The alpha and beta subunits of the phycobiliprotein, phycoerythrin, isolated from the filamentous blue-green alga, Fremyella diplosiphon, have been separated by chromatography on Bio-Rex 70 ion exchange resin. Analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis shows no detectable cross-contamination of these subunit preparations. The molar extinction coefficients at 552 nm of the alpha and beta subunits in 8 M urea are 25,549 and 48,456, respectively. The amino acid compositions of the subunits are very similar. Molecular weights of the alpha and beta subunits are 19,500 and 21,700, respectively, based on the amino acid composition analyses. Antisera prepared against the alpha subunit reacts with the beta subunit, and vice versa. Tryptic peptide maps reveal that the subunits share share at least eight common tryptic peptides. These results indicate that the phycoerythrin subunits are chemically very similar.


The aim of this study is to analyse the initial allocation of immigrants to Sweden 19672005 by gender in a regional perspective. Vacancies, unemployment and labour market participation as well as geographical areas with many previous immigrants are included in the analysis as pull-factors. A multivariate cross-section OLS regression model will be used to estimate the relative initial regional distribution of immigrants in Sweden in 1967, 1975, 1990 and 2005 by gender. The chosen method enables to control for a subset of explanatory variables and examine the effect of a selected independent variable when estimating the regional pullfactors to immigration. This study uses data collected from Statistics Sweden (SCB) and the National Labour Market Board (AMS). The data used is regional macro data, which does not contain information on single individuals.


An Acholeplasma laidlawii variant has been isolated that has a REP- phenotype. The properties of this variant, relative to parental cells, are: (i) it exhibits no change in cell growth kinetics; (ii) it does not propagate single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) mycoplasmaviruses but does propagate double-stranded DNA mycoplasmaviruses; (iii) it converts parental circular single-stranded mycoplasmavirus DNA to double-stranded replicative forms that are not replicated further; (iv) it exhibits no change in host modification and restriction; and (v) it has an increased ultraviolet light sensitivity. The REP- isolate is the first stable mycoplasma variant to which a physiological defect has been attributed.


In this study, a new adaptive synchronized tracking control approach is developed for the operation of multiple robotic manipulators in the presence of uncertain kinematics and dynamics. In terms of the system synchronization and adaptive control, the proposed approach can stabilize position tracking of each robotic manipulator while coordinating its motion with the other robotic manipulators. On the other hand, the developed approach can cope with kinematic and dynamic uncertainties. The corresponding stability analysis is presented to lay a foundation for theoretical understanding of the underlying issues as well as an assurance for safely operating real systems. Illustrative examples are bench tested to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. In addition, to face the challenging issues, this study provides an exemplary showcase with effectively to integrate several cross boundary theoretical results to formulate an interdisciplinary solution.


Cathepsin E belongs to the third class of enzymes - hydrolases, a subclass of peptide bond hydrolases and a sub-subclass of endopeptidases with aspartic catalytic sites. Cathepsin E is an endopeptidase with substrate specificity similar to that of cathepsin D. In a human organism, cathepsin E occurs in: erythrocytes, thymus, dendritic cells, epithelial M cells, microglia cells, Langerhans cells, lymphocytes, epithelium of gastrointestinal tract, urinary bladder, lungs, osteoclasts, spleen and lymphatic nodes. In human cells, loci of the gene of pre-procathepsin E are located on chromosome 1 in the region 1231-32. The catalytic site of cathepsin E is two residues of aspartic acid - Asp96 and Asn281, occurring in amino acid triads with sequences DTG96-98 and DTG281-283. To date, no particular role of cathepsin E in the metabolism of proteins in normal tissues has been found. However, it is known that there are many documented pathological conditions in which overexpression of cathepsin E occurs.


The ability to monitor water temperature is important for assessing changes in riverine ecosystems resulting from climate warming. Direct in situ water temperature collection efforts provide point samples but are cost-prohibitive for characterizing stream temperatures across large spatial scales, especially for small, remote streams. In contrast, satellite thermal infrared imagery may provide a spatially extensive means of monitoring riverine water temperatures; however, researchers do not have a good understanding of the accuracy of these remotely sensed temperatures for small streams. Here, we investigated the utility of Landsat 8 thermal infrared imagery and both local and regional environmental variables to estimate subsurface temperatures in high-latitude small streams (2–30 m wetted width) from a test watershed in southcentral Alaska. Our results suggested that Landsat-based surface temperatures were biased high, and the degree of bias varied with hydrological and meteorological factors. However, with limited in-stream validation work, results indicated it is possible to reconstruct average in situ water temperatures for small streams at regional scales using a regression modelling framework coupled with publicly available Landsat or air temperature information. Generalized additive models built from stream stage information from a single gage and air temperatures from a single weather station in the drainage fit to a limited set of in situ temperature recordings could estimate average stream temperatures at the watershed level with reasonable accuracy (root mean square error = 2.4°C). Landsat information did track closely with regional air temperatures and we could also incorporate it into a regression model as a substitute for air temperature to estimate in situ stream temperatures at watershed scales. Importantly, however, while average watershed-scale stream temperatures may be predictable, site-level estimates did not improve with the use of Landsat information or other local covariates, indicating that additional information may be necessary to generate accurate spatially explicit temperature predictions for small order streams.


Red Book Challenge Conservation Education Madagascar is a small‐scale, arts‐based, conservation education initiative founded in 2012 by two Lemur catta researchers working in the Berenty Reserve and incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 2022. The target demographic is children and adults living in Southern Madagascar. The Red Book Challenge program initially consisted of providing supplementary conservation education through classroom visits at the elementary schools in Berenty village. The school children created small conservation booklets with red covers, giving the project its name. Today, the program has expanded to include the village of Besakoa Ambany and the city of Fort Dauphin, while remaining a small‐scale program. To date, the Red Book Challenge has completed seven outreach projects aimed at generating goodwill in the local community, community development, and conservation education. This retrospective analysis functions as a formative evaluation of the feasibility of future projects. This paper will focus on four projects that fall under the category of conservation education: (1) Using films to promote conservation topics (2) field trips to observe lemurs (3) a Malagasy‐run conservation club, and (4) a coloring book. These projects have been funded through small grants from the International Conservation Fund of Canada, and private donations. This paper includes the Red Book Challenge's history, results from the participant surveys, and the successes and failures in each stage of our work. Six shifts in thinking occurred: (1) use of Malagasy talent to create educational conservation films (2) more formal assessment before and after field trips (3) improvement of recruitment, training and supervision of staff to keep the conservation club self‐sufficient (4) enlistment of Malagasy illustrators and adaptation of environmentally friendly printing practices for the coloring books (5) disseminate study outcomes to international community though publication (6) reframe the program from spare‐time volunteer work to full‐time research work.


In this contribution we present a high dynamic range CMOS image sensor for automotive applications. It exhibits a 256 × 256 pixel resolution and a dynamic range of almost 120 dB despite linear readout characteristics. The sensor has been fabricated in 1µm standard CMOS technology and occupies an area of 90.0mm2.


Abstract At Nant-y-Garth Pass, the A525 Wrexham to Ruthin Road is susceptible to undermining due to the scouring action of an adjacent fast-flowing stream. Concealed scour cavities were suspected following manual probing but the full threat posed to the integrity of the carriageway and to the safety of road users remained uncertain. Ground penetrating radar was used along a 350 m stretch of the highway to investigate the number and extent of scour holes beneath the carriageway. The survey identified extensive subsurface voiding with distinct anomalies associated with shallow cavities measuring up to 9 m long by 0.2 m high and extending as far as the centre of the road. More subdued radar features were interpreted as scoured pockets where fine-grained debris had been washed out and the remaining material had been disturbed and loosened. The results provided a basis for prioritizing countermeasures designed to repair the highway foundations and ensure the public safety.


Differential interference contrast (DIC) light microscopy is a technique which produces impressive 3D-like images of unstained specimens. The shadowing effects of the technique are remarkable, yet often misunderstood. The additional components required to enable DIC observation on a research-level microscope are precisionmade and expensive, so DIC is often overlooked in favour of the more common phase contrast technique. This article provides an overview of DIC microscopy, including guidelines for setting up the system correctly.


A variety of experiments suggest that membrane proteins are important targets of anesthetic molecules, and that ion channels interact differently with anesthetics in their open and closed conformations. The availability of an open and a closed structural model for the KirBac1.1 potassium channel has made it possible to perform a comparative analysis of the interactions of anesthetics with the same channel in its open and closed states. To this end, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations supplemented by normal mode analysis have been employed to probe the interactions of the inhalational anesthetic halothane with both an open and closed conformer of KirBac1.1 embedded in a lipid bilayer. Normal mode analysis on the closed and open channel, in the presence and absence of halothane, reveals that the anesthetic modulates the global as well as the local dynamics of both conformations differently. In the case of the open channel, the observed reduction of flexibility of residues in the inner helices suggests a functional modification action of anesthetics on ion channels. In this context, preferential quenching of the aromatic residue motion and modulation of global dynamics by halothane may be seen as steps toward potentiating or favoring open state conformations. These molecular dynamics simulations provide the first insights into possible specific interactions between anesthetic molecules and ion channels in different conformations.


