The particle image velocimetry (PIV) is a well-established non-invasive optical technique for measuring the velocity field in fluids. Recently, the PIV approach has been extended to granular flows, where the medium under investigation is composed of a discrete number of grains that are typically non-transparent and of super-millimetric size. Granular PIV (g-PIV) still represents a non-standard application, as some accuracy concerns arise. In particular, since granular flows can be highly sheared, the choice of appropriate interrogation windows for the PIV analysis is not trivial. As well, owing to the spatially-averaged nature of the PIV approach, the estimation of second-order statistics remains a very challenging task. Here, we report a laboratory investigation on dry granular flows composed of glass spheres in a rotating drum. The velocity measurements at the sidewall are obtained by using a window deformation multi-pass PIV approach, where the open-source code PIVlab has been specifically used. Different combinations of the number of PIV passes and of interrogation windows are investigated. A slightly modified version of PIVlab allowed us to carry out g-PIV calculations with an arbitrary number of passes (i.e. greater than 4). Comparisons among different analyses helped us to identify reliable settings for g-PIV applications.


Paper industries are using manual chemical control methods to apply the chemicals to the digester. The main objective of the project is to increase the quality of the paper by increasing the brightness of the pulp. The brightness of the pulp is inversely proportional to the pH value. Hence, the pH value should be maintained in the range of (2-4) to achieve the maximum brightness range 85%. Initially, concentrated sulphuric acid is pumped from the filtrate to the stand pipe in which the pulp is present. This mixture is mixed with the bleaching agent (ClO2 solution) in a D0 mixer. The acidity is controlled by the brightness given by a device. The industries are facing difficulty in calculating the accurate amount of acid to be supplied. The brightness shows fluctuations and makes it more difficult. In order to solve this problem, we are introducing pH meter(to detect the acidity of the solution) parallelly to the mixer .Due to this, the wastage of the pulp and chemicals is reduced and the quality of the paper is increased.


TECHNIQUES FOR 3-D MACHINE PERCEPTION by A. Rosenfeld (ed.), Machine Intelligence and Pattern Recognition vol. 3, NorthHolland, Amsterdam, 1986, viii + 320pp. ($50). This is a collection of eleven papers, ten of them based on talks given at a Workshop on 3-D Machine Vision held in Washington D.C. in August 1983 in conjunction with the National Conference on Artificial Intelligence. The eleventh paper has been added to report recent work in the University of Maryland. All except one of the papers are from American sources, the exception being from France. It is clear that the main motivation of the work reported is the possibility of application to Robotics, though one paper also mentions applications to navigation. Others show aerial pictures of a part of Washington D.C, and of desert terrain in Arizona, and discuss how these can be interpreted automatically in three dimensions. The emphasis is on perception which is essentially visual, rather than, say, tactile or using ultrasound. That is to say, the acquisition of information on the objects depends on the detection of reflected light, but it may be "structured light" in which some property (colour, intensity or polarisation) changes across the beam, and with incident light coming from a number of sources. A wide variety of techniques is described in these eleven papers, with attention to the various levels of the perception process. At the lowest level there is consideration of various ways of obtaining range information it can be by the obvious, but computationally difficult, method of stereopsis, or one of several other possibilities. Then there are all the problems associated with the recognition of two-dimensional patterns, with extra complications due to the extra dimension, and particularly the fact that solid objects have a triple infinity of possible orientations. An extra complication is that there is interest in tracking moving objects. Also, the range data may be sparse. The computation of stereopsis, in a manner meant to copy human depth perception, is discussed in considerable mathematical detail in one of the papers. The approach is based on an earlier study by the well-known David Marr and a colleague. The method is illustrated by making a 3-D interpretation of stereo photographs of terrain in the region of Phoenix, Arizona. One paper considers methods based on the Hough Transform. In practical applications this requires a highdimensional parameter space and the computational complexity readily becomes prohibitive. Two alternative methods are presented for allowing the system to operate at multiple resolutions and thus to reduce the computing load. All of the papers have a clear practical bias and discuss their respective methods in considerable detail. This is clearly an important review of the state of the art in machine perception in three dimensions, a topic which is fundamental to advanced work in Robotics.


