monitored anesthesia care and patient-controlled analgesia pumps, and in what circumstances they may be appropriate, are discussed. Anesthesia consultations are not uncommon when a nonanesthesiologist needs either of these services. Stiff chest syndrome, serotonin release syndrome, and systemic toxicity due to local anesthesia, all life-threatening conditions that sedation and analgesia providers may encounter, are discussed. The causes of these conditions and their necessary treatments are included in the discussion, along with cases in which a nonanesthesiologist may need an anesthesia consultation. It is important to understand that the control of pain and anxiety are not mutually exclusive but can occur either separately or together; when an agent that controls anxiety and an agent that controls pain are given together, the overall effect is synergistic. It is also important to understand the concept of multimodal analgesia; this is the use of opioids and nonopioids together to take full advantage of the analgesic effects of each component while minimizing potential side effects. Radiologists are fully capable of providing effective and safe pain control on their own and with the assistance of an anesthesiologist.


As the 21st century approaches, many computer programs will begin to fail. Applications that rely on dates of any kind may simply stop working or produce incorrect results. The year 2000 problem is a matter of business importance, not just software maintenance. Program failures arise from representing calendar dates (year, month, and day) in just 6 digits, a format that allows only 2 digits for the year. The Year 2000 problem is pervasive. It occurs in calculations, comparisons and other logic involving date-related processing including date-oriented sorting and date-indexed tables. The problem occurs in databases and files as well as in code. The paper discusses the design of an automated software tool for code and data Y2000 correction and shows how to use the tool in a large scale system correction process. The solution is discussed in the context of large, COBOL-based commercial systems. Nonetheless, our approach is fully generalizable to other languages and classes of applications.


While studies abound that examine protest-related citizen communicative behaviors taking place online, there is still a limited understanding of the factors associated with social media users' engagement in 2-way interactive exchanges about the issue of protest. Using discussion threads as the unit of analysis, this study looks at potential predictors associated with users' engagement in interactive discussions in the context of the 2014 Catalan Referendum of Independence. Results show low overall levels of interactivity in discussions, with user status, media content sharing, negative emotion, and linguistic and ideological heterogeneity being related to lower interactivity levels. Findings are discussed within the framework of collective expressive modes of online citizen participation.


Financial markets are often driven by latent factors which traders cannot observe. Here, we address an algorithmic trading problem with collections of heterogeneous agents who aim to perform statistical arbitrage, where all agents filter the latent states of the world, and their trading actions have permanent and temporary price impact. This leads to a large stochastic game with heterogeneous agents. We solve the stochastic game by investigating its mean-field game (MFG) limit, with sub-populations of heterogenous agents, and, using a convex analysis approach, we show that the solution is characterized by a vector-valued forward-backward stochastic differential equation (FBSDE). We demonstrate that the FBSDE admits a unique solution, obtain it in closed-form, and characterize the optimal behaviour of the agents in the MFG equilibrium. Moreover, we prove the MFG equilibrium provides an $\epsilon$-Nash equilibrium for the finite player game. We conclude by illustrating the behaviour of agents using the optimal MFG strategy through simulated examples.


Discussions of land tenure in social anthropology have usually been deeply embedded in broader empirical and theoretical explanations of social, economic, legal, and political institutions. In this volume the editors have sought to correct the emphasis of previous studies by focusing our attention directly on land tenure in Oceania, without, it must be added, losing sight of the connections between land tenure principles and general social structure.

The editors have deliberately looked for similarities by analyzing each tenure system from the same analytical and conceptual perspective. Chapters 1 and 9 specifically discuss the methodological and theoretical framework that evolved in the course of analyzing the seven tenure systems described in chapters 2 through 8. The difficulties and problems encountered by the contributors in presenting their data in comparable form is reflected by the more than three years of analysis, writing, editing, and rewriting necessary to complete this volume.

The seven substantive ethnographic chapters illustrate the range and diversity in the land tenure practices which are found within the vast culture area of Oceania. The similarities in basic tenure principles between all seven systems seem all the more remarkable in light of the varied geographical and cultural settings of the seven societies. In all of these societies we find a complete absence of fee simple ownership and a corresponding presence of entailed family estates.
The ethnography reveals tenure principles that detail an impressive number and variety of separate categories of property. Each category, in turn, includes an even greater number of rights and duties that symbolize different forms of proprietorship. The differential allocation of these rights and duties among persons and groups represents the exact point of connection between land tenure and social structure. For example, kinship principles that specify the distribution of authority within age, sex, descent, and status categories converge on such tenure principles as land use, land distribution, succession, and inheritance. Principles of political organization concerning the relative scaling of authority and power within the society have clear parallels in the land tenure system, where corporate and individual tenure privileges are differentiated. Economic principles subtly merge with land tenure principles in social domains, where land as a resource and land as a value intersect.


Healthier people contribute more to the development of the economy. Besides, in a better economy, people have a better quality and healthier life. At this stage, one has to ask which one precedes the other: health or wealth? To find the answer, this study aims to investigate the causality relationship between health and inclusive wealth in the European countries for the period of 1990–2015. The causality between health and inclusive wealth scores, which are estimated by cluster and discriminant analyses, is investigated by the panel causality test. The research results indicate bidirectional causality between health and inclusive wealth. A one-way causality is detected in 11 cases as being from inclusive wealth to health and in 8 the other way. Furthermore, a two-way causality is found in 2 countries. Among the results, it is noteworthy that 91% of the countries with causality from inclusive wealth to health are among the healthy countries.


We consider the multi-stage multiprocessor flowshop scheduling problem with uniform machines at each stage and the minimum makespan objective. Using a vector summation technique, three polynomial-time heuristics are developed with absolute worst-case performance guarantees. As a direct corollary, in the special case of the ordinary flowshop problem we come to the best approximation algorithms (both in absolute performance guarantee and in running time) known for this problem. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Thin oxide MOS capacitors have been subjected to dynamic voltage stresses of different characteristics (shape, amplitude and frequency) in order to analyze the transient response and the degradation of the oxide as a function of the stress parameters. The current transients observed in dynamic voltage stresses have been interpreted in terms of the charging/discharging of interface and bulk traps. As for the oxide degradation, the experimental data has been interpreted in terms of a phenomenological model previously developed for dc stresses. According to this model, the current evolution in voltage stresses is assumed to be related to the oxide wearout. The evolution of the current during bipolar voltage stresses shows the existence of two different regimes, the degradation being much faster at low frequencies than at high frequencies. In both regimes, the frequency dependence is not significant, and the change from one regime to the other takes place at a threshold frequency which depends on the oxide field. These trends are also observed in time-to-breakdown versus frequency data, thus suggesting a strong correlation between degradation and breakdown in dynamic stresses. The experimental results are discussed in terms of microscopic degradation models.