To reveal the temporal and spatial utilization of a preferred nursery ground habitat by 0-group turbot and flounder in the Baltic Sea, sampling was conducted in six sandy bays in early-mid June to early-mid September 2003-2005 off the cost of Gotland (ICES SD 27 & 28-2). Settlement and peak abundance of turbot occurred from late July-early August to early September and from mid August to early September, respectively. Settlement of flounder occurred from early-mid-July with decreasing numbers over time, except in 2005. Peak abundance of 0-group flounder occurred in late July-ealy August to mid September, suggesting a considerable temporal overlap with 0-group turbot. 0-group turbot and flounder also overlapped in respect to depth with preferences for 0.2 and 0.6 m over 1 m. The spatial and temporal overlap of the species was verified by a logistic regression analysis; the probability of sampling 0-group flounder when 0-group turbot was caught in a haul was 0.84 (0.80-0.87, 95% CI).


IP multicast shows very strong advantage in the group communication services. But to deploy IP multicast in the current Internet, every IP routers must be changed into multicast enabled ones and several deployment issues should be solved. So theses problems prevent IP multicast mechanism from being deployed in IP world. And these problems give a good reason why today's group communication uses replicated IP unicast mechanism instead of IP multicast. Recently an overlay multicast is proposed as an alternative method of IP multicast. We propose a framework as an application-layer way to provide end-to-end multicast services over IP-network environment. In this paper we define the basic concepts of relayed multicast scheme, data delivery models, service scenarios and some test issues of RMCP as well as implementation and test on APAN


Increasing crop productivity to meet rising demands for food and energy, but doing so in an environmentally sustainable manner, is one of the greatest challenges for agriculture to date. In Ireland, Miscanthus × giganteus has the potential to become a major feedstock for bioenergy production, but the economic feasibility of its cultivation depends on high yields. Miscanthus fields can have a large number of gaps in crop cover, adversely impacting yield and hence economic viability. Predominantly positive effects of Miscanthus on biodiversity reported from previous research might be attributable to high crop patchiness, particularly during the establishment phase. The aim of this research was to assess crop patchiness on a field scale and to analyse the relationship between Miscanthus yield and species richness and abundance of selected taxa of farmland wildlife. For 14 Miscanthus fields at the end of their establishment phase (4–5 years after planting), which had been planted either on improved grassland (MG) or tilled arable land (MT), we determined patchiness of the crop cover, percentage light penetration (LP) to the lower canopy, Miscanthus shoot density and height, vascular plants and epigeic arthropods. Plant species richness and noncrop vegetation cover in Miscanthus fields increased with increasing patchiness, due to higher levels of LP to the lower canopy. The species richness of ground beetles and the activity density of spiders followed the increase in vegetation cover. Plant species richness and activity density of spiders on both MT and MG fields, as well as vegetation cover and activity density of ground beetles on MG fields, were negatively associated with Miscanthus yield. In conclusion, positive effects of Miscanthus on biodiversity can diminish with increasing productivity. This matter needs to be considered when assessing the relative ecological impacts of developing biomass crops in comparison with other land use.


This paper did a system study on current situation and existing problems of manufacturing supplier management.From the beginning of necessity analysis of supplier management,the paper further elaborated supplier relationship management,then applied the basic theories and methods of supplier management to analyze vendor category of manufacturing company,evaluation and selection of supplier,creation of supplier motivation mode,specific recommendations of supplier risk prevention measures and supplier control.On this basis,the paper analyzed several current major supplier management models for manufacturing company.At last,the model selection principle was given through the contrast.


Background: Adjuvant radiation after breast conserving surgery (BCS) remains the standard of care for management of patients with early-stage breast cancer (ESBC). Whole breast irradiation (WBI) after lumpectomy for ESBC has demonstrated a 50% reduction in the 10-year rate of recurrence (ROR). NSABP B-39 determined that accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI) was effective at reducing the ROR by treating ESBC directly at the tumor bed and that a rigorous course of WBI may not be necessary in select patients. In this study, we determined the impact of genomics and tumor biology on the decision to escalate or de-escalate therapies and on subsequent outcomes beyond anatomic staging for APBI patients. Methods: This analysis included 91 patients with biopsy confirmed invasive ESBC treated with BCS followed by APBI intracavitary brachytherapy at a dose of 34.0 Gy in 10 fractions from 2007 to 2018 who received either MammaPrint (MP) or Oncotype DX (ODx) testing. Clinicopathological risk assessment was performed using MINDACT criteria for clinical guidelines to classify patients as either clinical low risk (CLR) or clinical high risk (CHR). MP stratified patients into either MP Low Risk (MLR) or MP High Risk (MHR). ODx was used with TAILORx-defined cutoffs to stratify patients into either ODx Low Risk (OLR), which is women >50 years of age with HR+, HER2-negative, node-negative breast cancer, Recurrence Score (RS) of 0 to 25 or ODx High Risk (OHR), RS 26-100. If both methods were concordant, the genomic test could not be determined to have impacted the treatment decision. Clinical utility was established in discordant cases when the genomic test guided treatment. Differences in overall survival (OS) were assessed by Kaplan Meier analysis and log-rank test. Relevant clinical data was abstracted from the electronic medical record. Results: Patients (n=91) were 60% CLR and 40% CHR. Of the CLR patients with MP testing, 36% reclassified as MHR; 25% of these (3/12) omitted chemotherapy (CT) despite the discordant result, one of whom (33%) had a local recurrence within 0.25 years of follow-up (FU). Of CHR patients, 54% were MHR, 62% of whom received CT in line with the CHR/MHR result. Of the CHR patients who reclassified as MLR (46%), 91% omitted CT from treatment plans, in alignment with MP results. There were no distant or local recurrences or deaths to date in these groups. About 96% of CLR patients were OLR with 2 events (BC related death). One patient that reclassified as OHR omitted CT despite a discordant CLR/OHR result and has not had a recurrence within 3.9 years of FU. Of the CHR patients who reclassified as OLR (83%), 90% omitted CT in alignment with ODx results; 22% of whom had distant metastases and subsequent death within 1.1 years of FU. Conclusion: 9/11 (82%) of Oncotype discordant patients followed the genomic test recommendation, of whom 22% could not safely do so without impairing outcome. 19/23 (83%) of MammaPrint discordant patients all safely followed this genomic test recommendation. These data suggest that the addition of a genomic signature may allow de-escalation of radiotherapy to APBI even in select high risk patients, provided they follow the systemic therapy recommended by the genomic test result. Citation Format: Roberto Diaz, Matthew N Mills, Ronica H Nanda, Lisa L Stout, Scott Dube, Taghrid A Altoos, Jason P Wilson, Kathleen G Allen, Jolanta L Baginski, Peter W Blumencranz. Clinical utility of genomic testing for early stage breast cancer patients treated with APBI brachytherapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS15-18.


It is substantiated that spin is a notion associated with the group of internal symmetry that is tightly connected with the geometrical structure of spacetime. The wave equation for the description of a particle with spin one half is proposed. On this ground it is shown that the spin of electron is exhibited through the quantum number and accordingly the Dirac equation describes properties of particles with the projection of spin~=2: On the contrary, we put forward the conjecture that the spin of the quark cannot be considered as a quantum number, but only as an origin of a non-abelian gauge eld. The reason is that the quark and electron from physical, geometrical and group-theoretical points of view dier from each other. It is from such deep reason understanding quark-lepton symmetry and such important phenomena as quark connement is important.


Recent research by the Tyndall Centre in the UK has suggested that a 70% reduction in CO2 emissions will be required by 2030 to mitigate the worst impacts of global climate change. In the UK, approximately 11% of CO2 emissions are attributable to non-domestic buildings. Of the UK nondomestic stock that will be present in 2030, approximately 75% will have been constructed before 2005. Consequently, refurbishment of existing buildings is likely to strongly influence whether these emissions reduction targets are met. This paper catalogues interim research outcomes from a research project (TARBASE) whose aim is to identify technological pathways for delivering a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions of existing UK buildings by 2030. This investigation describes the approach as applied to the non-domestic sector. The approach taken was to describe a series of non-domestic building variants, chosen due to their prominence in the stock as a whole and also by their ability when taken together to describe the range of construction methods found in UK buildings. Technological interventions, grouped by building fabric, ventilation, appliances and on-site generation (of both heat and power) as applied to the building variants were investigated. Their applicability was determined with respect to energy and CO2 emission savings. Emerging research findings from the application of this deployment methodology to mitigation and adaptation strategies for the existing built environment are discussed.


In this study we report a facile synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles by green chemistry utilizing fresh lemon juice, zinc acetate and ethylene glycol. The prepared ZnO NPs were characterized using the analytical techniques viz. FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, DLS, FESEM and EDAX. The particles were found to be hexagonal wurtzite form having average particle size ~250 nm. The developed ZnO-NPs were checked for the photocatalytic degradation of artificial dye Methylene Blue under UV light irradiation at 365 nm and found to have photocatalytic degradation activity. A 25% reduction in intensity was
observed by just 30 mins of exposure.


The free maternal health program emanated after the realization that no woman must die while giving birth and no child must die while trying to live. It was an initiative also embarked upon by the government of Zimbabwe to reduce the burden of the poor and vulnerable women in the society as well as improve upon the living conditions of the citizens. As a government policy the essence of the program was to ensure easy access and utilization of antenatal care, delivery and post natal care services by women in rural areas at no cost.
The objectives of this study were to assess the extent to which women are embracing free maternal health, to assess the awareness level of women on free maternal health, to identify challenges that hinder women's access to free maternal health services and to identify what can be done to improve the uptake of free maternal health services.
In all, 23 respondents disaggregated as 18 maternal health clients and 5 service providers were purposively sampled for the study in Daluka ward. It further examined the awareness level of community about free maternal healthcare, challenges that hinder women from accessing this free service and ways of improving this service.
Findings of the study show that community is not aware of free maternal healthcare; the community is not fully aware of those areas covered by the free maternal healthcare program and that Daluka ward has more home deliveries. While there is increased attendance for ANC and deliveries, communities highlighted that this is more out of fear associated with home deliveries. Child welfare should make available resources and that the service providers should clear perceptions by disseminating maternal health information to women in the community through awareness campaigns and village health worker education.


