In order to investigate the possible relationship between endogenous hormones and seed filling in soybeans, concentrations of abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellins (GA3), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and cytokinins (ZR) in seed, leaf, and pod wall were determined during seed filling of 3 soybean cultivars differing in seed size and quality. All cultivars were grown at 3 densities. The large-seeded cultivar had a strong and greater ability to accumulate photosynthate during seed filling. The genetic trait of seed size was fully expressed at low density. The large-seeded cultivar had a much higher ABA concentration in seed than the moderate and small-seeded cultivars before physiological maturity. ABA concentration in the large-seeded cultivar seed was 40% greater than that of the small-seeded cultivar at 30 days after flowering. Higher densities increased ABA concentrations in seeds. Two peaks of seed GA3 concentration were observed during seed filling. GA3 concentrations at all densities were similar. The peaks of IAA concentration in the 3 cultivars uniformly occurred at 50 days after flowering. The large-seeded cultivar had greater peak concentrations of GA3 and IAA in seed than the other cultivars, while the peak concentration of ZR was highest in the small-seeded cultivar. The concentrations of ABA in leaf increased with time while that of GA3 decreased. The large-seeded cultivar had higher ABA and IAA concentration in leaf while the small-seeded cultivar consistently had higher GA3 concentration in leaf. ZR was present in a smaller amount in the leaf, and was not detected in the pod wall. The large-seeded cultivar maintained higher IAA concentration in pod wall. ABA concentration in seed was positively correlated with seed-filling rate (P < 0.01, r = 0.85**, 0.92**, and 0.83** for large-, moderate- and small-seeded cultivars respectively).The concentration of GA3 in seed was significantly correlated with the seed-filling rate in large- and moderate-seeded cultivars (P < 0.01, r = 0.87**; P < 0.05, r = 0.63*), and no correlation was found for the small-seeded cultivar. There was no correlation between the concentrations of seed IAA, ZR, and seed-filling rate. There was a parallel relationship between seed growth and leaf/pod wall ABA concentration. Thus, ABA might offer a driving force for photosynthate phloem unloading in the seed coat. Lower concentration of ABA and GA3 in the leaf than in seed suggests that most of the two hormones is transported to seed. The mechanism of IAA in seed growth and GA3 concentration and its dynamic in seed quality need further investigation.


As climate change increasingly threatens agricultural production, expanding genetic diversity in crops is an important strategy for climate resilience in many agricultural contexts. In this Essay, we explore the potential of crop biotechnology to contribute to this diversification, especially in industrialized systems, by using historical perspectives to frame the current dialogue surrounding recent innovations in gene editing. We unearth comments about the possibility of enhancing crop diversity made by ambitious scientists in the early days of recombinant DNA and follow the implementation of this technology, which has not generated the diversification some anticipated. We then turn to recent claims about the promise of gene editing tools with respect to this same goal. We encourage researchers and other stakeholders to engage in activities beyond the laboratory if they hope to see what is technologically possible translated into practice at this critical point in agricultural transformation.


In cerebral palsy orthopedic surgery can avoid deformity, existing deformities can be corrected, muscle imbalance can balanced and painful conditions--such as early osteoarthritis in hip dislocation--can be diminished. A tremendous functional improvement is not to be expected. In order to achieve good results the correct diagnosis is important, the natural course of the disease must be known. A team approach that includes the pediatric neurologist, physical therapist and the orthopedic surgeon is a must. The goals of therapy have to be discussed with the patient and his/her parents. If possible electromyography and gait analysis should be done but exact clinical evaluation is most important. The interactions between different groups of muscles must be known. It is important to differentiate primary and secondary, dynamic and fixed deformities. Orthopedic surgery can make life easier for a person with cerebral palsy, but cerebral palsy itself can never be over come.


1. Reverse and normal phase h.p.l.c. systems have been developed for separation ranitidine and three metabolites, desmethylranitidine, ranitidine-S-oxide and ranitidine-N-oxide. 2. These h.p.l.c. systems have been evaluated for characterization of ranitidine and metabolites using an h.p.l.c. coupled to a mass spectrometer with a moving belt interface. 3. Ranitidine and its metabolites were thermally degraded under the conditions required to evaporate the reverse phase eluent that contained 40% aq. 0.05 M ammonium acetate. 4. The normal phase eluent was evaporated in the interface at a lower temp. and satisfactory mass spectra were obtained from 1 microgram of ranitidine and each metabolite injected on to the h.p.l.c. column. 5. Normal phase h.p.l.c.-mass spectrometry has been used to identify ranitidine and three of its metabolites in rabbit and human urine obtained after oral administration of ranitidine.


Honeys have specific organoleptic characteristics, with nutritional and health benefits, being highly appreciated by consumers, not only in food but also in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Honey composition varies between regions according to the surrounding flora, enabling its characterization by source or type. Monofloral honeys may reach higher market values than multifloral ones. Honey's aroma is very specific, resulting from the combination of volatile compounds present in low concentrations. The authentication of honey's complex matrix, according to its botanical and/or geographical origin, represents a challenge nowadays, due to the different sorts of adulteration that may occur, leading to the search for reliable marker compounds for the different monofloral honeys. The existing information on the volatiles of monofloral honeys is scarce and disperse. In this review, twenty monofloral honeys and honeydews, from acacia, buckwheat, chestnut, clover, cotton, dandelion, eucalyptus, fir tree, heather, lavender, lime tree, orange, pine, rape, raspberry, rhododendron, rosemary, strawberry tree, sunflower and thyme, were selected for volatile comparison purposes. Taking into consideration the country of origin, the technique of isolation and analysis, the five main volatiles from each of the honeys are compared. Whereas some compounds were found in several types of monofloral honey, and thus not considered good volatile markers, some monofloral honeys revealed characteristic volatile compounds independently of their provenance.


In this paper, we introduce generalized exponential rational function method (GERFM) to obtain an exact satisfies satisfies solutions for the Biswas-Milovic (BM) equation with quadratic-cubic and parabolic nonlinearities. A wide range of closed solutions are acquired. The most important feature of the new method is that it is very effective and simple. The main merits of the proposed is that it gives more general solutions with some free parameters and can be applied to other types of nonlinear partial differential equations.Some interesting Figures for the physical features of some of the obtained solutions are also presented.


We consider quantum systems composed of N qubits, and the family of all Bell's correlation inequalities for two two-valued measurements per site. We show that if an N-qubit state ρ violates any of these inequalities, then it is at least bipartite distillable. Indeed there exists a link between the amount of Bell's inequality violation and the degree of distillability. Thus, we strengthen the interpretation of Bell's inequalities as detectors of useful entanglement.


Background: Several studies have demonstrated the association between the development of hypertension and elevated indices of overweight and obesity. The Fulani people are considered to have genetic origin comprising West African, North Africa, and Arabian descent while the Gbagyi people are of the Benue-Congo linguistic family indigenous to the Nigerian FCT. Whereas the Fulani are generally slender the Gbagyi people often have more sturdy appearances phenotypically. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we investigated two phenotypically distinct ethnic groups resident in Northcentral Nigeria to ascertain associations between their blood pressures and anthropometric indices. Results: Hypertension was detected in 24.7% of the combined study populations. The prevalence rates for were 23.2 versus 26.3% for the Fulani and Gbagyi ethnic groups with those differences being statistically insignificant (p=0.498) However there were significant differences in the SBP of 122.15 versus 126.1 mmHg and DBP of 77.21 versus 83.16mmHg between the Fulani and Gbagyi groups respectively. Similarly, there were observed significant differences in the anthropometric measurements in the weight, Body Mass Index, Waist Circumference and Waist to Hip Ratio between the two groups. Conclusion: This study lends support to the association between higher anthropometric indices and mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures in the general population. The Fulani people had lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures, associated with lighter body weight, lower body mass index, smaller, waist circumference, and lower waist to hip ratios compared to the Gbagyis


Inthispaper,weexaminetheeconomic,political,andlegalsystemsaswellastheinstitutionalfactors that influence the accounting and disclosure practices in Ghana. The impact of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on disclosure is also investigated, as Ghana has recently completed full adoption. We find that the accounting and reporting practices are significantly influenced by legal, political, institutional, and economic factors and that the regulatory environment is neither effective nor efficient duetotheweak monitoringandenforcement ofcompliance. Althoughtherehas beensomerecent progress, the Companies' Code, which is the corporate legal framework of Ghana, must be updated to reflect the dynamic nature of world operations. This study advances the course of standards setters, regulators, accounting practitioners, and policymakers to improve the corporate reporting and accounting practices. Urgent measures need to be undertaken to reform and build the capacities of institutions charged with the responsibility of regulating and monitoring Ghanaian accounting and reporting practices to ensure best practices and build investors' confidence. © 2011 University of Illinois. All rights reserved.


