Facts in issue and relevant facts are treated as established by the courts only insofar as they are proved by evidence. This chapter discusses three exceptions to this general rule: (i) some facts may be presumed in a party's favour in the absence of proof or complete proof, including marriage, legitimacy, death, the regular and proper performance of public or official acts, sanity, and negligence; (ii) a fact will be treated as established where the court takes judicial notice of it either (a) without enquiry, in the case of facts that are beyond serious dispute, notorious or of common knowledge or (b) after enquiry (usually political facts, customs, professional practices and historical and geographical facts); and (iii) a fact ceases to be in issue when a party has formally admitted it.


The visual world is imaged on the retinas of our eyes. However, "seeing" is not a result of neural functions within the eyes but rather a result of what the brain does with those images. Our visual perceptions are produced by parts of the cerebral cortex dedicated to vision. Although our visual awareness appears unitary, different parts of the cortex analyze color, shape, motion, and depth information. There are also special mechanisms for visual attention, spatial awareness, and the control of actions under visual guidance. Often lesions from stroke or other neurological diseases will impair one of these subsystems, leading to unusual deficits such as the inability to recognize faces, the loss of awareness of half of visual space, or the inability to see motion or color.


The activated carbon from cashew nut shell (CNS) has been prepared by physical activation. The cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) is primarily extracted from a shell by using handed-rotary roaster kiln at the temperature around 170°C. The carbonization is done by augmenting temperature up to 350°C without taking out the CNS from kiln. The carbonized CNS is crushed and sieved of 60 mesh. While the activation process, nitrogen gas is flowed through the electric furnace with a constant flow rate and the activation temperature is varied from 400°C to 900°C. Sample then is characterized using ultimate analysis to determine composition of activated carbon including carbon (C), hydrogen (H), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O) and sulphur (S) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) to know the surface morphology and element composition respectively and X-Ray diffraction (XRD) is used to know the structural properties. The ultimate analysis shows that carbon element in the sample increases as activation temperature increases up to 700°C of 79.80% and then decreases to 79.14% at 900°C. XRD pattern shows that it appears a broaden peak about 2θ = 24°C indicating an amorphous structure. The increasing of activation temperature tends to graphitization process of activated carbon.


The maternal microbiota has long been considered a potential cause for adverse perinatal outcomes. Gene expression regulators in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells are influenced by changes in their microenvironments. We propose the novel idea that during in utero development, an adaptive and dynamic gene-regulatory cross talk might exist between the host genome and the maternal microbiota. Understanding these cross talks could increase the appreciation for the discovery of new diagnostics and therapeutics in maternal-fetal medicine.


The article is devoted to the concepts of structure of foreign linguistic competence, overviewed in the monograph "Common European Framework of Reference for languages: learning, teaching, assessment" of Council of Europe and Russian teaching methods of foreign languages. The analysis of main approaches to the content of linguistic competence lays the basis for defying the general structural components of this notion, assigned by foreign and native methodologists.


There is limited information about both environmental and human perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) concentrations in the southern hemisphere, and for the first time, concentrations of these compounds are reported in maternal serum and cord blood of South African women. The majority of the participants were of African Black ethnicity, with a similar socioeconomic status. In maternal serum perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was found to be the most abundant PFC (1.6 ng mL(-1)), followed by perfluorooctanoate (PFOA: 1.3 ng mL(-1)) and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS: 0.5 ng mL(-1)); however, in cord blood PFOA was the most abundant compound (1.3 ng mL(-1)) followed by PFOS (0.7 ng mL(-1)) and PFHxS (0.3 ng mL(-1)). Linear PFOS constituted 58% of the sum of PFOS, comparable with a reported percentage from Australia. Differences in PFC concentrations between communities were found, with the highest concentrations in urban and semi-urban areas. The median maternal PFOS concentration was lower than has been reported in other studies, whereas the PFOA concentration was the same. This clearly indicates that the exposure pathway is different from the western world. Significant differences in housing quality were observed and the urban and sub-urban community had the highest living and housing standards. Possible exposure pathways could be different from those elucidated in the western world with the exception of the urban community in our study that showed higher living standards in general and easier access to modern consumer products.


Purpose: This study was done to identify types of gender role identity in female adolescents and to investigate the relationship between types of gender role identity and depression. Method: The research design for this study was a descriptive survey design using convenience sampling. Data were collected through self report questionnaires from 1,497 female high school students in Seoul. Data were analyzed using SPSS 10.0 program. Results: The androgyny gender role identity was most common (33.9%). Of the types of gender role identity that had a significant relationship with depression. androgyny gender role identity had the lowest significant relationship to level of depression level, followed by masculinity, femininity, and undifferentiated type. Conclusion: It is necessary that nurses provide interventions to help female adolescents develop gender role identity toward androgyny.


Self-reported data collected independently by the UK-based Control Group Cooperative between September 2021 and February 2022, inclusive, from a self-selected international COVID-19 "unvaccinated" population are discussed. Data come from a cohort of 18,497 participants who provided questionnaire responses monthly. The largest numbers are from Europe, North America, and Australasia. Data were skewed towards the 40-69y age range and included 60% female respondents. Reasons for avoiding COVID-19 "vaccines" were: a preference for natural medicine, distrust of pharma, distrust of government information, poor/limited trial data, and fear of long-term adverse reactions. During the survey period, the greatest incidence of COVID-19 disease was reported in the 50-69y range, peaking at 12.3%, in January 2022.  Persons at 70y and above were least affected (1.3%), with 10.7% and 3.8% in the 20 to 49y band, and in the 1 to 19y group, respectively. Most rated their symptoms as "mild" (14.4%), with 2% reporting "severe" disease. Fatigue, cough, muscle/body aches, and fever were the four most common. Just 0.4% of the cohort reported hospitalization (as in- or out-patients). Nearly two-thirds reported taking vitamin D, C, zinc, quercetin, or a combination, for prevention, with 71% using vitamin D, C, and zinc for treatment. Nearly 45% reported "moderate" to "severe" mental health issues (depression) during the survey period. Menstrual abnormalities were reported by 36% of women in the 20-49y age band. Reported job losses were greatest in Australia and New Zealand at 29%, followed by 13% in North America. Between 20% and 50% reported being personal targets of hate because of their vaccination status. Between 57% and 61% of respondents in Southern Europe and Western Europe, Australia/New Zealand and South America, reported being targets of governmental victimization. The cohort may not be representative of wider populations given its reliance on self-care. The findings suggest that opting out of the world's largest medical experiment, relying on natural immunity, self-care with supplements, and/or ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine, appeared to contribute to low incidences of severe disease, hospitalization, or death. The results imply the urgent need for prospective studies of "unvaccinated", "partially vaccinated", and "fully vaccinated" persons investigating long-term outcomes, behaviors, choices, and discriminatory responses by the state, institutions, or employers based on "vaccination" status. Public dialogue about the touted "safety and effectiveness" of vaccines, contrasted with strategies to enhance immune resilience, all in the context of authoritarianism versus autonomy, self-care, personal responsibility, and freedom of choice is needed.


Cancer, Heart disease, arthritis are the most common diseases found in the majority of the populations in recent years. Medical diagnosis is enormously essential but complex task that should be accomplished exactly and proficiently. Although momentous progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases, further investigation is still desired. These disease diagnosis are a challenging task which can offer automatic prediction about the disease of patient so that further treatment can be made informal. Due to this fact, disease diagnosis has received enormous interest globally among medical community. In this paper soft computing played an important role in diagnosis of these diseases with improved effectiveness and suitable accuracy. It gives a detailed view of a innovative earlier detection system for these diseases with the help of soft computing methods and proper attributes reference value to predict the diseases analytically. Different clinical values for attributes and biomarkers have been taken as an input and match these with the reference values to predict the diseases accurately. Diseases datasets are also analyzed here using soft computing approach. The outcome of this would help doctors, scientists, pharmacists in understanding the characteristic and association of attributes which is responsible for these diseases and provide proper diagnosis method and in discovering new drugs. Tanupriya Choudhury et al, International Journal of Computer Science and Mobile Computing, Vol.3 Issue.4, April2014, pg. 368-388 © 2014, IJCSMC All Rights Reserved 369


By an extension of the ideas embodied in the single‐pulse shock tube, a technique has been developed which allows the direct measurement of recombination rates of many atomic species at high temperature. In the present technique, the expansion chamber is located a few tube diameters from the shock tube end plate rather than at the high‐pressure end as in the conventional single‐pulse shock tube. A cylindrical diaphragm, lying flush with the inside diameter of the tube, is used to control the time of initiation of an expansion wave. Experimental observation has shown that the present technique increases the gas expansion rate by an order of magnitude in comparison with the conventional single‐pulse shock tube. The one‐dimensionality of the flow at the shock tube end wall has also been investigated. The technique developed, in conjunction with the spectroscopic means of observation, was employed to gain preliminary measurements of the recombination rate of atomic chlorine.


