Quoting from online exchanges with his students, the author explains and illustrates how he uses case-related limericks to supplement classroom instruction in his first-year Contracts course. His TWEN discussion forum, dubbed "Poetic Justice," encourages students to get turned on to the poetic side of contract law as they attempt to formulate legal rules derived from leading cases.


The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the relationship banking in Japan in the 1990s. We show the increasing dependence on bank borrowing in spite of the deregulation of bond market in the mid 1990s in terms of the debt composition, and we confirm the loan from main-bank also increases among the firms with higher bank borrowing. Then, we examine the effects of these facts on borrowing firm behavior. By estimating the employment adjustment function, we present that main bank did not discipline effectively firms that were required the corporate restructuring, while it encouraged the restructuring of the firm with relatively better performance.


AbstractKorean small coastal fishing boats have the different kind of fisheries and customs against Japanese fishing boats. Those bring some influences on the principal parameters of hull form. In same displacement, Korean small coastal fishing boat has generally shorter length, draft and wider breadth than Japanese fishing boat. Fur thermore, even though the parameters of each hull form are similar, it is known that the resistance performance of Korean small coastal fishing boat is worse than that of Japanese fishing boat. In this study, the representative hull forms of Korean and Japanese small coastal fishing boats are selected and compared to evaluate the resistance performance of Korean fishing boat in low-speed range. The hull form of the Korean fishing boat is modified as comparison with that of the Japanese fishing boat to confirm the partial characteristic differences between the hull forms and the resistance performances. The representat ive partial characteristics of hull form are the gradient of chine line, keel shape and stern length. The resistance performances of the modified hull forms are evaluated by INHAWA VE which is one of CFD program and model tests in towing tank. The results of the present study will be used to


The Principle of Least Astonishment, in shorthand, encompasses what we, as designers, must achieve to ensure consistency in our designs. Consistency is a fundamental design principle for usable user interfaces. But the thing that astonishes me is that it's actually necessary to explain this principle. Surprise implies the unexpected. Of course, users want the response to a given action to be what they expect; otherwise, they would have done something else. In user interactions, the unexpected is pretty much the same as the unwanted. Surprise usually implies something bad rather than something positive—unless users already have such dismally low expectations of their software that they might think, Wow! It worked. I'm so astonished.


The mounting burden of chronic diseases in African countries could be a good opportunity to strengthen their health systems introducing innovative care models. Chronic diseases imply important changes in people's lives and require adapted care. Extensive literature from Northern countries and pilots from Southern ones prove for example how important is a patient-centered approach in caring non-communicable diseases and strong evidence exists worldwide about the benefits of psychosocial support for people living with HIV/AIDS. However, are policy makers, implementers and patient associations prepared to this revolution? How do stakeholders conceive patients' involvement in care, what are their care models and how these influence national policies? Since 2010, we have analyzed national strategies to prevent and fight against diabetes in Mali. We conducted qualitative interviews with key stakeholders (19) involved in the policy-making process: policy-makers, health professionals, representatives of NGOs and patient associations. In Mali, diabetic patients first mobilized in 1991, and the disease enjoys social acceptance. However, a national policy on diabetes has not yet been adopted by the government. Moreover, given limitations in funding, human resources and international donors' support, policy-makers focus mainly on clinical and financial components of diabetes care, neglecting patients-centered ones. Interviews and analysis of strategic documents show how the "chronicity" condition and its implications for diabetics are still little acknowledged or integrated into policies and care practice. While activities such as peer support, therapeutic education or patients' involvement in the policy dialogue are supported for a chronic disease like HIV/AIDS, this is not yet the case for diabetes. Limited financial resources and international support, the recognized status of diabetes at national level seem to be major factors influencing existing care models and patients' expected role. To improve care and introduce effective innovative care models, "chronicity" implications for patients' lives should be better acknowledged by stakeholders.


Purpose: Treatment options for patients with previously-treated Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) are limited; no standard of care exists. In the Phase III RESONATE trial, oral, once-a-day, first-in-class covalent Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib was associated with improved Progression-Free Survival (PFS) (Hazard Ratio (HR) 0.106, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.07-0.15) and Overall Survival (OS) compared with ofatumumab (crossover-adjusted HR 0.37, 95% CI 0.22-0.62). The current study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of ibrutinib compared to commonly-used therapies for Relapsed or Refractory (R/R) CLL.
Patients and methods: A health state model simulated a cohort of R/R CLL patients receiving ibrutinib, ofatumumab, Idelalisib+Ofatumumab (IO), or Physician's Choice (PC) (a mixed bag of treatments) until death or disease progression, at which point they received subsequent treatment or best supportive care. PFS and OS were extrapolated based on data from RESONATE (ibrutinib and ofatumumab) and from indirect treatment comparisons. The analysis was conducted over a 30-year time horizon from a Swedish healthcare payer perspective. Health outcomes and costs were discounted per Swedish guidelines. Costs, Life Years (LYs), Quality-Adjusted LYs (QALYs), and incremental costs per QALYs were evaluated.
Results: Treatment with ibrutinib resulted in increased LYs and QALYs (6.44 and 4.69) compared to ofatumumab (2.79 and 1.94), IO (3.65 and 2.64), and PC (1.95 and 1.34). Ibrutinib was also associated with higher total costs (2,384,966 SEK) compared to ofatumumab (883,489 SEK), IO (1,242,742 SEK), and PC (503,370 SEK), largely due to ibrutinib's longer PFS. Incremental costs per QALYs gained comparing ibrutinib to ofatumumab, IO, and PC were 546,904 SEK, 556,976 SEK, and 562,450 SEK, respectively. Model results are most sensitive to the PFS projection method, discount rates, and time horizon.
Conclusions: Results demonstrate that ibrutinib is cost-effective and greatly improves long-term health outcomes over current treatments in this hard-to-treat population with very high unmet need.


This paper describes work which has been carried out to investigate a rotating stereoscopic imaging system consisting of two line-scan cameras for measurement. Algorithms have been proposed and experimentally tested which allow three-dimensional co-ordinates to be derived from a defined object workspace. The use of stereoscopic imaging is not new; however, what is novel in this approach is the method used to produce panoramic images of the workspace surrounding the rotating line-scan camera. This system is particularly suited to applications which require the `all-round' observation of a scene. These include autonomous vehicle guidance and path-planning for complex manipulator manoeuvres. The results indicate that the positions of targets can be determined, at best, to a measurement accuracy of within mm in the X axis (horizontal), mm in the Y axis (vertical) and mm in the Z axis (range) at a camera-to-object range of 1.5 m.


The information dimension obtained by multispectral ghost imaging is more abundant than in single-band ghost imaging. Existing multispectral ghost imaging systems still meet some shortages, such as complex structure or reconstruction time-consuming. Here, an approach of cosinusoidal encoding multiplexed structured illumination multispectral ghost imaging is proposed. It can capture the multispectral image of the target object within one projection cycle with a single-pixel detector while maintaining high imaging efficiency and low time-consuming. The core of the proposed approach is the employed novel encoding strategy which is apt to decode and reconstruct the multispectral image via the Fourier transform. Specifically, cosinusoidal encoding matrices with specific frequency characteristics are fused with the orthogonal Hadamard basis patterns to form the multiplexed structured illumination patterns. A broadband photomultiplier is employed to collect the backscattered signals of the target object interacted by the corresponding structured illumination. The conventional linear algorithm is applied first to recover the mixed grayscale image of the imaging scene. Given the specific frequency distribution of the constructed cosinusoidal encoding matrices, the mixed grayscale image can be converted to the frequency domain for further decoding processing. Then, the pictures of multiple spectral components can be obtained with some manipulations by applying Fourier transform. A series of numerical simulations and experiments verified our proposed approach. The present cosinusoidal encoding multiplexed structured illumination can also be introduced in many other fields of high-dimensional information acquisition, such as high-resolution imaging and polarization ghost imaging.


Purpose: To evaluate the cytotoxic activity of chloroform and water root extracts of Albertisia papuana Becc. on T47D cell line and identify the volatile compounds of the extracts. Methods: The plant roots were extracted with chloroform and water using maceration and boiling methods, respectively. The cytotoxicity of the extracts on T47D were determined using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Doxorubicin was used as reference drug in the cytotoxicity test while Probit analysis was used to calculate the Median Growth Inhibitory Concentration IC 50 of the extracts. The volatile compounds in the chloroform and water root extracts were analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrophotometry GC-MS. Results: The IC 50 of the chloroform and water extracts were 28.0 ± 6.0 and 88.0 ± 5.5 μg/mL, respectively whereas that of doxorubicin was 8.5 ± 0.1 μg/mL. GC-MS results showed that there were 46 compounds in the chloroform extract, out of which the five major components are ethyl linoleate (49.68 %), bicyclo (3.3.1) non-2-ene (29.29 %), ethyl palmitate (5.06 %), palmitic acid (3.67 %) and ethyl heptadecanoate (1.57 %).The water extract consisted of three compounds, butanoic acid (15.58 %); methyl cycloheptane (3.45 %), and methyl 2-O-methylpentofuranoside (80.96 %). Conclusion: The chloroform root extract of A. papuana Becc. had a fairly potent anticancer activity against breast cancer cells and may be further developed as an anticancer agent. Its major components were fatty acids and fatty acid esters. Keywords: Albertisia papuana Becc., Cytotoxicity, Breast cancer, T47D cell lines, Methyl 2-Omethylpentofuranoside


Purpose
In an editorial introduction essay for the special issue on Religion, Literacies, and English Education in Global Dialogue, the editors frame papers in the special issue in dialogue with previous scholarly literature around three central lines of inquiry: How do children, youth and families navigate relationships among religion, spirituality, language and literacy? What challenges are faced by language and literacy teachers and teacher educators around the globe who seek to respond to diverse religious and spiritual perspectives in their work? And what opportunities do teachers seize or create toward this end? How are developments of language and literacy theory, policy, curriculum and ritual entangled with race and religion?