The benefit of this research is the implementation of varied learning in national character education using digital media in storytelling. This research is an experimental study, whose purpose is to determine the effectiveness of fairytale digital-based learning models to shape the character of early childhood with measurable indicators on children's emotional intelligence and behavior. Stages of research include three stages, namely the preparation stage, data collection and data processing or data analysis. The preparation stage is done by determining the research object, the number of samples and indicators used. The indicators used to determine the success of the study include: a) the child begins learning by reading prayer; b) children share food/sharing with their friends; c) children lend stationery to their friends. The sample used is TK Akademika Students Malang. In the previous data collection phase the sample was divided into 2 groups, namely the experimental group and the control group that was subjected to treatment. Each group carried out a pre-test and post-test. Pre-test was given to test the similarity of the sample, while the post-test was used to determine the significance of a treatment. From the research results, it can be seen that there is an increase in the average value of the pre-test and post-test. The conclusion is that learning models with conventional methods such as fairy tales must be actualized in today's digital era. With this research, it can be seen that fairytale digital animation based learning can improve the superior character of students in the TK Akademika of Malang. Keywords : fairytale media, animation, character building, toodler


While action recognition has become an important line of research in computer vision, the recognition of particular events, such as aggressive behaviors, or fights, has been relatively less studied. These tasks may be extremely useful in several video surveillance scenarios, such as psychiatric wards, prisons, or even in personal camera smartphones. Their potential usability has led to a surge of interest in developing fight or violence detectors. One of the key aspects in this case is efficiency, that is, these methods should be computationally fast. "Handcrafted" spatio-temporal features that account for both motion and appearance information can achieve high accuracy rates, albeit the computational cost of extracting some of those features is still prohibitive for practical applications. The deep learning paradigm has been recently applied for the first time to this task too, in the form of a 3D convolutional neural network that processes the whole video sequence as input. However, results in human perception of other's actions suggest that, in this specific task, motion features are crucial. This means that using the whole video as input may add both redundancy and noise in the learning process. In this paper, we propose a hybrid "handcrafted/learned" feature framework which provides better accuracy than the previous feature learning method, with similar computational efficiency. The proposed method is compared to three related benchmark data sets. The method outperforms the different state-of-the-art methods in two of the three considered benchmark data sets.


Abstract This article describes the role of English in Finland, where English is gaining ground in a variety of domains. While the spread of English has generated debate, little empirical evidence exists on how English is taken up and put to use by Finns, and the functions it serves in its various contexts of use. This article reports on work conducted in a project English voices in Finnish society: uses and functions of English in the media, education and professional life. Combining insights from sociolinguistics, discourse analysis and pragmatics, the project describes the uses of English in language contact situations across the three key domains covered in the project. The objective of the project is to shed light on the diversity and complexity of language choice, alternation and mixed language uses in contact situations and in texts. The focus is on the linguistic choices made, the forms and patterns used and the social functions they serve, and on how the uses of a language can shape and be shaped by more general social and cultural processes and structures. The article shows how English affects domains in Finnish society in a variety of ways, and how the spread of English in Finland can be conceptualised as a phenomenon which emerges at a local level and flows across domains and contexts.


abstract:Since the nineteenth century, access to and the development of natural resources became an important element of national and international politics. Resource security emerged as an issue vital to national security; and resource competition and crises gave rise to international tensions as well as to technological innovation and new modes of transnational cooperation.


We study the proposal by Mersini et al. [1] that the observed dark energy might be explained by the back-reaction of the set of tail modes in a theory with a dispersion relation in which the mode frequency decays exponentially in the trans-Planckian regime. The matter tail modes are frozen out, however they induce metric fluctuations. The energy-momentum tensor with which the tail modes effect the background geometry obtains contributions from both metric and matter fluctuations. We calculate the equation of state induced by the tail modes taking into account the gravitational contribution. We find that, in contrast to the case of frozen super-Hubble cosmological fluctuations, in this case the matter perturbations dominate, and they yield an equation of state which to leading order takes the form of a positive cosmological constant.


The Purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of technology on sustainable irrigation of small scale dry landfarming in Kitui Central District, Kitui County, Kenya. The study sought to establish the extent to which adoption of new irrigation technology, gravity free flow irrigation and access to access to credit has influenced sustainable irrigation of small scale dry land farming. Descriptive survey research design was adopted. A sample of 150 participants was randomly selected from 1540 small-scale dry land irrigationfarmers in the district. Data was collected using questionnaires and an interview schedule. Descriptive and inferential statistical procedures, including Pearson s correlation coefficient and one way ANO VAwere used to analyze quantitative data. Qualitative data was analyzed by daily briefs, categorization into themes and narrations of respondents' quotations and verbatim explanations. The .findings revealed that irrigation of intensive, small scale dry-land farming yields statistically significantly higher farm outputs from a 2-acre dry-land farm than the natural rain-fed small scale dry-land farm of similar acreage at 95% confidence interval. Thestudy recommended that farmers and County governments should adopt both indigenous and new technologies that are supportive to the development and growth of small scale dry land farming. Further studies should be done' on the relationship between training and sustainable irrigation of small scale dry land farming to ensure successful artificial agricultural productivity from the Arid and SemiArid Lands (ASALs) of Kenya.


Previous research suggests that social--cognitive factors mediate the association between social--environmental risk and aggression in high-risk samples, but less is known about the relation among these factors in suburban youth. The present study examined whether such an association occurred for suburban youth exposed to low levels of social rejection and community violence. Using data from 184 adolescents (mean age = 14.97 years, "SD" = 0.84) and their homeroom teachers, analyses with structural equation modeling revealed a significant relation between relatively mild levels of social--environmental risk and aggression. This association was partially mediated by negatively biased social--cognitive factors (i.e., general knowledge structures and social information processing). FINDINGS suggest that even relatively low levels of social rejection and community violence exposure characterizing suburban youth (in contrast to urban youth) put them at an increased risk for problems with aggression. Language: en


Thailand's mining industry has always been considered as an industrial activity generating significant environmental burdens. This is because environmental management in the sector was given lower priority compared with economic benefits. The resulting adverse environmental effects in areas surrounding some mining areas required government interventions. Accordingly, the sustainable development of mineral resources requires a delicate balance of economic, environmental and societal considerations. To respond to this challenge, Thailand needs a paradigm shift in environmental management towards sustainable mining, in order to maximize benefits from exploitation of the mineral resources, whilst ensuring co-existence and mutual benefits of mining activities and their surrounding communities. This article seeks to provide some information about a fundamental change in the principles, approach and strategies of environmental management towards sustainable mining in Thailand. The main mechanism includes changing in visions and strategies towards sustainable mining, applying various sustainability assessment tools in licensing and decision-making processes, decentralizing the environmental monitoring system to local authorities and communities, as well as enhancing the use of the sustainable development principle to all mining operators through various projects. An establishment of a rehabilitation fund, a health surveillance fund and a community infrastructure improvement fund are also required for development of any new mining project to guarantee rehabilitation works and risk management efforts during and after the mine's life. DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.14456/aer.2014.13


As a new analytical method for identifying marine oil slicks, the primary function of the polarization scattering model is to determine the intensity of polarized scattered light from different oil spill zones. In the polarized light path, the energy reduction is mainly due to the scattering characteristics of the surface of the sample to be tested. To quantify equivalence, we define the polarized scattering rate (PSR). The PSR describes the probability that linearly polarized incident photons scatter into the unit solid angle in the direction of scattering from the target surface. In order to verify the applicability of the model, we applied it to detect an actual oil spill at sea in the case of simulated sunlight. The research indicates that the PSR only characterizes the amplitude conversion between the polarized scattering wave and the incident wave and is not affected by the polarization characteristics of the incident wave, thus reflecting the true polarization characteristics of the target itself. The PSR of crude oil and seawater depends not only on the physical properties of the target itself, but also on the observation conditions, such as relative attitude orientation, spatial geometric position relationship, and the working frequency of equipment and instruments.


For non-uniformly hyperbolic dynamical systems we consider the time series of maxima along typical orbits. Using ideas based upon quantitative recurrence time statistics we prove convergence of the maxima (under suitable normalization) to an extreme value distribution, and obtain estimates on the rate of convergence. We show that our results are applicable to a range of examples, and include new results for Lorenz maps, certain partially hyperbolic systems, and non-uniformly expanding systems with sub-exponential decay of correlations. For applications where analytic results are not readily available we show how to estimate the rate of convergence to an extreme value distribution based upon numerical information of the quantitative recurrence statistics. We envisage that such information will lead to more efficient statistical parameter estimation schemes based upon the block-maxima method.


Schonlein-Henoch purpura is a systemic, immunocomplex-mediated vasculitis which involves skin, joints, gastrointestinal and urinary system. This is a retrospective study on 60 S.H.S. admitted in our Division from 1978 to 1984. The most affected age range seems to be included between 2 and 7 years, with a maximum at 6. The Male/Female ratio is 35/25. Clinically we found skin (100%), joint (63%), abdominal (48%), and renal (25%) manifestations. Laboratory data are not characteristic: C3 and C4 are always in the normal range. 27% showed an elevation of IgA, 81% a rise of sedimentation rate and 45% a rise of Anti-O-Streptolysin Title. The main problem to face is prevention of glomerulonephritis. Salicylates, piridamol and cyproheptadine have been suggested to be effective. Prednisone is recommended in all cases with abdominal pain in order to prevent surgical complications. In our experience we could not demonstrate any difference between treated and not treated cases. It is important anyway to perform a correct follow-up of these children to early show a possible relapse or a renal complication.


This report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) considers the attainment gaps between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers, as well as looking at gaps associated with other pupil characteristics. It highlights both the progress which has been made in narrowing gaps over the last decade, and the significant challenges which remain. The report looks at the performance of pupils who undertook the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile, Key Stage 2 assessments or GCSEs (or equivalents) in the summer of 2016. It includes all pupils in all state-funded schools, including academies, free schools, local authority maintained schools and special schools. This report does not compare the performance of different types of schools. Rather than focussing on attainment thresholds, such as GCSE attainment, the report examines the attainment of disadvantaged pupils within the whole attainment distribution. All pupils are ranked from the highest to the lowest. The average (mean) rank of the group being considered is then calculated, as is the average (mean) rank of other pupils. The attainment gap is then the difference between these ranks. To aid interpretation this is then converted into months of progress.