Introduction The Physicians advocacy institute (Pai) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(6) advocacy organization established in 2006 with funds from settlement agreements in the multidistrict litigation (mDl) class action against major national for-profit health insurers. Pai's board of Directors is comprised of Ceos of medical societies involved in the mDl and a physician who was a named plaintiff in that litigation. likewise, its Physicians advocacy liaison Committee is comprised of legal counsel to these medical societies. CSmS was a named plaintiff and critical player in the mDl litigation. as a result, CSmS executive vice President/Ceo matthew Katz serves on Pai's board of Directors and CSmS general Counsel layne gakos serves on Pai's Physicians' advocacy liaison Committee. When it was formed, Pai's mission was twofold: 1) to monitor and attempt to assure compliance with the mDl Settlement agreements and 2) to identify and address future health-plan practices that burden the ability of physicians to be fairly paid for their services. With the expiration of the last mDl Settlement agreement, Pai has now focused all of its attention towards the second part of its mission: ensuring the viability of physician practices. in all of its projects, Pai calls on the expertise of its board and Physicians advocacy liaison Committee and endeavors to respond to physician needs not currently met by other organizations. This article will focus on Pai projects geared towards ensuring that recovery audit Contractors (raC),* other governmental, and private payer audits are as transparent and fair as possible and providing physicians with the tools they need to prepare for and defend these audits.


This study aims to establish a typology of Tunisian listed firms according to their corporate governance characteristics and disclosure quality. The paper uses disclosed scores to examine corporate governance practices of Tunisian listed firms. A content analysis of 46 Tunisian listed firms from 2001 to 2010 has been carried out and a disclosure index developed to determine the level of disclosure of the companies. The disclosure quality is appreciated through the quantity and also through the nature (type) of information disclosed. Applying the decision tree method, the obtained Tree diagrams provide ways to know the characteristics of a particular firm regardless of its level of disclosure. Obtained results show that the characteristics of corporate governance to achieve good quality of disclosure are not unique for all firms. These structures are not necessarily all of the recommendations of best practices, but converge towards the best combination. Indeed, in practice, there are companies which have a good quality of disclosure but are not well governed. However, we hope that by improving their governance system their level of disclosure may be better. These findings show, in a general way, a convergence towards the standards of corporate governance with a few exceptions related to the specificity of Tunisian listed firms and show the need for the adoption of a code for each context. These findings shed the light on corporate governance features that enhance incentives for good disclosure. It allows identifying, for each firm and in any date, corporate governance determinants of disclosure quality. More specifically, and all being equal, obtained tree makes a rule of decision for the company to know the level of disclosure based on certain characteristics of the governance strategy adopted by the latter.


In view of the facts that traditional traffic models are less effective in describing the new mobile internet applications and that the mobile user service behavior among regions with different levels of economic development are always different, a new modeling methodology of user service behavior specifically for mobile internet applications is proposed in this paper. Based on the crowdsourcing measurement data of the service behavior collected through massive end users in live mobile networks of China, the properties of three typical mobile internet services in three typical geographical regions are analyzed and compared with each other, by utilizing the proposed modeling methodology. And the relationships between some key properties of service behavior are analyzed with the maximal information coefficient method and the Pearson correlation coefficient method. The key parameters, differences, and internal relations among these services in typical geological regions of China are then identified. It provides a solid foundation for wireless product design, network planning, and optimization of mobile Internet services-oriented networks specifically in China, and is also a valuable reference for other countries of the similar situation.


The chains priorization was realized with the chain priorization methodology propose by the International for Service National Agricultural Research (ISNAR) and mentioned by Espinosa et al., 2009, this methodology has its foundations in two main dimensions the socioeconomic importance and the competitiveness, each of these is subdivided as well in diverse variables. The total of cultures in the Estado de Mexico and according to their production value obtained through SIACON 1980-2007 and SIAP-SAGARPA 1996-2010, 12 chains were selected: grain maize, crisantemo, grass, rose, potato, fodder oats, red tomato (tomato), green tomato, carnation, tuna, green alfalfa and fodder maize. To priorization and as a result of the obtained variables qualifications, the most relevant chains were grain maize, chrysants, potato and rose with 102, 91, 91, and 90 points respectively.


Introduction In a space so limited as that which is available here one can not do more than sketch, in the shortest sort of an outline, the features characteristic of the oil fields along the Pacific coast of North America. The writer will, therefore, present here only a brief discussion of the broader geologic features that appear to be common to the California fields. Although these fields are among the more recently developed ones, and although the geology—stratigraphy and structure alike—of the region in which the fields lie is woefully complicated, still the larger geologic features that govern the occurrence of petroleum in these fields are pretty well known, probably better known than they are for many other fields in the United States. No attempt will be made to outline or to discuss the areas of prospective value or to estimate the quantity of petroleum available in this region. . . .


A 66-year-old immunocompromised man presented with cellulitis around the left eye that was initially concerning for necrotizing fasciitis. Exam findings were remarkable for exquisite periocular tenderness with rigid, immobile eyelids resulting from severe erythema, edema, and induration. Given the concern for orbital compartment syndrome and a necrotizing infection, the patient was taken urgently to the operating room for debridement of the eyelid skin as well as an urgent lateral canthotomy and cantholysis. His eye exam revealed 360° of hemorrhagic chemosis, no relative afferent pupillary defect, and an ipsilateral elevated intraocular pressure of 35 mm Hg. No visual acuity measurement could be obtained secondary to the patient's altered mental status. His intraocular pressure normalized after treatment with antihypertensive drops and further extension of the canthotomy. Histopathological analysis showed extensive neutrophilic infiltrate of the dermis which was compatible with a diagnosis of Sweet's syndrome.


This paper focuses on the Supreme Court of Canada's decision in Mitchell v. M.N.R., [2001] S.C.R. 911, as an illustration of what is wrong in contemporary jurisprudence on Aboriginal rights. The concurring judgment of Binnie J. is discussed as a potential preview to the Court's approach to claims of Aboriginal self-determiniation. This paper digs into the ruins of Aboriginal law, to make sense of the doctrine of sovereign incompatibility, to come to some sense of how the field of Aboriginal law has come to trap Aboriginal peoples. The paper closes with suggestions about how Aboriginal rights might be resurrected from the ruins of Aboriginal law.