Online grocery shopping has enjoyed strong growth and it is predicted this channel will continue to grow exponentially in the coming years. While online shopping has attracted an abundance of research interest, examinations of online grocery shopping behaviour are only now emerging. Shopping online for groceries differs considerably from general online shopping due to the perishability and variability of the product, and frequency of the shopping activity. Two salient gaps underpin this research into online grocery shopping. This study responds to calls to investigate the online shoppers' experience in the context of online purchasing frequency. Second, this study examines the mediating effect of perceived risk between trust and online repurchase intention of groceries. An online survey was employed to collect data from shoppers who were recruited from a multi-channel grocery e-retailer's database. The online survey, comprising 16 reflective validated scale items, was sent to 555 frequent and infrequent online grocery shoppers. Results find that while customer satisfaction predicts trust for both infrequent and frequent online grocery shoppers, perceived risk fully mediates the effect of trust on repurchase intentions for infrequent online grocery shoppers. Furthermore, path analysis reveals that the developed behavioural model is variant across both groups of shoppers. Theoretically, we provide a deeper understanding of the online customer experience, while gaining insight into two shopper segments identified as being important to grocery e-retailers. For managers, this study tests an online customer behavioural model with actual purchasing behaviour and identifies the continued presence of perceived risk in grocery e-retailing, regardless of purchase frequency or experience.


The purpose of this case study was to assess differences in core temperature between individuals with and without amputations during a 10-mile run. Decreased body surface area and increased energy needs for ambulation may increase heat production and risk of heat injury for individuals with amputations. Two runners, 1 with and 1 without amputation, completed a 10-mile road race. Anthropometrics, body composition, and energy expenditure were collected before the run. Core temperature and activity were measured continually during the event. Maximum core temperature for the runner with amputation was 38.4 degrees C and for the runner without amputation was 37.9 degrees C. Despite the higher temperature, the runner with amputation completed the run at a slower pace than the one without amputation, indicating that higher core body temperatures may be achieved in individuals with amputation at similar workloads. These data suggest that future research is needed to elucidate differences in core temperature in individuals with amputations.


What if becoming information literate were an adventure? This question was posed in a keynote for the Creating Knowledge Conference 2021. It was answered in a thought piece by examining adventure-based ways to prepare students to be information literate adults through the principles and mechanisms that people find arousing and pleasurable and that are not classically a part of university pedagogy. How might these mechanisms be used to engage students more in the IL learning process and to encourage them to pursue being an information literate person as a lifelong endeavor? Adventure is presented as an experience that is situated, soft or hard, emotionally charged, challenging and rewarding. The risk aspect of adventure, often linked to danger, is also examined. Some of the dangers that exist in the management of information are explored (e.g., traps in sharing practices, seductive novelty and bypassing reason) as well as the personal costs of not managing information literacy well. How we nevertheless find danger alluring is explained in terms of arousal, as well as how we navigate zones of danger and delight with the help of protective frames. In order to arouse and sustain student engagement in becoming information literate adults, the value of interest is also introduced with the four-phase model of interest development. Suggestions for where to get started in translating the mechanisms of adventure, danger and interest into theoretically motivated and enjoyable teaching in order to support student growth as lifelong information literate adults are woven into the text for reflection.


In recent years, machine vision and optical sensors, which can be used in an autonomous weed killing equipment, are being used extensively to detect weeds from crops. In this study, seven types of weeds that grow in most of the sugar beet fields in Iran, especially in Fars province, were considered in real outdoor conditions. Several color feature extraction algorithms have also been investigated to separate soil from the plants as well as weeds from the sugar beets. The performance of the proposed algorithm was evaluated by determining correct classification rates (CCR) and misclassification rates (MCR) of the results. The findings revealed that the proposed method could successfully detect five of the seven types of the weeds, including Chenopudium album L., Amaranthus retrofelexus L., Physalis alkekengi L. , Convolvulus arvensi s L., Setaria vertidis L. Beauv and Echinochloa crus-gali (L.) Beauv.


Holistic water resource management needs the integration of community participatory water supply development and catchment management activities for sustainable livelihood improvement and ecological conservation. Proper management of water supply development dam projects contribute a lot for social development, economic growth, environmental conservation and climate change adaptation. But inadequate quantity and quality of water due to poor management of the catchment area limits development resulting in poor water supply, sanitation, hygiene, food insecurity and reduce energy production. Sustainable use of water depends on the functionality of the whole ecosystem. The need for holistic water resources management is well understood by the government and the people of Ethiopia and effort are made to conserve the natural resources. The objective of is paper is to integrated catchment management for the development of water supply dam projects, improve livelihood of the community and reduce sedimentation in reservoirs.


Patients infected with Helicobacter pylori have abnormally low ascorbic acid concentration in gastric juice. Low vitamin C intake and Helicobacter pylori infection have been related to an increased risk of gastric carcinoma. This report examines the association between ascorbic acid and Helicobacter pylori in patients referred for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Elevated gastric pH and the damage to the gastric surface epithelium were inversely associated with the ascorbic acid concentration in gastric juice. We postulate that these two factors mediate the ascorbic acid-decreasing effect of Helicobacter pylori. Patients with nonpremalignant conditions (normal gastric histology, diffuse antral gastritis, or duodenal ulcer) had lower gastric pH, less damage to the gastric epithelium, and higher levels of ascorbic acid in gastric juice than patients with atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, or dysplasia.