A major advantage of service-based computing technology is the ability to enable rapid formation of distributed computing systems by composing massively available services over various types of networks. Their confidentiality and privacy should be well protected under various situations. This paper proposed a control-based approach to balance the trade-off between security and performance of Adaptive Service-Based Systems (ASBS). The relationship between encryption/decryption delay and the content size for cryptographic algorithms providing different security levels are measured and modeled. An example application based on the ASBS prototype is implemented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.


: The sociology of inequality over the past few decades has been characterized by its fragmentation into an assembly of small-scale aspects of inequality and by a disjointed perspective that breaks up the modern history of inequality into several phases. This is the result of shortcomings in previous theory-building. This contribution presents new theoretical approaches that have been developed in the past years: a micro-sociological or action-theoretical one, a macro-sociological one, and some strategies — at a meso level of abstraction — that allow us to identify mechanisms of social inequality.The article will highlight the limitations and opportunities of these recent approaches, especially by clarifying the question of what characterizes the basic constellation of social inequalities in the current era.


Metastable precipitation as the formation of GP zones is governed by a metastable miscibility gap. It is shown that the limits of this gap in a ternary system can be determined from combined analysis of the small-angle scattering (SAS) of X-rays and of neutrons. The necessary condition is a significantly different ratio fl = (bc-ba)/(bs-hA) of the atomic scattering amplitudes b of the components A, B and C for both the X-rays and the neutrons. This difference enables one to determine the slope of the tie-line passing through an individual alloy by comparing the integrated SAS intensities of the two types of radiation. Thereafter, the determination of the gap limits follows the same procedure as already known for binary alloys. The change of the mean atomic volume with composition influences the result, but this can be taken into account provided the same Vegard's law is valid for both the depleted matrix and the precipitate.


We have recently shown that IL-10 fails to trigger Stat3 and Stat1 tyrosine phosphorylation in freshly isolated human neutrophils. In this study, we report that IL-10 can nonetheless induce Stat3 tyrosine phosphorylation and the binding of Stat1 and Stat3 to the IFN-γ response region or the high-affinity synthetic derivative of the c-sis-inducible element in neutrophils that have been cultured for at least 3 h with LPS. Similarly, the ability of IL-10 to up-regulate suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)-3 mRNA was dramatically enhanced in cultured neutrophils and, as a result, translated into the SOCS-3 protein. Since neutrophils' acquisition of responsiveness to IL-10 required de novo protein synthesis, we assessed whether expression of IL-10R1 or IL-10R2 was modulated in cultured neutrophils. We detected constitutive IL-10R1 mRNA and protein expression in circulating neutrophils, at levels which were much lower than those observed in autologous monocytes or lymphocytes. In contrast, IL-10R2 expression was comparable in both cell types. However, IL-10R1 (but not IL-10R2) mRNA and protein expression was substantially increased in neutrophils stimulated by LPS. The ability of IL-10 to activate Stat3 tyrosine phosphorylation and SOCS-3 synthesis and to regulate IL-1 receptor antagonist and macrophage-inflammatory protein 1β release in LPS-treated neutrophils correlated with this increased IL-10R1 expression, and was abolished by neutralizing anti-IL-10R1 and anti-IL-10R2 Abs. Our results demonstrate that the capacity of neutrophils to respond to IL-10, as assessed by Stat3 tyrosine phosphorylation, SOCS-3 expression, and modulation of cytokine production, is very dependent on the level of expression of IL-10R1.


Traditionally, the enforcement of competition rules in Europe has been predominantly via public enforcement. Following the European Court of Justice's ruling in 2001 in which was established the right for compensation of harms suffered by any victim of antitrust infringements, the European Commission has made proposals to create a private antitrust enforcement regime. While compensation of victims is the first and foremost guiding principle, the regime thus created, should, according to the Commission, also deliver overall better compliance with competition rules whilst creating and sustaining a competitive European economy. In designing the system the Commission contends that it should not be grounded on similar features to that of the United States private enforcement mechanism as it has resulted in abuses of the system by private parties for private interests. A deconstructive reading of the Commission proposals, however, reveals that the envisaged regime contains more characteristics of the United States system than is explicitly presented. Furthermore, a direct comparison of common prohibitions in both systems exposes a significant lack of safeguards against misuse of the rules by private parties in the European system. This thesis also compares the envisaged European regime with the Canadian public enforcement regime. Despite the restricted cause of action accorded to private parties, the Canadian system is not immune from exploitation of the rules by private parties for self-interest. These findings call into question whether the proposed system will deliver the stated aims. This thesis concludes that considering the costs of private enforcement, European competition law should be solely the competence of public officials. It is argued that although not formally recognised either in the literature nor in the case law of the EU courts, the Commission is already legally empowered to award compensation to victims of antitrust violations. This thesis presents suggestions for an enhancement of the current public enforcement framework.


The 2D wavelet transform modulus maxima (WTMM) method is used to perform a comparison of the spatial fluctuations of mammographic breast tissue from patients with invasive lobular carcinoma, those with invasive ductal carcinoma, and those with benign lesions. We follow a procedure developed and validated in a previous study, in which a sliding window protocol is used to analyze thousands of small subregions in a given mammogram. These subregions are categorized according to their Hurst exponent values (H): fatty tissue (H ≤ 0.45), dense tissue (H ≥ 0.55), and disrupted tissue potentially linked with tumor-associated loss of homeostasis (0.45 < H < 0.55). Following this categorization scheme, we compare the mammographic tissue composition of the breasts. First, we show that cancerous breasts are significantly different than breasts with a benign lesion (p-value ∼ 0.002). Second, the asymmetry between a patient's cancerous breast and its contralateral counterpart, when compared to the asymmetry from patients with benign lesions, is also statistically significant (p-value ∼ 0.006). And finally, we show that lobular and ductal cancerous breasts show similar levels of disruption and similar levels of asymmetry. This study demonstrates reproducibility of the WTMM sliding-window approach to help detect and characterize tumor-associated breast tissue disruption from standard mammography. It also shows promise to help with the detection lobular lesions that typically go undetected via standard screening mammography at a much higher rate than ductal lesions. Here both types are assessed similarly.


Acute pleuritis is sometimes accompanied by pain referred to the hypochondriac region of the affected side, and a peculiarity of the pain is its constancy. It is not felt merely on deep breathing, nor more severely on inspiration, as is so commonly the case with pleuritic pain in the nipple region. Exertion and cough, however, are prone to accentuate it, and it may cause more or less grunting respiration. I recall one case of severe epigastric pain caused by diaphragmatic pleuritis in which cough was absent, and in such a case it is difficult to arrive at a diagnosis at the onset of the disease, time and developments being necessary to determine the real nature of the affection. The abdominal pain that is present in some cases of lobar penumonia, however, is particularly striking in its deceptive characteristics. Last autumn I observed two cases in which the onset of the


Violence against women is a global epidemic that continues to kill, torture and maim women physically, psychologically, sexually and economically and it also undermines the survival of children in affected homes. This study assessed the prevalence of violence against women and its perceived effects on children in Badarawa, Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State. A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in December 2016, using pre-tested structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. A multi-stage sampling technique was used for the selection of the eligible respondents, and the collected data was analysed using SPSS version 21 for windows and results presented in tables and charts. Level of statistical significance was set at <0.05. Almost all (98.8%) of the respondents attested to the occurrence of violence against women in their community. The overall prevalence of psychological, physical and sexual violence was 19.1%, 10% and 7.5% respectively. The psychological violence encountered was in the form of humiliation and insult. About 6% of the respondents have suffered physical violence on the average, with pushing, forced to have sex (sexual violence) and slapping topping the list of physical violence, each having 15.0%, 7.5% and 6.9% respectively. Weight loss 13.2%, poor parental care 16.6%, poor school performance 21.9% and poor sleep at night 5.3% were the perceived effects on children of affected mothers. There is low prevalence of violence against women in Badarawa with wide range of perceived negative effects on the children. There is need for community sensitization and education by traditional rulers, faith based organisations and media among others on the effects of violence on women and its effects on children among others.


Following the introduction of live-attenuated rotavirus vaccines in many countries, a notable reduction in deaths and hospitalisations associated with diarrhoea in children <5 years of age has been reported. There is growing evidence to suggest that live-attenuated vaccines also provide protection against other infections beyond the vaccine-targeted pathogens. These so called off-target effects of vaccination have been associated with the tuberculosis vaccine Bacille Calmette Guérin (BCG), measles, oral polio and recently salmonella vaccines, and are thought to be mediated by modified innate and possibly adaptive immunity. Indeed, rotavirus vaccines have been reported to provide greater than expected reductions in acute gastroenteritis caused by other enteropathogens, that have mostly been attributed to herd protection and prior underestimation of rotavirus disease. Whether rotavirus vaccines also alter the immune system to reduce non targeted gastrointestinal infections has not been studied directly. Here we review the current understanding of the mechanisms underlying off-target effects of vaccines and propose a mechanism by which the live-attenuated neonatal rotavirus vaccine, RV3-BB, could promote protection beyond the targeted pathogen. Finally, we consider how vaccine developers may leverage these properties to improve health outcomes in children, particularly those in low-income countries where disease burden and mortality is disproportionately high relative to developed countries.