Neurexins (NRXNs) are among the key presynaptic cell adhesion molecules that regulate synapse function and formation via trans-synaptic interaction with postsynaptic ligands. Here, we generated cerebellar granule cell (CGC)-specific Nrxn triple-knockout (TKO) mice to allow the deletion of all NRXNs. Unexpectedly, most CGCs died in these mice. The requirement of NRNXs for cell survival was reproduced in cultured CGCs. We showed that the axons of cultured Nrxn TKO CGCs that were not in contact with the postsynaptic structure had defects in the formation of presynaptic protein cluster and action potential-induced Ca2+ influx. Additionally, these cells were impaired in the secretion from axons of depolarization-induced fluorescence-tagged brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and the cell-survival defect was rescued by the application of BDNF. Our results suggest that CGC survival is maintained by autocrine neurotrophic factors, and that NRXNs organize the presynaptic protein clusters and the autocrine neurotrophic factor secretory machinery independent of contact with postsynaptic ligands.


Regimes are often preoccupied with maintaining their credibility. Great powers wish to convey to their allies the impression that they are not only strong but reliable. In limited adversary relationships, credibility is viewed as a resource to perpetuate and develop the more co-operative aspects of a fragile relationship. During war time, during the Cold War, or in other sharply adversarial relationships, leaders have an interest in conveying to their rivals a sense of what they consider important. Regimes also cherish credibility as part of their own self-image. There is yet another, more paradoxical, reason why credibility is valued: it can be used as a resource to achieve deception. On the occasions when statements are meant to deceive, the effort will not be effective if it is based on a reputation for thoroughgoing mendacity.


Chaotic maps represent an effective method for generating random-like sequences that combines the benefits of relying on simple, causal models with good unpredictability. Regrettably, such positive features are counterbalanced by the fact that statistics of true-implemented chaotic maps are generally strongly dependent on implementation errors and external perturbations. Here we study the effect of an external, additive, map-independent noise perturbation in the map model, and present a technique to guarantee, for a quite large class of maps, independence of the first-order statistics of the noise features.


Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.f. (TWHF) has a long history as a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herb that aids in treating inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The major bioactive component of TWHF is triptolide, which has been recognized to possess a broad spectrum of biological profiles including antiinflammatory, immunosuppressive, antifertility, and antitumor activities, as well as neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects. Limitation of triptolide, such as poor water solubility and severe systemic toxicity, has postponed clinical development and trials; however, the wide range of medicinal value of triptolide has been drawing intensive worldwide attention. In particular, triptolide has been shown to have significant effects on central nervous system (CNS) diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, spinal cord and brain injury, and multiple sclerosis. This review focuses on the potential therapeutic role of triptolide on CNS diseases, and discusses the structural features, potential modifications, and the other pharmacological activities of triptolide.


Beet vinasse (desugared, beet molasses) was co-eomposted with eaeh of three following solid agrieultural resídues: grape mare, olive press cake and the eotton gin lra~h. The eomposts were used to fertilize eorn. A treatment of mineral fertilizer was used for eomparison. Compost had no detrimental effeets on the growth pararneters and nutritional status 01' eorn. Compost treatments produeed yields (weight of grain) that were higher than those obtained for mineral fertilizers.


Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study at the gynecological ultrasound unit of a tertiary hospital, which included primipara women who performed a pelvic floor ultrasound (US) between January 2012 and January 2020. LAM avulsion was sought by 3D transperineally US, using tomographic imaging of the puborectalis portion of LAM, on the plane of minimal hiatal dimensions. A levator-uretra gap >25mm identified minor or major avulsion. Age, parity, type of delivery, newborn weight, clinical symptoms and history of pelvic surgery were assessed by clinical records. Results: A total of 224 women were included, with median age of 59 (24-90) years. Pelvic prolapse (25,9%) and stress urinary incontinence (18,3%) were the most frequent signs/symptoms. Most women (62%) had an eutocic delivery, followed by forceps (21,4%), Caesarean (11,6%) and vacuum (4,9%) extraction. Avulsion of LAM was detected in 42,8%, however this rate was significantly more frequent with forceps (83,3%), followed by eutocic (36,7%)/vacuum extraction (36,4%) and less frequent in Caesarean section, where this event was almost absent (3,8%; p < 0,001). Globally, the most frequent type of lesion was bilateral major avulsion (13,8%), followed by unilateral major (11,2%) and bilateral minor avulsion (7,1%). A subjective impression of a thinner puborectalis portion was noted in 16% of non-avulsion cases. Unilateral lesions were mainly on right sided of the body (68% vs 32%, p < 0,001). At multivariate logistic regression, age and type of delivery appear independently associated to LAM avulsion (p = 0,026). Conclusions: Our results suggest that, in primipara women, a positive association exists between forceps and LAM avulsion, while Caesarean appears to be protective. The most frequent type of lesion is bilateral major avulsion and right sided unilateral lesions are more frequent than left ones.


Objectives: To find the child sex ratio in the urban slum and elite area of Nagpur and also to compare child sex ratio according to birth order and sex of previous born child. Methods: The study involved house to house interview of mothers of 0-6 years children from urban slum and elite area of Nagpur city . Information regarding all children born in last 6 years, their date of birth, birth order , sex, interval between two births and information regarding any abortions were noted. Results: Child sex ratio was 934 females per 1000 males combined for both areas. Child sex ratio was significantly low (P<0.05) in elite area (904 females per 1000 males) compared to slum area (964 females per 1000 males). Child sex ratio was highest for Hindus (1051 in slum area and 975 in elite area) and lowest for others (778 in slum area and 375 in elite area). Child sex ratio decreases, as education of mother increases, except when mother was graduate or postgraduate for both areas combined upto birth orders three, child sex ratio was 941 females per 1000 males (981 for slum area and 904 for elite area). In elite area, for the second birth order , number of males was significantly higher than females, when first-born child was female (P<0.05). There was significant difference between number of males and females of second birth order , wh n the first-born child was male compared to when it was female (P<0.001). Conclusion: There is missing of girl child form the second and subsequent birth order , especially when the previous born child is female, which is more evident in elite area.


The NADH:quinone oxidoreductase (complex I) from Escherichia coli acts as a primary Na+ pump. Expression of a C-terminally truncated version of the hydrophobic NuoL subunit (ND5 homologue) from E. coli complex I resulted in Na+-dependent growth inhibition of the E. coli host cells. Membrane vesicles containing the truncated NuoL subunit (NuoLN) exhibited 2–4-fold higher Na+ uptake activity than control vesicles without NuoLN. Respiratory proton transport into inverted vesicles containing NuoLN decreased upon addition of Na+, but was not affected by K+, indicating a Na+-dependent increase of proton permeability of membranes in the presence of NuoLN. The His-tagged NuoLN protein was solubilized, enriched by affinity chromatography, and reconstituted into proteoliposomes. Reconstituted His6-NuoLN facilitated the uptake of Na+ into the proteoliposomes along a concentration gradient. This Na+ uptake was prevented by EIPA (5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl)-amiloride), which acts as inhibitor against Na+/H+ antiporters.


Quality of Service (QoS) requirements are possible with actual transmission of updates for wireless applications typically included in mission critical applications such as military use or disaster recovery. This research paper proposes an efficient Secure Quality Oriented Distributed (S-QOD) Secure Enhanced Adaptive 3 Acknowledgment (S-EA3ACK) and implements a new on-demand wireless intrusion detection system. S-QOD can improve a best performance of output quality (QoS) to reduce transmission delay, transmission time and also increase network communication throughput for S-EA3ACK using Enhanced Adaptive Acknowledgement (EAACK) DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm) with MAJE4 symmetric cryptography specially designed for MANET through Network Simulator-2.34 (NS2) to implement it.


BACKGROUND
Although IVF treatments using cryopreserved embryos are offered by most infertility centres, little is known about patients' opinions regarding treatment using these embryos. The objective of this study is to describe how patients think about (treatment with) cryopreserved embryos.

METHODS
In-depth interviews based on the method of interpretative phenomenological analysis were conducted with patients undergoing IVF/ICSI treatment at the Department of Reproductive Medicine of the Ghent University Hospital between May and July 2006. Seven couples (one couple considered as one participant) and 11 female patients who attended the clinic without their partner were interviewed.

RESULTS
Most participants knew little about medical-technical procedures involved in treatment with cryopreserved embryos. This was compensated by a high confidence in the medical team. However, seven of the eighteen participants thought the quality of cryopreserved embryos diminished during the storage period. A lack of knowledge about medical-technical procedures was compensated by metaphors related to other domains of experience, especially kitchen metaphors: this might add to the belief that frozen embryos have an expiry date. However, none of the patients who considered treatment with cryopreserved embryos as less effective ever thought of refusing this type of treatment or discussed this with medical staff. In addition, patients rarely discussed the moral status of their cryopreserved embryos.

CONCLUSIONS
The beliefs of infertile patients about (the effectiveness of treatment with) cryopreserved embryos encompass misconceptions, and doubts and fears which may influence their decision-making but which are seldom discussed with the medical staff.