We investigate the dual approach to dynamic programming and reinforcement learning, based on maintaining an explicit representation of stationary distributions as opposed to value functions. A significant advantage of the dual approach is that it allows one to exploit well developed techniques for representing, approximating and estimating probability distributions, without running the risks associated with divergent value function estimation. A second advantage is that some distinct algorithms for the average reward and discounted reward case in the primal become unified under the dual. In this paper, we present a modified dual of the standard linear program that guarantees a globally normalized state visit distribution is obtained. With this reformulation, we then derive novel dual forms of dynamic programming, including policy evaluation, policy iteration and value iteration. Moreover, we derive dual formulations of temporal difference learning to obtain new forms of Sarsa and Q-learning. Finally, we scale these techniques up to large domains by introducing approximation, and develop new approximate off-policy learning algorithms that avoid the divergence problems associated with the primal approach. We show that the dual view yields a viable alternative to standard value function based techniques and opens new avenues for solving dynamic programming and reinforcement learning problems


International development agenda has been actively led by the United Nations (UN) and its technical agencies and funds from their inception in the late 1940s. The MDGs generated new and innovative partnerships, galvanized public opinion, and showed the immense value of setting ambitious goals. India has made a substantial improvement in MDGs but the progress is mixed. The momentum created by MDGs in India needs to be sustained with focus on completing the unfinished task of MDGs. India-specific goals, targets, and indicators along with the roadmap to achieve these should be drawn up by the concerned ministry and states and union territories (UTs). There is a need to improve accountability from international level to local level. The next 15 years is likely to see unprecedented mobilization of resources and efforts to make the world a better place to live for "we the people", especially the marginalized and disadvantaged groups. The present paper makes inquiry and analysis the adoption of MDGs to SDGs in line of the unfinished targets of MDGs.


Calcium-ATPase (Ca(2+)-ATPase) in the cells of the taste bud in the mouse vallate papilla was detected by the electron microscopic cytochemical procedure. In the mature taste bud, the enzyme was intensively located on the plasma membrane of various cell types and at the periphery of nerve fibers, but not in the subcellular organelles such as mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER) and the Golgi apparatus. Probably, plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase plays primary role in determining the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration of the taste bud cell and nerve at a very low range about 10(-7) M. In the developing taste bud during the early postnatal period, on the other hand, CA(2+)-ATPase was apparently located in the lumen and cisternae of the rER. Golgi apparatus and small vesicles in the gustatory epithelial cells. These results suggest that Ca(2+)-ATPase synthesized in the rER passes through the Golgi apparatus to the plasma membrane, mediated by transport vesicles.


Syncytial behavior of cardiac tissue is mainly controlled by the expression of cardiac gap junction proteins, and of these, connexin43 (Cx43) represents the predominant connexin in the working myocardium. Because the (cid:1) 1 -adrenoceptor is involved in many cardiac diseases, the following experiments were per- formed to clarify the pathway whereby (cid:1) 1 -adrenoceptor stimulation may control Cx43 expression. Cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were stimulated with phenylephrine for 24 h, and Cx43 expression was investigated. Moreover, we investi- gated activation of p38 mitogenic-activated protein kinase (MAPK), p42/44-MAPK, and c-JUN NH 2 -terminal kinase (JNK) by phosphospecific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and nuclear translocation of the transcription factors c-fos and ac- tivator protein 1 (AP1). For verification of our results, a Cx43-promoter-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) construct using the complete promoter [2771 base pairs (bp)] or fragments (0–2421 bp) with EGFP under control of the Cx43 pro- moter was transfected into cardiomyocytes, and fluorescence


OBJECTIVE: To evaluate knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding tuberculosis among Nigerian senior secondary school students. DESIGN: Questionnaire. SETTING: Ilorin Grammar School, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. PARTICIPANTS: Seven hundred and ninety one senior secondary students. INTERVENTION: Questionnaire explained in English to whole class by author. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Responses were streamlined and analysed based on responders, knowledge of, attitudes towards, and practices as regards tuberculosis. RESULTS: KNOWLEDGE: The response "Yes", "No", or "I don't know" was given to each of the following questions and their respective percentages are indicated: Have you ever heard of tuberculosis?: 81.4%, 13.9%, 4.7%. Have you ever been affected by it?: 8.3%, 86.3%, 5.3%. Can tuberculosis of the lung be contracted through drinking unclean water or eating unhygienic food?: 72.3%, 17.2%, 10.5%. Can it spread through air droplets?: 70.9%, 17.8%, 11.3%. Can it spread through overcrowding?: 71.6%, 18.1%, 10.4%. Is it caused by spirits, demons or evil doers?: 16.2%, 67.5%, 16.3%. Is it the only cause of long-standing cough?: 43.6%, 40.2%, 16.2%. Can it cause persistent fever?: 64.6%, 19.8%, 15.5%. Can it cause loss of weight?: 79.6%, 11.9%, 8.5%. Tuberculosis only affects the lungs?: 46.3%, 39.1%, 14.7%. Can it be cured at all?: 76.7%, 12.1%, 11.1%. Should the patient always be admitted to the hospital to receive treatment?: 69.7%, 9.7%, 20.6%. Can the disease be prevented?: 89.2%, 0.9%, 11.9%. Heaf or Mantoux test is dangerous?: 15.8%, 13.3%, 71.6%. Patients who are already on effective treatment (drugs) can still spread the disease?: 50.2%, 25.3%, 24.5%. Patients who have been cured can still spread the disease?: 33.5%, 49.6%, 16.9%. Should patients with tuberculosis be regarded as outcasts?: 40.1%, 38.9%, 21%. Can BCG vaccination prevent tuberculosis?: 57.6%, 18.6%, 23.8%. Can cigarette smoking predispose to tuberculosis of the lungs?: 66%, 15.8%, 18.1%. ATTITUDES: The responses on how tuberculosis can be cured are as follows: By making sacrifice to appease the angry spirits or demons 3%; by begging the evil doers 2.3%; by taking drugs prescribed by doctors 69.7%; by taking traditional medicines 4.8%; by a combination of all the above 20.1%. PRACTICES: On prevention of tuberculosis, 51 different methods are volunteered of which 41.2% are correct, 19.6% are controversial while 39.2% are definitely incorrect. CONCLUSIONS: A high level of ignorance, wrong knowledge, wrong attitudes and wrong practices is demonstrated among senior secondary students. Inclusion of health education in school syllabi is advocated.


In continuation of previous work, the present investigation attempts to present the concept of situation from the point of view of an interactional psychopatholgy. Three aspects of situation are emphasized, the impressive, the expressive, and the dynamic. Some kinds of psychopathologically significant situation-changes are described as examples.


AIMS: To assess the incidence of tyrosinaemia type I in the West Midlands Region, and the value of current neonatal screening programmes for phenylketonuria (PKU) for its detection. METHODS: Retrospective study of results from the PKU neonatal screening programmes in Birmingham (using plasma amino acid chromatography) and in the rest of the West Midlands (using the Guthrie microbiological assay for blood spot phenylalanine) was carried out between January 1985 and March 1994. Patients with tyrosinaemia I born in the region during the same period were identified from a regional database of patients with confirmed inherited metabolic disease. The study was carried out in a specialist children's hospital; the regional centre in the West Midlands for neonatal screening and investigation of inborn errors, and a supraregional centre for liver transplantation and management of paediatric liver disease. RESULTS: Amino acid chromatography showed increased tyrosine in 447 of 145,444 neonates born in Birmingham; this was still increased at 6 weeks of age in six cases. Five had tyrosinaemia I; the sixth had tyrosinaemia type III. Two others in whom amino acid chromatography was considered normal have since presented with tyrosinaemia I. Outside Birmingham, 525,151 children were screened using the Guthrie test. Five have presented clinically with tyrosinaemia I; screening did not contribute to diagnosis in any case. The incidence of tyrosinaemia I was 1 in 20,791 live births within Birmingham and 1 in 105,037 outside. Of the total 12 patients in the West Midlands with tyrosinaemia I, 10 (83%) were of non-oriental Asian ethnicity; the incidence of tyrosinaemia I was 3.7/10(6) head of population in this group and 0.04/10(6) in the rest of the population. CONCLUSIONS: Asians in the West Midlands have a high incidence of tyrosinaemia I. Neonatal PKU screening using amino acid chromatography may contribute to diagnosis and early treatment.


This study takes a protection profile written for European regions, and attempts to reuse it in an African country. The aim is to find out how much content is reusable from the source to the target Protection Profile. The source in question is; 'BSI-CC-PP-0037: Basic set of security requirements for online voting products', issued by the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). The target is written for a case study of election proceedings in Nigeria as the security environment. A review and selection functions of the source protection profile was done and a study of the target security environment carried out. The final result shows that reusing security functionality between protections profiles is feasible, from a developed to developing country. The target contained an average of 90% reused content from the source.


Digital Forensics focuses on the collection of evidence from the volatile and non-volatile memory of a computer based system, such as the hard disk and the RAM content. Needless to say, hard disk data are crucial in the investigation, but whether hard disk data collection is possible or not depends on the features of the case, and whether the forensics practitioners have a suitable legal permission. As nowadays the capacity of hard disks is increasing more and more, it takes a considerable amount of time to perform the imaging phase, and thus to deal with different steps in the chain of custody of the case. As a consequence, delaying the collection step in the investigation may have a detrimental effect on the progress of the investigation or may be a barrier to succeed in the investigation. Hence, we suggest an efficient methodology to collect evidence for dealing with data leak cases, by substantially reducing the collection time.


In 2 experiments, we introduce a new "face-off" procedure for child eyewitness identifications. The new procedure, which is premised on reducing the stimulus set size, was compared with the showup and simultaneous procedures in Experiment 1 and with modified versions of the simultaneous and elimination procedures in Experiment 2. Several benefits of the face-off procedure were observed: it was significantly more diagnostic than the showup procedure; it led to significantly more correct rejections of target-absent lineups than the simultaneous procedures in both experiments, and it led to greater information gain than the modified elimination and simultaneous procedures. The face-off procedure led to consistently more conservative responding than the simultaneous procedures in both experiments. Given the commonly cited concern that children are too lenient in their decision criteria for identification tasks, the face-off procedure may offer a concrete technique to reduce children's high choosing rates. (PsycINFO Database Record


Polymer composites of ZnO and WO3 nanoparticles doped polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix have been prepared using solvent casting method. The microstructural properties of prepared films were studied using FTIR, XRD, SEM, and EDAX techniques. In the doped PVA, many irregular shifts in the FTIR spectra have been observed and these shifts in bands can be understood on the basis of intra/intermolecular hydrogen bonding with the adjacent OH group of PVA. The chemical composition, phase homogeneity, and morphology of the polymer composites of the polymer film were studied using EDAX and SEM. These data indicate that the distribution of nanosized ZnO and WO3 dopants is uniform and confirm the presence of ZnO and WO3 in the film. The crystal structure and crystallinity of polymer composites were studied by XRD. It was found that the change in structural repositioning and crystallinity of the composites takes place due to the interaction of dopants and also due to complex formation. The mechanical studies of doped polymer films were carried out using universal testing machine (UTM) at room temperature, indicating that the addition of the ZnO and WO3 with weight percentage concentration equal to 14% increases the tensile strength and Young's modulus.