An indirect method of determining radiative neutron-capture cross sections for unstable nuclei which we refer to as the γ-ray strength function (γSF) method is outlined and applied to Zr and Sn isotopes. Photoneutron cross sections for 91,92,94,96Zr and 117,116Sn near neutron threshold show the presence of extra γ-ray strengths known as giant M1 and pygmy E1 resonances on top of the low- energy γSF of GDR. Based on the γSF method, we present (n,γ) cross sections for two radioactive nuclei, a long-lived fission product, 93Zr with T1/2 = 1.5 × 106 y and an s-process branching point nucleus, 95Zr with T1/2 = 64.0 d.


Two main hypotheses have been proposed regarding the role of phonology in written word production. According to the phonological mediation hypothesis, the retrieval of the lexical phonological representation of a word is an obligatory prerequisite to the retrieval of its spelling. Therefore, deficits to the phonological lexicon should affect both spoken and written picture naming. In contrast, the orthographic autonomy hypothesis posits that the lexical orthographic representations of words can be accessed without any necessary phonological mediation. In support of this view, cases of preserved written naming despite impaired lexical phonology have been reported following brain damage. In this report, we replicate this basic pattern of performance in case YP, a 60-year-old woman with a pattern of frontotemporal dementia. As her disease progressed, YP's ability to write down the names of pictures remained very good despite a severe decline in oral naming. Further testing indicated that this deficit was not primarily due to an articulatory or post-lexical phonological deficit. YP's case provides strong additional support for the orthographic autonomy hypothesis. The significance of this case with respect to the characterization of dementia syndromes is discussed.


The trending protocol in implantology aims at integrating the esthetic on par with function while reducing discomfort and treatment time with optimal results. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pink esthetic score in sites treated by graftless instant implantation that was boosted by instant provisionalization with a 2 to 3 mm jumping distance. Thirty-five implants were inserted in the extraction sockets of teeth of 29 healthy qualified patients (22 females and 7 males) with an age range of 23 to 60 years [mean±SD age 41.11±9.9 y). Preoperative assessment was complemented clinically and radiographically for each patient. The used system was Medentika dental implant (Germany). Osstell implant stability quotient was used to measure implant stability at the time of surgery (baseline) and at 16 weeks. Four implants in 3 patients failed. The implant survival rate was 88.6%. The protocol of this study produced a significant decrease in the jumping distance which is 2 to 3 mm at cone-beam computed tomography evaluation with satisfactory esthetic outcomes clinically. Further comparative studies with long-term and larger samples are needed to confirm the conclusion of this study.


In this paper we develop a methodology for state estimation of partially contracting systems inspired by the particle filter (PF). If a system is partially contracting, in the sense that once some state variables are assumed known and viewed as inputs, the remaining reduced system is contracting, then only those variables need to be estimated. Indeed, once those variables are known, the remaining variables are asymptotically recovered owing to the contraction properties. To estimate the state of such a system, we thus suggest to use a PF approach to estimate only the non-contracting part, whereas the other part is naturally recovered. The methodology is applied to a nontrivial tracking problem. The trajectories of objects one seeks to track, such as aircraft and marine vehicles, typically consist of smooth sections with large, but infrequent, unpredictable changes. As a result, their motion is well modeled by nonlinear deterministic ordinary differential equations driven by piecewise constant random control inputs. Following our methodology, we combine a type of PF called the variable rate particle filter (VRPF) with a bank of observers assumed to have convergence properties. Using the notion of virtual system, we devise a hybrid variable rate particle observer, that uses the particles to detect changes, and the observers for state estimation in between changes.


Parastomal hernias are a frequent long-term complication after stomal construction. Operative therapy is only indicated in 10% of the cases. Indication for operation are symptomatic hernias. Local fascial repair has due to the high recurrence rate (80%) no longer any indication. After stomal relocation recurrent parastomal hernias are observed in 40% and incisional hernias in 20-30% of the cases. Prosthetic mesh repair has a low recurrence rate (8%) and an acceptable infection rate (9%). Thus, mesh repair is nowadays the procedure of choice for the treatment of parastomal hernias.


It is now well established that non enzymatic glycation leads to formation of Amadori products which over course of time leads to formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Accumulation of AGEs is very toxic and can have direct and indirect effects in the pathogenesis of various diseases including diabetes, alzheimer's disease, rheumatoid arthritis etc. Hence, to curb these harmful effects, a number of natural and synthetic compounds are being investigated so as to reduce clinically the impact of AGEs. Here, various AGE inhibitors and breakers published till date are being reviewed. Also, potential novel therapies are also being explored.