Design/methodology/approach
Taking an essayist, humanistic approach, this paper summarizes, interprets and comments on previous scholarly works to frame the articles published in the special issue "Religion, Literacies, and English Education in Global Dialogue" in relation to the field and in relation to one another.

Findings
Denise Dávila, Matthew Deroo and Ilhan Mohamud reveal the relationships young people and families forge and navigate among spiritual literacies and literatures, digital technologies and ethnic identities. Heidi Hadley, Jennifer Wargo and Erin McNeill illuminate how teachers' vocations, as well as their pedagogical goals and curricular artifacts, can become deeply entangled with religious and spiritual sense-making. Kasun Gajasinghe and Priyanka Jayakodi expand perspectives on both the ritualization and racialization of religion through nationalist policies surrounding national anthem performances in Sri Lanka. Anne Whitney and Suresh Canagarajah discuss how spiritual commitments, communities and experiences interact with their scholarly trajectories.

Research limitations/implications
The essay concludes with a discussion of scholarly capacity building that may be needed for conducting research on religion and spirituality in relation to languages, literacies and English education on a global scale.

Practical implications
The second section of the essay discusses challenges faced by language and literacy teachers and teacher educators around the globe who seek to integrate diverse religious and spiritual perspectives into their work. It foregrounds how many teachers and teacher educators work within contexts where ethnoreligious nationalism is on the rise. It highlights the need for language and literacy educators to develop curiosity and basic knowledge about diverse religions. Further it calls for teacher educators to engage with teacher candidates' religious identities and sense-making.

Social implications
Because it considers religious and spiritual sense-making in relation to language and literacy education, the social implications of this work are significant and wide-reaching. For examples, the paper questions the conceit of secularism within education, pushing readers to consider their own spiritual and religious identifications and influences when they work across religious differences.

Originality/value
This paper identifies, interprets and assesses current threads of work on religious and spiritual sense-making within scholarship on languages, literacies and English education.


Background: Various diagnostic tools are used to assess cutaneous psoriasis, but most of it were subjective. Sympathetic skin response (SSR), skin PH and temperature objectively measure the skin barrier functions that could aid clinicians to evaluate accurately and predict skin disease incidence even before the onset of clinical symptoms. Aim and Objectives: The study's objective was to assess the utility of cutaneous parameters (skin temperature and pH) and SSRs influencing psoriatic patients' diagnosis management and treatment compared to controls. Materials and Methods: A total of 40 healthy participants and 40 psoriasis patients aged 18 to 65 years were recruited for this study. SSR, skin temperature and pH were assessed. The psoriasis disability index (PDI) was recorded from all the patients. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS version 20.0. Results: The results shows significantly increased skin temperature, prolonged SSR latency (bilaterally) and decreased SSR amplitude (bilaterally) among patients affected with psoriasis compared to control subjects. There is a positive correlation between SSR latency with PDI and a negative correlation between SSR amplitude and PDI in psoriasis patients. Conclusion: SSR reveals sympathetic sudomotor dysfunction and increased skin temperature in psoriasis. Furthermore, there is a link between increased SSR latency and PDI, which shows that local nervous system impairment significantly contributes to the inflammatory process in psoriasis. Thus, SSR can be used as a complementary tool for the early identification and assessment of epidermal barrier integrity in psoriasis patients, along with the clinician's standard protocols.


The study is on methods employed by public libraries in providing services to PLWHA in Benue State, Nigeria. The study area is Benue State , while the study design is descriptive survey. The population comprise d of 14 public librarians. A set of quest ionnaire was structured with 25 items for public librarians. Data was collected by direct contact on -the-spot delivery and collection. Method for data analysis was by mean and standard deviation. The findings were that public libraries in Benue State emplo y methods such as newspapers, textbooks, journal/magazines and poster in meeting health information needs of PLWHA in Benue State. Also public libraries in Benue State encounter problems in employing effective methods to provide information to PLWHA. The p roblems include inadequate funds /budgetary allocation to public libraries, low remuneration to public librarians which lead to brain drain of public librarians, incessant power cut and inadequate power supply particularly in rural areas. Others are inadeq uate staff, stigma and discrimination, cultural beliefs, illiteracy, poor settlement pattern in Benue State, lack of ICT facilities in public libraries and lack of staff training. The following recommendations were made: making adequate funding/budget allo cation to public libraries to pave way for employment of effective methods to provide services to PLWHA; provision of advocacy campaign on the role of public library services with the use of ICT, provision of print and folklore media for PLWHA; employment of staff in public libraries to render effective methods in providing services to PLWHA. Also, ICT should be employed and not just the traditional methods; libraries should constantly organise library conferences and seminars which should be accompanied by folklore activities and public libraries in Benue State should have desk officers for classes on health, education, sports. Key Words : Public, Libraries, Services, People, HIV, AIDS, Benue, Nigeria.


"It is deeply misleading to consider the United States as a democratic regime under the supervision of Christian guidelines, for it is indeed a secular state whose principles are clearly set out in the First Amendment to the Constitution. In fact, since the colonial period, two antagonistic rationales have constantly meshed: a spirit of religion aiming to place all aspects of life under the auspices of divine law, and a spirit of secularity regularly consolidated by Supreme Court jurisprudential progress. Seven major periods can be identified, each marked by the dominance of one tendency or the other. If at times the theocratic position has won out, it has always been thwarted by the reactivation of the secular perspective. The history of this ebb and flow teaches us that the current fundamentalist revival fits in line with a secular tradition. It also prompts us to seek the balancing element that has enabled this paradoxical combination to remain coherent. Civil religion provides a key to this enigma. It refers to three principles: respect for God, considered to preside over the country's destiny; the conviction that the republican model offers an example for all of humanity; and the desire to defend its underlying values. This is how, beyond the potentially conflictual dimension of the theocratic-separatist mix, civil religion has made the theocratic aspiration of radical Protestants compatible with the separatist will of the partisans of a secular state."


This paper proposes a residue method to find the optimal location of the FACTS controllers to damp out the inter-area mode of oscillations. Three types of FACTS controllers have been considered, which include static var compensator, thyristor-controlled series compensator and unified power flow controller. The residue method is base on the facts that it is the product of the modepsilas observability and controllability index of FACTS controllers to the critical mode. The placements of FACTS controllers have been obtained for the base case and placement base of loss sensitivity is also introduced. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated on two area 11 bus systems and New England 39-bus system.


Objectives To identify maternal plasma protein markers for early preeclampsia (delivery <34 weeks of gestation) and to determine whether the prediction performance is affected by disease severity and presence of placental lesions consistent with maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM) among cases. Study design This longitudinal case-control study included 90 patients with a normal pregnancy and 33 patients with early preeclampsia. Two to six maternal plasma samples were collected throughout gestation from each woman. The abundance of 1,125 proteins was measured using high-affinity aptamer-based proteomic assays, and data were modeled using linear mixed-effects models. After data transformation into multiples of the mean values for gestational age, parsimonious linear discriminant analysis risk models were fit for each gestational-age interval (8–16, 16.1–22, 22.1–28, 28.1–32 weeks). Proteomic profiles of early preeclampsia cases were also compared to those of a combined set of controls and late preeclampsia cases (n = 76) reported previously. Prediction performance was estimated via bootstrap. Results We found that 1) multi-protein models at 16.1–22 weeks of gestation predicted early preeclampsia with a sensitivity of 71% at a false-positive rate (FPR) of 10%. High abundance of matrix metalloproteinase-7 and glycoprotein IIbIIIa complex were the most reliable predictors at this gestational age; 2) at 22.1–28 weeks of gestation, lower abundance of placental growth factor (PlGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor A, isoform 121 (VEGF-121), as well as elevated sialic acid binding immunoglobulin-like lectin 6 (siglec-6) and activin-A, were the best predictors of the subsequent development of early preeclampsia (81% sensitivity, FPR = 10%); 3) at 28.1–32 weeks of gestation, the sensitivity of multi-protein models was 85% (FPR = 10%) with the best predictors being activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule, siglec-6, and VEGF-121; 4) the increase in siglec-6, activin-A, and VEGF-121 at 22.1–28 weeks of gestation differentiated women who subsequently developed early preeclampsia from those who had a normal pregnancy or developed late preeclampsia (sensitivity 77%, FPR = 10%); 5) the sensitivity of risk models was higher for early preeclampsia with placental MVM lesions than for the entire early preeclampsia group (90% versus 71% at 16.1–22 weeks; 87% versus 81% at 22.1–28 weeks; and 90% versus 85% at 28.1–32 weeks, all FPR = 10%); and 6) the sensitivity of prediction models was higher for severe early preeclampsia than for the entire early preeclampsia group (84% versus 71% at 16.1–22 weeks). Conclusion We have presented herein a catalogue of proteome changes in maternal plasma proteome that precede the diagnosis of preeclampsia and can distinguish among early and late phenotypes. The sensitivity of maternal plasma protein models for early preeclampsia is higher in women with underlying vascular placental disease and in those with a severe phenotype.


Abstract The goal of this paper is to examine the stability of money demand (M1) in five Western Balkan countries using quarterly data from 2005Q1 to 2014Q4. The dynamic ordinary least squares – DOLS method was used to find the long-run relationships in a money demand model. The empirical results identify the long-run money demand relationship among real M1 nominal interest rate, exchange rate, inflation and a dummy variable for the effect of the European debt crisis. The estimated long-run coefficients are, respectively −0.086, 0.519, 0.002 and 0.030. Our findings imply that real money demand in Western Balkan countries was stable in the analyzed period.


Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory lesion involving the oral mucosa, which has a high likelihood of progressing to cancer. The present study investigated the periostin expression in the mucosa and serum of patients with OLP and its correlation with serum cytokines. A total of 117 patients with OLP and 110 healthy controls were included in the study. The protein expression of periostin were measured in the OLP and normal oral mucosa by immunohistochemistry. ELISA was performed to measure the serum levels of periostin, tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), IL-4 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP). Compared with the control group the OLP group had a significantly increased number of cases with high periostin expression in the oral mucosa and a significantly increased serum periostin level (P<0.05). Among all 117 OLP subjects, high periostin expression was associated with higher serum IL-6, TNF-α, TSLP and tissue mast cell density. High periostin expression was also significantly associated with a lower IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio (P<0.05). The present study concluded that periostin expression was increased in the oral mucosa and serum of patients with OLP and was associated with inflammatory response, T helper 2 cytokine-predominant immune imbalance, increased mast cell count and TSLP. The modulation of periostin may represent an attractive novel therapeutic target.


This research is motivated by the low learning outcomes of students' HOTS in learning sociology class XI IPS SMAN 1 Ulakan Tapakis. One of the reasons for the low HOTS results is the selection of an inappropriate strategy chosen by the teacher in training students' HOTS. For the solution that is given in increasing students' HOTS, namely by applying problem based learning strategies in sociology lessons. This study aims to improve students' HOTS through problem based learning or PBL strategies in sociology learning. This research is a classroom action research (CAR) conducted in 2 cycles consisting of 4 stages of research, namely planning, implementation, observation and reflective. This research was conducted in class XI IPS 1 SMAN 1 Ulakan Tapakis, Padang Pariaman which was carried out directly in class. This study uses research instruments using observation sheets, field notes and student response questionnaires. In seeing the increase in student learning outcomes, they use questions that are done at the end of the cycle. In seeing the progress of students' HOTS results by using the formula P=F/NX100. The target of this research is to reach the good category, which is at 61% -80%. The results showed that there was an increase in learning outcomes using the PBL strategy with the results of an increase in the results of the pre-action test and cycle 1, which increased from 3.22% to 41.93% with an increase of 38.71% while the results of the second cycle were 77.45% with an increase of 36.42%. So that the results of the research in the second cycle have reached the target, which is in the good category of 61% -80%. The results shiwed that there was an increase in learning outcomes using the PBL startegywith the results ofan increase in the per-action tes and cycle I, which increased from 3,22% to 41,93% with an increase of 38,71%, while the results of cycle II has reached thetarget, which is in the good category 61%-80%.


Silent periods were evoked from the masseter muscles bilaterally in response to chin taps during a clench. Injection of 0.75 ml of 3% Mepivicaine posteromedial to each condyle led to a distribution of skin anaesthesia consistent with the distribution of the auriculotemporal nerve. Silent periods were evoked prior to and during anaesthesia in ten subjects. The silent period latencies (mean +/- standard deviation) prior to anaesthesia were 12.5 +/- 1.8 ms and 11.9 +/- 2.5 ms in the right and left masseters. During anaesthesia the latency decreased by 0.3 +/- 1.3 ms in the right masseter and by 0.3 +/- 2.1 ms on the left masseter. Neither change was statistically significant (P greater than 0.05). The silent period durations prior to anaesthesia were 20.3 +/- 4.0 ms and +/- 22.8 +/- 7.1 ms in the right and left masseters. During anaesthesia, these decreased by 2.74 +/- 5.8 ms on the right and 2.15 +/- 4.4 ms on the left. These decreases were not statistically significant (P greater than 0.05). These results failed to demonstrate an influence of the predominant nerve supply of the TMJ on either the latency or the duration of the masseteric silent period.


Three studies were conducted to test the hypothesis that high trait aggressive individuals are more affected by violent media than are low trait aggressive individuals. In Study 1, participants read film descriptions and then chose a film to watch. High trait aggressive individuals were more likely to choose a violent film to watch than were low trait aggressive individuals. In Study 2, participants reported their mood before and after the showing of a violet or nonviolent videotape. High trait aggressive individuals felt more angry after viewing the violent videotape than did low trait aggressive individuals. In Study 3, participants first viewed either a violent or a nonviolent videotape and then competed with an "opponent" on a reaction time task in which the loser received a blast of unpleasant noise. Videotape violence was more likely to increase aggression in high trait aggressive individuals than in low trait aggressive individuals.


Inspired by numerical studies of the aggregation equation, we study the effect of regularization on nonlocal interaction energies. We consider energies defined via a repulsive-attractive interaction kernel, regularized by convolution with a mollifier. We prove that, with respect to the 2-Wasserstein metric, the regularized energies $\Gamma$-converge to the unregularized energy and minimizers converge to minimizers. We then apply our results to prove $\Gamma$-convergence of the gradient flows, when restricted to the space of measures with bounded density.


BACKGROUND
Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with nasal polyps is characterized by eosinophilic infiltration. This study hypothesized that the aggregation of the mucosal pathology during remodeling is related to infiltrating eosinophils in patients with such nasal polyps.

OBJECT
To clarify the pathogenetic role of eosinophils in patients with CRS with nasal polyps, this study investigated the relationship between epithelial damage or basement membrane (BM) thickening and the epithelial infiltration of eosinophils in these nasal polyps.

METHODS
The number of eosinophils that infiltrated into the epithelial and subepithelial layers of sinonasal tissues was counted. The staging of epithelial damage allowed the quantification of epithelial loss.

RESULTS
Both epithelial damage and BM thickness in CRS, which were correlated with the number of infiltrated eosinophils, were significantly greater than in the control group. Neither parameter showed significant differences between the asthma and non-asthma groups. There was a significantly correlation in the eosinophilic infiltration between the subepithelial and epithelial layers.

CONCLUSION
It is suggested that eosinophils that infiltrate into both the epithelial and subepithelial layers play a part in the process of mucosal remodeling of CRS with nasal polyps.


Abstract Experience of surgery during prophylaxis with emicizumab is currently limited, but the information available suggests that it is associated with a low risk of complications. This case study describes the surgical management of a patient with haemophilia A and inhibitors, managed with emicizumab prophylaxis, who underwent parathyroidectomy. The plan to manage bleeding risk during surgery involved prophylaxis with oral tranexamic acid 1g six-hourly and recombinant Factor VIIa (rFVIIa), prescribed at the discretion of the consultant haematologist. Preoperatively, rFVIIa 45 mcg/kg (3 mg) was administered immediately, and repeated every three to four hours after surgery depending on clinical presentation. There was no unexpected or excessive bleeding during surgery and no clinical need for additional haemostatic medication. Postoperatively, rFVIIa 3 mg was administered at three and ten hours after the first dose. Two further doses were administered on the morning and evening of the first postoperative day. There was no unexpected or excessive bleeding requiring additional treatment, and satisfactory haemostasis resulted in optimal wound healing. The patient reported no bleeding episodes and also an improved quality of life. This case study demonstrates the successful use of emicizumab in conjunction with rFVIIa.


Full waveform inversion (FWI) is a powerful tool to reconstruct subsurface parameters. This highly nonlinear inverse problem is normally solved iteratively to minimize a misfit function, which is usually defined as the distance between the observed and predicted data, by gradient-based method or Newton type method. Incorporating more nonlinearity within each update in FWI, especially for multiparameter reconstruction, may have very important consequences for convergence rates and discrimination of different parameter classes. In this study, we focus on acoustic media with variable density, and the goal is to simultaneously update velocity and density, other parameterization is also discussed. We start from the physical interpretation of both the gradient and the Hessian of the misfit function, and derive one approach from the Newton method, to include the additional term of the Hessian, which contains the second-order partial derivative of the wavefield and related to the second-order scattering, into the gradient, to construct a new descent direction. A matrix-free scheme is used to efficiently calculate the product of the Hessian and a vector.


The present paper features various sources obtained from the Documentation Center of Contemporary History of Eastern Kazakhstan (the city of Semey). The research objective was to draw a detailed picture of the resettlement and economic conditions that special immigrants from the North Caucasus had to face in the Semipalatinsk region of the Kazakh Republic during World War II. A source study analysis of the archive documents revealed various aspects of the subject in question. The documents were divided into several blocks: (1) information on the number and geography of the resettlement; (2) complex characteristics of the labor and economic household; (3) education and social security. The analysis of the documents showed that the placement of Chechens as special settlers led to extremely negative social and demographic consequences, causing an irreparable damage to their material and spiritual culture. Despite various economic, household, and labor measures, the deported people had to live in hard conditions.


An introduction to the dissipative quantum dynamics description of molecular system is presented based on the definition of a reduced density operator (t) for the system under consideration. Methods are reviewed that have been used to calculate (t) with emphasis on an approximate equation of motion known as the quantum master equation. The inclusion of external ultrafast fields is particularly accounted for, and a brief description of femtosecond laser pulse control experiments is given. Different applications are mentioned, concentrating on the description of Frenkel-exciton dynamics in biological chromophore complexes (photosynthetic antennae). Finally, recent achievements guiding exciton transfer by tailored femtosecond laser pulses are considered. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006


Attempts to improve the resolution capability of an x-ray imaging system have to include the presence of the patient, particularly the effect of subject motion. From this it follows that the loading capability of the x-ray machine should be an integral part of the analysis and optimization of systems resolution. We have tried to quan-tify both resolution and load capacity and to merge them in a "figure of merit", which seems helpful in judging focal spot performance. A true falling load characteristic for the focal spot distribution as well as for the exposure load characteristic appears to give optimum performance in terms of systems resolution. With computer help, we have calculated the pertinent parameters, such as intensity, modulation transfer, load, and temperature as functions of spatial and temporal coordinates.