The article discusses the development of the sphere of small business as one of the factors of innovation development of the country and improving the economic structure. The strategy is aimed at creating a competitive, flexible and adaptive economy that provides a high level of individualization of goods and services, a high rate of technological renovation and stable employment. The implementation of the development strategy of small and medium production is divided into 3 phases:. 2016-2018, 2019-2025 gg. and 2026-2030 gg., each of which has its own problems. In the first phase the task of updating all the instruments of state support of small businesses. The second phase is programmed for the creation of new market niches and ensuring stable dynamics of small businesses. The third stage aims to provide leadership in some sectors of activity at the global level, in accordance with the long-term scientific and technological priorities of Russia. small business sector is concentrated mainly in the spheres of trade and the provision of services to the population. In order to implement the Government strategy target indicators have been developed: an increase of 2.5 times the turnover of small businesses in relation to 2014; increase of 2 times the turnover per employee in the small business sector in relation to 2014; increase in the share of manufacturing in the back of small business from 11.8 to 20%; increasing the share of employed in the subjects of small business in total employment from 25 to 35%. Strategy of development of small business in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030, is designed to reduce the pressure of the public and tax authorities to small businesses, to expand the subsidy programs, to increase financial resources and provide small businesses with qualified personnel that will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the economy and all regions country.


Background: Sphenoid sinus mucocele is a benign expansile mucus-filled cystic lesion as a result of chronic obstruction of the sinus ostium. Because of its expansile, growth may affect nearby vital structures and result in the involvement of optic nerve and intracranial structures. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the details of patients with sphenoid sinus mucocele. Materials and Methods: In 5 years, we reported eight patients with mucocele in the sphenoid sinus. The detailed clinical presentations of these patients were documented. All the patients with sphenoid sinus mucocele were investigated with diagnostic nasal endoscopy and imaging such as computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the nose, paranasal sinuses, and brain. All underwent transnasal endoscopic transsphenoidal marsupialization of the mucocele in the sphenoid sinus. Results: There were eight patients diagnosed with sphenoid sinus mucocele. Out of eight patients, five (62.5%) were male and three (37.5%) were female with a male-to-female ratio of 1.66:1. The mean age of enrolled patients was 48.37 years. Out of eight patients with sphenoid sinus mucocele, three (37.5%) patients had allergic rhinitis, two (25%) patients had chronic sinusitis, and one (12.5%) patient had a history of radiation therapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Conclusion: Sphenoid sinus mucocele is a rare clinical condition. In this study, headache was the most common symptom. Allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, and radiation to the head-and-neck region are important predisposing factors for causing sphenoid sinus mucocele. Orbital symptoms are indicators for prompt surgical intervention. Endoscopic sinus surgery is an effective and safe treatment option for sphenoid sinus mucocele.


Graphs are being increasingly used to model a wide range of scientific data. Such widespread usage of graphs has generated considerable interest in mining patterns from graph databases. While an array of techniques exists to mine frequent patterns, we still lack a scalable approach to mine statistically significant patterns, specifically patterns with low p-values, that occur at low frequencies. We propose a highly scalable technique, called GraphSig, to mine significant subgraphs from large graph databases. We convert each graph into a set of feature vectors where each vector represents a region within the graph. Domain knowledge is used to select a meaningful feature set. Prior probabilities of features are computed empirically to evaluate statistical significance of patterns in the feature space. Following analysis in the feature space, only a small portion of the exponential search space is accessed for further analysis. This enables the use of existing frequent subgraph mining techniques to mine significant patterns in a scalable manner even when they are infrequent. Extensive experiments are carried out on the proposed techniques, and empirical results demonstrate that GraphSig is effective and efficient for mining significant patterns. To further demonstrate the power of significant patterns, we develop a classifier using patterns mined by GraphSig. Experimental results show that the proposed classifier achieves superior performance, both in terms of quality and computation cost, over state-of-the-art classifiers.


Abstract In our research described here nanocomposites containing a newly synthesized methacrylate polymer, poly 2-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-oxoethyl-2-methylprop-2-enoate (PFPAMA) and ZnO nanoparticles in various mass ratios (1, 3 and 5 w %) were synthesized using the hydrothermal method. The synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Hydrogen-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Both real and imaginary components of the complex dielectric permittivity of pure PFPAMA and the three different PFPAMA/ZnO nanocomposites were measured as a function of frequency. The dielectric study revealed that the ZnO nanoparticles improved the dielectric properties of pure PFPAMA. The variation of electrical conductivity, with frequency showed that the σ value increased linearly with increasing ZnO content. The frequency dependence of the conductivity suggested that the conduction occurs via a barrier hopping process. The obtained results suggest that the ZnO-doped, poly-2-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-oxoethyl-2-methylprop-2-enoate nanocomposites can be used as a dielectric material in dielectric device applications.


Complete androgen insensitivity syndrome is an X-linked recessive androgen receptor disorder characterized by a female phenotype with an XY karyotype. Individuals affected by this syndrome have normal female external genitalia but agenesis of the Müllerian duct derivatives, that is, absence of the Fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix, and the proximal part of the vagina, with presence of endoabdominal, labial, or inguinal testes. The estimated prevalence is between 1 and 5 in 100,000 genetic males. Complete androgen insensitivity syndrome can be diagnosed as a result of mismatch between the prenatal sex prediction and the phenotype at birth, can be detected by chance, or remain undetected until investigations for primary amenorrhea. Imaging can be important both to diagnose the pathology and to localize gonads prior to surgical treatment. In this paper, we present three cases of complete androgen insensitivity syndrome in adult women of 34, 22, and 38 years old.


Cerebellar liponeurocytoma is rare, and the clinical characteristics and treatment strategy remain unclear. In the present study, a case of cerebellar liponeurocytoma was retrospectively reported and a literature review was performed. A 45-year-old female presented due to occipital headaches, exhibiting a hoarse voice and a broad-based gait. Pre-operative magnetic resonance images revealed a lesion occupying the right hemisphere of the cerebellum and the inferior vermis, compressing the medulla oblongata from the right side, and extending through the foramen magnum to the C2 level. A total resection was performed, and pathological analysis of the lesion showed positivity for synaptophysin, S-100 and neuronal nuclear antigen, partial positivity for Olig-2, and negativity for glial fibrillary acidic protein and epithelial membrane antigen. In addition, the Ki-67 index was low (<5%). Thus, a diagnosis of cerebellar liponeurocytoma was determined. Total resection was successful and the patient was followed up closely. A review of the literature showed that cerebellar liponeurocytoma is mainly located in the cerebellum, with rare extra-cerebellar cases. Certain studies have suggested that the tumor may be located supratentorially and subtentorially, and should be renamed as solely liponeurocytoma. Total resection of the tumor contributes to an improved prognosis, while a subtotal resection and high Ki-67 index lead to recurrence. The tumor is similar to a tumor of low malignancy, with long-term recurrence. Radiation is recommended when there is residual tumor, recurrence or when the Ki-67 is high.


Ag nanoparticles sputtered on silicon wafer are used as masks for the fabrication of silicon columns by ion etching, which induces the growth of the inclined Ag nanorod by inclined Ag sputtering. V-shaped and Z-shaped Ag nanorods can be obtained by varying incline angles and deposition times. SERS detection and FDTD simulation are used to compare and investigate the enhanced electromagnetic coupling of incline nanorod arrays with different shapes in three-dimensional space, which indicates that Z-shaped nanorods show good SERS properties. The Z-shaped Ag nanorod array is used as a SERS substrate for the detection of thiabendazole with a concentration down to 10−11 M.


To determine the need for prophylactic nasogastric decompression following laparotomy and the influence of cimetidine, 200 consecutive patients who underwent major abdominal procedures were prospectively randomized into one of four limbs: no tube-placebo; no tube-cimetidine; tube-placebo; and tube-cimetidine. Patients were evenly distributed among these groups with respect to age, sex, alcohol and tobacco use, previous operations, and types of operations. There was significantly longer time until passage of flatus, bowel movement, and cessation of intravenous fluids in the tube group (p less than 0.05). Duration of postoperative stay increased from 11.4 to 14.1 days in the intubated patients (p less than 0.05). There was also significantly more pain with and frequency of swallowing, and nose/throat discomfort in the tube group. Nasogastric tubes reduced the incidence of vomiting from 28 in the no-tube group to 10 in the tube group (p less than 0.05), but most had only one or two episodes. Cimetidine did not affect either the incidence of vomiting or the duration of intubation, but was associated with a significant increase in pneumonias (p less than 0.05). Five patients without tubes initially, and seven patients with tubes had to have them inserted or replaced for vomiting or abdominal distention, which occurred equally in the placebo and cimetidine limbs. There were no cases of aspiration pneumonia, gastric dilatation, or wound dehiscence in the trial, and the four anastomotic leaks were divided equally between the tube and no-tube groups. The results indicated that prophylactic decompression was unnecessary in most patients and associated with increased morbidity and delayed return of gastrointestinal function. Cimetidine lowered nasogastric output on the first postoperative day (p less than 0.05), but did not prevent vomiting.