A compact planar multiband MIMO 2×2 antenna for long term evolution (LTE) and wireless local area network (WLAN) application is proposed. The antenna is composed of two inverted F-shaped monopole that support two resonances at around 2.6 GHz and 5.8 GHz, which are reserved for LTE and WLAN application. The proposed antenna is fed using 50–0 line feed transmission lines. Return loss value has been observed, the achieved value is below −11 dB, for the impedance (real part) values are approximately 50–Ω. The prototype antenna is compact in size that can provide LTE and WLAN service application.


Islands of the Pacific Ocean have long fascinated evolutionists. Oceanic islands, generally the products of volcanic activity, provide natural experiments as biological populations are well delimited and the age of islands can be determined using radiometric dating. 'Continental islands', including New Caledonia and New Zealand, provide equally valuable opportunities for evolutionary study. For students of New Zealand biogeography, the peculiar composition of the biota coupled with a limited interpretation of geology has resulted in the widespread acceptance that the flora and fauna is primarily ancient and of vicariant Gondwanan origin. There is increasing evidence from molecular data that much of this biodiversity is the product of evolution following relatively recent colonization. Such data have prompted biologists to consider geological information on New Zealand in more detail. At the heart of the issue is the question of whether modern New Zealand has a terrestrial link through time with the continent Zealandia that split from Gondwanaland some 80 Ma. Zealandia, which includes New Caledonia, Lord Howe Island and several of the subantarctic islands, is now largely submerged, and New Zealand's present terrestrial existence is the product of tectonic activity initiated around 26 Ma. We argue that for the purposes of biogeographical interpretation, New Zealand can be treated as an oceanic island.


Purpose:Chemotherapy-induced apoptosis of immature hematopoietic cells is a major cause of anemia and thrombocytopenia in cancer patients. Although hematopoietic growth factors such as erythropoietin and colony-stimulating factors cannot prevent the occurrence of drug-inducedmyelosuppression, stem cell factor (SCF) has been previously shown to protect immature erythroid and megakaryocytic cells in vitro from drug-induced apoptosis. However, the effect of SCF in vivo as a single myeloprotective agent has never


The technological advances in computer and communication devices have been an important factor in the appearance for the applications of visual communication.  Image quality assessment is one of the pillars for these applications. It is a measure to assess the quality of images. There are many degradations in image quality that occur during the reproduction and transmission of the image.  This paper aims to introduce a framework of No-Reference Image Quality Assessment. The framework provides a general estimation for three types of image distortions which are sharpness, blackness, and noisiness. Based on this framework, experiments have been conducted by the use of two datasets (LIVE database, CSIQ database). The results of the experiments have shown that we have introduced a more precise framework of No-Reference Image Quality Assessment.


We formulate a portfolio planning model that is based on second-order stochastic dominance as the choice criterion. This model is an enhanced version of the multi-objective model proposed by Roman et al. [Math. Progr. Ser. B, 2006, 108, 541–569]; the model compares the scaled values of the different objectives, representing tails at different confidence levels of the resulting distribution. The proposed model can be formulated as a risk minimization model where the objective function is a convex risk measure; we characterize this risk measure and the resulting optimization problem. Moreover, our formulation offers a natural generalization of the SSD-constrained model of Dentcheva and Ruszczyński [J. Bank. Finance, 2006, 30, 433–451]. A cutting plane-based solution method for the proposed model is outlined. We present a computational study showing: (a) the effectiveness of the solution methods and (b) the improved modeling capabilities: the resulting portfolios have superior return distributions.


Cosmic rays are energetic particles traversing space that bombard Earth's atmosphere frequently and produce vast particle showers while interacting with air nuclei. The origin and composition of high-energy cosmic rays in the knee region (10 − 10 eV) of the cosmic-ray energy spectrum remain unclear despite of novel detection and analysis methods used in various surface and underground experiments. The understanding of the knee has improved from its first detection but still there is notable deviation in results between experiments depending on the used detection methods. The aim of the underground cosmic-ray experiment EMMA (Experiment with MultiMuon Array) is to shed more light on the origin of the knee. EMMA is based on the idea to measure the lateral shape of high-energy muon component produced in cosmic-ray initiated particle showers on an event-by-event basis, that is, separately for each shower, offering a unique way to study the composition of cosmic rays in the knee region. The present work comprises the design, development and implementation of a comprehensive set of analysis tools for the EMMA experiment. It includes the development of the simulation program to generate realistic event data, the track reconstruction program ETANA to reconstruct hits and tracks in detector stations, the visualisation program EmmaEve to scan events, the graphical monitoring program EmmaDiagnosticsGUI to control the functionality of detectors on-line, the efficiency monitoring program to control chamber efficiencies in three-layer stations and the design of the EMMA database to store reconstruction results. Especially the design and tests of ETANA form the backbone of the present work as its optimised performance is crucial for the analysis of EMMA data. Furthermore, in the present work the influence of rock overburden above EMMA on the properties of high-energy muons is investigated by detailed simulations. The reconstruction of hits in drift chambers is studied with measured data including the estimation of the quality of reconstructed hits, the functionality of hit formation procedure and the influence of afterpulses on hit reconstruction. The validity of simulated data that are generated by the EMMA event generation program is evaluated by comparing simulated and measured data with each other. Finally, synergy benefits between the EMMA and ALICE experiments are discussed, which are both underground experiments but different in nature.


REBASE contains comprehensive information about restriction enzymes, DNA methylases and related proteins such as nicking enzymes, specificity subunits and control proteins. It contains published and unpublished references, recognition and cleavage sites, isoschizomers, commercial availability, methylation sensitivity, crystal data and sequence data. Homing endonucleases are also included. Most recently, extensive information about the methylation sensitivity of restriction enzymes has been added and a new feature contains complete analyses of the putative restriction systems in the sequenced bacterial and archaeal genomes. The data is distributed via email, ftp (ftp.neb.com) and the Web (http://rebase. neb.com).