Cardiovascular reactivity before and after 30 minutes and 20 hr Angiotensin infusions (40 ng/kg/min) has been studied in 26 male Wistar rats. Control responses to Tyramine (T) (0.05, 0.1 MG). Angiotensin (A) 10, 40, 160 ng), Norepinephrine (NE)(25, 100, 400 ng) and Renin (R)(0.05 G.U.) were obtained in the conscious animals with chronic cannulas in the aorta and jugular vein. Pressor responses to the same vasoactive agents were obtained immediately after A infusions. Similar 5% dextrose infusions were performed as controls. Results showed that pressor responses to T and A were significantly increased after 30 minutes A infusion and even more after 20 h infusion. Pressor responses to NE increase significantly only at the intermediate dose (100 ng) after 20 hr infusion. Response to R was potentiated by A infusion after 30 minutes and 20 hr. Dextrose infusions did not produce any significant changes in pressor responses.


OBJECTIVE
The objective was to test the prospective association between prenatal maternal circulatory responses to a standardized psychologic challenge and birth outcome.

STUDY DESIGN
We examined the relationship between blood pressure responses to a cognitive arithmetic stressor and birth outcome in 40 healthy primigravid women. Pregnant women between 18 and 37 years old were recruited from the University of Kentucky Prenatal Service Clinic for participation. All women performed an interactive arithmetic task while maternal heart rate and blood pressures were determined. Subsequent birth outcome parameters of birth weight and gestational age were obtained for prospective analyses.

RESULTS
Results indicated that maternal systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rates were significantly increased during the arithmetic task (p < or = 0.01). Regression analyses suggested that women with larger diastolic blood pressure responses during stress had infants with lower birth weights (p < 0.01) and decreased gestational age (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
This effect was specific to psychologic stress reactivity and was not related to maternal age, maternal race, baseline blood pressures, the trimester of stress testing, nor expired carbon monoxide. The relationship between maternal blood pressure response and birth outcome may reflect the transplacental impact of individual differences in systemic stress responsivity.


UNLABELLED
We propose a likelihood ratio test (LRT) with Bartlett correction in order to identify Granger causality between sets of time series gene expression data. The performance of the proposed test is compared to a previously published bootstrap-based approach. LRT is shown to be significantly faster and statistically powerful even within non-Normal distributions. An R package named gGranger containing an implementation for both Granger causality identification tests is also provided.

AVAILABILITY
http://dnagarden.ims.u-tokyo.ac.jp/afujita/en/doku.php?id=ggranger.


This work studies the identification of errors-in-variables (EIV) systems. An asymptotic method (ASYM) is developed for the EIV system. The ASYM is to start with a high order model estimation and then to perform a frequency domain weighted model reduction. Firstly when applying the high order ARX (autoregressive with external input) model estimation procedure, a consistent ARX model estimation method of EIV systems is applied. The asymptotic variance expression of the estimated high order ARX model is derivated which forms the basis of the ASYM. Simulations are used to illustrate the performance of the ASYM for EIV systems.


Aims. Fundamental properties of the extinction curve, like the slope in the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) and the presence/absence of a broad absorption excess centred at 2175 A (the UV bump), are investigated for a sample of 108 massive, star-forming galaxies at 1 < z < 2.5, selected from the FDF Spectroscopic Survey, the K20 survey, and the GDDS. Methods. These characteristics are constrained from a parametric description of the UV spectral energy distribution (SED) of a galaxy, as enforced by combined stellar population and radiative transfer models for different geometries, dust/stars configurations, and dust properties. Results. In at least one third of the sample, there is a robust evidence for extinction curves with at least a moderate UV bump. The presence of the carriers of the UV bump is more evident in galaxies with UV SEDs suffering from heavy reddening. We interpret these results as follows. The sample objects possess different mixtures of dust grains and molecules producing extinction curves in between the average ones of the Small and Large Magellanic Cloud, where the UV bump is absent or modest, respectively. Most of the dust embeds the UV-emitting stellar populations or is distributed out of the galaxy mid-plane. Alternatively, even dust with a pronounced UV bump, as for the average Milky-Way extinction curve, can be present and distributed in the galaxy mid-plane. In this case, variations of the continuum scattering albedo with wavelength or an age-dependent extinction are not sufficient to explain the previous trend with reddening. Hence, additional extraplanar dust has to be invoked. The data suggest that the carriers of the UV bump are associated with intermediate-age stellar populations, while they survive in the harshest UV-radiation fields owing to dust self-shielding. Conclusions. The existence of different extinction curves implies that different patterns of evolution and reprocessing of dust exist at high redshift. Ignoring this may produce a non-negligible uncertainty on the star-formation rate estimated from the rest-frame UV.


INTRODUCTION
Inflammation of the middle ear is the most common illness among children. It is commonly recurrent by its nature, causing transient or long-term hearing reduction. From the clinical aspect, the problem of recrudescence and chronicity of childhood otitis media is enormous. There are controversies and nonuniformities in defining the cause, conservative and surgical treatment, prevention, mostly due to morphofunctional specificities and dynamic developmental features of the tubotympanomastoid complex. Some open questions are as follows: is recurrent otitis media in childhood really recurrent, or we are dealing with clinical manifestations of exacerbation of the chronic process (chronic from the very beginning), which are the factors predisposing and/or reflecting inflammatory processes in the middle ear, which are the potentials of real clinical practice, which are the modalities of prevention of inflammatory processes in the middle ear in children, is there a parallelism between the real clinical, therapeutic practice and current knowledge of the etiopathogenesis of otitis media in children?

DISCUSSION
This study reviews current knowledge and identifies potential etiopathogenetic factors in the development of inflammatory processes of the tubotympanomastoid complex. Special attention was given to external predisposing factors, as well as internal factors which include genetic, immunobiochemical, factors of increased adherence of pathogens and Eustachian tube dysfunction. The study also deals with the potentials of diagnostic morphofunctional procedures, as well as modalities of the real clinical practice.

CONCLUSION
An open question remains with regard to the parallelism between real clinical therapeutic potentials and state-of-the-art knowledge, as well as the role of preventive procedures in the field of inflammatory processes of the tubotympanic complex in children.


In this report we propose a new recursive matrix formulation of limited memory variable metric methods. This approach can be used for an arbitrary update from the Broyden class (and some other updates) and also for the approximation of both the Hessian matrix and its inverse. The new recursive formulation requires approximately $4 m n$ multiplications and additions per iteration, so it is comparable with other efficient limited memory variable metric methods. Numerical experiments concerning Algorithm 1, proposed in this report, confirm its practical efficiency.


The article deals with the quality of structural steel supplied by metallurgical enterprises. It is shown that the pipes made of steel 20, used in the oil and gas industry, contain structurally free cementite in the structure, often in the form of a grid (points 4 and 5 according to GOST 5640–68). This structure is the cause of faulty production: the subsequent cold treatment pressure formed sags on the surface of the product, and there is a violation of the continuity of the material up to the formation of through cracks. Formation of structurally-free cementite in steel 40KHN2MA with structure of the top bainite which was formed at violation of regulations of heat treatment of a semi-finished product is also found. When nitriding with heating to 490 ° C and holding at this temperature, there was a decay of bainite with the formation of tertiary cementite along the grain boundaries. Discussed the possibility of culling the poor quality of delivery at the consumer. It is also noted that many enterprises have now abolished entrance control, which has the most negative consequences both in terms of product quality and safety, especially in the oil and gas industry.


The introduction of techniques for the manipulation of DNA in vitro has had an enormous impact on progress in every area of biological research. In the case of oral microbiology, the first reports on the application of molecular genetics to streptococci started to appear in the early 1980s, and it is now more than 10 years since the first paper describing cloning and expression of a gene from Streptococcus mutans in another bacterium was published. The purpose of this review is not to provide a resumé of all the work that has been done on the molecular biology of oral bacteria; indeed, we are approaching the stage when a comprehensive survey of work on all oral bacteria is no longer feasible--for instance, over 40 genes have now been cloned and sequenced from S. mutans alone--but rather to illustrate examples of how the new techniques have been applied to give novel approaches and insights into old problems, or expand into new directions. The great majority of published work so far relates to streptococci, and many aspects have been covered in previous review articles [Curtiss, 1985; Russell, 1991], the most recent thorough review being that by Kuramitsu [1993]. Discussion of molecular biology is now so all-pervasive that most readers will be familiar with many of the basic terms, but it may be worth clarifying some of the main points during the course of this article. For total novices, the short book by Brown [1990] forms a useful introduction. A number of recent articles have reviewed recent research on plaque formation [Kolenbrander and London, 1993] and the mutans streptococci in particular [Loesche, 1986], while Freedman et al. [1981] and Tanzer [1992] have summarised the information derived from a genetic approach to oral microbiology before the advent on in vitro manipulation of DNA.


Around the mid-1980s a substantial number of Chinese authors started to write, beyond national and linguistic boundaries, about their traumatic experience during the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966–1976). Jung Chang's Wild Swans (1991) is among the first and best-known titles in this emergent literary formation. Whether the memoirs are narrated by a former People's Liberation Army soldier, or a Red Guard, or an innocent subject drawn into the political vortex, their authors all assume the role of victims who bear witness to a China collapsing into an administered 'national madness'. Details of the brutalities of the Revolution presented in the memoirs resonate with the Western imagination of Maoist China. This article is a critical study of these memoirs. It explores the political and ethical implications of life writing in the post-Cold War era within the context of global capitalism. Given the cultural and political topicality of the Cultural Revolution as a subject for popular history writing in the West, the production of these memoirs, we argue, is occasioned and enabled by a specific set of geo-political conditions, whose temporal and spatial materiality defines and determines the use and pertinence of the memoirs.