Earlier, using phenomenological approach, we showed that in some cases polarizable models of condensed phase systems can be reduced to nonpolarizable equivalent models with scaled charges. Examples of such systems include ionic liquids, TIPnP-type models of water, protein force fields, and others, where interactions and dynamics of inherently polarizable species can be accurately described by nonpolarizable models. To describe electrostatic interactions, the effective charges of simple ionic liquids are obtained by scaling the actual charges of ions by a factor of 1/√(ε(el)), which is due to electronic polarization screening effect; the scaling factor of neutral species is more complicated. Here, using several theoretical models, we examine how exactly the scaling factors appear in theory, and how, and under what conditions, polarizable Hamiltonians are reduced to nonpolarizable ones. These models allow one to trace the origin of the scaling factors, determine their values, and obtain important insights on the nature of polarizable interactions in condensed matter systems.


Several parameters that affect the formation, size and spatial distribution of micelles of poly(styrene-block-acrylic acid) (PS-b-PAA) in organic solvents or assembled on solid substrates have been investigated. The micelles were characterized in the solvated state using Dynamic Light Scattering, and were imaged and characterized in the dry thin film state using Atomic Force Microscopy. Micelle size in solution followed scaling laws based on the ratio of the two block copolymer segments. Micelle size was not affected by the addition of PS homopolymer or salt, whereas micelle diameter did increase with the addition of PAA homopolymer both in solution and in the dry state on sold supports. Furthermore, micelles formed in toluene, but they did not form in tetrahydrofurane, chloroform or hexane. In terms of spatial distribution in the dry state, the only parameters which affected spacing, and therefore density, were annealing conditions and addition of PAA homopolymer. Annealing near or below the glass transition temperature for 16 hours increased the order of the films, as was demonstrated by Fast Fourier Transforms of their AFM images. Annealing for longer periods of time or at temperatures significantly above the glass transition temperature destroyed the micelles.


The dataset is the daily count of Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) passing through a fish counting weir on the Pilgrim River from 2003 to 2014. Also, included in the data set is the daily temperature and river height measured at the weir (65.103071°, -164.824046°).The fish weir was operated during the summer (late June to mid-September) by the Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation.


On-site interviews of 750 parents were conducted in three neighborhood health centers (NHC), the affiliated hospital emergency room (ER) and the hospital-based primary care program (CCHP), to determine how parents seeking primary care for their children actually utilized these facilities. Three dimensions define the following modal patterns of use: 1) nature of site (s) used, 2) role of each site, and 3) medical content of care. Five major patterns of use of care emerged which were 1) no primary care—10 per cent, 2) primary care only—19 per cent, 3) comprehensive primary care—34 per cent, 4) limited primary care—33 per cent, and 5) multiple primary care—4 per cent. Factors significantly correlated with these patterns include child's age, recent change in residence, ethnic origin, reasons parents cite for choosing ER care, and parents' overall satisfaction with care. Three patterns (Nos. 1, 4, and 5), which include 47 per cent of the sample, indicate considerable disparity between actual use and intended use of these facilities, e.g., ER is used for nonemergencies; primary care programs are not used comprehensively. This disparity reflects a major problem in health care delivery, setting the stage for errors or omission or commission which compromise optimal health outcome. Systematic understanding of the determinants of these usage styles which professionals consider inappropriate, based on consumer perspectives of their needs and priorities, is likely to suggest strategies for making primary care programs more responsive to their users.


Electron-beam irradiation has been used to induce controllable variations in the properties of YBa 2Cu3O72x biepitaxial grain-boundary Josephson junctions. A correlation between the transport properties and the microstructure was obtained by determining the ratio of a barrier thickness to the dielectric constant of the junctions with different barriers. These results give evidence of the role of the oxygen content and the dielectric constant of the interface region in transport phenomena. The experiment also demonstrates frequency tunability in a resonant soliton oscillator. @S0163-1829 ~98!51322-2#


A correlation-based optical flow algorithm using Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) technology to achieve fast motion-based image segmentation is described. Using CUDA, a 240 processor GPU implementation of an optimized correlation-based optical flow algorithm allows segmentation to be achieved at high frame rates on high-resolution video sequences. Details of the mapping of the optical flow segmentation algorithm onto the CUDA architecture as well as performance results are given. The performance of the algorithm is further characterized as a function of the search and correlation window radii.


This research undertakes an eleven-year period study of the activities of Education Tax Fund (ETF) upon Nigerian tertiary institutions with the target of revealing how Education Tax Fund has helped in enhancing the educational development of Nigerian Tertiary Institutions. Various analytical tools were employed in appraising data generated from the publications of the operations department of the Education Tax Fund and some other Federal Government publications. The research found out that ETF has made significant positive impact towards improving the educational sector in Nigeria by construction of various intervention projects and improving the teaching and learning conditions of both students and lecturers., and that each tertiary institution has its own criteria (subject to TETfund directives) for determining which lecturer becomes a beneficiary. However, the principal officers such as vice chancellors, rectors, provosts and their deputies, the directors of works, librarians etc are not to be included as beneficiaries. The research also revealed that ETF distribution formula nationwide for tertiary institutions were 25%, 12.5% and 12.5% for Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, respectively while the remaining 50% was distributed to Secondary and Primary Schools. Conclusively, the researcher is of the opinion that the ETF has the potential of alleviating the chronic under-funding of the educational sector and that in future, if properly utilized the fund will continue in no small measure towards revitalizing the educational system in Nigeria. Keywords: Education Tax Fund; Education trust fund; tertiary institutions; educational development; high impact projects


1. Adenylate cyclase of the washed 600g sediment of bovine corpus-luteum homogenate is stimulated by p[NH]ppG (guanosine 5'-[beta,gamma-imido]triphosphate), the imido analogue of GTP, and to a lesser extent by GTP itself. Activation by p[NH]ppG is not reversed by extensive washing before assay, but can, however, be reversed by NaF. 2. Both p[NH]ppG and NaF stabilize the enzyme during incubation at 37 degrees C. NaF also causes an irreversible activation, but only of part of the potentially NaF-activatable adenylate cyclase; there are possibly two components of the adenylate cyclase system, which can be distinguished by their response to NaF. 3. Solubilization of the adenylate cyclase activity in the 600g sediment, by using the non-ionic detergent Lubrol-PX, gave variable yields. A relationship between the magnitude of NaF stimulation of the 600g-sediment enzyme and the yield of soluble activity derived from the sediment was recognized. The results suggest that the pre-existing state of the enzyme complex in vivo is reflected by the response in vitro to NaF and may determine the success with which activity can be solubilized. 4. The absolute yields of soluble activity could be increased by p[NH]ppG preactivation of the 600g sediment. During the development of the maximally active state by preincubation with p[NH]ppG the enzyme passes through a stage in which Lubrol solubilization is increased, but the maximally active state is itself less amenable to solubilization. p[NH]ppG activation causes the appearance of NaF-inhibited states, which appear to be preferentially solubilized by Lubrol-PX.


Plasma digoxin-like immunoreactive factor(s) (DLIF) have been reported in various pathophysiological conditions associated with volume expansion and linked to the regulation of blood volume and pressure. We hypothesized that DLIF might be present in rapidly expanding gonadotropin-stimulated ovarian follicles. The mean total and free DLIF concentrations in the follicles (n = 9) studied were 4925 nmol/L and 1885 nmol/L, respectively. These concentrations were substantially higher than the plasma total and free DLIF levels in these women: 1216 nmol/L and 158 nmol/L, respectively (p less than 0.0001). The plasma DLIF levels in the gonadotropin-treated women were comparable to those in term pregnant women, which are known to be higher than those in non-pregnant women. The ovary thus may be a source of DLIF in the plasma of gonadotropin-treated women, and DLIF may have a role in ovarian follicular fluid homeostasis.


Objectives: To assess the use of soft copy reporting of computed radiography (CR) images in determining intravenous long line tip position in neonates and compare visibility rates with hard copy printed images. Method: A retrospective study of all long lines inserted on the neonatal unit over a period of one year was performed. Forty five lines were inserted in 30 neonates over this time. Assessment of the CR images was made by three independent observers by reviewing the films on the viewing console and as hard copy printed films. Results: Accurate identification of the line tip could be made in 66.7% of cases (κ = 0.9) using hard copy images and 95.6% cases (κ = 1.0) using soft copy reporting (significant difference: p = 0.002). The difference in percentage visibility using the two techniques was 28.9% (95% confidence interval 10.2% to 36.7%). Conclusion: The use of soft copy review of CR image improves the visibility of the line tip position compared with hard copy films and reduces the need for repeat radiographs with/without intravenous contrast.


In this study we have aimed to explore how participation and self-determination is implemented in the daily life of disabled people who receive support through LSS. The questions addressed concern possibilities/obstacles for the participation and selfdetermination of disabled people who live in group housings, and how the terms participation and self-determination are realized. Nine interviews have taken place with staff members and directors of different group housings. We have found that the interviewees believe that the nature of a person's disability can be a barrier to the individual's self-determination and participation in his or her everyday life. For individuals with more severe disabilities, the interviewees find that the use of different communication aids, such as sign language and pictures, can facilitate the communication between all parts involved, and make it easier for the wishes of the individual to reach through to the staff/directors. Sometimes the interviewees' opinions of what is a healthy life does not correspond with the wishes of the individual. When this occurs we have found examples of the staff putting up boundaries for the individual's self-determination, and instances in which the staff takes on a more passive role and lets the individual make his or her own decisions even if the staff does not necessarily believe them to be good ones.