AACR Centennial Conference: Translational Cancer Medicine-- Nov 4-8, 2007; Singapore

C12

MCL1 is an anti-apoptotic BCL-2 member that was identified based on increased expression during the induction of differentiation in human myeloblastic leukemia cells. Previous studies in MCL1 transgenic mice demonstrated moderate viability enhancement in cells of a variety of hematopoietic lineages, as assessed using pan-B, T, and myeloid markers. The present studies utilized differentiation-stage specific markers to determine whether the MCL1 transgene affects specific cells within the T cell lineage. Findings to date have revealed an increase in early T lineage progenitors in the thymus of transgenic mice. This was accompanied by an increase in cells at the early stages of thymopoiesis, including CD4-CD8- double negative cells expressing CD25 (alpha chain of interleukin-2 receptor) and CD4+CD8+ double positive cells. This increase in occurred despite the fact that the bone marrow of the transgenic animals did not exhibit a noticeably change in the expression of markers characteristic of hematopoietic stem cells. In addition, analysis of peripheral lymphocytes did not demonstrate a change in lineage distribution or in the B/T cell ratio, suggesting that homeostatic mechanisms keep in check the effects of enforced MCL1 expression. Strikingly, however, transgenic splenocytes exposed in vitro to anti-CD3/anti-CD28 to mimic antigen stimulation exhibited an increase in CD4+ cells producing IL-2. Taken together, these findings show that, in normal healthy transgenic animals, MCL1 acts at specific stages in the differentiation of hematopoietic cells as well as in cells responding to stimulation.


Five studies were carried out around hazardous waste sites in California in which the main route of exposure was to low-level parts per billion concentrations of either gaseous emissions or airborne dust particles. Although there was no evidence suggesting excesses in cancer or birth defects, the total number and the prevalence of many of subjective symptoms were higher in areas near the site than in control neighborhoods. We discuss a number of causal processes that could explain these results. We conclude that a classical toxicological response and mass psychogenic illness are not valid explanations. Recall bias may explain part of the pattern. We present data from situations where stress alone from environmental anxiety has produced a similar magnitude of excess symptoms in populations. The fact that excess symptoms in waste site neighbors is found primarily in those who complain of odors or who are worried about environmental chemicals suggests the possibility that autonomic, stress-mediated mechanisms or behavioral sensitization are active in the genesis of these symptoms. A variety of confounders were controlled for. The hypothesis that chemically "acquired immune deficiency" can cause subtle symptomatology as a prodrome to subsequent serious disease has been raised in testimony at several toxic tort trials about waste sites. Although this hypothesis seems unlikely, particularly at sites such as the ones we studied with low airborne exposures, if true it would have profound regulatory implications.


Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic inflammatory disease resulting from follicular obstruction. This recurrent condition leads to the formation of fistulas and scars, which affect a patient's quality of life. The literature offers multiple therapeutic modalities, such as topical and oral antibiotics, isotretinoin, dapsone, TNF-α inhibitors, finasteride, conventional surgical therapies, and lasers (CO2, Nd:Yag). The present article provides a review of these treatments and their indications, according to the stages of Hurley, which provides the dermatologist with a greater command of different techniques, thus leading to a more adequate treatment of patients.


In the current era of technology, computers are used to help facilitate human work. Among them by making a Decision Support System, by using a computerized system, the decision-making process can be right on target and more efficient. This research was conducted against the background of the need to give bonuses to employees, this bonus is given so that employees feel valued by giving rewards or additions for their good performance. In addition, the provision of employee bonuses also aims to increase employee morale so that employees provide better performance results, which can have a good impact on customer satisfaction. This study uses the MOORA method with the results obtained in the form of ranking the calculation of the value of employees who meet the criteria will receive bonuses. By using this decision support system, it is hoped that it will facilitate the decision making of employee bonus recipients.


OBJECTIVE
We describe a case of acute pancreatitis (AP) and hypofibrinogenemia associated with drug treatment with the aim to increase awareness of uncommon yet possibly life-threatening adverse reactions of tigecycline and furosemide.

CASE SUMMARY
A 75-year-old Chinese male was hospitalized for acute non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction and acute heart failure. The patient underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention and MitraClip. Furosemide was taken since admission. Because Acinetobacter baumannii was detected in the blood and sputum, the patient was treated with tigecycline from the 14th day of hospitalization. Abnormal pancreatitis parameters were observed, and pancreatic CT was undertaken 12 days after the treatment of tigecycline. AP was diagnosed and symptomatic treatment was carried out, but no significant improvement was observed. On the 33rd day of hospitalization, the patient presented with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding and decreased levels of fibrinogen and platelets. After withdrawal of tigecycline, the coagulation and pancreatitis parameters improved significantly. However, the pancreatitis parameters increased again after stopping somatostatin. Therefore, somatostatin was given again for 1 day, and furosemide was discontinued. After that, the pancreatitis parameters returned to baseline levels after a slight recovery.

CONCLUSION
Clinicians should pay attention to clinical signs, symptoms, and pancreatic enzymes during tigecycline or furosemide treatment, especially when used in combination. In addition, regular monitoring of fibrinogen and platelet count during tigecycline treatment is suggested.


In this paper, we start the study of what we call K-(iso)correspondences between smooth varieties or complex manifoldsX, Y of the same dimension, which are graphs of multivalued maps, or analytic subsets in the productX×Y , generically finite over each factor, such that any desingularization Σ̃ satisfies with the notations above the condition (0.1) or, in case of K-correspondences, the weakened condition


Tuberous sclerosis is a disorder affecting multiple organs leading to morbidity and mortality. It is important to make an early diagnosis of tuberous sclerosis so that lifelong monitoring, early recognition of complications and proactive treatment can lower the morbidity and mortality rates. Here we report a case of a 50-year-old male who presented with seizure. This case report emphasizes the importance of complete evaluation of a case presenting with seizures. Tuberous sclerosis must be included in the differentials if patient presents with seizures, skin manifestations and mental retardation. Birdem Med J 2016; 6(2): 127-129


INTRODUCTION
Newly licensed dentists are a promising group to evaluate the compatibility of dental education with working life. The aim of this study was to evaluate gender differences amongst young dentists in their self-assessed competence and perceived compatibility of their undergraduate education with working life.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study was a part of a national survey of young dentists. Altogether, 90 young dentists (46%) answered the questionnaire; 72 women (80%) and 18 men (20%). For this study, two questions from the questionnaire were analysed.

RESULTS
Undergraduate dental education has met the needs of dental practice in almost every field of dentistry. Females wished for more education in paediatric dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery and oral medicine, whilst males wished for more in preventive dentistry and cariology. The results also implicated that female dentists felt that they would have benefitted from more time spent learning clinical skills. When asked about confidence in doing certain dental procedures, male dentists were more confident in most of the procedures, the most significant differences being in surgical procedures and competence to make a 3-4-unit fixed partial denture. The only area where male dentists were more often unsure was in diagnosis of malocclusions in developing dentition.

CONCLUSIONS
The gender differences in young dentists' confidence-which favoured male dentists-require further inquiries. More attention should be paid in dental education to constructively support students with differences in learning clinical skills.