The Penguin Writer's Manual is the essential companion for anyone who wants to master the art of writing good English. Whether you're composing an essay, sending a business letter or an email to a colleague, or firing off an angry letter to a newspaper, this guide will help you to brush up you communication skills and write correct and confident English.


It is important to assess image quality, in order to ensure that the imaging system is performing optimally and also identify the weak points in an imaging system. Three parameters mostly leading to image degradation are contrast, spatial resolution and noise. There is always a trade-off between spatial resolution and signal to noise ratio, but in scintillating fiber array detectors spatial resolution is not as important as signal to noise ratio, so we paid more attention to contrast and SNR of the system. By using GEANT4 Monte Carlo detector simulation toolkit, some effec- tive parameters of the linear plastic scintillating fiber (PSF) array as an imaging detector were investigated. Finally we show that it is possible to use this kind of detector to take CT and DR (Digital Radiography) image under certain conditions.


On the basis of the experience gained with 65 children trying to resist dental treatment, the problems causing and influencing this behavior of children having an aversion against the dentist are presented. Apart from factors resulting from specific situations or specific ages, factors were found that are due to parental education, social environment, and serious psychical disturbances of the child.


This presentation will outline the difficulties
encountered when undertaking postal survey
research with young people. The study undertaken
aimed to establish the smoking and non-smoking
habits of young people aged 11 to 1� years old
who were members of a Smokebusters' club
and compare the findings to a similar survey of
club members undertaken � years previously. A
number of authors describe the smoking behaviour
of young people. For example, Goddard and
Higgins (2000) report that whilst from the age of
1� years old the smoking behaviour in boys has
fluctuated over the last decade there has been a
steady increase in the numbers of young girls who
smoke in the UK. A survey was conducted of all
the Smokebusters members (n=2810). Response
rate to this survey was 16% (n=��8). Findings were
then compared to a similar survey conducted five
years previously (n=2810). Response rates to the
first survey was 1�% (n=�6�). It may be concluded
that a disappointing feature of both surveys was
the low response rates. Review of similar studies
with young people show most published research
reports use of face-to-face approaches as against
a postal survey approaches.
There are very few reports of use of postal surveys
of young people. One author who used this
approach with a slightly older age range than the
present study (1� to 16 years old) does report a 7�%
response rate (Smith et al 200�). However, Smith
et al state that they undertook extensive liaison
work with the schools whose pupils participated
in the survey along with eliciting teacher support
to improve response rates. It may be concluded
that relatively high response rates can be achieved
with this type of survey of young people if questionnaires are administered with the cooperation
of schools and in a face-to-face or in a 'captive
audience' situation


The results of recent researches in protein engineering field have clarified that the function of a protein depends on not only its structure [2] but its molecular surface [1]. Therefore, extracting relationships between the surface and the function is an important subject for medical chemistry, chemical industry, agricultural engineering, and so on. On the other hand, the proteins that have the same function, but different surfaces have been discovered. This fact suggests that a protein surface can be divided into an active site, which determines the protein function, and a non-active site. Therefore, we propose a method to compare 3D molecular surface data of proteins, which have information of the shape and the material features. Molecular surface data consists of a set of thousands of vertexes, which includes material feature data such as electrostatic potential and hydrophobic property. As the number of vertexes is very large, in this method, in order to reduce calculation time to compare molecular surface data, geometric hashing method [3], which finds the relationship between two pictures effectively by using a hash table, is applied.


This article presents a mathematical model for generating annoying scratching sounds. Such sounds are generated by frictional motion and have been attributed to the chaotic nature of the frequency spectrum thereby produced. The proposed model is based on the logistic map and is modified to have the stick-slip property of a frictional vibration. The resulting sound is similar to that generated by scratching a chalkboard or glass plate with the fingernails.


Hospitals are challenging workplace with different levels of safety and hazards. This paper gives a brief idea about solutions designed to solve the problems faced in hospitals with the help of IOT. The main objective of this SMART hospital is patient safety and to regulate the excessive power consumption. Some of the problems identified by us are listed here and a possible solution for them is provided. Problems challenging patient safety are hospital fires and also a rare but fatal condition known as vascular air embolism. And that of optimal power consumption is excessive and neglected use of electricity. Integrating sensors with IOT to monitor environmental conditions can prove boon to the hospital industry as it not only enhances patient experience but also improves the staff flow decreasing the time-consuming activities.


Abstract. Flood damage modelling is an important component in flood risk management, and several studies have investigated the possible range of flood damage in the coming decades. Generally, flood damage assessments are still characterized by considerable uncertainties in stage-damage functions and methodological differences in estimating exposed asset values. The high variance that is commonly associated with absolute flood damage assessments is the reason for the present study that investigates the reliability of estimates of relative changes in the development of potential flood damage. While studies that estimate (relative) changes in flood damage over time usually address uncertainties resulting from different projections (e.g. land-use characteristics), the influence of different flood damage modelling approaches on estimates of relative changes in the development of flood damage is largely unknown. In this paper, we evaluate the reliability of estimates of relative changes in flood damage along the river Rhine between 1990 and 2030 in terms of different flood-damage modelling approaches. The results show that relative estimates of flood damage developments differ by a factor of 1.4. These variations, which result from the application of different modelling approaches, are considerably smaller than differences between the approaches in terms of absolute damage estimates (by a factor of 3.5 to 3.8), or than differences resulting from land-use projections (by a factor of 3). The differences that exist when estimating relative changes principally depend on the differences in damage functions. In order to improve the reliability of relative estimates of changes in the development of potential flood damage, future research should focus on reducing the uncertainties related to damage functions.


Little is known about whether Chlamydia trachomatis can be sexually transmitted between women or how often it occurs in women who have sex with women (WSW). We investigated Chlamydia trachomatis prevalence and serum Chlamydia trachomatis-specific antibody responses among African American WSW who reported a lifetime history of sex only with women (exclusive WSW) (n = 21) vs. an age-matched group of women reporting sex with women and men (WSWM) (n = 42). Participants completed a survey, underwent a pelvic examination in which a cervical swab was collected for Chlamydia trachomatis nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT), and had serum tested for anti-Chlamydia trachomatis IgG1 and IgG3 antibodies using a Chlamydia trachomatis elementary body-based ELISA. No exclusive WSW had a positive Chlamydia trachomatis NAAT vs. 5 (11.9%) WSWM having a positive Chlamydia trachomatis NAAT (p = 0.16). Compared with WSWM, WSW were significantly less likely to be Chlamydia trachomatis seropositive (7 [33.3%] vs. 29 [69%], p = 0.007). Among Chlamydia trachomatis seropositive women, all were seropositive by IgG1, and the magnitude of Chlamydia trachomatis-specific IgG1 responses did not differ in Chlamydia trachomatis-seropositive WSW vs. WSWM. In conclusion, Chlamydia trachomatis seropositivity was relatively common in exclusive African American WSW, though significantly less common than in African American WSWM.


Diffuse scattering of x-rays is applied to studies of microdefects in annealed highly doped crystals of GaAs:Te. X-ray diffraction reciprocal space mapping was performed by high-resolution x-ray diffractometry in the triple-axis mode. The most characteristic feature of the experimental maps is the lack of the zero-intensity lines for all high-symmetry reflections. Owing to this aspect of measured maps it was possible to determine the type of microdefects. The computer simulations performed for point defects with orthorhombic symmetry in annealed crystals of GaAs fit very well to the patterns of measured iso-intensity contours. The experimental data obtained so far give the possibility of determining the displacement field outside the defect core but are not sufficient to obtain information about the interior of the defect. The mean radius of microdefects was estimated to be smaller than 0.2 m.


Background Providing balanced energy–protein (BEP) supplements is a promising intervention to improve birth outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); however, evidence is limited. We aimed to assess the efficacy of fortified BEP supplementation during pregnancy to improve birth outcomes, as compared to iron–folic acid (IFA) tablets, the standard of care. Methods and findings We conducted an individually randomized controlled efficacy trial (MIcronutriments pour la SAnté de la Mère et de l'Enfant [MISAME]-III) in 6 health center catchment areas in rural Burkina Faso. Pregnant women, aged 15 to 40 years with gestational age (GA) <21 completed weeks, were randomly assigned to receive either fortified BEP supplements and IFA (intervention) or IFA (control). Supplements were provided during home visits, and intake was supervised on a daily basis by trained village-based project workers. The primary outcome was prevalence of small-for-gestational age (SGA) and secondary outcomes included large-for-gestational age (LGA), low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth (PTB), gestational duration, birth weight, birth length, Rohrer's ponderal index, head circumference, thoracic circumference, arm circumference, fetal loss, and stillbirth. Statistical analyses followed the intention-to-treat (ITT) principle. From October 2019 to December 2020, 1,897 pregnant women were randomized (960 control and 937 intervention). The last child was born in August 2021, and birth anthropometry was analyzed from 1,708 pregnancies (872 control and 836 intervention). A total of 22 women were lost to follow-up in the control group and 27 women in the intervention group. BEP supplementation led to a mean 3.1 percentage points (pp) reduction in SGA with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of −7.39 to 1.16 (P = 0.151), indicating a wide range of plausible true treatment efficacy. Adjusting for prognostic factors of SGA, and conducting complete cases (1,659/1,708, 97%) and per-protocol analysis among women with an observed BEP adherence ≥75% (1,481/1,708, 87%), did not change the results. The intervention significantly improved the duration of gestation (+0.20 weeks, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.36, P = 0.010), birth weight (50.1 g, 8.11 to 92.0, P = 0.019), birth length (0.20 cm, 0.01 to 0.40, P = 0.044), thoracic circumference (0.20 cm, 0.04 to 0.37, P = 0.016), arm circumference (0.86 mm, 0.11 to 1.62, P = 0.025), and decreased LBW prevalence (−3.95 pp, −6.83 to −1.06, P = 0.007) as secondary outcomes measures. No differences in serious adverse events [SAEs; fetal loss (21 control and 26 intervention) and stillbirth (16 control and 17 intervention)] between the study groups were found. Key limitations are the nonblinded administration of supplements and the lack of information on other prognostic factors (e.g., infection, inflammation, stress, and physical activity) to determine to which extent these might have influenced the effect on nutrient availability and birth outcomes. Conclusions The MISAME-III trial did not provide evidence that fortified BEP supplementation is efficacious in reducing SGA prevalence. However, the intervention had a small positive effect on other birth outcomes. Additional maternal and biochemical outcomes need to be investigated to provide further evidence on the overall clinical relevance of BEP supplementation. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03533712.