To assess the effects of water extracts in fruits of Omija (Schizandra chinensis Baillon) on alcohol metabolism, rats were orally administrated with alcohol (25% alcohol, 0.75g/200g B.W., 40% alcohol, 0.8g/200g B.W.). The level of metabolites and enzyme activities of the serum and liver were unchanged by the 25% ethanol or 40% ethanol treatment with acute orally administration. Blood alcohol level was markdely decreased by the treatment with water extracts in fruits of Omija. The serum level of Urea nitrogen, Free fatty acid, GPT and LDH were tended to decreased, level of GOT was unchanged. Contents of hepatic microsomal protein, glycogen, pyruvate in the liver were increased by water extracts in fruits of Omija. In conclusion, the present study clearly demonstrates that water extract in fruits of Omija promotes the overall metabolism and detoxication of alcohol.


Background: The unusual accelerated division of group of cells is known as tumor, which may spread out through the body causing what is known as cancer. Quercetin is a well-known flavonoid which is abundant in many plants, and thought to have many therapeutic effects.
Aim of the study: The study performed to evaluate the anti-tumor potential of Quercetin against solid Ehrlich tumor in female mice.
Method: The study was carried out on 5 groups of female mice; Group I (Negative control), group II (Ehrlich tumor only), group III (Ehrlich+Methotrexate), group IV (Ehrlich+Quercetin) and group V (Ehrlich+Methotrexate +Quercetin). Estimation of Quinone Reductase and Aromatase enzymes activities, Malondialdehyde(MDA) concentration, Tumor Volume, percentage of DNA damage and Survivability were detected, in addition to genomic instability via RAPD-PCR.
Results: Under the influence of Quercetin administration to the tumor bearing mice; Quinone Reductase was increased, Aromatase was decreased, MDA was decreased, DNA damage was lowered, and Tumor volume was shrinked, RAPD-PCR showed the nearest pattern of bands to control and survivability was prolonged.
Conclusion: The results proved an anti-tumor potential of Quercetin with a suggestion of co-administration of Quercetin together with Methotrexate as the best choice for cancer treatment.


All historians of pre-Civil War Spain are faced with the task of explaining how and why Spanish politics and society became 'a system of exclusions'.' Historians of the Spanish Church are no exception: on the contrary, an analysis is required of them - and none has yet appeared - of the role of the Catholic Church in the long process of polarization which eventually led to the outbreak of Civil War in July 1936.2 One kind of polarization was expressed in the contemporary selfimage of the Church as a defensive fortress besieged by enemy forces. Although this image was not peculiar to Spain,3 the selfunderstanding it conveyed was both particularly pervasive and impervious to change there. In spite of the notable concessions made to the Church in the monarchical constitution of 1876 - which remained in being if not in force until superseded by the republican document of 1931 - ecclesiastical thinking never moved far away from the notorious final repudiation in the 1864 Syllabus of Errors of any responsibility on the part of the Pope, and therefore of the Church, to 'come to terms with progress, liberalism and modern civilization'. The Church was a beleaguered tower in hostile territory. Yet it could not avoid communication with the outside world it so forcefully denounced; nor could it avoid reflecting that world, however unintentionally, in its own life. An ecclesiastical enclosure which could neither restrain the Church from addressing itself to the surrounding world nor free it from its manifold dependence, sociological, political, economic and psychological, upon it, is the essential starting point for any analysis of the


Introduction: Developing educational based interventions for head injury (HI) awareness within prison is a key area to support the growth of brain injury services for people at risk of HI. Prevalence rates of HI in the prison population are higher than the general population and associated with offending behaviour.

Aims: To explore what prisoners know about symptoms and long-term effects of HI and develop a low-cost single-session psychoeducational group about HI which can be delivered to large numbers in prisons.

Methods: A pre-post design recruiting male prisoners aged 18 and over serving a custodial sentence. The study had three stages; screening appointment (T1; N = 34), one-hour psychoeducation group about the symptoms and long-term effects of HI (T2; N = 19) and one-month follow-up appointment (T3; N = 11). HI knowledge was assessed by two open-ended measures (vignettes) and one close ended measure (HI symptom check list) at T1, T2 and T3. Two scores were calculated for participant knowledge as measured by their responses to vignettes; score 1 was number of symptoms or effects of HI which corresponded with the forced choice responses from the symptom checklist and score 2 was the number of symptoms or effects of HI which corresponded with the HI symptom checklist or symptoms or consequences of HI listed in SIGN 110 and 130. Rating scales were used to assess aggression and impulsivity at T1 and T3. Within-subject comparisons were made across study stages to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention.

Results: Participant HI knowledge significantly increased from T1 to T2 (Score 1; d = 0.91, 95% CI [0.36, 1.46], and Score 2; d = 0.99, 95% CI [0.38, 1.60]) and was sustained at T3 (Score 1; d = 1.27, 95% CI [0.44, 2.11], and Score 2; r = 0.60). There were no improvements in ratings of aggression and impulsivity (T1 to T3). A between-group comparison of severity of HI and HI knowledge indicated knowledge was moderately greater for those with mild than moderate-severe HI.

Conclusions: The psychoeducational group increased prisoners' knowledge of HI and is an initial step towards the development an intervention suitable for delivery in Scottish prisons by NHS staff.


Synthetic antimalarial agents can cause exacerbation of latent or patent psoriatic skin lesions. A case of psoriatic onychoperiostitis precipitated by hydroxychloroquine therapy is reported. The patient had primary Sjögren's syndrome, raising questions about the incidence and causation of the ungual abnormalities associated with this condition.


Hard real-time systems are required to meet critical deadlines. Worst case execution time (WCET) is therefore an important metric for the system level schedulability analysis of hard real-time systems. However, performance enhancing features of a processor (e.g. pipeline, caches) makes WCET analysis a very difficult problem. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to combine abstract interpretation (AI) and satisfiability (SAT) checking (hence the name AI+SAT) for different varieties of micro-architectural modeling. Our work in this paper is inspired by the research advances in program flow analysis(e.g. infeasible path analysis). We show that the accuracy of WCET estimates can be improved in a scalable fashion by using SAT checkers to integrate infeasible path analysis results into micro-architectural modeling. Our modeling is implemented on top of the Chronos WCET analysis tool and we improve the accuracy of WCET estimates for instruction cache, data cache, branch predictors and shared caches.


In the United Kingdoms' higher education system, teaching and learning are currently under review to evaluate both social and individual investment to tertiary education. The UK government introduced the Teaching Excellence Framework and Student Outcomes Framework to assess the quality of undergraduate teaching in universities and other higher education providers. There are 14 research projects which are identifying multiple ways to measure Learning Gain, a key component of the Teaching Excellence Framework and Student Outcomes Framework. Teaching Excellence encompasses Teaching Quality, the Learning Environment as well as Student Outcomes and Learning Gain, it uses both core metrics and a narrative to evaluate individual universities performance. Current research evaluate methodologies to measure Learning Gain and determine the potential suitability and scalability of possible measures across the sector. This paper describes the current state of policy and research against the specific background of the UK higher education sector.


A significant fraction of the Eulerian‐mean downwelling feeding the lower limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) occurs along the subpolar North Atlantic continental slopes and is maintained by along‐boundary densification and large‐scale geostrophic balance. We here use Argo and shipboard hydrography data to map the 2002–2015 long‐term mean density field along the boundary via a dedicated optimal interpolation tool. The overall downstream densification implies an Eulerian‐mean downwelling of 2.12 ± 0.43 Sv at 1100 m depth between Denmark Strait and Flemish Cap. A clear regional pattern emerges with downwelling in the Irminger Sea and western Labrador Sea and upwelling along Greenland western continental slope. Comparisons with independent cross‐basin estimates confirm that vertical overturning transport across the marginal seas of the subpolar North Atlantic mainly occurs along the continental slopes, and suggest the usefulness of hydrographic data in providing quantitative information about the sinking branch of the AMOC.


Purpose

This study aimed to investigate C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) molecular signaling pathway and the glucose metabolism of pituitary-adrenal axis in Cushing's disease (CD) by using 68Ga-pentixafor and 18F-FDG PET/CT.
Methods

We recruited eleven patients including 4 primary CD, 3 recurrent CD and 4 non-functional pituitary adenoma (NFPA) patients. Both 68Ga-pentixafor PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT were performed. The radio-uptake of pituitary-adrenal axis was correlated with the hormone levels (including serum adrenocorticotropin, serum cortisol and 24-h urine free cortisol).
Results

The uptake of pituitary adenomas and bilateral adrenals in primary and recurrent CD patients were significantly higher than NFPA patients in 68Ga-pentixafor PET. Besides, hormone level was significantly correlated with the uptake of 68Ga-pentixafor in pituitary adenomas and adrenal tissue but not with glucose metabolism determined by 18F-FDG PET.
Conclusions

In this pilot study, we found activated CXCR4 molecular signaling rather than glucose metabolism regulation along the pituitary-adrenal axis in CD patients. 68Ga-pentixafor PET/CT might have the potential in detecting ACTH-producing pituitary microadenoma.