Populations of the spionid polychaete Boccardia polybranchia were monitored for several years in the intertidal sediments of Kerguelen Island in the subantarctic province. This shallow water poecilogonous species exhibited adelphophagy where the females deposited eggs in capsules of which only 3-5% of the eggs undergo a normal development and fed on the remaining eggs. Type I larvae utilized their yolk reserves and fed on nurse eggs. After 8 d a second larval type was visible in the capsules. These Type II larvae presented a well developed and functional gut at the third setiger stage and never ingested any nurse eggs in the capsules. The consequences of this developmental pattern were important for recruitment. The number of hatching larvae was considerably reduced, but the protection in the capsules and the position of the capsules within the tubes ensured good local recruitment. Larval behavior was also modified with the nearly complete lack of a planktonic phase. Dispersal existed for a small number of Type II larvae but the general trend led to the formation of dense populations of up to 50,000 ind m -2 .


This paper "A Critical Assessment of Port privatization Policy and Port Productivity in Nigerian maritime Industry" highlights the role of seaports in the socio-economic development of Nigeria; and it further explained port privatization policy which is a globalized concept that involves private sector participation in the operation of the port. The work is aimed at evaluating the productivity of the Nigerian ports since the inception of port privatization policy in Nigeria, and the performance indicators which represents the cargo throughput in Nigeria between 1999 and 2009, which showed that the policy has not been a failure as cargo throughput has increased between 2006 and 2009 than before. Further findings using the Chi-square method of data analysis showed that there is a strong relationship between port privatization policy and port productivity and the revenue generated at the seaports which has increased also, since the inception of port privatization policy in Nigeria. The research findings also showed that, the port privatization policy has been effective in Nigeria but there is still a need for improvement. For this policy to be more effective therefore, there is a need for constant review of this policy from time to time and also the need to make the ports more user friendly by putting in place strategies that will have positive impact in the operation of the port, such as cost reduction strategy and time reduction strategy (which includes time of vessels in berth, and ship turn-round time. Therefore, effort shall be made in this study to review the benefits and challenges of the policy as it relates to ports operational performance and productivity within the confines of the ports-maritime industry at the end of the day.


OBJECTIVE
To analyse the relationship between superantigens produced by Staphylococcus aureus and the mRNA expression of T-cell receptor V beta region (TCR Vbeta), and to investigate the possible role of Staphylococcal superantigens in the pathogenesis of nasal polyps.

METHODS
Sinonasal mucus and polyp/mucosa tissue were obtained from patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (22 patients with bilateral nasal polyps, 15 without nasal polyps) and 12 normal subjects as comparative negative controls. Mucus specimens were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for Staphylococcal exotoxins,and analyzed for the expression of TCR Vbeta genes using the technique of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTS
The percentages of Staphylococcus exotoxins in nasal polyps were 54.54% (21/22) for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyp (CRSwNP) subjects. There were no positive results in the CRSsNP or control groups. The expressional intensity of Vbeta3 (10.02), Vbeta14 (3.54), Vbeta15 (2.39), Vbeta17 (3.48), and Vbeta20 (2.94) was increased significantly for Staphylococcal exotoxin B (SEB) positive subjects (P < 0.05). Vbeta2 (13.8) and Vbeta6. 1-3 (6.53) were significantly highly expressed for toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSTf-1) positive subjects in CRSwNP group (P < 0.05). There were no dominantly used Vbeta fragments in ELISA- negative specimens. In the group of chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyp (CRSsNP), most of TCR Vbeta gene subfamilies demonstrated a trend toward higher expressional levels compared with those of normal controls, although there was no statistical difference (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
There was relationship between Staphylococcal superantigens and the excursion of TCR Vbeta gene spectra in nasal polyp, and superantigens possibly play an important role in the pathogenesis of CRSwNP.


This study examines the relationship between the investment bank market share and the performance of the companies in Canada that sought their advice as an acquirer in a merger transaction. We investigate the validity of two alternative hypotheses proposed by Rau (2000): Superior deal hypothesis and Deal completion hypothesis. The former posits that managers seek top investment advisors because of their ability to recognise the added value in their investments where as the latter have their ability to complete the deal quicker. Tobin's Q is used as a performance measure to find out if the top quality investment banks delivered greater value to their clients compared to low quality banks. We examine the effects of time on deal performance by measuring change in Q at two different points in time – one and two years after the merger respectively. Then we investigate the effect of past performance and past market share on the current market share of a particular investment bank.


A lot of research has been conducted to examine the effect of gender differences on language learning motivation in various learning environment, yet the outcomes remain contradictory. This study investigates gender differences in 568 Indonesian senior high school students' motivation to learn English online during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this quantitative enquiry, the data were collected using a motivational questionnaire containing a number of items indicating motivational components. One-way MANOVA was performed to examine not only the students' overall motivation, but also the effect of gender differences on three motivational variables, namely instrumental orientation, self-efficacy beliefs, and self-regulation. The findings revealed that the students' overall motivation differs by gender. Furthermore, it was indicated that, in general, female students possessed higher levels of motivation than male students in learning English online. The results support the growing stereotype claiming that female learners tend to outperform their male peers in language learning. The analyses on the motivational variables indicated that female students had higher level of instrumental orientation and they were more self-regulated compared to male students. In terms of their self-efficacy beliefs, no significant differences detected between male and female students in learning English online during the COVID-19 pandemic.


This paper provides a 'stocktake' of common responsibility-sharing principles and goals in international agreements on climate change and refugees/migration to date and investigates how these principles might inform an Oceania agreement to deal with the emerging issue of South Pacific climate-induced migration. Where international agreements on climate change and refugees/migration overlap I identify a set of responsibility-sharing principles and goals and investigate their compatibility with the needs and demands of Pacific communities facing the prospect of climate-induced displacement. In this paper, I tap into ongoing political and academic debates concerning if and how we ought to differentiate states' environmental responsibilities. I ask whose responsibility is it to address climate-induced migration? And what exactly are they responsible for? I find that international agreements on climate change and refugees/migration sufficiently overlap with the needs of Pacific communities to provide us with five common responsibility-sharing principles and goals that are potentially useful in the South Pacific climate migration context: the ability to pay principle, polluter pays principle, prevention, emissions reduction and (funding) adaptation. Notwithstanding responsibility-sharing's negotiation difficulties, these responsibility-sharing principles have significant congruence with Pacific communities' needs and demands, and thus provide us with a valuable starting point for an Oceania agreement on climate-induced migration that is informed first and foremost by the needs of those who may have to leave their homes.


This paper describes the design and realization of novel tactile sensors based on soft materials and magnetic sensing. In particular, the goal was to realize: 1) soft; 2) robust; 3) small; and 4) low-cost sensors that can be easily fabricated and integrated on robotic devices that interact with the environment. We targeted a number of desired features, the most important being: 1) high sensitivity; 2) low hysteresis; and 3) repeatability. The sensor consists of a silicone body in which a small magnet is immersed; an Hall-effect sensor placed below the silicone body measures the magnetic field generated by the magnet, which changes when the magnet is displaced due to an applied external pressure. Two different versions of the sensor have been manufactured, characterized, and mounted on an anthropomorphic robotic hand. Experiments, in which the hand interacts with real-world objects, are reported.


Hemodynamic problems resulting from cardiac arrhythmias often occur in patients undergoing coronary bypass grafting in the early postoperative period. Therefore, in this study the antiarrhythmic effects of the calcium channel antagonist diltiazem were evaluated in coronary bypass grafting. Forty patients were randomly assigned either to a therapy with diltiazem or nitroglycerin. Hemodynamic measurements were established by Swan-Ganz catheter, and long-term ECG analyses were performed preoperatively and 1, 3 and 5 days after operation. There were significantly fewer ventricular arrhythmias (Lown class IV) in the diltiazem groups than in the nitroglycerin groups (p < 0.05). Supraventricular tachycardias were significantly more often observed in the nitroglycerin groups on all 3 days (p < 0.05). As a result, the calcium channel antagonist diltiazem is recommended as a standard adjunct to perioperative medication in cardiac surgery.


Among endocrine glands, thyroid gland is well known for its developmental anomalies ranging from common to rare. During routine dissection of the male cadaver, agenesis of isthmus of thyroid gland in the midline was noted. It resulted in two lateral lobes with two pyramidal lobe and levator glandulae thyroidae. There is no anastamosis of blood vessels between the right and left lobes as normally seen. The agenesis of isthmus of thyroid gland is extremely rare and very few cases have been reported in literature.


me that, without disregarding their differences, there is a commonality of interest between Berger and Freire. That commonality of interest is the desire eventually to see a developmental pattern which not only does not increase injury to those suffering in poverty and degradation, nor simply gives them "cognitive respect,'' but which actually allows them to move to a better existence in a meaningful world which is under their control. This concern, in itself, makes Pyramids of Sacrifice a very valuable book.


Optimal power allocation (PA) scheme for distributed antenna systems with orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DAS-OFDM) over frequency-selective fading channels is presented. The PA design is to optimise the transmit powers of subcarriers to maximise the capacity subject to the total power constraint. Based on the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker optimality conditions, the optimal PA to the distributed nodes for a subcarrier can be simplified to allocating the power to the node of the largest channel gain. With this result, an efficient algorithm is derived to obtain the optimal PA to the nodes for all the subcarriers of the DAS-OFDM. Compared with an existing suboptimal scheme, the developed scheme can obtain higher capacity and has lower complexity. By computer simulations, the effectiveness of the proposed scheme is verified.


This report describes a female of 54 years with a past history of repeated breast biopsies all showing benign epithelial hyperplasia. The patient subsequently had a simple mastectomy and axillary lymph node biopsy. No evidence of malignancy was found in the specimen but there were numerous foci of epithelial hyperplasia in the breast and one axillary lymph node was extensively replaced by similar tissue. The danger of mistaking benign inclusions in lymph nodes for metastatic malignancy, particularly in tissue examined by cryostat section, is emphasized. The possible aetiology of such lesions is briefly discussed.