Recently, a higher competition in logistics business introduces new challenges to the vehicle routing problem (VRP). Re-route planning, also known as dynamic VRP, is one of the important challenges. The re-route planning has to be performed when new customers request for deliveries while the delivery vehicles, i.e., trucks, are serving other customers. While the re-route planning has been studied in the literature, most of the existing works do not consider different uncertainties. Therefore, in this paper, we propose two systems, i.e., (i) an offline package pickup and delivery planning with stochastic demands (PDPSD) and (ii) a re-route package pickup and delivery planning with stochastic demands (Re-route PDPSD). Accordingly, we formulate the PDPSD system as a two-stage stochastic optimization. We then extend the PDPSD system to the Re-route PDPSD system with a re-route algorithm. Furthermore, we evaluate performance of the proposed systems by using the dataset from Solomon Benchmark suite and a real data from a Singapore logistics 1company. The results show that the PDPSD system can achieve the lower cost than that of the baseline model. In addition, the Re-route PDPSD system can help the supplier efficiently and successfully to serve more customers while the trucks are already on the road.


AIM--To study the serosal reaction in gastrectomy specimens with benign chronic peptic ulcers. METHODS--Gastrectomy specimens were fixed in neutral buffered formalin and paraffin wax, and examined using immunohistochemical and ultrastructural techniques. RESULTS--Nine of the 22 (41%) cases examined showed reactive hyperplasia of the serosal cells. The cells were predominantly spindle-shaped and were positive on staining with Cam 5.2, AE1/3 and for vimentin. Eight of nine were also positive for smooth muscle actin and five for desmin. Ultrastructural analysis of these cells suggests that they may be myofibroblastic in nature. CONCLUSIONS--These results support the concept of "multipotential" subserosal cells which may differentiate into surface serosa or, in the reactive state, modulate the thin cytoskeletal filaments and become more myofibroblastic. Particular care should be taken not to confuse these reactive serosal cells with carcinoma or smooth muscle tumours in endoscopic biopsy specimens.


According to the ancient Mayan Long Count calendar, a cycle of more than 5,000 years will come to fruition on the winter solstice of 2012. While this date is largely unknown among contemporary Maya, some participants in the New Age movement believe it will mark an apocalyptic global transformation. Hundreds of books and Internet sites speculate wildly about the 2012 date, but little of this conjecture has a factual basis in Mayan culture. This paper provides an overview of the primary currents in the 2012 phenomenon, examines their sources, and speculates about developments as this highly anticipated date approaches.


It is our pleasure to introduce the WoWMoM 2011's workshops program. The Workshops associated with WoWMoM feature a large range of topics beyond the main conference, to better cover and stimulate discussion on the emerging research areas in the exciting field of wireless, mobile and multimedia networks. As the integral part of the main conference, the purpose of the workshops is to provide a less formal and more focused forum where novel and stimulating ideas and experiences are shared among researchers both from industry and academia, on all the topics of interest for the wireless, mobile and multimedia networking community. The number and quality of the workshops contribute to the relevance of WoWMoM as one of the reference forums for the research community working on these topics.


Plants are like the pharmaceutical industry that provides products that have the potential as active medicinal ingredients. In order to search for compounds useful for health, the purpose of this study was to identify secondary metabolites of Curcuma mango (temu mango) growing in the experimental garden of Biopharmaca LPPM IPB and review its activity as antibacterial. Identification begins with phytochemical screening, then separation and purification by chromatographic techniques. Intersection mango simplicia was extracted with methanol, and the crude extract of methanol was partitioned with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol, respectively. The n-hexane soluble fraction was carried out by phytochemical tests, fractionation by vacuum liquid chromatography (KCV) and radial (KR), and the selected fractions was analyzed by LC-MS/MS. The results of the phytochemical test of the soluble n-hexane fraction showed a positive presence of alkaloids and terpenoids through successive tests with Mayer, Wagner, Dragendorff (alkaloid), and Lieberman-Burchard reagents. Fractionation of the n-hexane soluble fraction with KCV resulted in 9 fractions (H1-H9) and the H5 fraction showed good separation between spots in the n-hexane: ethyl acetate eluent mixture (97:3). Purification of H5 with KR obtained 7 fractions (H5.1-H5.7). Based on LC-MS/MS, the H5.2 fraction was dominated by the terpenoid group, and the results of the literature review showed the contribution of terpenoids as antibacterial compounds


In 1955, many babies who had drunk arsenic-tainted milk produced at the Tokushima Plant of the Morinaga Milk-Industry Company Ltd., suffered from serious poisoning. The number of victims ascertained in February, 1956 covering 27 prefectures in the western part of Japan was 12, 159, of whom 131 died.The disaster was caused by the process of manufacturing the powdered milk. Disodium phosphate was added as a stabilizer to make the milk easily soluble. This disodium phosphate was poorly purified, intended for non-food industrial use, and contained a toxic dose of arsenic, sodium arsenite and vanadium compounds etc.Shortly after the disaster, numerous medical reports were published. A committee organized by the Society for Child Health (the chairman was Prof. Nishizawa of Osaka University; so it was called the Nishizawa Committee), determined criteria for the diagnosis of the poisoning; but these criteria were inadequate and erroneous from several points of view. Strange to say, debates and publications about the disaster disappeared quickly after the report was published by the Health Department of Okayama Prefecture stating that the victims had recovered completely according to the criteria established by the Nishizawa Committee only one year after the disaster.Until 1969, when Prof. Maruyama et al., of Osaka University reported on victims whom they had visited, no study had been made to ascertain whether or not there were any after-effects of the poisoning. Much fault must be found with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, with the attitude of the Morinaga Company, and with the doctors concerned, for this neglect to follow-up such an unprecedented and large-scale disaster.In 1969, the authors managed to organize an epidemiological study group with several departments of Hiroshima University and the Department of Hygiene of Okayama University cooperating and have developed joint research on this disaster as follows:1. A follow-up survey was made among victims in Okayama Prefecture between December 1969 and April 1970. 214 people answered the questionnaire and 74 were given a medical examination.2. A prospective study was made on the basis of a questionnaire on clnical complaints collected at the time of the disaster in 1955.3. A comparative study was performed between the victims and their brothers and sisters.4. A comparative study was performed among handicapped children in institutions in Okayama Prefecture, who were born between January 1st, 1953 and December 31st, 1955. The children were divided into three groups, namely those who had consumed the arsenic-tainted milk, those who were brought up on different brands of powdered milk from different companies, and those fed only maternal milk.5. A comparative study was performed among all children born between January 1st, 1954 and December 31st, 1955 and brought up in Seno district in Hiroshima Prefecture which has a relatively stationary population and where good records had been kept of the physical growth and mental development of the children in the nursery, primary and junior high schools. The children were divided into the same three groups as mentioned above. This study was performed as a joint research project by the Departments of Public Health (Director: Prof. M. Tanaka), Orthopedics (Director: Prof. K. Tsuge), Ophthalmology (Director: Prof. T. Dodo) and Psychiatry and Neurology (Director: Prof. K. Sarai) of Hiroshima University Medical School and Deparment of Conservative Dentistry (Director: Prof. T. Inoue) of Hiroshima University Dental School, and Department of Hygiene (Director: Prof. M. Ohira) of Okayama University Medical School. All clinical examinations were conducted separately under the double blind method.6. The 124 cases of the children examined in the district of Senogawa town were discussed individually by the six medical doctors and five dentists who did the examinations.


ABSTRACT The pertinent literature was reviewed on cardiovascular changes induced by psychostimulant medication treatment of hyperactive children. An assessment of 15 controlled studies using test doses of methylphenidate revealed a significant elevation of the resting heart rate in previously unmedicated children (mean + 11 beats/min) but, with continued drug treatment, only a minor insignificant increase (mean + 4 BPM) is observed. Methylphenidate resulted in no consistent or clinically meaningful blood pressure changes (8 studies) and no EKG irregularities (4 studies). Available data for dextroamphetamine and pemoline were less extensive, but showed essentially no significant cardiovascular changes in hyperactive youth. Stimulant overdoses in nonhyperactive children often led to hypertension and tachycardia, but were associated with only one cardiovascular fatality (amphetamine). Comparable studies of these stimulants in adults revealed: (1) tachycardia and hypertension following high test doses of methylphenidate, (2) hypertension but no tachycardia following high test doses of dextroamphetamine, (3) far greater cardiovascular changes following the parenteral administration of stimulants, (4) the development of a prominent degree of tolerance to the cardiovascular effects of stimulants with continued use, (5) very infrequent cardiovascular changes (3%) in medically ill, older adults following stimulant treatment for depression, and (6) infrequent cardiomyopathy and arteritis in association with amphetamine abuse, but not with pemoline or methylphenidate use. The stimulant-induced changes in children are modest in comparison with changes in cardiovascular functioning associated with normal daily activities, and are not comparable to the risks that can occur with tricyclic antidepressants. There appears to be a wide margin of cardiovascular safety when standard psychostimulants are taken orally in customary doses for long periods by hyperactive children. In view of the numerous negative studies, it probably is not essential to monitor heart rate, blood pressure, or EKG prior to or during routine psychostimulant treatment of children and adolescents with ADHD, unless there are comorbid cardiovascular abnormalities.


The presence of a cyclic guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) phosphodiesterase in mutant Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae, deficient in cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) phosphodiesterase is demonstrated. This enzyme shows a high affinity for cGMP and is not affected by cAMP at concentrations of up to 0.3 mM. It is activated by Mg2+ and Mn2+, and displays no apparent heterogeneity. Biochemical analysis of wild-type amoebae revealed the presence of a cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase sharing several common characteristics with the enzyme of the mutant amoebae. From the evidence presented in this report, it is concluded that the cGMP and cAMP phosphodiesterases of D. discoideum are under separate genetic control.