Abstract Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is a rare and life threatening complication of rheumatic diseases. It is seen most frequently in association with systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis and less commonly in other rheumatic diseases of childhood including systemic lupus erythematosus. Recognition of MAS in patients with rheumatic diseases is often challenging as it may mimic the clinical features of the underlying disease. Sometimes MAS can be the mode of initial presentation adding to the diagnostic complexity. We describe two cases of MAS in association with systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis who presented with a clinical picture suggestive of septic shock. The Internal Review Board at Shands Children's Hospital and the University of Florida waived the need for approval for these case reports.


structive jaundice, who had undergone placement of a percutaneous drainage catheter (10−Fr internal/external cathe− ter), was admitted for endoscopic retro− grade cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The cholangiogram revealed an irregular stricture of the distal common bile duct. A hydrophilic guide wire was inserted across the transhepatic drainage and re− covered endoscopically; we removed the percutaneous drain, performed a biliary sphincterotomy, and inserted an 8−cm Zilver metallic stent (Wilson−Cook Medi− cal Inc., Winston−Salem, North Carolina, USA). Three days after ERCP, the patient underwent esophagogastroduodenosco− py with duodenal biopsies taken for his− tological analysis; the latter identified an adenocarcinoma. Immediately after eso− phagogastroduodenoscopy the patient developed acute abdominal pain. A CT scan (l" Fig. 1) revealed free air in the ab− domen and ascites around the spleen, in the right laterocolic space, and among the jejunal loops. The patient underwent urgent laparotomy but no bowel or bilia− ry perforation was revealed. Intraopera− tive cholangiography showed correct working of the biliary stent, but free pas− sage of contrast medium was observed through a fistula where the percutaneous drain had previously been. A cholecy− stectomy was performed and a T tube left in place. The postoperative course was normal. It would appear that air in− flation during the esophagogastroduode− noscopy had facilitated the passage of air from the duodenum to the peritoneum across the fistula created by the percuta− neous drain; the ascitic liquid, leaving a distance between the hepatic surface and the abdominal wall, made develop− ment of the pneumoperitoneum even ea− sier, because of the incomplete consolida− tion of the biliocutaneous fistula. In patients with a biliocutaneous fistula after percutaneous drainage, early endo− scopic examination with insufflation of air can facilitate free passage of air into the abdomen from the fistula. Ascites may facilitate this process further; if as− cites is present, therefore, it may be use− ful to leave in place an external biliary drain after placement of the stent to al− low the fistula to consolidate. Definitive removal of the external drain may be more safely carried out 3 ±5 days after the endoscopic procedure. Endoscopy_UCTN_Code_CPL_1AK_2AD Endoscopy_UCTN_Code_CPL_1AK_2AH


BACKGROUND
We have previously shown that glutamine synthetase protein and mRNA are concentrated in the crypt region of the rat small intestine and that the activity of this enzyme is highest around the time of weaning. This anatomical location and time of peak activity are sites and periods of active enterocyte differentiation. This led to our current hypothesis that glutamine synthetase is important in the differentiation of enterocytes.

METHODS
To test our hypothesis, we treated Caco-2 cells with physiologic (0.6 mM) glutamine concentrations in cell culture medium. The experimental group was treated with methionine sulfoximine, an irreversible glutamine synthetase inhibitor, and the control group with phosphate buffered saline. Three standard and well-defined markers of intestinal differentiation-sucrase-isomaltase activity, microvillus formation, and electrical impedance in transwell plates-were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS
The methionine-sulfoximine-inhibited group was found to have lower sucrase-isomaltase activity, a lower density of microvilli, and lower electrical impedance values over time compared with the control group.

CONCLUSION
The experimental group was found to be less differentiated by all three markers of differentiation. Therefore, glutamine synthetase is important for Caco-2 cell differentiation.


Visual realism is defined as the extent to which an image appears to people as a photo rather than computer generated. Assessing visual realism is important in applications like computer graphics rendering and photo retouching. However, current realism evaluation approaches use either labor-intensive human judgments or automated algorithms largely dependent on comparing renderings to reference images. We develop a reference-free computational framework for visual realism prediction to overcome these constraints. First, we construct a benchmark dataset of 2,520 images with comprehensive human annotated attributes. From statistical modeling on this data, we identify image attributes most relevant for visual realism. We propose both empirically-based (guided by our statistical modeling of human data) and deep convolutional neural network models to predict visual realism of images. Our framework has the following advantages: (1) it creates an interpretable and concise empirical model that characterizes human perception of visual realism; (2) it links computational features to latent factors of human image perception.


excitement, iconoclasm and therapeutic idealism of the l960s, against the important background of support from a number of psychodynamic psychiatrists. The project thrived and I can think of no better description of the pains and pleasures, doubts and passions of being part of the development of such a difficult enterprise than this one by Rose. It is his tone which gives great pleasure, neither idealising nor excessively modest, and there is a very real sense ofthe life lived. New concerns creep in as the eighties are reached: the increasing pressure of curriculum is described and in an interesting but perhaps too brief passage, Rose discusses the issue of the diagnosis of specific problems, such as learning difficulties, in the young people, and he wonders whether a more thorough assessment of his charges might not have aided treatment and prevented some premature leavers. Thevaledictoryquality isexplained when Rose reports how he left in 1983 and the community for a while appeared to lose direction. The book ends somewhat in the air because of this, although the recent opening of a similar community for younger children is described. This book needs to be taken asa history on its own terms; there is no attempt to see this way of working in relation to otherdevelopments in treatment settings fordisturbed adolescents; rhetorical rather than scientific principles are used to legitimise its practice. It is a fascinating and enjoyable history to read, but I was left wondering what new transformations will be necessary for such an insti tution to thrive into the future. Given that it represents a powerful and persuasivetrend in the humane response to adolescent difficulty; what should its relation be to the health-service based adolescent psychiatry units of the nineties?