The immune response in CBA mice was evoked by injection of sheep erythrocytes. The number of antibody-producing cells in the spleen, as well as nitric oxide production, oxygen-dependent metabolism and 5"-nucleotidase activity of peritoneal macrophages and lymphocytes were studied on days 1-5-14 after immunization. It was shown that during the inductive phase of the immune response (day 1), the peritoneal cells increased nitric oxide production, while later their functional activity increased and NO level became normal. The use of NO-synthase inhibitors (non-selective L-NNA and iNOS inhibitors SMT and dexamethasone) increased the immune response and decreased the macrophage functional activity. The use of NO-donator SNP resulted in reverse effect: decrease of the immune response and stimulation of peritoneal cells functional activity. The data obtained indicate that nitric oxide participates in the immune response regulation, in particular, through the suppressive effect of macrophages.


Rationale: Catheter-based renal denervation (RDN) is currently under development for the treatment of resistant hypertension and is thought to reduce blood pressure via interruption of sympathetic pathways that modulate cardiovascular function. The sympathetic nervous system also plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of acute myocardial infarction and heart failure. Objective: We examined whether treatment with radiofrequency (RF)-RDN would protect the heart against subsequent myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury via direct effects on the myocardium. Methods and Results: Spontaneously hypertensive rats received either bilateral RF-RDN or sham-RDN. At 4 weeks after RF-RDN (n=14) or sham-RDN (n=14) treatment, spontaneously hypertensive rats were subjected to 30 minutes of transient coronary artery occlusion and 24 hours –7 days reperfusion. Four weeks after RF-RDN, myocardial oxidative stress was markedly attenuated, and transcription and translation of antioxidants, superoxide dismutase 1 and glutathione peroxidase-1, were significantly upregulated compared with sham-RDN spontaneously hypertensive rats. RF-RDN also inhibited myocardial G protein–coupled receptor kinase 2 pathological signaling and enhanced myocardial endothelial nitric oxide synthase function and nitric oxide signaling. RF-RDN therapy resulted in a significant reduction in myocardial infarct size per area at risk compared with sham-RDN (26.8 versus 43.9%; P<0.01) at 24 hours postreperfusion and significantly improved left ventricular function at 7 days after myocardial ischemia/reperfusion. Conclusions: RF-RDN reduced oxidative stress, inhibited G protein–coupled receptor kinase 2 signaling, increased nitric oxide bioavailability, and ameliorated myocardial reperfusion injury in the setting of severe hypertension. These findings provide new insights into the remote cardioprotective effects of RF-RDN acting directly on cardiac myocytes to attenuate cell death and protect against ischemic injury.


Monetised estimates of the impact of climate change are derived. Impacts are expressed as functions of climate change and 'vulnerability'. Vulnerability is measured by a series of indicators, such as per capita income, population above 65, and economic structure. Impacts are estimated for nine world regions, for the period 2000-2200, for agriculture, forestry, water resources, energy consumption, sea level rise, ecosystems, fatal vector- borne diseases, and fatal cardiovascular and respiratory disorders. Uncertainties are large, often including sign switches. In the short term, the estimated sensitivity of a sector to climate change is found to be the crucial parameter. In the longer term, the change in the vulnerability of the sector is often more important for the total impact. Impacts can be negative or positive, depending on the time, region, and sector one is looking at. Negative impacts tend to dominate in the later years and in the poorer regions.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In Islam, family is a sacred environment and, according to the Quran, is a real place of tranquility. What matters in a marriage is the marital satisfaction. This study aims to investigate the effect of Quran teachings and its supreme concepts on marital satisfaction in married women. METHODS: This case-control study was conducted in Babol, northern Iran, among 50 married women who married at least one year before, divided into two groups of 25. The women in case group were trained for 10 sessions, and the sessions included Quran therapy and educational package including Quranic verses and related interpretations. Then, the two groups were evaluated by marital satisfaction index questionnaire, with a score range of 0 – 100. FINDINGS: The mean marital satisfaction score was 41.88±25.5 in the case group and 40.96±31.54 in the control group before the intervention, while it was 46.26±30.42 in the case group and 39.76±25.5 in the control group after intervention. There was a significant difference in the case group before and after the intervention (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of the research showed that the use of Quran and the Quranic teachings, in the shadow of divine verses, leads to increased marital satisfaction and mental health of married women.


Direct correlation of structural and optical properties on the nanoscale is essential for rational synthesis of nanomaterials with predefined structure and functionality. We study optical properties of single III-V nitride nanowire radial heterostructures with measured spatial resolution of <20 nm using cathodoluminescence (CL) technique coupled with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Enhanced carrier recombination in nanowire quantum wells and reduced light emission from regions containing structural defects were directly observed. Using newly developed parallel-detection-mode CL-STEM, we show that optical properties can vary within a single nanowire heterostructure as a function of nanowire morphology.


Water column and sediment profiles of plutonium, americium, thorium and uranium have been obtained in the superanoxic Framvaren fjord, southern Norway. The concentrations of bomb test fallout Pu, Am as well as 'dissolved' Th in the bottom water are the highest recorded in the marine environment. The behaviour of the actinides in the anoxic water mass is to a large extent governed by the behaviour of the colloidal material, probably consisting of humic substances. Ultrafiltration reveals that 40-60% of the actinides are associated to the large colloids (10kD-0.2um), surprisingly this is valid also for uranium. Determination of oxidation state by chemical methods show that plutonium exist almost entirely as a trivalent species, while uranium to at least 40% exist as U(IV). The uranium in the 10 kD permeate fraction was to a somewhat lesser extent in the reduced state indicating uranium to be stabilised in the reduced valence state by complex formation with humic colloids. The sediments acts as a source for Pu, A


Limitations in the current capability of monitoring PM2.5 adversely impact air quality management and health risk assessment of PM2.5 exposure. Commonly, ground-based monitoring networks are established to measure the PM2.5 concentrations in highly populated regions and protected areas such as national parks, yet large gaps exist in spatial coverage. Satellite-derived aerosol optical properties serve to complement the missing spatial information of ground-based monitoring networks. However, satellite remote sensing AODs are hampered under cloudy/hazy conditions or during nighttime. Here we strive to overcome the long-standing restriction that surface PM2.5 cannot be obtained with satellite remote sensing under cloudy/hazy conditions or during nighttime. In this work, we introduce a deep spatiotemporal neural network (ST-NN) and demonstrate that it can artfully fill these observational gaps. We quantified the quantitative impact of input variables on the results using sensitivity and visual analysis of the model. This technique provides ground-level PM2.5 concentrations with a high spatial resolution (0.01°) and 24-h temporal coverage, hour-by-hour, complete coverage. In central and eastern China, the 10-fold cross-validation results show that R2 is between 0.8 and 0.9, and RMSE is between 6 and 26 (µg m−3). The relative error varies in different concentration ranges and is generally less than 20%. Better constrained spatiotemporal distributions of PM2.5 concentrations will contribute to improving health effects studies, atmospheric emission estimates, and air quality predictions.


The vegetable planting base in the Beixintun area of Zhangjiakou City was selected as the study area, divided into the focus area and regional range as well as the upstream area. A total of 132 surface soil samples, 16 vertical soil profiles, 3 groups of surface profiles, and 4 samples each of colored pepper fruit, purple kale fruit, and corn fruit were collected. From the soil, rock, and crop sample Sc, Cr, Mo, Cd, V, Zn, Sr, Pb, Co Ni, Cu, Ge, and REE on the basis of the referenced germanium (Ge) enrichment standards and enrichment factor levels, it was found that the regional Ge enrichment rate was not high (19.7%), whereas the key area had a high Ge enrichment rate (52%). The spatial distribution of Ge and rare earth elements in the soils of the regional scope and the focal area showed a more obvious consistency, and further comparison of the correlation characteristics of Ge and rare earth elements in soil and crops showed that the ranking of rare earth content was purple kale>colored pepper>maize, whereas the ranking of the Ge element uptake intensity was maize (weak uptake)>purple kale (very weak uptake)>colored pepper (very weak uptake), and there was no obvious synergy between the uptake of Ge and rare earth elements by crops. The PMF and RDA analysis of 28 elements and indicators of soil in the study area showed that the source of regional Ge was dominated by natural geological background factors (66.3%), supplemented by anthropogenic activity-influenced factors (27%) and river deposition factors (6.7%). The source of Ge in the focal area was dominated by natural geological background factors (33.8%) and anthropogenic activity-influenced factors (27.2%), with river sedimentation factors (18.5%) and atmospheric dry and wet deposition factors Ge (20.5%) being supplemented. Soil Ge was positively correlated with rare earth elements and trace elements such as Cd, Zn, Mn, Ni, V, Co, and Cr and negatively correlated with the main elements ČNa2[KG-*2/5]O, SiO2, and K2[KG-*2/5]O and pH. Finally, by combining the analysis of soil lateral profiles with vertical profiles, it was found that the Ge migrating from the source area to the area was primarily in the main river pathway, supplemented by the secondary river and flood flow pathways.