In the state of São Paulo, jambu has been grown with a view to its industrial uses. However, there are few works involving mineral nutrition and organic fertilization in jambu, which leads farmers to use fertilizer recommendations intended for other similar leafy crops and several different fertilizers. Thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate different sources of organic fertilizers in top dressing in the production of jambu under organic management. The experiments were carried out at the Experimental Farm of São Manuel, SP, and at the Zodíaco farm, located in the Demétria district, Botucatu, SP. Six treatments (organic fertilizers in top dressing: ferticel ® , provaso, castor bean cake, bokashi, hoof and horn powder, and a control without top dressing) were evaluated, using a randomized block design with five replicates. From two harvests in each location, the following characteristics were evaluated: the fresh weight of vegetative parts (FWVP) and of inflorescences (FWI), the total fresh weight (TFW), the number of inflorescences (NI), and the average weight per inflorescence (AWI). The results show an increase of 158% and 78%; 103 and 101%; 143 and 86%; and 144 and 85%, in FWVP, FWI, NI, and TFW, respectively, with the use of hoof and horn powder (the best treatment, not differing from castor bean cake) compared to the control at Zodíaco farm and at the Experimental Farm of São Manuel, respectively. These results indicate that hoof and horn powder and castor bean cake were the best fertilizers in both harvests and locations, with higher production of both fresh and dry weight of the vegetative and reproductive parts of jambu.


In this paper, 81 Turkish provinces with different development levels were ranked using the TOPSIS method. To evaluate the ranking with TOPSIS, we presented an improvement to Mahalanobis distances, by considering a robust MM estimator of the covariance matrix to deal with the presence of outliers in the dataset. Additionally, the homogenous subsets, which were obtained from the robust Mahalanobis distance-based TOPSIS were compared with robust cluster analysis. According to our findings, robust TOPSIS-M scores reflect the inter-class differences in economic developments of provinces spanning from the extremely low to the extremely high level of economic developments. Considering indicators of economic development, which are often used in the literature, İstanbul ranked first, Ankara second, and İzmir third according to the Robust TOPSIS-M method. Moreover, with the Robust Cluster analysis, these provinces were diagnosed as outliers and it was seen that obtained clusters were compatible with the ranking of Robust TOPSIS-M.


The objective of the present study was to define short-course treatment regimens for PB leprosy and to compare them with the 'classical' dapsone treatment and the WHO-PB regimen. Five treatment regimens were studied and evaluated by the histologic evolution. The regimens were: (1) dapsone 100 mg daily, non-supervised for 3 years; (2) RMP 900 mg supervised, once weekly, 8 doses; (3) idem 12 doses; (4) RMP 600 mg, once monthly, supervised, 6 doses and during this treatment dapsone 100 mg daily unsupervised; (5) RMP 600 mg together with dapsone 100 mg daily, supervised for 6 days. For each of these regimens there were between 114 and 195 person-years of follow-up. Results are comparable for the 5 treatment regimens, and reach 65-75% cure rates at 36 months and 80-90% at 48 months after the start of therapy. The relapse rate for all groups is about 0.5% per year. The difficulty for the diagnosis of relapse in PB leprosy is discussed. It is concluded that treatment of PB leprosy can be relatively simple but that a relatively long time is needed to evaluate its effect.


1: Introduction.- 1.1 Quantitative description of circulating proteins.- 1.2 Presentation of theory and applications.- A: Physiological basis, choice of models and quantitative methods.- 2: Turnover and distribution of circulating tissue enzymes.- 2.1 Introduction.- 2.2 Variability of tissue enzyme content.- 2.3 Relation between leakage of cellular enzymes and cell death.- 2.4 Enzyme release from different cellular compartments.- 2.5 Pathways for the transport of cellular proteins from tissues to plasma.- 2.6 Factors preventing tissue enzymes from reaching circulation.- 2.7 Elimination of tissue enzymes from circulation.- 3: Turnover and distribution of plasma proteins.- 3. 1 Introduction.- 3.2 Delivery of plasma proteins to circulation.- 3.3 Exchange of protein between plasma and extravascular compartments.- 3.4 Elimination of plasma proteins from circulation.- 3. 5 Variability of circulatory parameters in man.- 4: Methods and models used in quantitative studies of circulating proteins.- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.2 Basic compartmental models.- 4.3 Equivalence of different methods and formalisms.- 4.4 Quantification of in vivo release of protein.- 5: Sources of error in quantification of circulating proteins.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 Hazards in estimating circulatory parameters from tracer kinetics.- 5.3 Errors caused by purification and labeling.- 5.4 Accuracy in calculation of cumulative protein release.- 5.5 Behaviour of circulating proteins in the dog.- B : Applications.- 6: Assessment of myocardial damage from plasma levels of cardiac enzymes.- 6 1 Introduction.- 6.2 A model for circulating cardiac enzymes.- 6.3 Estimation of catabolic rate constants.- 6.4 Accuracy in calculation of cumulative release of cardiac enzymes.- 6.5 The extent of myocardial damage after acute myocardial infarction.- 6.6 The extent of myocardial damage after open-heart surgery.- 7: Changes in circulating mass of plasma proteins during the acute phase response.- 7.1 Introduction.- 7.2 Plasma volume changes after acute myocardial infarction.- 7.3 Plasma volume expansion and the negative acute phase response.- 7.4 Consumption of proteinase inhibitors in the acute phase after myocardial infarction.- 7.5 Calculation of catabolic rate constants from the acute phase response.- 8: Dose-calculation of blood coagulation factors for infusion therapy.- 8.1 Introduction ..- 8.2 A model for circulating coagulation factors.- 8.3 Estimation of circulatory parameters for different coagulation factors.- 8.4 Effects of a single dose, intermittent doses and continuous infusion.- 8. 5 Complications in dose calculation.- 9: A review of data on the turnover and distribution of circulating proteins.- 9.1 Experimental procedures.- 9. 2 Techniques for the analysis of data.- 9.3 List of plasma proteins.- 9.4 Circulatory parameters for plasma proteins in man.- 9.5 Circulatory parameters for plasma proteins in the dog, rabbit and rat.- 9. 6 List of circulating tissue enzymes.- 9.7 Circulatory parameters for tissue enzymes in man.- 9.8 Circulatory parameters for tissue enzymes in the dog,rabbit and rat.- Appendix: Derivation of mathematical expressions.- References.


The pathogenesis of the constipation that is commonly experienced by cancer patients, especially those with advanced disease, is the result of multiple influences on the control of intestinal motility and fluid handling. These factors include the direct effects of malignancy on gut structure, paraneoplastic neural impairment, biochemical disturbance, and adverse effects of cancer treatments. In addition, the debility and reduced oral intake associated with cancer also contribute, as, perhaps, might the older age of many cancer patients. A detailed understanding of the mechanisms of constipation, especially in association with illness, is lacking, and most treatments remain nonspecific.


The accountability movement of the juvenile justice system in the late 1980s and early 1990s encouraged more punitive practices by juvenile justice professionals. Public opinion was strong during this time. The attitudes about the juvenile justice system are a product of individual demographic, cultural, and political characteristics. This study addresses opinions about juvenile waivers – a punitive sanction – examining data from the National Opinion Survey of Crime and Justice in the 1990s (see Flanagan, 1996). This study analyzes attitudes about juvenile waivers, using multivariate quantitative methods. The results indicate a consistent relationship between the perception of the sentencing goals of the juvenile court (punishment versus rehabilitation) and one's attitudes towards the use of juvenile waivers. Contrary to the generated hypotheses, though, attitudes about juvenile waivers were not consistently dependent on individual demographic, cultural, or political characteristics.


The present study was conducted to assess the nutritional status of 30 adult women engaged in household activities from district Ambala. The measurement of height, weight, midarm circumference and triceps skinfold thickness were taken. From these, various derived indices were calculated and co-relation coefficients were drawn. The average height and weight of the subjects was more than the LIC standards but it compared well with the NCHS standards. The triceps skinfold (TSF), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC) indicate lack of physical activity among the subjects. Co-relation coefficients between the various indices were correlated to each other and these indices can be used as predictive indicators of the anthropometric status of population which could be used for rapid assessment of anthropometry of the community. The need of the hour is to impart nutrition education to raise the nutritional status of women.


We discuss the variety of coordinates often used to characterize the coherent state classical limit of an algebraic model. We show selection of appropriate coordinates naturally motivates a procedure to generate a single particle Schr\"odinger hamiltonian which, for low energy states, gives equivalent results to a bosonic algebraic model to leading order in $N$. The process is used to study the associated geometries of the dynamical symmetries of U(3). By demanding that the inner product be preserved in the Schr\"odinger picture we conclude that different dynamical symmetries correspond to different scales.


It has been shown that there is an increased risk of breast cancer in women with gross cystic breast disease (GCBD).' The risk does not seem linked to the lesion per se, because carcinoma has never been observed at the site of the cyst, but rather to the particular hormonal status of these patients. In women at high risk (e.g., with a family history of the disease) it is possible that the breast tissue is more sensitive to prolonged, moderately unbalanced hormonal stimuli? GCBD has its maximum incidence in the perimenopausal period when ovarian activity is somewhat irregular. This disease is characterized by one or more cysts containing a fluid that is rich in protein and steroid hormones.) Recently various antigens generally present in the serum of women with ovarian and breast cancer have been the subject of research in cyst fluid.4 The aim of the present study was to investigate and discuss the possible relationships between steroid hormones and tumor antigens in the plasma and cyst fluid of women with GCBD.