This paper uses a political ecological perspective to examine the link between environmental conservation narratives and resource conflicts and degradation in Zambia's protected forest environments. It draws on the case of Munyeta Forest Reserve in Central Zambia to show how conservation narratives have been operated and translated into action to gain access to rural people's environments for the purpose of advancing conservationists agendas. Data on which the paper was based was collected through a variety of methods which include interviews, focus group discussions and archival documents. Further, discourse analysis was used to interrogate the narratives circulating around the reserve. From the results of the study, the paper argues that some of the conservation problems that characterise protected forest areas lie mainly in the application of a dysfunctional and locally unsuitable conservation approach with roots in conservation narratives that have been advanced by powerful actors. Keywords: Political Ecology, Conservation Narratives, Discourse Analysis, Protected Forests, Resource Conflicts


Introduction: The relationship among an individual's sense of self‐efficacy, motivation to change, barriers to change, and the implementation of improvement programs has been reported. This research reports the relationship among self‐efficacy, motivation to change, and the acquisition of knowledge in a continuing medical education (CME) activity. Methods: The measure of individual sense of self‐efficacy was a 4‐item scale. The measure of motivation was a 6‐item scale following on the work of Prochaska and colleagues. The knowledge acquisition was measured in a simple post measure. The participants were enrolled in a CME activity focused on HIV. Results: The CME activities had a significant effect on knowledge. Preliminary analysis demonstrates a relationship among the self‐efficacy measure, the motivation to change measure, and global intent to change. Specifically, as reported earlier, the sense of efficacy in effecting change in the practice environment is predictive of a high level of motivation to change that, in turn, is predictive of formation of intent to change practice patterns. Interestingly, there were also relationships among the self‐efficacy measure, the motivation to change measure, and knowledge acquisition. Finally, as expected, there was a significant relationship between knowledge and intent to change practice. Discussion: Further inspection of the motivation to change construct suggests that it mediates the self‐efficacy constructs' effect on intent as well as its effect on knowledge acquisition. This new finding suggests that the proximal construct motivation completely masks an important underlying causal relationship that appears to contribute to practice change as well as learning following CME‐self‐efficacy.


Islamic Banking is one of the rapidly developing areas of finance in Kenya and the world at
large. This study aimed to fill the gap in knowledge of the factors that enhance profitability of
Islamic banking and especially in Gulf African bank. The objectives of the study were; to
examine Shari'ah compliance as a factor influencing the profitability of Islamic banking, to
investigate and understand Perception of people towards Islamic banking Products, and to
establish the relationship between customer satisfaction and Profitability of Gulf African
bank. To achieve the above, the researcher adopted a survey research design. The target
population was 4,300 headquarter customers and 27 Managers in Head quarter. Stratified and
simple random sampling methods were used to identify the sample. Both primary and
secondary data have been used for the study. The secondary data was obtained from Central
Bank of Kenya (CBK) and Kenya Bankers Association. Questionnaires were used to collect
primary data from the respondents. The data that was collected was first coded statistically
and then analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS). Chi-square was
conducted to test hypothesis of agreement among respondents. These research findings
indicate positive relationship between Shari'ah Compliance, Islamic banking products and
customer satisfaction to profitability of Islamic banks. The results from the inferential
statistics showed value of R2 is 0.54 which means that 54.1% of dependent variable
profitability of Islamic Banking of Gulf African Bank was explained/ contributed by
independent variables (Shari'ah compliance, Customer's Perception and customer
satisfaction) analysed. The study concludes that Shari'ah compliance, Customer perception
and customer satisfaction were very important towards the profitability of Islamic banking at
Gulf African Bank.


ABSTRACT: Background: Prostate cancer is increasingly becoming one of the most significant health problems facing Iraqi men and the commonest cause of cancer related death in men globally. Aims of the study: The objective of this study to determination of employees' attitudes toward contributing factors and early detection methods for prostate cancer among male staffs of Baghdad's University Colleges in bab-Almudam Methodology: A cross sectional descriptive design study was carried out among 100 male staff working in colleges of Baghdad University in Bab-Almudam region. Male staffs that agreed to participant and were recruited on giving oral consent, Data was collected by distributing structured a self-administered questionnaire, written in Arabic was used. Results: The Majority of participants (66.0%) were ages between (38 - 47) years, the median age was 41 years (range, 18- 62) years (mean=41.8+ S.D =10.035). Regarding marital status, the majority (85 %) was married, followed by (13%) who were single and (2%) who were divorced or widowed. Approximately half (45%) of participants had PhD education, following by (33 %) university, (8%) secondary school, (7%) MSc and (4%) institute education and (3%) intermediate education. Furthermore, (94%) of study participants reported they had no family history of prostate only (6%) reported had family history PCa. A total of (98%) were living in urban area and reminder lived in rural area. Most of the study participants 48 (56%) had positive level, while (20%) of them had strong positive and only (24%) of total participants had negative attitude about early detection and intention screening of PCa.


BACKGROUND Appendectomy has been the established treatment of acute appendicitis during the last century, regarded as a simple and safe procedure, although hampered with postoperative complications and increased standard mortality. Modern research has indicated that selected patients with acute appendicitis can be treated by antibiotic therapy alone. The aim of this thesis was therefore to explore antibiotic therapy as single treatment of acute appendicitis in unselected adult patients. A secondary aim was to suggest a model for prediction of antibiotic response. MATERIALS AND METHODS Two prospective interventional studies were performed on consecutive patients with acute appendicitis. First, a randomized controlled trial (paper I) with 369 patients compared antibiotic therapy with appendectomy. Primary outcome was treatment efficacy and major complications. Second, a population based study (paper II) with antibiotics as first line therapy included 558 patients. The patients were followed for one year in both studies. In paper III, retrospective analyses of preoperative parameters for 384 patients were linked to the histopathological reports of resected appendices regarding the stage of appendicitis in order to create a model for prediction of antibiotic response. The model was then validated on the patients in the population based study (paper II). In paper IV we used the same patients as in paper II, where sequential measures of procalcitonin were analysed in order to evaluate the efficacy of initiated antibiotic therapy. RESULTS A majority of patients with acute appendicitis could be treated with antibiotics in both prospective studies; 5-10% were clinically judged to need primary surgery. The recovery rate on antibiotics was 91% in the RCT and 77% in the population based study. The recurrence rate after one year was 14% and 11% respectively. Antibiotic treatment displayed less overall complications compared to primary surgery in both studies. Complications after antibiotic therapy consisted mainly of side effects to the antibiotics or postoperative complications after rescue surgery, but intra-abdominal abscesses were also seen. Prediction models for patient selection, based on standard laboratory parameters, could identity patients with positive antibiotic response at increased probability but at low sensitivity. Procalcitonin had limited value for early evaluation of the efficiency of provided antibiotic therapy in acute appendicitis. CONCLUSIONS Acute appendicitis in unselected adult patients can be treated with antibiotics as single therapy with high recovery rate and low recurrence rate within one year. Antibiotics can be offered to a majority of patients without the risk of increased complications. Long-term follow up are warranted.