Perseus is a multimedia resource on CD-R0M that can be used in the study of ancient Greece. Version 1.0 of this HyperCard-based database is the educational tool that the "Wall Street Journal" called "trailblazing". "Perseus 2.0" is a comprehensive collection of primary sources and supporting reference materials on ancient Greece. Navigational tools and hypertextual links make searching this resource quick, intuitive and effective. This programme supports teaching and study in literature, art, language and history, and is reference for anyone interested in Greece. Among the contents of "Perseus 2.0 " are complete and selected works of 31 authors in Greek with classic English translations from the Loeb Classical Library; a collection of 25,000 images of architecture, sculpture, coins and vases with detailed catalogue entries; an extensive atlas including schematic, topographical and satellite maps of ancient and present-day Greece; an on-line version of the "Liddell-Scott Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (35,000 words)"; an encyclopedia of major historical and mythological figures, places and terms; a chronological summary of the major historical and cultural events from the archaic period to Alexander the Great, with more than 2,000 hypertextual links to the rest of the Perseus database. Perseus 2.0 is available in two editions: Comprehensive Edition, on four CD-ROMS, contains the complete textual data base, encyclopedia, lexicon and atlas, plus the complete visual database of 25,000 full-screen images; Concise Edition, on one CD-ROM, provides the complete textual data-base, encyclopedia, lexicon and atlas, with about 5,200 full-screen images and small-format thumbnail sketches of the entire image catalogue for reference. A separate single-sided videodisc companion to "Perseus 2.0" containing all 25,000 images is also available. Major funding is provided by the Annenberg/CPB Project with additional support from Apple Computer, Inc. and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the Packard Humanities Institute, Xerox Corporation, Boston University, Bowdoin College, and Harvard University.


In response to a change in health and societal need, the system of medical education in Japan has undergone major reform within the last two decades. Although the general health status of Japanese citizens ranks amongst the highest in the world, a rapidly increasingly elderly population, a social insurance system in crisis and a decrease in the number of practicing physicians is severely affecting this enviable position. To compensate, the Government has reversed its previous decision to reduce the number of doctors. Concomitantly, public opinion is changing to that of support and sympathy for the practicing physician. In order to produce a new breed of future doctors, Japanese medical education has undergone major reform: problem-based learning and clinical skills development has been instituted in most medical schools, more rigid assessment methods, ensuring competency and fitness to practice have been introduced, and there has been an increase in purposeful clinical attachments with a hands-on approach rather than a traditional observation model. A new postgraduate residency programme, introduced in 2004, hopes to improve general competency levels, while medical schools throughout the country are paying attention to modern medical education and faculty development.


AbstractProduction planning and control for remanufacturing is a major managerial challenge in the operations management. Researches demonstrate the need for decision-making methods in this context, which has generated theoretical and quantitative studies. However, this area still lacks empirical studies dealing with the practical, day-to-day difficulties of remanufacturers. The purpose of this paper is to link the literature and practice in a systematic in such a way that it is possible to show the similarities and differences between theoretically listed needs and real cases, thereby extending the results of previous research. For this purpose, four case studies are considered. The cases involve original equipment manufacturers (OEM) of automotive parts that have remanufacturing operations. The results indicate that these companies have difficulties that have not been addressed to date in the literature related to the uncertainties inherent in remanufacturing. In addition, we find that these companies u...


of the paper: Welfare in Farm Animal Husbandry - Current definitions and concepts as basis for practical oriented research with focus on fattening pig husbandry The paper reviews current definitions and concepts of "welfare" in farm animal welfare related literature, with focus on fattening pig husbandry. The respective concepts of welfare are analysed, and the concepts of explanation are categorised: reductionally, based on the animals' adaptability, based on the animals' feelings, comprehensive. In literature, "welfare" is used non-uniformly. Behind that, there are different concepts of welfare which reflect various attitudes towards animals. Furthermore, varying definitions also lead to differing traits and methods used to estimate welfare in farm animals. This, finally, ends in divergent interpretations of results of such studies even though they seem to pursue similar aims, namely to estimate or promote farm animal welfare. The present analysis shall contribute to the elucidation of backgrounds of interpretation of "welfare" in order to help outline practical oriented investigations dealing with welfare of farm animals, in a clear and well defined manner, in advance. It is emphasized that welfare is complex and any investigation of it, therefore, has to be carried out on a basis of manifold traits (indicators) and methods. Under the premiss of a clear concept and definition of welfare in which the limits are set clearly, too, estimation of welfare of pigs is possible using several indicators.


Context The antiepileptics gabapentin and pregabalin are used as adjuvants to control postoperative pain. Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of perioperative administration of pregabalin on postoperative acute and chronic pain and analgesic requirements. Setting Department of Anaesthesiology, Aretaieio University Hospital, Athens, Greece. Patients Eighty patients scheduled for abdominal hysterectomy or myomectomy were randomly assigned to the pregabalin or to the control group. Intervention The pregabalin group received 150 mg of pregabalin 8-hourly, starting on the afternoon before surgery and continued until the fifth postoperative day. The control group was similarly treated, but received placebo capsules instead. Measurements Postoperative intravenous morphine and Lonalgal (30 mg codeine with 500 mg paracetamol) tablet consumption, visual analogue pain scores at rest and on coughing, sedation, anxiety, dizziness, ataxia, blurred vision and diplopia were recorded. One and 3 months postoperatively patients were interviewed for the presence of pain and analgesic needs due to surgery. Results The pregabalin-treated patients consumed less morphine during the first 48 h postoperatively (P = 0.0001). However, consumption of Lonalgal tablets and visual analogue scores for pain at rest and on coughing did not differ between the groups. No difference was found in sedation and anxiety scores between the patients who received placebo or pregabalin. Patients in the control group had lower incidences of dizziness (29 versus 58%, P = 0.015), ataxia (0 versus 18%, P = 0.011), blurred vision (6 versus 26%, P = 0.028) and diplopia (0 versus 16%, P = 0.023). Presence of pain, analgesic intake due to surgery and decreased or absent sensation around the wound did not differ between the groups 1 and 3 months postoperatively. Conclusion Pregabalin in the doses given decreased morphine requirements for the first 48 h postoperatively, but neither altered the analgesic requirements beyond 48 h nor had any effect on acute, late or chronic pain.


With the decline in the size of our industrial work force and the rise of the service occupations, the professions today are prominent models for a singular kind of social position. The professions and "professionalism" seem to offer an escape from vexing supervision at work as well as from some of the depersonalization and uncertainty of markets and bureaucracies. In taking account of our hunger for professional status and privileges, Samuel Haber presents the first synthetic history of major professions in America. His account emphasizes the substance of each profession's work experience, told from the vantage point of the doctors, lawyers, ministers, and their emulators whose work gave them a high sense of purpose and a durable sense of community. Contrary to those who regard the professions as exemplary and up-to-date specimens of social modernization or economic monopoly, Haber argues that they bring both preindustrial and predemocratic ideals and standards into our modern world. He proposes that the values embedded in the professions authority and honor, fused with duty and responsibility have their origins in the class position and occupational prescriptions of eighteenth-century English gentlemen. Such an argument has implications for the understanding of American society; it underscores the cumulative and variegated nature of our culture and suggests the drawbacks of trying to describe society as a system. It also accords with Haber's endeavor to write a history that rescues for description and analysis mixed motives, composite conditions, and persons and parties acting upon contradictory explanatory schemes. Haber traces the cultural evolution of the professions through three stages establishment (1750-1830), disestablishment (1830-1880), and reestablishment (1880-1900). He shows that when the gentlemanly class declined in the United States, the professions maintained status even in somewhat hostile settings. The professions thus came to be seen as a middle way between the pursuits of laborers and those of capitalists. Massive in scale and ambition, this book will have a formidable impact among scholars newly attuned to the history of American middle-class culture."