An efficient and automated abnormality detection method can significantly reduce the burden of screening of the enormous visual information resulting from capsule endoscopic procedure. As a pre-processing stage, color enhancement could be useful to improve the image quality and the detection performance. Therefore, in this paper, we have proposed a two-stage automated abnormality detection algorithm. In the first stage, an adaptive color enhancement method based on Retinex theory is applied on the endoscopic images. In the second stage, an efficient salient region detection algorithm is applied to detect the clinically significant regions. The proposed algorithm is applied on a dataset containing images with diverse pathologies. The algorithm can successfully detect a significant percentage of the abnormal regions. From our experiment, it was evident that color enhancement method improves the performance of abnormality detection. The proposed algorithm can achieve a sensitivity of 97.33% and specificity of 79%, higher than state-of-the-art performance.


One of the goals of affective computing field is to provide to computers the ability to recognize automatically the affective state of the user in order to have more intuitive human–machine communication. This paper aims to detect automatically the stress user when he is interacting with computer. The developed system is based on instantaneous pulse rate (PR) signal extracted from imaging photoplethysmography (PPG). Seven features from time and frequency domain are extracted from PR signal and processed by learning pattern recognition systems. Two methods based on Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) are used and compared to classify the user's emotional state. A computer application based on "Stroop color word Test" is developed to elicit emotional stress in the subject. The proposed method can achieve the overall average classification accuracy of 94.42% and 91.10% with SVM and LDA, respectively. Current results indicate that our approach is effective for stress classification.


According to the UK government, one of the key features of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) is the scope it provides to transfer risk to private sector suppliers. Under the PFI, public bodies are expected to develop interdependent relationships with suppliers that allow risk to be transferred. However, it is the argument of the author that it will not always be possible for interdependent relationships to be engineered by public bodies – on many occasions, public bodies will find themselves asymmetrically locked-in to their supplier. This situation leads to private sector suppliers becoming dominant in those relationships which, in turn, will allow them to pass back risk and obtain greater returns. As a result, the author argues that it is not a question of whether risk can be transferred under the PFI, but when. This argument is illustrated by use of the contracts managed by the UK National Savings and Investments and the UK Lord Chancellor's Department.


Introduction: The benefits of adopting regular and consistent physical activity as a lifestyle has been well documented. Research shows that regular participation in physical activity reduces the risk of chronic non-communicable diseases such as Type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, some types of cancer and obesity. However, several studies have reported that physical activity begins to decrease in young adulthood when people transition from high school into the university. Studies have also reported that Nigerian university students do not engage in sufficient levels of physical activity required to gain the health benefits associated with being physically active. Physical activity is a health behavior that is determined by the interaction of various factors which may act as facilitators or barriers to being physically active. Thus, examining the multilevel determinants of physical activity using the socio-ecological model is an important prerequisite for designing relevant policies and effective health promotion programs aimed at increasing physical activity participation among Nigerian university students. Objective: This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and predictors of sufficient physical activity using the socio-ecological model among first-year undergraduate students of the University of Uyo, Nigeria. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the University of Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. A total of 386 first-year undergraduate students were selected using a multistage sampling method. Data was collected on physical activity and associated factors among first-year undergraduate students from July to September 2015 using a self-administered questionnaire. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to assess physical activity levels of respondents. Respondents whose activity level was equal to or above 600MET-minutes/week were regarded as being sufficiently physically active. Descriptive analysis, chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression were conducted. Significant levels were set at p-value of <0.05 and 95% CI. Results: The response rate for this study was 88.6%. It was observed that 93.6% of the respondents were sufficiently physically active. Multiple logistic regression revealed that respondents belonging to the Ibibio ethnicity were more likely to be sufficiently physically active when compared to others (Adjusted OR = 3.510, 95% CI = 1.382, 8.916). Also, underweight and overweight respondents were less likely to be sufficiently physically active compared to those that were normal (Adjusted OR = 0.198, 95% CI = 0.064, 0.613 and Adjusted OR = 0.240, 95% CI = 0.077, 0.750 respectively). Furthermore, respondents who reported that there were school facilities for indoor recreation and that the school had an enjoyable scenery were more likely to be sufficiently physically active (Adjusted OR = 3.003, 95% CI = 1.179, 7.649 and Adjusted OR = 2.787, 95% CI = 1.074, 7.234 respectively). Conclusion: The findings of the study revealed that majority of the surveyed first-year undergraduate students of the University of Uyo demonstrated sufficient levels of physical activity over the course of seven days. Socio-ecological factors associated with physical activity that have been identified in this study can serve as additional information to aid in the development of interventions that would sustain high physical activity levels among university students.


An end fitting for a cylindrical high pressure vessel made from components all having thin walls, thereby tripling the practical diameter of such pressure vessels. The end fitting includes a toroidal shell defining a hole; centrally disposed piece for closing the hole comprising a pipe and a center end fitting and structural members. In a first embodiment, the structural members comprise slices of an end of the pipe welded to the outer cylindrical wall of the vessel. In a second embodiment, the structural members are plates connecting the pipe to the outer cylindrical walls. In the third embodiment, the plates connect an extension of the outer cylindrical wall beyond the toroidal shell to an extension of the outer cylindrical wall of the pressure vessel. The center end fitting may be hemispheric or ellipsoidal.


Purpose: The paper examines the changes in the price impact of trades in the major Korean stock market following the introduction of disclosure to all traders of the top five brokers on the buy-side and the top five brokers on the sell-side of trades in real time for each stock in the KOSDAQ market. Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses several alternative metrics for the price impact of trades. The study applies estimation methodology that accounts for the potential endogeneity of other market quality proxies, which are used as control variables in price impact regressions, by utilizing two-stage-least-square methods with fixed effect specification. Findings: This study finds that the permanent price impact (information effect) of both buyer- and seller-initiated trades increases, which indicates that information is disseminated quicker in a transparent market. Uninformed trades have a larger permanent price impact than informed trades on both the buy and sell sides. The liquidity price effects are found to be mixed for buys and sells. Research implications: The study supports the current policy of the Korean Exchange to publicly display the five most active broker IDs on both the buy and sell sides, as it attracts both informed and liquidity traders, leading to faster price discovery in a more transparent market. However, a future study which analyzes the change in the market quality in both local markets would provide a complete picture of the effects of the policy. Originality/value: Earlier studies documenting the effect of broker ID disclosure on market quality used effective spreads, market depth or order book imbalance as market quality measures. This study contributes to the existing literature by examining the changes in direct measures of the private information effect and liquidity effect of trades in a stock market – the Korean Stock Exchange – when the other part of the exchange (the KOSDAQ stock market) shifts to public broker ID transparency at the same transparency level.


Pulmonary lobe segmentation is an important preprocessing task for the analysis of lung diseases. Traditional methods relying on fissure detection or other anatomical features, such as the distribution of pulmonary vessels and airways, could provide reasonably accurate lobe segmentations. Deep learning based methods can outperform these traditional approaches, but require large datasets. Deep multi-task learning is expected to utilize labels of multiple different structures. However, commonly such labels are distributed over multiple datasets. In this paper, we proposed a multitask semi-supervised model that can leverage information of multiple structures from unannotated datasets and datasets annotated with different structures. A focused alternating training strategy is presented to balance the different tasks. We evaluated the trained model on an external independent CT dataset. The results show that our model significantly outperforms single-task alternatives, improving the mean surface distance from 7.174 mm to 4.196 mm. We also demonstrated that our approach is successful for different network architectures as backbones.


Pichia pastoris has emerged in the past years as a promising host for recombinant protein and biopharmaceutical production. In the establishment of high cell density fed‐batch biomanufacturing, screening phase and early bioprocess development (based on microplates and shake flasks) still represent a bottleneck due to high‐cost and time‐consuming procedures as well as low experiment complexity. In the present work, a screening protocol developed for P. pastoris clone selection is implemented in a multiplexed microfluidic device with 15 μL cultivation chambers able to operate in perfusion mode and monitor dissolved oxygen content in the culture in a non‐invasive way. The setup allowed us to establish carbon‐limited conditions and evaluate strain responses to different input variables. Results from micro‐scale perfusion cultures are then compared with 1L fed‐batch fermentation. The best producer in terms of titer and productivity is rapidly identified after 12 h from inoculation and the results confirmed by lab‐scale fermentation. Moreover, the physiological analyses of the strains under different conditions suggested how more complex experimental conditions are achievable despite the relatively easy, straight‐forward, and cost‐effective experimental setup. Implementation and standardization of these micro‐scale protocols could reduce the demand for lab‐scale bioreactor cultivations thus accelerating the development of protein production processes.


This work reports the production of an exo-polygalacturonase (exo-PG) by Rhizomucor pusillus A13.36 in submerged cultivation (SmC) in a shaker at 45°C for 96 h. A single pectinase was found and purified in order to analyze its thermal stability, by salt precipitation and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The pectinase has an estimated Mw of approximately 43.5–47 kDa and optimum pH of 4.0 but is stable in pH ranging from 3.5 to 9.5 and has an optimum temperature of 61°C. It presents thermal stability between 30 and 60°C, has 70% activation in the presence of Ca2+, and was tested using citrus pectin with a degree of methyl esterification (DE) of 26%. E a(d) for irreversible denaturation was 125.5 kJ/mol with positive variations of entropy and enthalpy for that and ΔG (d) values were around 50 kJ/mol. The hydrolysis of polygalacturonate was analyzed by capillary electrophoresis which displayed a pattern of sequential hydrolysis (exo). The partial identification of the primary sequence was done by MS MALDI-TOF and a comparison with data banks showed the highest identity of the sequenced fragments of exo-PG from R. pusillus with an exo-pectinase from Aspergillus fumigatus. Pectin hydrolysis showed a sigmoidal curve for the Michaelis-Menten plot.