A concept for dynamic scheduling in manufacturing systems is proposed. The scope of 'dynamic scheduling' treated includes online dynamic change of some scheduling parameters such as rules for part dispatching, machine selection, or routing. IF-THEN-type heuristic operators are utilized to perform this online real-time rule selection, and offline machine learning is used to obtain more detailed and powerful heuristics than those implemented by human experts or programmers. A learning algorithm has been developed to formulate operators that can treat quantity-type as well as quality-type information. A prototype computer program named learning aided dynamic scheduler (LADS) has been developed. A simulation study using LADS indicates good results for dynamic scheduling.<<ETX>>


Background: The number of total knee and hip replacements (TKR/THR) has been increasing noticeably in high-income countries, such as Germany. Especially the number of revisions is expected to rise due to higher life expectancy and procedures performed on younger patients, impacting budgets of the health care systems. Quality transparency is the basis of holistic patient pathway optimization. Nevertheless, a nation-wide cross-sectoral assessment of quality from patient perspective does not yet exist. Several studies have shown that the use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) is effective in measuring quality and for monitoring post-treatment recovery. For the first time in Germany, we test whether early detection of critical recovery paths using PROMs after TKR/THR improves the quality of care in a cost-effective way and can be recommended for implementation into standard care.Methods/design: The study is a two-arm multi-center patient-level randomized controlled trial. Patients from nine hospitals are included in the study. Patient-centered questionnaires are employed to regularly measure digitized PROMs of TKR/THR patients from the time of hospital admission until 12 months post-discharge. An expert consortium has defined PROM alert thresholds at 1, 3, and 6 months to signal critical recovery paths after TKR/THR. An algorithm alerts study assistants if patients are not recovering in line with expected recovery paths. The study assistants then contact patients and their physicians to investigate and, if needed, adjust the post-treatment protocol. By adding sickness funds' claims data, the cost-effectiveness of the intervention can be analyzed.Discussion: The study is expected to deliver an important contribution to test PROMs as an intervention tool and examine the determinants of high-quality endoprosthetic care. Depending on a positive and cost-effective impact, the goal is to transfer the study design into standard care. During the trial design phase, several insights have been discovered, with opportunities for efficient digital monitoring limited by existing legacy care models. Digitalization in hospital processes and the implementation of digital tools still represents challenges for hospital personnel and patients. Furthermore, data privacy regulations and the separation between the in- and outpatient sector are additional roadblocks to effectively monitor and assess quality along the full patient pathway.Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register: DRKS00019916. Registered 26 November 2019 – retrospectively registered, https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML& TRIAL_ID=DRKS00019916.


Over four and a half billion people live in the developing world and require access to services in the financial, agricultural, business, government and healthcare sectors. Due to constraints of the existing infrastructure (power, communications, etc), it is often difficult to deliver these services to remote areas in a timely and efficient manner.
 The CAM framework has found success as a flexible platform for quickly developing and deploying high-impact applications for these environments. Many of the applications built with CAM have relied on a model where a field worker with a mobile phone regularly returns from a disconnected environment to one with connectivity. In this connected state, the phone and a centralized server can exchange information and get the collected data backed up on reliable media.
 We propose extending CAM's networking model to enable continual operation in disconnected environments. Using a set of heterogeneous paths made available through social and geographic relationships naturally present among workers, we describe a system for asynchronously routing data in a best-effort manner.


In recent years, the introduction of adaptive schemes in electric distribution system protection has led to the over-coming of challenges related to the variability of fault current produced by the integration of distributed energy resources (DER). However, the changing nature of adaptive protection systems increases the complexity of the coordination problem, causing selectivity issues. This paper reformulates the traditional coordination problem by introducing the concept of distributed coordination and proposing a protection algorithm that guarantees adaptable selectivity. To evaluate the performance of the distributed coordination proposal, using an alternating method of multipliers (ADMM) and overcurrent-based functions, the protection algorithm is simulated in a CIGRE benchmark. Results show that the proposed algorithm is flexible and has good performance.


BACKGROUND: Aerosol therapy using albuterol is one of the most prescribed asthma treatments. The most frequently used methods of aerosol delivery are pneumatic jet nebulizer (JN), pressurized metered-dose inhaler (pMDI), and breath-actuated nebulizer (BAN). Choosing among these devices is usually not based on thorough comparison of efficiency or cost. We compare the efficiency of these three devices using a spontaneously breathing adult model. METHODS: We connected each aerosol generator—JN, BAN, or pMDI with a valved holding chamber (VHC)—to the face of an adult teaching manikin. Below the bifurcation, an elbow adaptor was connected to a corrugated tube and was angled to be at a lower level than the collecting filter to prevent droplets from dripping directly into the collecting filter. From the collecting filter, another corrugated tube was connected to a prevention filter, which was then connected to an adult breathing simulator. Spontaneous breathing parameters were VT 450 ml, RR 20/min, and I: E ratio 1:2. First, we compared JN, BAN (2.5 mg/3 ml), and pMDI (4 puffs); second, we compared JN and BAN 2.5 mg/0.5 ml plus 0.5 ml normal saline. Data were analyzed using spectrophotometry (276 nm). One-way ANOVA and independent sample t-tests were used (p<0.05). RESULTS: There were no differences in inhaled mass percentage (p=0.172) JN, BAN, and pMDI in the first experiment. Treatment time with BAN was significantly longer (p=0.0001) than with JN or pMDI. In the second experiment, BAN delivered more medication (p=0.004) than jet nebulizer. Treatment time was significantly less with JN (p=0.010). There was no difference in residual volume among JN and BAN in both experiment (p=0.765, p=0.115). CONCLUSIONS: All the devices that were compared using a 3 ml or 4 pMDI puffs delivered comparable amount of medication with no significant difference. However, BAN using 1 ml fill volume delivers more drug compared to JN. Additionally, treatment time was longest with BAN. Even with reduction of its filling volume, BAN delivers a higher amount of medication to that of pMDI but was not statistically significant.


Most of the social studies materials are composed of written texts. And this situation causes social studies teachers to have very important duties in education and development of reading which is a type of ability. Social studies students getting to a desired level of success is parallel to their learning something from written texts. Reading is composed of different sub-abilities. The most important reading abilities that should be taught and developed can be expressed as; making up vocabulary, reading comprehension and study-research abilities.


Information system security has turned out to be much more challenging than at first thought. In the 1980s a great deal of energy was expended in an attempt to create a broad market of security-enhanced systems. This market, however, did not develop, and most computer systems today include only rudimentary security mechanisms. New technologies, however, such as extensible systems and security wrappers, hold promise to reintroduce security as an effective and ubiquitous system service.


Background We conducted this study to measure the levels of GRB2 associated binding protein 1 (Gab1) mRNA in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) tissues and the paired normal tissues. And then assess the prognostic significance of Gab1 in CCA patients. Methods Quantitative real-time (qRT-PCR) was adopted to confirm the expression levels of Gab1 mRNA in both CCA tissues and normal controls. The Chi-square test was applied to estimate the influence of clinical parameters on Gab1 expression. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis with log-rank test were used to determine overall survival rates of patients with different Gab1 expression. Cox regression analysis was carried out to evaluate prognostic value of factors in CCA patients. Results According to the qRT-PCR result, increased expression of Gab1 mRNA was found in CCA tissues compared with the paired noncancerous controls (P<0.0001). The Chi-square test demonstrated that the elevated expression of Gab1 was affected by poor differentiation (P=0.022), positive lymph node metastasis (P=0.008) and high TNM stage (P=0.004). However, age, gender, family history and resection margin had no significant influence on Gab1 levels (all, P>0.05). The survival curves suggested that up-regulation of Gab1 was related with poor prognosis of CCA patients. Furthermore, the Cox analysis demonstrated Gab1 was a prognostic biomarker for CCA patients (P=0.000, 95%CI=2.576, HR=1.552-4.275). Conclusion Taken together, Gab1 expression was increased in CCA and may be a useful biomarker to predict the outcomes of CCA patients.


Skills in working in teamwork are demanded from graduates, and these are ever more likely to be over the internet. Horizon (2011) calls for this experience to be reflected in students' project work. The use of Wikis has been posited as a tool for collaborative online knowledge creation, increasing students levels of engagement, and social constructivism (Wheeler and Wheeler, 2009: Lai and Ng, 2011). The use of wikis in student groups is still relatively new, however, and the need for investigation of its role in supporting group collaboration has been identified in literature (Bruen, et al., in Donnelly, Harvey and O' Rourke, 2010). This study offers a contribution to the practice of online collaboration, and should be of interest to instructors who use group work in their teaching, as well as those who wish to explore the application of web 2.0 tools, or wikis specifically, in enhancing learning. Wikis were adopted to support a collaborative group project in the final (fourth) year of a general Business degree for an optional Marketing Communications module in the Dublin Institute of Technology. The wiki was chosen in response to some concerns about the assessment. Issues such as poor progress, last minute action, lack of meaningful collaboration, and inability of the instructor to track progress or identify problems, all arose in the past. For all of these reasons, along with the desire to integrate Web 2.0 tools into assessment, the wiki was adopted. The students were surveyed after completion of the project regarding: how the wiki was used (method and functionality), participation levels of the group (also measured through the wiki itself), whether they believed the wiki added value for the assessment, and finally challenges encountered and recommendations. Responses demonstrate the enhancement of the groups' collaboration, improved communication and social construction of knowledge. The feedback was generally positive about the experience. Practical issues such as 'one version of the project', and being able to view each others' progress, and avoid repetition, were perceived as adding value to the process. It was viewed by many groups as an efficient and effective mechanism of developing a group assessment that they would like to use again. The study indicates that many positive benefits (for both students and instructors) can be gained from embedding a wiki into a group activity.


The purpose of this project was to examine the perceptions of junior faculty members as they relate to roles and expectations related to the tenure process. The study utilized a mixed methods approach to gain a multifaceted perspective of this complex process. I employed a quantitative and qualitative survey to explore junior faculty perceptions regarding roles related to promotion and tenure policies. In addition, I conducted fantasy theme analysis (FTA) to explore the organizational rhetoric related to these policies. Findings from the study illustrate the continued presence of the "publish or perish" paradigm, as well as issues related to role conflict within the context of organizational rhetoric.