In the complete sample of ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) compiled by D. C. Kim, about 5% consists of widely separated galaxies which are presumably in the early phase of interaction. This fact is contrary to the conventional view that ULIRGs are in the final stages of the merger of two gas-rich disk galaxies. We have undertaken high-resolution CO (J = 1-0) observations for the ultraluminous infrared galaxies that have nuclear separations larger than 20 kpc. We have detected CO emission in five out of six systems, but only in one component of the ULIRG pairs. Four of them have LINER spectral type and one galaxy has Seyfert 2 spectral type. In K′-band images these components are also brighter than the other components which have either H II region spectra or no detectable emission lines. Using the standard conversion factor, the molecular gas content is estimated to be a few times 1010 M☉, similar to that of the other ultraluminous galaxies. The result indicates that the galaxy containing the molecular gas is also the source of most, if not all, of the huge far-infrared luminosity of the system. The optical and K′-band imaging observations and optical spectra suggest multiple merger scenarios for one system. If the remaining systems are in an early stage of a binary tidal interaction, the commonly accepted interpretation of the ULIRG phenomenon as the final merger stage of two disk galaxies may need to be reexamined.


In the past, sociologists have provided keen insights into the work of teaching, but classic studies by scholars like Dan Lortie and Willard Waller are now decades old. With the current emphasis on teacher evaluation and accountability, the field is ripe for new sociological studies of teaching. How do we understand the work of teaching in this new context of control? In this article, I use the case of an urban, ''no-excuses'' charter school to examine how teachers responded to the school's intensive effort to socialize them into a uniform set of disciplinary practices. Drawing from 15 months of fieldwork at a no-excuses school, I found that teachers varied in their responses to school control based on their cultural toolkits—their preferences and their capacities. Based on teachers' adaptation strategies, I introduce four ideal types: conformers, imitators, adaptors, and rejecters. This article makes the following contributions. First, I extend classic theories of teacher self-socialization to a new context of control. Second, I offer new ways beyond sensemaking theories to analyze how and why teachers adopt (or fail to adopt) new teaching practices. Finally, I provide timely insight into teacher experiences in no-excuses schools—and into these schools' efforts to redirect teacher education toward a more prescriptive, skills-based approach.


One of themain approaches tomodel reduction of both linear and nonlinear dynamical systems is bymeans of interpolation. This approach seeks reducedmodels whose transfer function matches that of the original system at selected interpolation points. Data-driven methods constitute an important special case. We start with an account of the Loewner framework in the linear case [52]. It constructs models from given data in a straightforward manner. An important attribute is that it provides a trade-off between accuracy of fit and complexity of the model. We compare this approach with other approximation methods and apply it to different test-cases. One of the case studies to which we apply the aforementioned methods is defined by the inverse of the Bessel function. We then turn our attention to the approximation of an Euler–Bernoulli beammodel with Rayleigh damping. Further case studies include the approximation of two real valued functions with specific difficulties (discontinuity, sharp peaks). One computational tool is the SVD; its complexity is cubic in the number of data points. For large data sets the CUR factorization is a viable alternative. Note that its complexity is cubic aswell but with respect to the dimension of the reduced order model (ROM). Another option is to use stochastic procedures such as randomized singular value decomposition (r-SVD) [41].


The aim of this thesis was to elucidate the mechanisms by which planktivorous fish can affect planktonic communities in lakes and how they may affect benthic communities through their effects on planktonic communities. In a laboratory experiment, nutrients released by fish increased algal biomass and altered phytoplankton community structure, suggesting that fish can affect phytoplankton by directly releasing nutrients. The effects of fish on planktonic communities through predation on zooplankton and nutrient excretion were experimentally separated and their relative importance quantified in a eutrophic humic lake. Results show that fish predation on zooplankton was the most important mechanism accounting for the increase in nutrient concentrations, phytoplankton and microzooplankton abundance in the presence of fish. However, nutrient excretion by fish had important indirect effects on zooplankton which, for some small cladocerans and copepods, were even stronger than the effects of fish predation. Fish affected phytoplankton through nutrient recycling by directly releasing nutrients and by changing the rates and ratios at which zooplankton recycled nutrients. These effects of fish on cyanobacteria and chlorophytes through nutrient recycling were stronger than those through zooplankton grazing, suggesting that fish-mediated nutrient recycling may explain most of the "trophic cascade" effects of planktivorous fish when the phytoplankton community is dominated by cyanobacteria or chlorophytes. Results also indicate that the effects of fish on planktonic communities were more predictable in direction as the taxonomic resolution of the data decreased and the experimental duration increased. The analysis of a general food web model suggest that in systems where autochthonous production is the dominant source of detritus, planktivorous fish may have an important effect on benthic communities by reducing zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton and thereby increasing the proportion of primary production that enters benthic habitats through sedimentation. Results also suggest that fish should have weaker effects (per unit of biomass) on pelagic food chains when subsidized by prey from benthic food chains and vice-versa. (Less)


High-precision autofarming is rapidly becoming a reality with the requirements of agricultural applications. Lots of research works have been focused on the automatic guidance control of farm vehicles, satisfactory results have been reported under the assumption that vehicles move without sliding. But unfortunately the pure rolling constraints are not always satisfied especially in agriculture applications where the working conditions are rough and not expectable. In this paper the problem of path following control of autonomous farm vehicles in presence of sliding is addressed. To take sliding effects into account, a vehicle-oriented kinematic model is constructed in which sliding effects are introduced as additive unknown parameters of the ideal kinematic model. Based on backstepping method a stepwise procedure is proposed to design an adaptive controller in which time-invariant sliding effects are learned and compensated by parameter adaptations. It is theoretically proven that for the farm vehicles subject to sliding, the lateral deviation can be stabilized near zero and the orientation errors converge into a neighborhood near the origin. To be more robust to disturbances including external noises and unmodeled time-varying sliding components, the adaptive controller is refined by integrating Variable Structure Controllers (VSC) or projection mappings. Simulation results show that the proposed robust adaptive controllers can reject sliding effects and guarantee high path-following accuracy.


Cytoplasmic male sterility is a maternally inherited trait in higher plants that prevents the production of functional pollen. Ogura cytoplasmic male sterility in radish (Raphanus sativus) is regulated by the orf138 mitochondrial locus. Male fertility can be restored when orf138 accumulation is suppressed by the nuclear Rfo locus, which consists of three genes putatively encoding highly similar pentatricopeptide repeat proteins (PPR-A, -B, and -C). We produced transgenic rapeseed (Brassica napus) plants separately expressing PPR-A and PPR-B and demonstrated that both encoded proteins accumulated preferentially in the anthers of young flower buds. Immunodetection of ORF138 showed that, unlike PPR-B, PPR-A had no effect on the synthesis of the sterility protein. Moreover, immunolocalization experiments indicated that complete elimination of ORF138 from the tapetum of anthers correlated with the restoration of fertility. Thus, the primary role of PPR-B in restoring fertility is to inhibit ORF138 synthesis in the tapetum of young anthers. In situ hybridization experiments confirmed, at the cellular level, that PPR-B has no effect on the accumulation of orf138 mRNA. Lastly, immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that PPR-B, but not PPR-A, is associated with the orf138 RNA in vivo, linking restoration activity with the ability to directly or indirectly interact with the orf138 RNA. Together, our data support a role for PPR-B in the translational regulation of orf138 mRNA.