Introduction: Following the USA, India ranks the second position in the world for COVID-19 cases with the highest number of daily confirmed cases since September 2020. The peak of COVID-19 cases is the most warranted feature for understanding the curvature of COVID-19 cases. Aim: This study aims to analyse the growth rates of the daily confirmed cases and to provide an expected count of the peak of daily confirmed cases. Data: We retrieved data from an Application Programming Interface portal https://www.covid19india.org/ which is open access and publicly available. Methods: Exponential model was applied to estimate the growth rates of daily confirmed cases. The estimated growth rates were used for calculating the doubling time. The Lotka-Euler method was applied to calculate the effective reproduction rate. SARIMA model was developed for the growth rates to predict daily confirmed cases. Results: Results show the best fit of the exponential model over the daily confirmed cases. The growth rates estimated from the exponential model shows an unsteady, modest decline. Doubling time shows a linear increase. The effective reproduction rate declined from 3.6 persons in the third week of March 2020 to 1.14 persons at the end of August 2020. The diagnosis of the developed SARIMA model confirmed no trends in the residuals, no outliers, and nearly constant variance. The forecast suggests the peak value of daily confirmed cases would waver around 105,000 counts in the last week of September 2020. The cumulative COVID-19 cases would account for approximately 105 lakhs at the end of December 2020. Conclusion: The exponential model unravels a shift and a modest decline in the growth of daily confirmed cases. The trends in 𝑅 (cid:4666) 𝑡 (cid:4667) show analogue with the trends in growth rates of daily confirmed cases. The study shows that the SARIMA model is suitable for projecting daily confirmed cases. The results shed light on the understanding of the trends and epidemiological stage of COVID-19 disease, in the cognisance of the peak. Contribution: This study based on moments of the distribution of the daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 disease unravels the uncertainty about the peak and curvature of COVID-19 disease. Exponential model, ARIMA, Effective Reproduction rate, Growth rates, Pandemic.


The high performance concretes reinforced with metallic fiber are used more and more in the construction. Under the current policy of sustainable development, these are the materials that procure gains of consequent mass, which can increase the durability of structures, which contributes to the reduction of the impact of cementitious materials the greenhouse effect. This study investigated the ripening of hybrid steel fiber reinforced high performance concrete, with 15% substitution of cement by blast furnace slag, in water sulphated and Rance-France seawater. This experimental study analysed the eect of 6 months of ripening of the simple, in chemically aggressive water, on the compactness and the microstructure of the cement matrix and the possible alteration of the metal fibers. The gotten results show no significant alteration or the cement matrix or fibers by water sulphated and seawater.


This paper explores in quantitative terms the potential effects on trade flows as a result of Canadian tariff preferences in favor of the developing countries instituted in 1974. The paper develops a model of trade creation and trade diversion due to preferences based on imperfect substitution, within each product category, between preference-granting, preference-receiving and non-preferred countries. This model depart from the usual assumption of the customs union theory that countries trade in perfect substitutes. The model is then applied to the 1978 trade date under BTN chapters 25 - 99 on a 4-digit classification. One major conclusion of the paper is that the assumption of perfect substitution tends to overstate the magnitude of trade creation and trade diversion, while the method based on less than perfect substitutability seems to offer more realistic estimates of the actual impact of trade preferences.


We study the J/ψ pair production issue at the Fermilab Tevatron Run II with a center-of-mass energy of s1/2=1.96TeV. Both the color-singlet and color-octet production mechanisms are considered. Our results show that the transverse momentum (pT) scaling behaviors of the double J/ψ differential cross-sections in the color-singlets and color-octets deviate distinctively from each other while pT is larger than 8GeV, and with a luminosity of 5fb-1 , the J/ψ pair events from the color-singlet scheme are substantially measurable in the Tevatron experiments, even with a certain lower transverse momentum cut. Hence the Tevatron is still a possible platform to check the heavy quarkonium production mechanism.


ABSTRACT While the Korea–United States (KORUS) free-trade agreement negotiations were concluded in 2007, and ratified in 2011, the agreement has remained deeply controversial. Labor unions, civil society groups, and opposition politicians in South Korea have criticized the agreement as being unfair, and also in the United States have voices spoken out against the agreement. The process of negotiation by South Korea was deeply flawed, and the conclusion of the agreement, that included a unilateral ratification by the ruling party in National Assembly, was forcefully opposed by many groups in South Korean society with violent demonstrations leading almost to the collapse of the Lee Myung-bak government. This article argues that it was not only the perception of potential economic damage to, in particular agricultural, domestic interest that was the main cause of the public resistance to the agreement, but that the unique nature of the relationship with the United States, and how this influenced the progress of negotiating and ratifying the agreement in South Korea, was a leading course of the divisiveness of the agreement and the massive resistance it faced. This is also why while the conservative Park Geun-hye government has expressed its willingness to re-negotiate other free-trade agreements, it has remained adamant in its refusal to even consider reopening the KORUS agreement. It is not only the apparent trade benefits that accrued to South Korea that is behind this refusal. With the ruling party having lost the April 2016 National Assembly elections and presidential elections scheduled for December 2017, the conservative elite, concerned about its electoral fate, has no interest in re-opening such a divisive issue as the KORUS free-trade agreement.


This paper aims to present some of the new tendencies in Open Learning in the context of international online higher education. These tendencies work as a basis for a discussion of the role of e-learning in online higher education in Brazil. The use of open source technologies and the constant search for quality and innovative pedagogies in the teaching and learning process constitute a new trend in international distance education. The main concern nowadays seems to be with 'quality' and 'widening participation', which result in initiatives such as 'Open Educational Resources'.

In Brazil, the creation of the Brazilian Open University (UAB) would appear to be consistent with these tendencies. The challenge now is to be able to set up a system that attends to national needs while being open to international tendencies. This paper aims to explore some of these issues, and also to present the most recent freeware technologies used for the purpose of enhancing open learning initiatives.


Abstract Information of astronomical objects is obtained mainly through their radiation. Thus, the radiative transfer problem has a central role in all astrophysical research. Basic radiative transfer analysis or more complex modeling is needed both to interpret observations and to make predictions on the basis of numerical models. In this paper I will discuss radiative transfer in the context of interstellar molecular clouds where the main scientific questions involve the structure and evolution of the clouds and the star formation process. The studies rely on the analysis of spectral line and dust continuum observations. After a discussion of the corresponding radiative transfer methods, I will examine some of the current challenges in the field. Finally, I will present three studies where radiative transfer modeling pays a central role: the polarized dust emission, the Zeeman effect in emission lines, and the continuum emission from dense cloud cores.


The Ig heavy chain variable region (V(H)) genes encode the antigen-binding regions of antibodies. The rabbit genome contains more than 100 V(H) genes, but only one (V(H)1) is preferentially used in the VDJ gene rearrangement. Three highly divergent alleles occur at this V(H)1 locus in most rabbit populations. These three V(H) alleles are also present in snowshoe hare populations, indicating that the polymorphism of the V(H)1 alleles is trans-specific. Here we report the results of a phylogenetic analysis of rabbit Ig germ-line V(H) genes (alleles) together with V(H) genes from humans and mice. We have found that all rabbit V(H) genes belong to one mammalian V(H) group (group C), which also includes various human and mouse V(H) genes. Using the rate of nucleotide substitution obtained from human and mouse V(H) sequences, we have estimated that the V(H)1 polymorphism in the rabbit lineage has been maintained for about 50 million years. This extremely long persistence of V(H)1 polymorphism is apparently caused by overdominant selection, though the real mechanism is unclear.


Acylation of biopharmaceuticals such as peptides has been identified as a major obstacle for the successful development of PLGA controlled release formulations. The purpose of this study was to develop a method to inhibit peptide acylation in poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) formulations by reversibly and temporarily blocking the amine groups of a model peptide (octreotide) with a self-immolative protecting group (SIP), O-4-nitrophenyl-O'-4-acetoxybenzyl carbonate. The octreotide with two self-immolative protecting groups (OctdiSIP) on the N-terminus and lysine side chain was synthesized by reaction of the peptide with O-4-nitrophenyl-O'-4-acetoxybenzyl carbonate, purified by preparative RP-HPLC and characterized by mass spectrometry. Degradation studies of OctdiSIP in aqueous solutions of different pH values showed that protected octreotide was stable at low pH (pH 5) whereas the protecting group was eliminated at physiological pH, especially in the presence of an esterase, to generate native octreotide. OctdiSIP encapsulated in PLGA microspheres, prepared using a double emulsion solvent evaporation method, showed substantial inhibition of acylation as compared to the unprotected octreotide: 52.5% of unprotected octreotide was acylated after 50 days incubation of microspheres in PBS pH 7.4 at 37 °C, whereas OctdiSIP showed only 5.0% acylation in the same time frame. In conclusion, the incorporation of self-immolative protection groups provides a viable approach for inhibition of acylation of peptides in PLGA delivery systems.


AbstractThis paper experiments with the idea that travel writing could be a valid and useful mode through which to study certain videogames. By embracing the notions that space is a social construction and that the virtual worlds of some videogames constitute architectural spaces in a manner that is more than analogous to an urban space, it maintains that these constructed worlds are real places to visit, and hence that exploration within them is also real. Furthermore, the paper considers the ways in which travel in general, and travel in(to) videogames in particular, contributes to the experience of emancipation in technology-rich societies. Using the example of Japan (as one of the global powerhouses of videogame creation and consumption), the paper considers the interaction and intersection of the virtual and the actual, in mutually enriching and liberating ways, which are viewed in terms of their social and political function. It also cautions about the ethics and politics of knowledge involved in the deployment of travel writing as a method in the interrogation of videogames, concluding with a methodological sketch for a way ahead. It illustrates and demonstrates its argument with three original travelogues.