The microbial skin microorganisms of healthy volunteer bathers before and after bathing in Southern Greece coastal areas was monitored. For semi-quantitative analysis, a pad technique was used. Regardless of the quality of bathing water no bather was colonised by faecal coliforms, faecal streptococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Aeromonas hydrophila on their skin. Fungal contamination of the skin of bathers showed a statistically significant increase (P=0.019) after bathing in polluted water. Staphylococci and aerobic bacterial levels varied before and after bathing. However the quality of water had no obvious effect on this variation. Keywords - Bathing, Skin flora.


Organizations invest significant portions of their budgets in fortifying information security. Nevertheless, the security threats by employees are still at large. We discuss methods to reduce security threats that are posed by employees in organization. This study finds antecedent factors that increases or decreases employee's compliance intention. Also, the study suggests organizations' security environmental factors which influences the antecedent factors of compliance intention. The structural equation model is then applied in order to verify this research model and hypothesis. Data were collected on 415 employees working in organizations with an implemented information security policy in South Korea. We analyzed the fitness and validity of the research model via confirmatory factor analysis in order to verify the research hypothesis, then we analyzed structural model, and derived the result. The result shows that organizational commitment and peer behavior increase security compliance intention of employees, while security system anxiety decreases compliance intention. And, organization's physical security system and security communication both have influence on antecedent factors for information security compliance of employees. Our findings help organizations to establish information security strategies that enhance employee security compliance intention.


Used to predict icy stretches of road during winter nights, thermal mapping is the measurement and visualisation of road surface temperatures for road ice prediction. From its development in the 1970s, the accuracy of thermal mapping has been subject to numerous systematic and random errors. One source of error is the effect of traffic, which is known to have a considerable influence on road surface temperatures. However, as the effects have never been fully quantified, the full implications for thermal mapping are unknown. In this study, consistent temperature differences of around 1.5°C were found across the different lanes and carriageways of a multi‐laned road. The thermal differences are significant and can be directly attributed to traffic heat fluxes. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society


Recently, the availability of innovative and affordable COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) technological solutions and the ever-improving results of microelectronics and microsystems technologies have enabled the design of ever smaller yet ever more powerful satellites. The emergence of very capable small satellites heralds an era of new opportunities in the commercial space market. Initially applied only to scientific missions, Earth observation and remote sensing, small satellites are now being deployed to support telecommunications services. This review paper examines the operational features of small satellites that contribute to their success. An overview of recent advances and development trends in the field of small satellites is provided, with a special focus on telecommunication aspects such as the use of higher frequency bands, optical communications, new protocols, and advanced architectures.


Additive manufacturing (AM) techniques have gained interest in the tissue engineering field, thanks to their versatility and unique possibilities of producing constructs with complex macroscopic geometries and defined patterns. Recently, composite materials—namely, heterogeneous biomaterials identified as continuous phase (matrix) and reinforcement (filler)—have been proposed as inks that can be processed by AM to obtain scaffolds with improved biomimetic and bioactive properties. Significant efforts have been dedicated to hydroxyapatite (HA)‐reinforced composites, especially targeting bone tissue engineering, thanks to the chemical similarities of HA with respect to mineral components of native mineralized tissues. Herein, applications of AM techniques to process HA‐reinforced composites and biocomposites for the production of scaffolds with biological matrices, including cellular tissues, are reviewed. The primary outcomes of recent investigations in terms of morphological, structural, and in vitro and in vivo biological properties of the materials are discussed. The approaches based on the nature of the matrices employed to embed the HA reinforcements and produce the tissue substitutes are classified, and a critical discussion is provided on the presented state of the art as well as the future perspectives, to offer a comprehensive picture of the strategies investigated as well as challenges in this emerging field of materiomics.


Dyspepsia is defined as "feeling of discomfort" in the abdomen and has symptoms such as fullness, early satiety, nausea, fatigue, bloating. Although the anatomical or pathophysiological cause of organic dyspepside complaints can be detected, organic, systemic and metabolic causes of functional dyspepsia can not been found. While physiological, genetic, environmental and psychological factors are effective in the pathogenesis of dyspepsia, dietary and lifestyle factors can also affect symptoms. Patients with dyspepsia associates consumption of many foods with disease complaints. As well as the content of consumed foods, the number and frequency of meals, speed of eating can affect symptoms. In the nutritional therapy of dyspepsia, reducing the fat content of diet, consuming well cooked and unseasoned foods, not taking too much liquid with meals, small and low energy density meals are important. Alternative ways such as FODMAP diet can be followed in nutritional therapy. It can be concluded that nutrition plays an important role both in pathophysiology and treatment of dyspepsia.


The formation and stability of emulsions in vitrectomized eyes is linked to the properties of the silicone oil-aqueous humor interface, in particular the surface tension. In the presence of natural surfactants, such as serum and plasma, the value of the surface tension is likely to change, but little quantitative information is presently available.To this end, we perform accurate experiments measuring the interfacialproperties of the Siluron 1000 (Fluoron GmbH, Ulm, Germany) silicone oil with an aqueous solution in the presence of endogenous-like proteins. It is found that the surface tension is significantly reduced when physiologically realistic concentrations are used. Moreover, the values obtained for the dilational viscoelastic modulus are compatible with the formation of stable emulsions.


In this note the group of automorphisms of the Kac Jordan superalgebra is described and used to classify the maximal subalgebras.


Background International financing for malaria increased more than 18-fold between 2000 and 2011; the largest source came from The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund). Countries have made substantial progress, but achieving elimination requires sustained finances to interrupt transmission and prevent reintroduction. Since 2011, global financing for malaria has declined, fueling concerns that further progress will be impeded, especially for current malaria-eliminating countries that may face resurgent malaria if programs are disrupted. Objectives This study aims to 1) assess past total and Global Fund funding to the 34 current malaria-eliminating countries, and 2) estimate their future funding needs to achieve malaria elimination and prevent reintroduction through 2030. Methods Historical funding is assessed against trends in country-level malaria annual parasite incidences (APIs) and income per capita. Following Kizewski et al. (2007), program costs to eliminate malaria and prevent reintroduction through 2030 are estimated using a deterministic model. The cost parameters are tailored to a package of interventions aimed at malaria elimination and prevention of reintroduction. Results The majority of Global Fund-supported countries experiencing increases in total funding from 2005 to 2010 coincided with reductions in malaria APIs and also overall GNI per capita average annual growth. The total amount of projected funding needed for the current malaria-eliminating countries to achieve elimination and prevent reintroduction through 2030 is approximately US$8.5 billion, or about $1.84 per person at risk per year (PPY) (ranging from $2.51 PPY in 2014 to $1.43 PPY in 2030). Conclusions Although external donor funding, particularly from the Global Fund, has been key for many malaria-eliminating countries, sustained and sufficient financing is critical for furthering global malaria elimination. Projected cost estimates for elimination provide policymakers with an indication of the level of financial resources that should be mobilized to achieve malaria elimination goals.


OBJECTIVE
Clinicians' negative emotional responses to suicidal patients are predictive of near-term suicidality. This study aimed to explore the underlying pathway of this association by investigating the potential relationship between clinicians' emotional responses and the Narrative Crisis Model of suicide, which comprises long-term risk factors (LTRF) of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, Suicidal Narrative, and the Suicide Crisis Syndrome (SCS), a presuicidal affective state.

METHOD
One thousand and One patient participants and 169 clinician participants were recruited. Patients' Suicidal Narrative, SCS, and LTRF were assessed at intake using the Suicidal Narrative Inventory (SNI), the Suicide Crisis Inventory, and a composite score of three separate scales, respectively. Clinicians' emotional responses were measured immediately after patient intake using the Therapist Response Questionnaire-Suicide Form (TRQ-SF).

RESULTS
Multilevel regression analyses, which controlled for clinician differences, found that only patients' SNI total score and perceived burdensomeness subscale score were significantly associated with clinicians' TRQ-SF total score. Furthermore, a higher SNI total score was significantly related to higher distress and lower affiliation scores among clinicians.

CONCLUSIONS
Clinicians appear to respond emotionally to patients' Suicidal Narrative, and thus, future investigation of Suicidal Narrative and its potential to improve imminent suicide risk assessment is warranted.


In Taiwan, culture and identification, as well as drug sensitivity test, of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) are mandatory to be performed in biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) laboratory under negative pressure system. In 2009, Taiwan Centers for Diseases Control (Taiwan CDC) conducted an onsite laboratory biosafety certification and inspection on 34 BSL-2 laboratories manipulating M. tuberculosis, including 15 medical centers, 13 regional hospitals, 3 district hospitals, 1 outpatient clinic, and 2 private laboratories. Based on the laboratory safety manual published by World Health Organization (WHO) in 2004, we established our national standards for laboratory biosafety certification, including 15 major categories and 104 items. Each laboratory was inspected by 3 to 4 biosafety commission members and the examination lasted for about 3 hours for each laboratory. The overall failure rate among the 5 different levels of health care facilities was 7.2%. The average failure rate in medical center was the lowest (6.5%) and in outpatient clinic was the highest (11.5%). Individually, one of the medical centers had the lowest failure rate (2.9%) while one district hospital had the highest rate (16.3%). The standard deviation (SD) of failure rate was highest among regional hospitals (3.5%). "General engineering control", "Laboratory control" and "Facility" were the most common major categories that laboratories failed to meet the standards; the number of failed items in each category were 64, 40, and 30 respectively. As for individual items, laboratories often failed in the following three: "All penetrations in laboratory should be sealed or sealable for decontamination" (16 labs), "Autoclaves should have exhaust filter" (10 labs), and "Access to negative pressure laboratory should be limited to authorized personnel" (9 labs). Through this onsite examination, we urge these health care facilities to take laboratory biosafety issues seriously and to assure that all laboratory personnel are aware of these regulations.