Prior to this work, Retrocitomyia Lopes (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) included ten recognized species distributed exclusively in the New World. We here add a new species to the genus, Retrocitomyia sisbiota sp. nov. from the Central-West Region of Brazil. Four other species of Retrocitomyia are recorded from this region for the first time, redescribed, compared, and illustrated, with emphasis on the male terminalia. Retrocitomyia paraguayensis Lopes is recorded from Brazil for the first time, R. fluminensis Lopes and R. retrocita (Hall) are newly recorded from the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, and R. mizuguchiana Tibana & Xerez is newly recorded from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. New generic diagnostic characters are added and the interpretation of some structures of the male terminalia is discussed. An updated catalog of all Retrocitomyia species and an identification key to the males of these species are also provided.


Beginning with Alexander Marshack's interpretation of engraved lines as lunar calendrical notations, a number of highly controversial claims have been made concerning the possible astronomical significance of Upper Palaeolithic images. These claims range from lunar notations, to solstice observances in caves, to constellation representations. Given the rare nature of artefacts and images that lend themselves to such interpretations, these claims are generally difficult to evaluate on the basis of archaeological data alone. However, comparative ethnology can provide at least a way of assessing the plausibility of such astronomical claims. If the premise is accepted that at least some of the Upper Palaeolithic groups were complex hunter-gatherers, then astronomical observances, or the lack of them, among ethnographic complex hunter-gatherers can help indicate whether astronomical observations were likely to have taken place among Upper Palaeolithic complex hunter-gatherers. A survey of the literature shows that detailed solstice observances were common among complex hunter-gatherers, often associated with the keeping of calendars and the scheduling of major ceremonies. Moreover, aggrandizers in complex hunter-gatherer societies often form 'secret societies' in which esoteric astronomical knowledge is developed. The existence of calendrical notations and secluded meeting places for secret-society members are suggested to be at least plausible interpretations for a number of Upper Palaeolithic caves and images.


BACKGROUND & AIMS
Serotonin (5-HT) is a critical signaling molecule in the gut. 5-HT released from enterochromaffin cells initiates peristaltic, secretory, vasodilatory, vagal, and nociceptive reflexes. Despite being pathophysiologically divergent, ulcerative colitis (UC) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are both associated with clinical symptoms that include alterations in the normal patterns of motility, secretion, and sensation. Our aim was to test whether enteric 5-HT signaling is defective in these disorders.

METHODS
Rectal biopsy specimens were obtained from healthy controls and patients with UC, IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D), and IBS with constipation (IBS-C). Key elements of 5-HT signaling, including measures of 5-HT content, release, and reuptake, were analyzed with these samples.

RESULTS
Mucosal 5-HT, tryptophan hydroxylase 1 messenger RNA, serotonin transporter messenger RNA, and serotonin transporter immunoreactivity were all significantly reduced in UC, IBS-C, and IBS-D. The enterochromaffin cell population was decreased in severe UC samples but was unchanged in IBS-C and IBS-D. When 5-HT release was investigated under basal and mechanical stimulation conditions, no changes were detected in any of the groups relative to controls.

CONCLUSIONS
These data show that UC and IBS are associated with similar molecular changes in serotonergic signaling mechanisms. While UC and IBS have distinct pathophysiologic properties, these data suggest that shared defects in 5-HT signaling may underlie the altered motility, secretion, and sensation. These findings represent the first demonstration of significant molecular alterations specific to the gut in patients with IBS and support the assertion that disordered gastrointestinal function in IBS involves changes intrinsic to the bowel.


The present paper discusses specific types of LC amplifier and LC oscillator using a current-feedback amplifier (CFA). The main advantage of the CFAs versus voltage-feedback amplifiers (VFAs) is their gain-bandwidth independence. Some of the monolithic CFAs provide an additional pin between the first stage (current-controlled current source) and the second stage (voltage follower), where the resistance is very high. This allows a parallel resonance LC tank to be connected to the additional op amp correction pin. The main advantage of this new configurations is the insignificant influence of the load over the parameters of the circuit (voltage gain, Q-factor, etc.). Some recommendations for designing this kind of analogue circuit are given, based on simulation results, symbol analysis of the transfer function and physical experiments as well as elements' values calculation using centre frequency, voltage gain, bandwidth and Q-factor of the LC amplifiers as input parameters.


In Hungary increasing number of coops have gone bankruptcy or split up after meeting new legal needs because of not being competitive under market conditions after radical reforms. Others, however, could maintain previous level of farming or even increase it. Former coop members and individual farmers have also established new coops using bottom up approach. The paper discusses the importance of leadership of coops with different background which not well addressed in the literature. It took into account that old type produce coops had not only been an economic unit but a social network of people as well giving a special character to the coop. Two cases, one of an old and, one of a new coop, as success stories, were used and comparison of their development and leadership structure has been made. Findings were found that for a traditional agricultural coop a more social (member) oriented leadership has helped to overcome economic, social and psychological barriers occurred during transition, while in case of new coop improving cooperation depended mainly on the level of social capital improved after radical reforms.


The future of biodiesel is bright. However, biodiesel is vulnerable to oxidative degradation due to autoxidation. Adding antioxidant is a probable answer to achieve clean burning and improved combustion. This paper addresses experimental study the influence of antioxidant with WFO biodiesel on diesel engine performance. WFOME was produced through transesterification process. BHA and BHT have been used as antioxidants. Increased oxidation stability of B40 (60% diesel + 40% Biodiesel) was observed with accumulation of antioxidants. A 5HP engine was preferred for this study. The outcomes illustrate that antioxidant-treated B40 produced 2.15% to 4.78% higher brake thermal efficiency and BSFC by 2.08% to 4.74% compared to untreated B40. Reduction in nitrogen emissions in tune of 4 ppm to 8 ppm was observed during this research. Increased CO in tune of 8.54 to 17.08% has been pointed out. HC emissions were higher by 7.73 to 14.95%.