Arterial pressure of chick embryos was measured electromanometrically to investigate the effect of altered gaseous environments on blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). The experiments were made in eggs incubated for 14-16 days at 38 degrees C without impeding the diffusive respiratory gas exchange through the shell and chorioallantois. In air, the HR was counted 260-270 beats/min and the BP increased from 14/7 Torr at day 14 to 21/12 Torr at day 16. Both the BP and HR decreased with hypoxia, whereas hyperoxia affected a slight increase in BP and little change in HR. Hypercapnia decreased the HR and tended to enhance a systolic maximum pressure. The effect of hypoxia was augmented markedly in the presence of hypercapnia and vice versa. When N2 was replaced with helium (He), the effect of hypoxia was mitigated significantly. On the contrary, replacement of N2 with sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) augmented the effect of hypoxia. Because the respiratory gas exchange of the egg takes place by diffusion through the shell and chorioallantoic capillaries, the effect of He and SF6 atmospheres on BP and HR is attributed to an altered diffusivity of O2 and CO2 in these inert gases.


Abstract Over the last twenty years a growing number of researchers have been interested in female entrepreneurship. Every third business venture in the world is run by a woman. Brief Women business owners face substantial risks and uncertainty. Women tend to take entrepreneurial risks if provided with various forms of support that increase their sense of psychological safety and work comfort. The below study findings identify the most useful support methods. The subject of the survey was to determine on a scale of five the usefulness of individual forms of business support. Respondents answered, how useful is listed form of business support. Support should be tailored to the demographic characteristics of women. In depending on the stage of life and life situation women need different support. The barriers to women entrepreneurship result not as much from difficulties in obtaining funding but rather from the frustration resulting from unfulfilled social needs. Access to support from the state, social organizations and family members increases the sense of psychological safety and work comfort in women, leading to a greater propensity to take risks and start and run businesses.


The endocardium is a specialized form of endothelium that lines the inner side of the heart chambers and plays a crucial role in cardiac development. While comparatively less studied than other cardiac cell types, much progress has been made in understanding the regulation of and by the endocardium over the past two decades. In this review, we will summarize what is currently known regarding endocardial origin and development, the relationship between endocardium and other cardiac cell types, and the various lineages that endocardial cells derive from and contribute to. These processes are driven by key molecular mechanisms such as Notch and BMP signaling. These pathways in particular have been well studied, but other signaling pathways and mechanical cues also play important roles. Finally, we will touch on the contribution of stem cell modeling in combination with single cell sequencing and its potential translational impact for congenital heart defects such as bicuspid aortic valves and hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The detailed understanding of cellular and molecular processes in the endocardium will be vital to further develop representative stem cell-derived models for disease modeling and regenerative medicine in the future.


A theory has been developed to calculate the Rademacher-Walsh transform from a reduced representation (disjoint cubes) of incompletely specified Boolean functions. The transform algorithm makes use of the properties of an array of disjoint cubes and allows the determination of the spectral coefficients in an independent way. The program for the algorithms uses advantages of C language to speed up the execution. The comparison of different versions of the algorithm has been carried out. The algorithm successfully overcomes all drawbacks in the calculation of the transform from the design automation system based on spectral methods.<<ETX>>


In two very different healthcare settings we demonstrate the benefits of long term planning using operations research (OR) tools. We present models that handle considerable variability using solutions based on relatively simple approximations. In the first setting we present a mixed integer program (MIP) with a goal programming (GP) formulation for strategic workforce planning at the British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA). Our model considers experience, minimum and maximum durations, and redundancy in staffing to guard against unanticipated employee leaves. We evaluate the model parameters using simulation, and analyze the simulation output with logistic and Poisson regression. The core model can be generalized to other workforce planning applications in healthcare or to other human resource intensive industries; the full BCCA model illustrates a real-world implementation. This research introduces to the workforce planning literature a technique for building robustness into the plan, together with experience and duration constraints. In the second setting we study a marginalized population for which myriad organizations provide healthcare and other services in the absence of system-level quantitative planning. We use a queueing network to model clients with complex concurrent disorders (CCD) flowing through services in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES). We perform sensitivity analysis on the input parameters, validate our solution against a simulation model, and conduct scenario comparisons to evaluate potential procedural and policy changes to the system. To analyze this network we present a novel approximation technique—called a linearized closed queueing network (LCQN)—for solving closed queueing networks. By using an open queueing network with the fixed population mean (FPM) approach, and by including a trick for dealing with capacitated stations, we create a network representation that is solved with a linear program (LP). This method scales to much larger systems. We derive the approximation ratio between this approximation and the exact solution for a small network, and use simulation to show that this gap is of no practical significance for the full network.


A diagnostic decision support system (DSS) in medicine is an expert system that aids the physician in the determination of the diagnosis based on findings and test results. The DSS can be divided into 2 different types of components: the knowledge component and the information system component. Methods from software engineering, knowledge engineering and management are combined into a dynamic development cycle that allows stepwise update and refinement. The development of the knowledge component is based on knowledge engineering. In the starting phases, rapid prototyping is convenient to determine and evaluate the specification. The content of the knowledge base is frequently updated during its life time. For this purpose, a knowledge modelling protocol is supplied.


The potential of Pterygota macrocarpa to serve as a raw material source for industrial applications, domestic consumption, and animal feedstock formulation to reduce the overburden of few seed was assessed by this study. Two seed forms; whole and dehulled seeds, were analyzed for proximate composition, minerals contents, and anti-nutrient properties. Extracted seed-oils were characterized. The results indicate that the seed is a potential source of oil suitable for industrial applications while the mineral components are in favor of its application in feedstock. The seed is a good source of phosphorous, potassium, and zinc. The keep value of the seed is good because of the low moisture content which will ease its preservation. However, domestic application of the seed is limited by low protein content as well as high content values for phytate (approximately 7%) and tannins (1.6 – 2.4%). The study of amino contents, lipid profile, and fatty acid content and development of appropriate processing to reduce the anti-nutrient properties may further reveal the potential domestic application of the seed.


This exploration of American women's post-World War II higher education begins with three stories. These narratives reflect issues women faced when, as educators, they tried to plan curricula and programs for female students, and when, as professionals, they tried to manage their own careers in an era that frequently sent mixed messages about women's roles and opportunities. They also reveal a quiet type of activism practiced by postwar women educators, an approach which often pales in comparison to the firmer efforts of postsuffrage and World War II activists, or to the lively and boisterous work of late-1960s feminists. However, I will argue that this more muted style, when combined with the era's predilection for individualized solutions to women's concerns, marks a particular postwar approach to advocacy that may be different from other eras but that suited the contextually complicated postwar period.


BVA Council tackled an extensive agenda at a two-day meeting on 14 and 15 July. As for its meeting in April, Council members participated via online video conferencing.


The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that reliable risk assessment of venues is still challenging and resulted in the indiscriminate closure of many venues worldwide. Therefore, this study used an experimental, numerical and analytical approach to investigate the airborne transmission risk potential of differently ventilated, sized and shaped venues. The data were used to assess the effect size of different mitigation measures and to develop recommendations. In general, positions in the near field of an emission source were at high risk in all ventilation systems studied, while the risk of infection from positions in the far field varied depending on the ventilation strategy. Occupancy rate, airflow rate, residence time, SARS-CoV-2 virus variants, activity level and face masks affected the individual and total infection risk in all venues. The total infection risk was lowest for the displacement ventilation case and highest for the naturally ventilated venue. Therefore, in our study, a properly designed displacement ventilation system is the most effective ventilation strategy to keep airborne transmission and the number of secondary cases low, compared to mixing or natural ventilation.


Shipbuilding enterprise is one of pillar industries of the state,but researches on its production plan and control are rare,thus leads to its low efficiency. So a multilayer production plan model is proposed,which is a task management model based on WBS package and a multilayer resource management model for shipbuilding enterprise. Further more a management system was developed and its success proofed the correctness and effectiveness of the models.


Purpose: This study aims to examine the development direction of fire extinguishing education based on NCS on the teaching method of fire extinguishing education in the Navy. Fire extinguishment education is composed of basic education from basic remuneration to advanced education. Especially, since the Navy is mainly formed inside the ship composed of sealed compartments, fire extinguishing education is very important because there are such phenomena as Flameover, Backdraft, Flashover, Rollover, etc. except for special cases. And also, this study is focused on the fire extinguishing education for NCS-based education on beginner courses in the navy. Method: As a research method, the contents is developed focusing on literature review. At the same time, I work as a petty officer for 16 years and also consider the part that I actually experience as a field expert in the navy. Especially, I would like to propose an NCS-based education method that is used in most of the society in order to introduce the current fire extinguishment department in education and training. Results: In conclusion, the lecture-oriented education is still the most frequently conducted in our military. However, in order to promote the participation of learners through systematic education and training system based on NCS and job-specific education, which can be one of the field and lecture halls, and to apply it to the elementary fire-extinguishing education in the military, it is necessary to develop the NCS-based learning module together with the teaching and learning design and the teaching and learning process plan. Conclusion: Finally, the NCS learning module is designed to cultivate the ability to solve the job in case of exhibition or emergency. Therefore, it is effective for the students to diagnose the learning by preparing the result table and self-assessment checklist after the training and to perform grouping and individual practice according to the practice guide after the teacher provides the explanation and demonstration of the practice guide at the introduction of the class. In order to utilize the learning module effectively, teachers should thoroughly analyze the NCS to understand the contents and level of job ability required in the field work, and to have practical skills and expertise that can be used for performance evaluation. Especially, the new instructors should thoroughly analyze the contents of NCS related to the practical curriculum and prepare for the following matters in designing the teaching and learning process. The following research is to compare the satisfaction of NCS subject and NCS subject.