Contextualized language modeling using deep Transformer networks has been applied to a variety of natural language processing tasks with remarkable success. However, we find that these models are not a panacea for a question-answering dialogue agent corpus task, which has hundreds of classes in a long-tailed frequency distribution, with only thousands of data points. Instead, we find substantial improvements in recall and accuracy on rare classes from a simple one-layer RNN with multi-headed self-attention and static word embeddings as inputs. While much research has used attention weights to illustrate what input is important for a task, the complexities of our dialogue corpus offer a unique opportunity to examine how the model represents what it attends to, and we offer a detailed analysis of how that contributes to improved performance on rare classes. A particularly interesting phenomenon we observe is that the model picks up implicit meanings by splitting different aspects of the semantics of a single word across multiple attention heads.


In this paper, after briefly considering the reasons that prevented the development of hybrid systems for signal processing (SP), we point out the requirements for their future exploitation. The need for a better knowledge of different approaches in the scientific community and the definition of methodologies for designing hybrid systems are highlighted as two key points. Then we suggest that the well-known "task-structure analysis" design technique should be modified to make it suitable for hybrid systems. The proposed modification is based on the main need to choose the roles of different approaches and the mechanisms to integrate them. As an example we describe the design of a hybrid system for two-dimensional (2-D) image recognition; the system is based on the integration of a numerical, a symbolic, and a connectionist approach. We detail the integration of the symbolic and connectionist approaches to the generation of the models of the objects to be recognized. We describe the main problems involved and the solutions adopted. In particularly, we exploit the synergistic aspects of the two approaches in order to overcome the bottleneck of knowledge acquisition. Finally, we report experimental results on two applications to show some advantages of the proposed hybrid system.


HLA serological typing was performed on 173 patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) of all hereditary types. No significant difference was found in the frequency of any HLA (A, B, C) antigen, when comparing autosomal dominant and recessive RP patients with a control population.


Aim: A cross-sectional study was conducted in November, 2008 to assess the HIV/AIDS risk perceptions and safe practices among youths in Enugu Metropolis. Materials and Methods: A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 300 youths who were selected by a multistage sampling technique. Results: Awareness of HIV/AIDS was high. Knowledge of most routes of transmission and some preventive methods were also high. Slightly more than half (54.3%) knew of mother to child transmission. Seventy percent knew that prostitutes are at risk, but knowledge of other people at risk was poor. More than 80% engage in such safe practices as use of safe blood and safe sharp instruments. Knowledge and utilization of PMTCT was slightly above average but referral of rape victims to appropriate centres was very poor (6.3%). Although awareness and attitudes to VCT was high, the percentage of respondents who had ever screened for HIV was low (37.7%). Conclusion & Recommendation: Although knowledge of HIV/AIDS was high, that for people at risk was low and the practice of routine VCT and appropriate management of rape victims were poor and efforts should be made to correct these. Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Risk Perception, Safe Practices, Youths, Enugu Metropolis.


Photonic bandgap materials are periodic structures that exclude electromagnetic field propagation over frequency intervals known as bandgaps. These materials exhibit remarkable wave dispersion and have found use in many applications that require control over dynamic electromagnetic fields, as their properties can be tailored by design. The two principal objectives of this thesis are the development of a liquid crystal-based microwave photonic bandgap device whose bandgap could be tuned during operation and the design and implementation of a spectral transmission-line modeling method for band structure calculations. The description of computational methods comprises an overview of the implemented numerical routines, a derivation of the spectral properties of the transmission-line modeling method in periodic domains, and the development of an efficient sparse matrix eigenvalue algorithm that formed the basis of the spectral transmission-line modeling method. The discussion of experimental methods considers the use of liquid crystals in microwave applications and details the design and fabrication of several devices. These include a series of modified twisted nematic cells that were used to evaluate liquid crystal alignment and switching, a patch resonator that was used to measure liquid crystal permittivity, and the liquid crystal photonic bandgap device itself. Numerical experiments showed that the spectral transmission-line modeling method is accurate and substantially faster and less memory intensive than the reference plane wave method for problems of high dielectric contrast or rapidly varying spatial detail. Physical experiments successfully realized a microwave photonic bandgap structure whose bandgap could be continuously tuned with a bias voltage. The very good agreement between simulated and measured results validate the computational and experimental methods used, particularly the resonancebased technique for permittivity measurement. This work's results may be applied to many applications, including microwave filters, negative group velocity/negative refraction materials, and microwave permittivity measurement of liquid crystals.


The maximum and minimum void ratios define the loosest and densest conditions of a granular soil. Correlations with some granulometric properties of soil are of interest for practical applications, but the experimental procedure to determine these variables can be time consuming. In this work the influence of the grain size distribution on the maximum and minimum void ratios is investigated. Twenty different granular soils with varying grain size distributions were prepared and tested. The experimental results, together with a compilation of 56 additional results reported in the literature, are statistically analysed. The analysis is conducted to examine the influence of some granulometric properties (D10, D30 and D60) on the maximum and minimum void ratios. As a result, some correlations considering the aforementioned variables are proposed. Subsequently, it is shown that the proposed correlations have better agreement with the experimental data than other proposals reported in the literature. The paper ends with some concluding remarks.


In collective robotics, researchers are successfully using models derived from swarm insect behavior to solve problems like coordination or task allocation. It is often assumed that in a homogeneous group of agents, every agent has to become more complicated when the complexity of the task increases, which decreases simplicity of design and robustness. Role diversification and therefore task specialization within a group may help counter the need for more complex agents. Because experiments on self-organization and dynamic task allocation in robot populations focused mainly on homogeneous groups, the relation between these models and pre-specified role diversification remains mainly unknown. In this work the interchangeability of homogeneous and heterogeneous agent populations is investigated. It is shown that in a simple simulated environment, a mixed population of specialized agents can not be easily substituted by a homogeneous group of multi-tasking agents. Results lead to the conclusion that the ability of dynamic task switching, i.e. adaptive task allocation in respect to changes in the environment, have strong effects on the behavior on a population level. Although a pre-defined heterogeneous group can produce the same result for a given environment and a specific population composition, the group behavior differs when the environment changes


This paper presents a fabrication technique for multilayer 2D ultrasonic transducer arrays based on wet building and mechanical machining of piezoelectric PZT ceramics. The arrays are intended for microparticle trapping and manipulation using ultrasonic standing waves in microfluidic devices. The developed fabrication technique is relevant also for the miniaturization of other multilayer piezoceramic components. Array elements were fabricated monolithically on a common carrier with voids integrated behind each element, to work as acoustic reflectors. Their function was later proved by identification of thickness resonances of the supported multilayer transducers. The voids were integrated by using sacrificial material that was removed during firing of the component. Electrodes, vias, sacrificial material and finally the array itself were structured in the green state using a high precision dicing saw. The fabrication technique with integrated multilayer electrodes and electrical vias was shown to allow for miniaturized array elements working above 10 MHz with lateral dimensions down to 350 × 350 µm2. The resolution of electrode patterning was below 10 µm with insulating spaces down to 30 µm. The smallest dimension of via interconnects was 20 µm and integrated voids were fabricated with lateral dimensions reaching from 10 µm to 600 µm.


Lumbar arteries arise from the abdominal aorta. Some abdominal and spinal surgeries can damage these arteries, and that can lead to serious consequences. This study aimed at studying the types and frequencies of variations of lumbar vasculature. We dissected both sides of 109 adult human cadavers and studied the variations of lumbar vasculature. Age range was 43–90 years. Fifty-seven percent were males and 43% were females. The number of lumbar arteries arising from either side of the abdominal aorta varied between 3 and 5 pairs. The lumbar arteries arose from a common single stem in 12% of the cadavers. The third and fourth pairs of lumbar arteries arose from a common single stem in 3% and 11% of cadavers, respectively, and the first and second pairs of lumbar arteries arose from a common single stem in 1% and 2% of cadavers, respectively. The first and second lumbar arteries on the right side traveled anterior to the right crus of the diaphragm in 7% and 8% of cadavers, respectively. There were several variations with regard to the number, origin from the abdominal aorta, and pathway of lumbar arteries from what is described in the literature.


We present a simple apparatus for the intraspinal and intracisternal injection of air or other gases for the purpose of filling the cerebral ventricles and subarachnoid spaces. This apparatus has the advantage that its component parts are readily available in any laboratory and are easily assembled. It consists of two 125 cc. separatory funnels with the necessary rubber and glass connections shown in figure 1. Only one of the funnels need be graduated. A volume of 125 cc. has been found sufficient for the usual ventriculography. The entire apparatus may be sterilized by boiling and filled with sterile water or bichloride solution. Care must be taken that the connections between the lower funnel and the lumbar puncture needle are tight. The amount of pressure applied to the air under injection can be regulated by varying the distance between the two water levels in the funnels. The rate of flow of


IR drop constraint is a fundamental requirement enforced in almost all chip designs. However, its evaluation takes a long time, and mitigation techniques for fixing violations may require numerous iterations. As such, fast and accurate IR drop prediction becomes critical for reducing design turnaround time. Recently, machine learning (ML) techniques have been actively studied for fast IR drop estimation due to their promise and success in many fields. These studies target at various design stages with different emphasis, and accordingly, different ML algorithms are adopted and customized. This paper provides a review to the latest progress in ML-based IR drop estimation techniques. It also serves as a vehicle for discussing some general challenges faced by ML applications in electronics design automation (EDA), and demonstrating how to integrate ML models with conventional techniques for the better efficiency of EDA tools.