The effects of anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) and glutamate on cultured cortical neurons from 16 to 18-day-old fetal rats and the protective effect of ketamine were studied. The 12-day cultures of 12 days were exposed to anoxia (5 h) followed by reoxygenation (0-24 h). Following progressive A/R, the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) into the bathing medium obviously increased and exogenous glutamate (3 h) also markedly increased the release of LDH. When the cultures were pretreated with ketamine before A/R, the amounts of LDH efflux in culture medium were significantly less than those of controls. These results demonstrate that the cultured cortical neurons are seriously damaged by A/R and exogenous glutamate. Such damage could be attenuated by ketamine, suggesting that the neurotoxic effect of glutamate and NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors play an important role in the process of ischemia-induced damage in the brain.


DSM-III defines and offers diagnostic criteria for organic affective, organic delusional, and organic personality syndromes but provides no organic personality syndromes but provides no organic equivalent for anxiety disorders. Nevertheless, symptoms of anxiety characterize such conditions as hyperthyroidism and pheochromocytoma. The authors define and formulate diagnostic criteria for an organic anxiety syndrome and discuss the theoretical and therapeutic implications.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore parallels between scientific management and the new scientific management to gain insight into applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to human resource management and employee assessment.

Design/methodology/approach
Analysis of Taylor's work and its interpretation by scholars is contrasted with modern analysis of human resource analytics to demonstrate conceptual and methodological commonalities between the old and the new forms of scientific management.

Findings
The analysis demonstrates how the epistemology, ethos and cultural trajectory of scientific management has resulted in a mindset that has influenced the implementation and objectives of the new scientific management with respect to human resources analytics.

Social implications
This paper offers an alternative to the view that machine learning and AI as applied to work and employees are beneficial and points out why important challenges have been overlooked and how they can be addressed.

Originality/value
Commonalties between Taylorism and the new scientific management have been overlooked so that attempts to gain an understanding of how machine learning is likely to influence work, employees and work organizations are incomplete. This paper provides a new perspective that can be used to address challenges associated with applications of machine learning to work design and employee rights.


This chapter, part of the forthcoming volume PIONEERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW, explores the vision of humanity's influence on social-ecological systems that George Perkins Marsh provided to the world in his 1964 work, MAN AND NATURE, OR PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AS MODIFIED BY HUMAN ACTION, republished in 1874 as THE EARTH AS MODIFIED THROUGH HUMAN ACTION. In addition to tracing how Marsh and these publications influenced nature resources and environmental law in the United States well into the 20th century, this chapter also argues that Marsh anticipated, in many respects, the environmental legal and policy issues of the Anthropocene by tracing clearly how human development can substantially alter ecological processes at a large geographic scale.


In the field of contemporary Brazilian geography, it is urgent to continue studies on the city and the urban. This article is an approach by the investigation of the material in question, since the beginning, a classic bibliography, facilitated by the existence of tools based on the information technology. In addition to the indication of the work, it deals with the volume of quotations relating to it. The use of studies based on the H index will allow the updating of the studies with the presentation of the persons responsible for the production of important works on the urban geography in Brazil, thus making it possible to spatialize the production in the country (volume of citations


We report the high-yielding and scalable di- astereospecific synthesis of isomeric bicyclo(2.2.1)heptane-7- and -8-oximes and their corresponding C-nitroso derivatives, which are the key intermediates for the synthesis of carbanu- cleosides. Neither the (C7-R)-nitroso- nor (C8-S)-nitroso- bicycloheptane system requires any external base in DMSO-d6 to afford the corresponding oxime, and no reverse isomer- ization from the oxime to the C-nitroso compound was observed. The conversion of the (C8-S)-nitroso compound to the E/Z-oximes was ∼8 times faster (at 40 °C) than that of the (C7-R)-nitroso derivative. The mechanism involves first-order reaction kinetics for the conversion of either the (C7-R)- or (C8-S)-nitroso derivative to the corresponding E/Z-oximes. The lower rate of conversion of the (C7-R)-nitroso compound to the corresponding oximes compared with that of the (C8-S)- nitroso derivative is attributed to the fact that the acidic H8 ionizing center is two bonds away from the OPMB group on C1 in the latter whereas H7 is three bonds away from the C1 OMe group in the former, making the effect of the electron-withdrawing group on C1 stronger in the latter.


This paper analyzes Colorado Corn producers' preferences over both private- and environmental public-good production system attributes. Current production practices are characterized by intensive water and chemical use, resulting in non-point source pollution to water bodies as well as soil erosion problems. Data from a stated preference survey are employed to analyze key attributes of experimentally configured irrigation systems, proposed as alternatives to current practices. Panel mixed logit estimations find positive preferences for profit, risk reduction, and, importantly, systems with less environmental impact in terms of nitrate leaching and soil erosion. The results also find presence of significant preference heterogeneity and a complementary relationship between the two environmental attributes. Analysis of this kind can be used by policy makers to predict behavioral responses associated with introduction of new technologies, or to assess welfare implications of agricultural policy changes and stricter environmental regulations.


Knowing how the body reacts to the presence of pathogens allows healthcare professionals to make informed decisions about what action to take in caring for the child with fever. A raised body temperature raises the metabolic rate and makes the immune response more efficient. It also stimulates naturally occurring anti-pyretics but can also have harmful effects. Careful monitoring based on risk of serious illness is recommended in new guidelines on the management of feverish illness in young children provide (National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE 2007), which also provide an opportunity for standardising fever management.


[Abstract] Antiviral agents for the suppression of hepatitis B virus (HBV) have been used for treating chronic hepatitis B. However, the emergence of drug-resistant HBV is still a major problem for antiviral treatment. To identify and characterize the drug-resistant HBV, the construction of HBV replicon and in vitro drug susceptibility assay are essential. Here we describe the experimental methods to study drug-resistant HBV.


Abstract:Records of folk narratives from the past are available in large part through collecting and archival practices which saw pioneering efforts in nineteenth-century Finland. At the same time, archival decision making was not free of the ideological parameters of early folkloristic paradigms. In examining narratives about the Kaale—the Finnish Roma—in the archives of the Finnish Literature Society, this article pursues two goals at once: by outlining the contours and contents of the sparse, archived narrative material about the Kaale told by rural Finns, it is also possible to reconfirm the nation-building focus of nineteenth-century Finnish folklore, collecting which included this minority only through derogatory and ridiculing narratives by the majority population.


The feature points obtained from free-form surface 3D reconstruction method which based on grid projection all distribute along the projected grid lines only, and there is none feature point on the surface among the projected grid lines, which lead to the low accuracy reconstruction. An improved Census transform stereo matching method based on adaptive window is presented to reconstruct the surface among the projected grid lines. The method incorporates feature-based method and region-based method. The grid lines projected on the experimental subject surface are utilized to guide Census transform, the Hamming distance computed by dynamic disparity is used as the matching cost, and the higher accuracy matching points are obtained after filtering. The proposed method is applied on the binary vision 3D reconstruction to validate the improved reconstruction accuracy of surface among the projected grid lines.


This paper consists of several new results about Length property of the module M. F-length of any Module comes from several concepts like Neotherian module and Artinian modules (Neo and Art) with comp- sition series. We proved that any Neo -module has submodule T and Neo -module is F-length. This implies that T also has F-length Property. Finally, some remarks, examples and definitions have been presented in this paper.


Obesity is an important risk factor for cardiometabolic diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and coronary heart disease (CHD). Several leading national and international institutions, including the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health, have provided guidelines for classifying weight status based on body mass index (BMI; in kg/m) (1, 2). Data from epidemiologic studies demonstrate a direct correlation between BMI and the risk of medical complications and mortality rate (eg, 3, 4). Men and women who have a BMI 30 are considered obese and are generally at higher risk for adverse health events than are those who are considered overweight (BMI between 25.0 and 29.9) or lean (BMI between 18.5 and 24.9). Therefore, BMI has become the gold standard for identifying patients at increased risk of adiposity-related adverse health outcomes. Body fat distribution is also an important risk factor for obesity-related diseases. Excess abdominal fat (also known as central or upper-body fat) is associated with an increased risk of cardiometabolic disease. However, precise measurement of abdominal fat content requires the use of expensive radiological imaging techniques. Therefore, waist circumference (WC) is often used as a surrogate marker of abdominal fat mass, because WC correlates with abdominal fat mass (subcutaneous and intraabdominal) (5) and is associated with cardiometabolic disease risk (6). Men and women who have WCs 40 in (102 cm) and 35 in (88 cm), respectively, are considered to be at increased risk for cardiometabolic disease (7). These cutpoints were derived from a regression curve that identified the WC values associated with a BMI 30 in primarily Caucasian men and women living in north Glasgow, Scotland (8). An expert panel, organized by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), has recommended that WC be measured as part of the initial assessment and be used to monitor the efficacy of weight-loss therapy in overweight and obese patients who have a BMI 35 (7). However, measurement of WC has not been widely adopted in clinical practice, and the anatomical, metabolic, and clinical implications of WC data can be confusing. Therefore, Shaping America's Health: Association for Weight Management and Obesity Prevention; NAASO, The Obesity Society; and the American Diabetes Association convened a panel, composed of members with expertise in obesity management, obesity-related epidemiology, adipose tissue metabolic pathophysiology, statistics, and nutrition science, to review the published scientific literature and hear presentations from other experts in these fields. The Consensus Panel met


We show that chirality transfer from chiral polyoxometalates to achiral polyoxometalates can occur in aqueous solution with unexpected selectivity of surrounding counterions. In comparison with sodium ions, protonated dimethylammonium counterions play a critical role in shortening the inter-cluster distance, thus promoting the efficiency of chirality transfer.