Cloninger has proposed a tridimensional model as the basis for the classification of personality variants and has developed the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) as an empirical test of this model. In this study, the TPQ was administered to two groups of young men. One group was comprised of nonalcoholic sons of male alcoholics; the other group consisted of nonalcoholic men with no family history of alcoholism. Since the sons of male alcoholics are considered to be at greater risk to develop alcoholism than the sons of nonalcoholics, it was hypothesized that the two groups would demonstrate differences with regard to one or more personality variants as measured by the TPQ. No statistically significant differences in the three TPQ-subscale scores of the two groups were found.


A tactile stimulator array constructed from 88 piezoelectric ceramic plates is described. The array can produce sinusoidal traveling waves with arbitrary temporal frequency, spatial wavelength, and amplitude. Detection thresholds were measured for five temporal frequencies (1, 4, 16, 64, and 256 Hz) and five spatial wavelengths (1.81, 3.62, 7.23, 14.5, and infinity mm), and were plotted as a three-dimensional, spatiotemporal threshold surface. Detection thresholds were also measured using a conventional vibrator and a large circular contactor simulating the infinite wavelength stimulus produced by the array. The results describe the spatial and temporal frequency sensitivity of the P and NP I cutaneous receptor populations.


UK trade relies heavily on the port sector, with 95% of trade by weight entering the country by ship. Port operations and infrastructure are affected by extreme weather and non-weather events. The severity of risks facing the UK port sector may become more complex with climate change. This thesis aims to assess the vulnerability to, effects of, and responses to extreme weather events affecting UK ports, and to determine how well the port sector is adapting to the future pressures and challenges of climate and climate change. Historically, publically available records of extreme events that affected UK maritime zones (coastal areas, Exclusive Economic Zone and ports) are limited. A data archaeology study was undertaken by recording reported events from 1950-2014 as a scoping study to assess the importance of extreme events for ports compared to other maritime zones. A new severity scale allowed meaningful comparisons of events through recent decades. Severity of impacts from extreme events changed through time. Decreasing storm surge impacts were associated with improved technologies and behaviours, such as sea defences. Increased frequency of wind storm disruptions were associated with changing technologies, such as high-level cranes. Cautionary behaviours (e.g. pre-emptive port closures) reduced the occurrence of damaging events. To resolve present-day port disruption, vessel activity data, was analysed for three ports over a two-year study period. Severe individual and cumulative minor events (not considered in the literature) had the most impacts on ports. Daytime events had more severe impacts as they occurred during periods of greater vessel and port activity, highlighting the complex interaction of port activity and extreme events. Ports need to focus resources on preparing for such events. The climate change preparedness of the entire UK commercial port sector has not previously been considered. Future risk reduction was assessed through analyses of non-statutory Adaptation Reports. Preparedness for extreme weather and climate change was assessed through a questionnaire to all commercial ports. Questionnaire responses determined that ports are not well prepared for climate change, contrary to suggestions by multiple Government reports. There is a perception issue on port sector preparedness between the Government and port decisionmakers, enhanced by the misreporting, through subtle framing, of current adaptation success (such as where normal upgrades are presented as adaptations). Port sector awareness of climate change risks and the number of ports putting in place adaptation measures is presently low, and differs between and within nations. Scottish ports are well prepared for current extreme weather risks, but their complacent perspective could be disadvantageous with climate change. Many UK ports are unsure how climate change may affect their future operations, and would find additional guidance of great benefit. Port sector adaptation to climate change is limited by poor risk awareness, and a mismatch between port planning and climate change timescales. A three-part port planning timescale has been developed: infrastructure renewal, disaster preparedness, and port and environs planning. To begin filling gaps in port sector climate change preparedness a number of tools and techniques (e.g. adaptation legislation or risk summaries) have been identified. In coming decades the need for effective adaptation will become more pressing as climate change begins to affect their operations. This thesis has analysed port operations and adaptations in the UK and has developed a new framework for future activity.


Background: The counselors are responsible for academic counseling to students and help them to solve their educational problems. The aim of the present study was to determine the viewpoints of students about the status of academic counseling provided by the faculty advisers in four schools at University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the opinions of 244 students about the counseling status in four schools of Medicine, Nursing and Midwifery, Public Health, and Paramedical were assessed by a selfdesigned Check List including individual and educational information and 12 items with Likert scale to assess the students' viewpoints about the status of counseling in the first semester of 2012. Data were analyzed by SPSS (v.16), using mean (SD), oneway ANOVA and Pearson correlation test. Results: "Checking and signing form of credit selection" was the only item from the 12 items of counseling status to which the students in four schools had given a higher score [School of Medicine (2.47±0.60)], [School of Para-medicine (2.45±0.66)], [School of Health (2.10±0.90)], [School of Nursing and Midwifery (2.50±0.86)] and there was no significant difference among the schools (P=0.50). Conclusions: From the viewpoints of students, the status of counseling was not good. Informing the advisors about their duties and adequate supervision of university officials on proper implementation of counseling by the faculty members can help to improve the process of advising.


We report a lateral-drilled DBR fiber laser which contains a defective parabola-like opening inside the cavity fabricated by the CO2-laser exposure and study the laser responsivity to external refractive index (RI). Surrounding materials can readily reach the vicinity of the fiber core via the opening and interact with the laser mode. Research shows that the laser emission power mainly relies on changes of external RI while the lasing wavelength on temperature. The effects of structural parameters, pump power, and external refractive index on the RI responsivity of the device are demonstrated. The lasing threshold condition is also concerned. This work provides an opportunity for controlling emission characteristics of the DBR fiber laser through modification of external RI value, of which the results are valuable for the potential applications in optical sensing, tunable lasing, and etc.


Abstract This study examined whether social bias manipulation can influence how naïve multiage listeners evaluate second language (L2) speech. Sixty native English-speaking listeners (Montreal residents) rated audio recordings of 40 Quebec French speakers of L2 English for five dimensions of oral performance (accentedness, comprehensibility, segmental accuracy, intonation, flow) using 1,000-point continuous scales. Immediately before rating, 20 listeners heard critical comments about Quebec French speakers' English language skills, while 20 heard positive comments. Twenty listeners (baseline group) received no manipulation. Compared to baseline listeners, positively oriented listeners (younger and older) rated four of five dimensions more favorably. However, listeners' behavior diverged under negative bias. Compared to age-matched baseline listeners, younger listeners upgraded speakers while older listeners downgraded speakers for all targeted measures. Findings cast doubt on the relative stability of L2 speech ratings and point to the importance of social context and generational differences in untrained rater assessments of L2 speaking performance.


This working paper raises the question whether Hong Kong's housing problems for young people can be solved. Unlike Singapore which maintains a highly diversified manufacturing sector, Hong Kong has moved its manufacturing sector to the Mainland. The imbalanced economic structure which heavily relies on financial service has thus put Hong Kong into a dilemma: The more Hong Kong depends on the financial service sector, the less of young people will be able to find employment opportunities from the manufacturing sector in the future. The deep-rooted problem is that prosperity of the financial service sector must depend on the vitality and growth potential of the real economy. If the production pie is decreasing which drives people to make money from renting house rather than work for better payment, then housing almost certainly acts as a vehicle to accelerate the income polarization process as it has higher barrier to new market entrants.


Abstract The expansion of higher education in the UK and attempts to widen participation have changed the context of undergraduate learning. This study examines student engagement with their degree. Quantitative data for 388 UK Level 1 students were used to develop a path analysis model of the relationship between Level 1 academic performance, gender, academic engagement, attendance and prior university entry points. Structural equation modelling allowed a detailed understanding of the direct and indirect effects of key variables that contribute to Level 1 learning outcomes, and findings are discussed within the context of structural changes to Level 1 student engagement imperatives with a view to improving the learning experience for all students.


A high emission current with relatively low operating voltage is critical for field emission cathodes in vacuum electronic devices (VEDs). This paper studied the field emission performance of single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) cold cathodes prepared by screen printing with a silver paste buffer layer. The buffer layer can both enforce the adhesion between the SWCNTs and substrate, and decrease their contact resistance, so as to increase emission current. Compared with paste mixing CNTs and screen printed cathodes, the buffer layer can avoid excessive wrapping of CNTs in the silver slurry and increase effective emission area to reduce the operating voltage. The experimental results show that the turn-on field of the screen-printed SWCNT cathodes is 0.9 V/μm, which is lower than that of electrophoretic SWCNT cathodes at 2.0 V/μm. Meanwhile, the maximum emission current of the screen-printed SWCNT cathodes reaches 5.55 mA at DC mode and reaches 10.4 mA at pulse mode, which is an order magnitude higher than that of electrophoretic SWCNTs emitters. This study also shows the application insight of small or medium-power VEDs.


Leaf, flower or seed-extracts of 29 dominant plant species found in northern India were screened against adult and juvenile stages of Aphelenchoides conzposticola infesting white button mushroom, Agancus bisporus. Leaf-extracts of Bougainvillea spectabilis, Calotropis procera, Cedrella tootza, Jacaranda acutifolia, Melia azadirach, Ricinus conmunis and Tagetes patula and seed-extracts of M. azadirach and R. conzlnunis were highly toxic to this nematode. Nematicidal activity in leaf-extracts of most plant species varied with the method of extract preparation. Two statistical models, viz., analysis of variance and probit analysis, were compared to test the effectiveness of the extracts. The role of incorporating dried leaves of pre-tested plants in mushroom compost for management of A. composticola populations is also discussed.