A subsurface drip irrigation system with drip lines below alternating furrows was used to
establish three irrigation treatments designated as HW, MW, and LW applied 1.0*PET, 0.6*PET, and
0.5*PET. By mid July a pattern of alternating rows with tall and short plants (row type) was visible. A
study was initiated to quantify the variability of cotton growth and yield between adjacent rows. The
position of irrigation laterals and flow rate of emitters was measured. Plant size and lint yield were
measured in the two row types. The drip line moved closer to one of the adjacent beds as distance
increased from the header line. Water flow was uniform among emitters along the drip lines. Plant
height decrease along the row was greater for short rows rather than tall rows. Cotton yields were
higher in tall rows than short rows. Short rows in all water levels had a decreasing yield trend with
distance from the header line. Tall row yields increased down the row in the LW and MW water
levels, but decreased in the HW water level. Difference in plant height and yield between row types
was attributed to water supply differences caused by drip lines being closer to tall rather than short
rows. The simultaneously decreasing trend of plant height in all water levels in both row types and
HW treatment yield were likely caused by reductions in soil nutrient levels.


We describe reversible holographic effects in azo‐dye doped liquid crystals. Surface‐stabilized holograms are recorded at 514 nm using beams polarized parallel to the molecular director of the liquid crystals. While these holograms persist for several hours in the dark, complete erasure is achieved in a few seconds by exposure to 337 nm light.


Dripper clogging reduces the performance and service life of a drip irrigation system. The impact of chlorination (1.5 ppm of free chlorine during 1 h application) and pressure flushing (0.18 MPa) on the biofouling of non-pressure-compensating drippers fed by real reclaimed wastewater was studied at lab scale using Optical Coherence Tomography. The effect of these treatments on microbial composition (bacteria and eukaryotes) was also investigated by High-throughput DNA sequencing. Biofouling was mainly observed in inlet, outlet and return areas of the drippers. Chlorination limited biofilm development mainly in the mainstream of the milli-labyrinth channel. It was more efficient when combined with pressure flushing. Moreover, chlorination was more efficient in maintaining the water distribution uniformity. It reduced the bacterial concentration and the diversity of the dripper biofilms compared to the pressure flushing method. This method strongly modified the microbial communities, promoting chlorine-resistant bacteria such as Comamonadaceae or Azospira. Inversely, several bacterial groups were identified as sensitive to chlorination such as Chloroflexi and Planctomycetes. Nevertheless, one month after stopping the treatments the bacterial diversity re-increased and the chlorine-sensitive bacteria such as Chloroflexi phylum and the Saprospiraceae, Spirochaetaceae, Christensenellaceae and Hydrogenophilaceae families re-emerged with the growth of biofouling, highlighting the resilience of the bacteria from drippers. Based on PCoA analyses, the structure of the communities still clustered separately from never-chlorinated drippers, showing that the effect of chlorination was still present one month after stopping the treatment. Highlights The fouling of drippers is a bottleneck for drip irrigation using reclaimed wastewater Biofouling was lowest when chlorination was combined with pressure flushing The β-Proteobacteria and Firmicutes contain chlorine resistant bacteria The decrease of Chloroflexi by chlorination was transitory The bacterial community was resilient after the interruption of cleaning events


Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) also known as Histiocytosis X is a clinico-pathologic entity characterized by proliferation of Langerhans cells (LCs) throughout the body including the reticulo-endothelial system, bone& skin. LCs is currently considered as a distinct type of histiocytic cell, not primarily phagocytic in nature. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is helpful in achieving a rapid and accurate diagnosis in an appropriate clinical and radiological setting. This can avoid unnecessary biopsy and guide the management especially where access to histopathology is limited. We report two cases of LCH in a 3 1⁄2 year old & 6year old patients based on FNA from the site of swelling. *Corresponding author: Dr. T Santosh, Ex PG Student, Department of Pathology, MKCG Medical College, Berhampur, Odisha, India, Tel: 08895495670/09584873660; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Received January 24, 2015; Accepted February 16, 2015; Published February 23, 2015 Citation: Santosh T, Patro MK, Bal AK, Choudhury A (2015) Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis on Fine NeedleAspiration Cytology: A Report of 2 cases and Review of Literature. Orthop Muscul Syst 4: 184. doi: 10.4172/2161-0533.1000184 Copyright: © 2015 Santosh T, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.


Abstract This study aims to report our experience of managing acute periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with surgical debridement and prostheses retention. A review of patients in our prospective joint replacement register from 1998 to 2013 was performed. In this study, 34 patients with 35 TKAs were included; 25 were infections after primary TKA and 10 were after revision TKA. For primary TKA infections, after a mean follow-up of 53.8 ± 42.6 months, 11 were successfully treated, while 14 failed, including 10 required reoperations and 4 needed lifelong antibiotic suppression. The success rate of debridement was 44.0%. Statistical analyses showed no significant differences between the two groups on patients' age, time lag between symptoms onset and debridement, preoperative C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, white blood cell count, hemoglobin, albumin, glucose, or synovial fluid total cell count. Patients' primary diagnoses or staphylococcal infections had no significant impact on the surgical outcomes either. Debridement with polyethylene insert exchange had significantly higher success rate than debridement alone, with all 13 cases without exchange failed. All 10 cases with infections after revision TKA had failed. We concluded that debridement with prostheses retention has a low success rate for acute PJI following primary TKA. The polyethylene insert should be exchanged during surgery. For acute infections after revision TKA, total revision should be contemplated.


Emerging adults (i.e., age 18-25 years) of color in the United States are exposed to race/ethnicity-related traumatic events in online settings. Although an emerging literature documents the mental health consequences of such online exposures among adolescents, the association between these exposures and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains understudied in emerging adults. Furthermore, little is known about strengths-based factors that may be protective for emerging adults of color faced with such exposures. The current study aimed to fill these gaps by examining the potential of liberatory media literacy (i.e., the ability to critically read, evaluate, support, and create media and technology that represents people of color in their full humanity) to ameliorate the association between exposure to traumatic events online and PTSD symptoms. Emerging adults of color (N = 325, Mage = 22.24, 56.0% male) were recruited to complete a self-report online survey that assessed exposure to race/ethnicity-related traumatic events in online settings, liberatory media literacy, and PTSD symptoms. The results of moderation analysis indicated that increased exposure to traumatic events online was associated with higher PTSD symptoms, β = .22, and that the inclusive media and technology component of liberatory media literacy was protective in this association, β = .19. However, these effects were small, f2 = .22-.23. The potential of liberatory media literacy as a strengths-based asset for emerging adults of color are discussed. Increasing inclusive media and technology skills may be an important target for intervention.


Abstract Background Pharmacists are known as health care professionals who are responsible for the safety and efficacy of medicine to achieve optimal therapeutic results. Community pharmacists have an opportunity to provide direct services including giving an active medication information service in women during pregnancy and breastfeeding. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with the practice of community pharmacists for actively giving the drug information service for women with chronic diseases during pregnancy and breastfeeding based on the Health Belief Model. Methods About 300 community pharmacists were randomly chosen to participate in the study. All participants were asked to complete questionnaires that were designed based on the theory of the Health Belief Models. The questionnaires measured the community pharmacists' knowledge, beliefs, cues to action, and practice for actively giving medication information services. Results About 267 pharmacists in the community agreed to participate in this study. Nearly 80% of the participants were female pharmacists (n = 213). The results show that pharmacists' knowledge had significant influences towards perceived threat (p = 0.009), perceived benefit (p = 0.011), and pharmacists' self-efficacy (p < 0.001). The self-efficacy factor was the most influential factor in the practice of pharmacists to give medication information service actively (p < 0.001). Conclusions The findings of the study indicate that self-efficacy is the most important factor for pharmacist to be able to provide the medication information services successfully particularly in women during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Providing continuous learning programs through seminars and training related to medication use during pregnancy and breastfeeding to pharmacists is needed to optimise the confidence and the ability of pharmacists in providing the services.


PURPOSE
This study was designed to evaluate B-scan ultrasonography and optical coherence tomography in the pre- and post-operative morphologic evaluation of idiopathic epiretinal macular membranes.

METHODS
Fifteen eyes were examined using B-scan ultrasonography and optical coherence tomography before and after surgical excision of the epiretinal macular membranes.

RESULTS
Ultrasonography prior to surgery allowed an excellent evaluation of both the peripheral and the posterior vitreous and showed the membrane. The thickening of the retina and the retinal folds were equally visualised by either method. An improved observation of the macular oedema was obtained by the optical coherence tomography as well as the type of membrane adhesion. After surgery, both methods were able to detect membrane remnants. A better visualisation of retinal thickness and cystoid macular oedema was obtained by optical coherence tomography rather than ultrasonography. Serous sub-foveal retinal detachment was only revealed by optical coherence tomography.

DISCUSSION
Ultrasonography is indispensable in case of media opacity or of optical inaccessibility of the posterior pole. Moreover, it allows an excellent global analysis of the anterior and posterior vitreous, which is very useful for the surgeon. The membrane is always showed by ultrasonography, but not always by optical coherence tomography in case of diffuse adherence. Both methods can detect the membrane and a cystoid macular edema. However, retinal analysis with the optical coherence tomography is more precise. It can even detect cysts of the macular oedema or serous sub-foveal retinal detachment.

CONCLUSION
B-scan ultrasonography and optical coherence tomography give complementary information in pre- and post-operative examination of epiretinal macular membranes.