Experiments have been designed to study tubular function by analysis of renal tissue under conditions of oliguria and mannitol diuresis. A 50-min ureteral obstruction of one kidney was induced by forcing previously excreted urine into the renal pelvis. Without releasing the obstruction, the experimental and control kidneys were removed simultaneously. Relationships between tissue concentration and tubular function have been demonstrated. Substances that are reabsorbed in medulla accumulate in its interstitium during free flow, and this accumulation is reduced by ureteral obstruction. Persistent filtration during stop flow is manifested by accumulation of creatinine throughout the kidney, and is attributed to a distal leak induced by sodium reabsorption. Accumulation of PAH in cortex is enhanced by ureteral obstruction in mannitol diuresis, but the localized effect on PAH is obscured by high levels of persistent filtration in oliguria. The maintenance of phosphorus and potassium levels during stop flow is attributed to their high intracellular concentrations.


Discussions and studies on Ghana's pluralistic health care system usually ignore or downplay self-care as a crucial sector in this system of care. In view of this, this study uses a triple sector approach of the pluralistic health care system as advocated by Kleinman to assess care-seeking behaviors of residents in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District (Ghana). The results of cross-tabulation analysis demonstrate that respondents' general care–seeking behavior is different from the type of care sought for last illness before the study. Data for the study were obtained from 227 urban and rural respondents in the study district in 2013. The findings indicate that factors such as geographic location, health insurance, and perception of the cost of professional care had a bearing on residents' general care–seeking behavior. However, age, sex, relationship status, economic status, and proximity to nearest biomedical care service influenced the type of treatment sought for last illness. The approach use of the study demonstrates that self-care remains a general avenue of care for residents, whereas in times of severe illness, respondents often rely on professional biomedical care. The use of professional indigenous care services is generally low due to the financial burden associated with its use.


Mediation offers a process by which two parties work towards an agreement with the aid of a neutral third party. Physicians and nurses can apply healthcare mediation model to ordinary medical practice for preventing conflict. Communication using mediation skills improves patient-physician relationship, and prevents medical malpractice and conflict.


The traditional spatial lag model assumes that all regions in the sample exhibit the same degree of sensitivity to spatial external effects. This may not always be the case, however, especially with highly heterogeneous regions like those in Russia. Therefore, a model has been suggested that views spatial coefficients as being endogenously defined by regions' intrinsic characteristics. We generalize this model, describe approaches to its estimation based on maximum likelihood and generalized least squares, and perform a Monte Carlo simulation of these two estimation methods in small samples. We find that the maximum likelihood estimator is preferable due to the lower biases and variances of the estimates it yields, although the generalized least squares estimator can also be useful in small samples for robustness checks and as a first approximation tool. In larger samples, results of the generalized least squares estimator are very close to those of the maximum likelihood estimator, so the former may be preferred because of its simplicity and less strict computational power requirements.


Due to the growing awareness towards the environment, resources shortage and
insufficient landfill capacities in many countries, more attention has been given by the
government to take action for proper waste disposal, in order to protect the ecosystem.
One of the serious waste types to be handled is the electrical and electronic waste (ewaste),
which is estimated to be 20–50 million tons, generated per year worldwide, which
certainly cause a negative effect towards the environment. The collection process of the
e-waste is the most important stage to achieve successful e-waste management. In
Malaysia, the current e-waste management model is not catering the huge increase of the
e-waste, since only 5% of the accumulated waste is being recycled. On this ground, the
aim of this study is to develop the model for electrical and electronic waste collection in
Malaysia to overcome the problems threatening the environment. Content analysis
approach is used to review the literature for evaluating the e-waste collection models in
some of the developed counties. In order to develop the improved e-waste collection for
Malaysia, benchmarking study was conducted, where the current e-waste collection
model of Malaysia was benchmarked with the Switzerland e-waste collection model, as
it is the best legal e-waste collection model in the world. The benchmarking parameters
are: e-waste flow scenario, financial flow as well as rules and regulations of the e-waste
collection implemented by the department of environment. An improved model has been
developed based on the result of the benchmarking. A three case study was conducted to
validate the improved collection model for the Malaysian industry, while questionnaires
as well as a face to face interview was conducted to collect the data for the case studies.
The results show that the Malaysian e-waste collection scenario has several
difficulties, as there are many parties responsible on the e-waste management which leads
to the leaking of the e-waste in the environment, plus there are informal collection centers which collect the waste and end up with the land filled without proper disposal.
Furthermore, the amount of e-waste is increasing dramatically, which is very difficult to
be handled with the current e-waste collection scenario, in addition, there are no strict
rules and regulations for managing the e-waste and the financial flow of the e-waste. The
simulation results show that the improved model is more efficient than the current
collection model in terms of the amount of e-waste collected and the cost of the collection.


A lesser known reason of epidemic proportion of oral cancer in India is the rampant use of Areca nut chewing. Just like tobacco, areca nut or betel nut is a psychostimulant, an addictive substance and a carcinogen. The cancer causing properties of areca nut have been well-reported in animal, human and epidemiologic studies. The World Health Organization and International Agency for Research on cancer classified areca nut as a Group 1 human carcinogens with sufficient evidence of increased risk of submucus fibrosis (precancerous oral lesion) and cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, and esophagus. This was based upon several studies from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Taiwan. Cancers caused by betel nut chewing also shows a strong dose–response relationship for frequency and duration of chewing. It is postulated that areca nut-specific N-nitroso compounds converted from alkaloids are responsible for oral and pharyngeal cancer. There are several other reports that have linked areca nut chewing (with or without tobacco) with hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, cancers of the larynx, stomach, lung and cervix in humans.


A review is made of definitions of 'delusion'. Problems with these are considered in terms of clarity and consistency with the evidence. Questions concerning the issues of fixity and intensity of delusions are raised and a proposal is made for attempting to operationalize these concepts using a 'personal questionnaire' method. The measurement in a pilot study of the fixity and intensity of the beliefs of two patients using this method is described and the results reported.


Many studies of the demand for money, covering a wide variety of economies, have demonstrated the importance of financial innovations and shifts in monetary policy regimes, but they have also illustrated the difficulty of measuring and assessing such changes. Because innovations and regime shifts have differed markedly across countries, international comparisons can help identify their effects. This paper reviews the literature on money demand comparisons, focusing primarily on industrial countries. It finds that innovations have had widespread effects, but also that the demand for money is not generally less stable now than it was before those changes occurred.


The preparation of well-size-controlled colloidal gold nanoparticles in organic solvent is presented. After the preparation of well-size-controlled aqueous colloidal gold particles, we changed the solvent to an organic one. This technique is required to enable a chemical reaction between gold particles and hydrophobic molecules, since a colloidal gold solution is typically prepared in water using a reduction process. We also investigated the stability of the gold particle suspension, and found that the stability decreases in the sequence of water, ethanol, chloroform, and benzene solution.


A research study was conducted in a plastic house (500m 2 ) at the vegetable research field of the protected cultivated department at Zakho Technical Institute, Dohuk Polytechnic University, Kurdistan Region-Iraq. The period of study was at Autumn season of 2018 to investigate the effect of foliar application of humic acid in three levels (0, 2 and 4) ml/L and bread yeast with three levels (0, 2.5 and 5) g/L on the growth and yield of lettuce (Cv. Romaine). The results showed that treatment with foliar spraying of humic acid and yeast had significant effects on growth and yield of letteus , The level (4) ml/L , also the foliar spraying of yeast at the level (5) g/L had the highest results in the growth of vegetative characters ( No. of leaves. plant -1 76.41leaves and chlorophyll content% 45.04%), leaf mineral content (Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus) and head weight (gm) of lettuce when encountered with control and other treatments .


In this study, we examine the role of importance of country membership in determining firm multiples. Specifically, using a sample of firms from 20 countries we examine the extent to which country-membership contributes to differences in Sales-to-Enterprise Value, Book-to-Market and three earnings based multiples. We find that country membership have significant but differential effects on the five multiples examined. Sales based multiple is the least affected by country membership while earnings-based multiples are most affected by country membership. We examine two explanations including differences in industry composition and accounting differences across countries. Examining the variation in country-average multiples over time we find that industry composition has a significant effect on country-mean SEV multiples while variation in country-mean EP multiples is driven primarily by pure country factors. Using a sample of American Depository Receipts that report under different accounting regimes, we develop metrics for measuring the percentage differences in reported accounting figures in the income statement as well as on book value. We find that there is little variation in the sales numbers across accounting regimes, while net income numbers show substantial variation. In addition, the metrics are significantly related to observed differences in country level multiples.


The objective of the Public Works and Urban Management Project for Burundi will be to enhance the climate resilience of key transport and drainage infrastructure in Greater Bujumbura while strengthening the country's capacity to manage and prevent natural disasters. Negative impacts include: noise and vibrations, air quality degradation, groundwater, and land expropriation and compensation of other goods. The project is expected to reinforce physical infrastructure, reduce transportation costs, and improve transport system reliability to help increase traffic capacity. The increase in traffic capacity is expected to facilitate development, trade, and economic growth thus contributing to poverty reduction. The study has established a number of negative environmental consequences that the project activities are likely to induce. The main negative impacts are social impacts related to the land expropriation for the project and therefore compensation. It is believed that land expropriation will be carried out in accordance with Burundi's and World Bank compensation laws. The compensation will be guided by the principal objectives that the Project Affected Persons (PAPs) will have their compensation on time before the project commences. In conclusion, therefore, provided the recommended mitigation and environmental and social management measures including the Resettlement Action Plan are effectively implemented during the construction and operation phases of the project, the anticipated environmental and social impacts will be mitigated. Therefore, this project is environmentally sound and socially viable.