Introduction: Since November 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has continued to spread across the world in an unpredictable way. In December 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued Emergency Use Authorizations for two mRNA-based vaccines for prevention of COVID-19 including the BNT-162b2 or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The window period of the vaccine efficacy and baseline patients' characteristics remain factors to be taken into consideration in all cases.
Clinical presentation: A 92-years old lady known to have a history of severe Aortic Stenosis (AS), bedridden years ago received her first BNT-162b2 shot as per country protocol. Five-days later, a routine lab-test revealed hypereosinophilia. Ten-days after vaccination, patient developed a low-grade fever 38.2 with cough, tachycardia of 160bpm and SpO2= 95% on 2 liters of oxygen. She was dehydrated and had oliguria. CT-scan revealed a bilateral pleural effusion with no other relevant findings and EKG was in favor of rapid atrial fibrillation (AFib) of 160 bpm, back to sinus after digoxin 0.25mg IV. COVID-PCR came back positive, and patient was discharged home by the COVID-19 team for symptomatic treatment and follow up. Two-days later, patient became sicker with shortness of breath, loss of appetite and higher fever. She was admitted then, and lab-tests revealed very high levels of hepatic and pancreatic enzymes in addition to high levels of cardiac-enzymes revealing cardiac injury. Moreover, inflammatory labs were high and same for her creatinine levels revealing a cardiorenal syndrome. Patient was on corticosteroids and hydration for several days with improvement of her vital signs and lab-tests with hepatic enzymes close to normal values but an increase in WBC with CRP levels remaining low. Neurologic status was poor. CT brain revealed a small ischemic stroke on the left side with weakness and hemiparesis on the right. Echocardiography revealed a decrease in LV function with global hypokinesis. After 1week, the neurologic status of the patient declined, and invasive ventilation was needed. 3 days after intubation patient died.
Conclusion: Cardiorenal syndrome is possible after a first dose of covid-19 vaccine. That is why masking and social distancing should be maintained to prevent fully immunized subjects from acting as human vectors to non-immunized ones. No protection for patients after first shot of vaccine within the window of 12 day.
Learning objectives
- Masking and social distancing should be maintained to prevent contracting COVID-19 and thereafter to prevent immunized subjects from acting as human vectors
- The presence of eosinophilia right after a COVID-19 vaccination should rather be attributed to the vaccine than to the disease, because of the demonstrated protective role of that eosinophilia.
- There is no protection before the 12th day of the first vaccine dose, with a gradual improvement thereafter before reaching 70% protection on the 21st day.
- The cardiovascular manifestations of COVID-19 include atrial arrhythmias as being the most frequent, with atrial fibrillation as the most common and ominous for the patient's outcome because it denotes an extensive myocardial injury.


Seoul, a 500 year old historical city, experienced a rapid transformation from the traditional capital of Choseon Dynasty to a colonial city of Japanese Empire after Russo-Japanese War, resulting in the establishment of Keijofu(Keijo municipal office), the primate city in colonial Han penninsula, in 1914. Japanes-colonized Seoul, Keijo formed a peculiar gourd-shaped colonial dual city, which juxtaposed two opposing pairs: the contrast of the southern town and the northern town within the historical town (within walls) and that of the historical town and new town -Yongsan area- built around Japanese cantonment. I examine the historical process of the formation of Japanese-colonized Seoul from Russo-Japanese War(1904) to Japanese annexation of Korea(1910). focusing on the specificity of the politico-military dynamics. Seoul, as is well-known, was decided as a colonial capital due to its traditional role and status as a primary city in Choseon dynasty. But my point is that the politico-military dynamics after Russo-Japanese War are very important in shaping specific spacial features of colonial Seoul. Also the structural inertias of the historical city and resisting forces from both up and down had strong influence on the transformation of the urban space in all over the colonial period. While at this early phase, the colonial urbanization was led by military power bloc, forming the gourd shaped dual city, consisting of two heterogeneous elements which included historical city area surrounded by walls on one hand, and Yongsan colonial cantonment area the other. But in 1920s and afterwards, its became comprised of the political center, the northern town and the military center, the southern town, the last half was developed into a fan shaped city expansion with the development of Yeong-deung-po plant complexes and suburban housing. Such changes foretold the growth of mega-city in a postcolonial era.


This paper presents two complementary constructions of finite-length non-binary protograph-based codes with the focus on the short block-length regime. The first class is based on the existing approaches of applying the copy-and-permute operations to the constituent protograph with unweighted edges, followed by assigning non-binary scales to the edges of the derived graph. The second class is novel and is based on the so-called graph cover of a non-binary protograph: the original protograph has fixed edge scalings and copy-and-permute operations are applied to the edge-weighted protograph. The second class is arguably more restrictive, but in turn it offers simpler design and implementation. We provide design and construction of these non-binary codes for short block-lengths. Performance, cycle distribution and the minimum distance of the binary image of selected codes over AWGN is provided for information block-lengths as low as 64 bits.


The design and analysis of buildings includes many aspects such as resilience, energy, water, occupant experience, and operations and maintenance. In relation to climate analyses alone, specialized techniques are being developed to study past climate, leverage real-time weather information, plan for forecasted climate, tackle microclimate effects, and the like. Some advanced automation workflows employ non-traditional simulation engines using targeted reduced order modeling techniques. Although these workflows are evolving at a rapid pace, climate data models have not kept up with them. When simulation tools were developed, many implemented dissimilar climate information models, resulting in competing formats. So, while engine-neutral data is sometimes represented using mutually incompatible data structures and data dictionaries, other types of climate information may be unavailable because these files are restricted to inputs supported by their respective simulation engines. Also, the separate distribution of statistical data such as design day information, climate zones classification, etc., is a frequent source of design and analysis inconsistency. This paper demonstrates why a standard definition is necessary for climate information to implement intelligent automation workflows and to take advantage of contemporary computing techniques.


This paper proposes a concise concept for quantifying the shear/torsional stiffness of the laminated glass beams experimentally by introducing the Equivalent-Sectional Shear Modulus (ESSM), that is directly measured from the torque and sectional-rotation correlation with the torsion test and tailor-made photogrammetry technique. The advantage of this method is originated from the concept of measuring the overall rotation to torque response of a laminated glass beam altogether rather than the component individually. This eliminates the uncertainties of analytical approximations that are commonly adopted by most existing methods in which the composite shear/torsion stiffness is derived from its component mechanical properties. The photogrammetry technique increased the accuracy of the sectional rotation measurement by acquiring dense displacement sample points on the glass beam simultaneously. The accuracy of the photogrammetry setup and efficacy of the test design were proven by a micrometre and a monolithic glass beam test. One sample each for the polyvinyl butyral (PVB) and SentryGlas Plus (SGP) laminated glass beams were tested multiple times non-destructively to determine the ESSM. The result of the SGP laminated glass beam showed a closer agreement with the previous studies, however the result of the PVB laminated glass beam exhibited a larger difference from the previous studies. It also suggested that mechanical properties of the interlayer played an important role in the composite behaviour of the laminated glass beam. The experimental outcomes have demonstrated the proposed method is an accurate and effective technique for measuring the ESSM of laminated glass beams.


This study examines the efforts of PAI teachers in improving student religiosity. This study aims to determine the efforts of PAI teachers in improving student religiosity, supporting and inhibiting factors and giving solutions to overcome the inhibiting factors of PAI teachers in improving student religiosity. This study uses a qualitative research method through descriptive analysis. The results of the study could be concluded that there are some efforts made by PAI teachers in improving student religiosity including: providing guidance to all students to always worship and have morality, helping students with less religious knowledge, providing good examples for students, motivating students to actively perform worship and evaluate every activity. From the efforts made by PAI teachers, students coud be more diligent in conducting worship and having morality in accordance with the teachings of Islam. Supporting factors for teachers are internal factors, namely the teachers themselves; and external factors namely the existence of professional and qualified teachers who carry out their obligations properly, the existence of infrastructure supporting religious activities and the support from other teachers and all existing staff at school. Inhibiting factors for teachers include different student backgrounds and the environment or relationships that can affect students. The solution is to work with other teachers and students' parents so that they could supervise them.


PURPOSE To evaluate the duration-dependent and synergetic impact of high-intensity light (HL) and optical refocus (RF) on lens-induced myopia (LIM) development in chickens. METHODS Myopia was induced in one eye in chicks (10 groups, n=126) from day 1 post- hatching (D1) until D8 using -10D lenses. Fellow eyes remained uncovered as controls. Nine groups were exposed daily to continuous 2 hours (h), 4h, or 6h of either HL (15,000 lux); RF (removal of -10D lens); or both (HL+RF). One group served as the LIM group without any interventions. Ocular axial length (AL), refractive error, and choroidal thickness were measured on D1, D4, and D8. Outcome measures are expressed as inter-ocular difference (IOD= experimental - control eye) ±SEM. RESULTS By D8, LIM increased AL (0.36±0.04 mm), myopic refraction (-9.02±0.37D), and choroidal thinning (-90.27±16.44 µm) in the LIM group (all, P<0.001). Compared to the LIM group, exposure to 2h, 4h, or 6h of HL, RF, or HL+RF reduced myopic refraction in a duration-dependent manner, with RF being more effective than HL (P<0.05). Only 6h of HL+RF (not 2h or 4h) prevented LIM and was more effective than RF (P=0.004) or HL (P<0.001) in reducing myopic refraction, and more effective than HL (P<0.001) in reducing axial elongation. CONCLUSION Daily exposure to 2h, 4h, or 6h of HL, RF, or HL+RF reduced lens-induced myopic refraction in a duration-dependent manner in chickens. Only 6h of HL+RF completely stopped LIM development. The synergetic effect of HL and RF is dependent on the duration of the interventions.