Abstract This article explores whether a specifically regional quality can be identified in the following Finnish and Estonian multi-protagonist/network narrative films: Aku Louhimies' Frozen Land (Paha maa, Finland, 2005) and Veiko Õunpuu's Autumn Ball (Sügisball, Estonia, 2007). The article begins by providing an overview of the discussion regarding multi-protagonist films - a film form in which several lead characters are commonly connected via accidental encounters. Thereafter, an examination is made of how the form's widely recognised generic qualities are represented in the Northern and Eastern European examples. As an overview of the discourse illustrates, multi-protagonist film is mainly interested in urban spatiality, contingency and human interconnectedness. It is also shown that these examples from the cinemas of small nations follow global trends rather closely. At the same time, Frozen Land and Autumn Ball can be seen as representing a specifically regional sensibility that is not only interesting in its own right, but which can also be understood as directly influencing the character-action.


Concentrations and ratios of nutrients in Jiaozhou Bay, China, have changed much in the past decades, with trends indicating an increase in nitrogen and a decrease in silicate. Statistical analysis has shown that the long-term variations of nutrients are associated with agricultural activities, precipitation, and anthropogenic factors. Stoichiometric calculations indicate that the nutrient structure has become more and more unbalanced. There has been almost no possibility for nitrogen limitation since the 1980s, the probability of P limitation has increased, and the probability of Si limitation has also increased markedly from the 1980s to the 1990s. As a consequence of changes in nutrient structure, a decrease in the abundance of net phytoplankton was evident, whereas total chlorophyll a levels have remained roughly unchanged at around 3.55 mu g/L. Thus, it is likely that smaller species have taken the niche vacated by the larger species. Changes in phytoplankton size and species composition may ultimately lead to various functional and structural changes at the system level.


Alexithymia, the lack of words for affects, is often explained in a neurophysiological way. Many epidemiological studies have shown that this personality characteristic is a common one, frequently observed in the general population and, at least sometimes, context-dependent. Thus, alternatives to the split-brain alike hypothesis are required. In this paper, we focus on promising findings reported by Montreuil and Pedinielli (15): poorer alexithymic performances on memory taks in an incidental learning session. We tried to duplicate these results for a recognition task but failed to do so. Surprisingly, observed data show a trend in the opposite direction and alexithymic subjects perform better on distractors. Response times for the right answers (recognition of targets, elimination of distractors) are longer for this group. Taken together, these results suggest a difference in the managing of uncertainty. Alexithymic criterion for adoption/rejection of candidates to recognition is assumed to need a longer completion because of a greater number of attributes to recover in memory (considering a componential approach of representations in memory). Such a decision model explains why alexithymics perform better on elimination (they need more certainty) and why they show a slight decrease (unsignificant) on target acceptation (for a similar level of uncertainty alexithymics use a more rigorous criterion than the control group). From this decision model an alternative explanation is proposed for the results of Montreuil and Pedinielli in the recognition task. Further, it is suggested that a similar process might be implicated in the alexithymic difficulties about the translation of feelings into words. As it requires a matching between an ambiguous-continuous information (the inner feeling) and a consensual-discrete label (the emotional term), this process probably involves a great degree of uncertainty.


Early activation/damage of endothelial cells and multiple profibrotic T helper type 2 (Th2)-associated cytokines play an important role in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc).1

Interleukin 33 (IL-33) was recently identified as a member of the IL-1 family and a ligand for the orphan receptor ST2L, which mediates the action of IL-33 on polarised Th2 lymphocytes and other leucocyte subsets, and tissue-resident cells, such as vascular endothelial cells and fibroblasts/myofibroblasts.2 IL-33 has been shown to induce IL-13-dependent cutaneous fibrosis and stimulate angiogenesis and vascular permeability.3 4 In healthy human tissues IL-33 protein is constitutively highly expressed in the nuclei of resting endothelial cells, but rapidly lost upon angiogenic or proinflammatory activation.2 Indeed, IL-33 is thought to function as an endogenous 'alarmin' that is rapidly released after endothelial cell damage to alert the cells of the innate and adaptive immune system.2

Recently, we have shown that microvascular endothelial cells in inflamed skin from patients with early-stage SSc lacked or had decreased nuclear IL-33 protein expression.5 Instead, IL-33 transcript levels were even upregulated suggesting that, …


This study examined the acute effects of maximum strength (MS), muscular hypertrophy (MH), and strength endurance (SE) resistance exercise protocols on serum leptin. Ten young lean men (age = 23 +/- 4 yr; body weight = 79.6 +/- 5.2 kg; body fat = 10.2 +/- 3.9%) participated in MS [4 sets x 5 repetitions (reps) at 88% of 1 repetition maximum (1 RM) with 3 min of rest between sets], MH (4 sets x 10 reps at 75% of 1 RM with 2 min of rest between sets), SE (4 sets x 15 reps at 60% of 1 RM with 1 min of rest between sets), and control (C) sessions. Blood samples were collected before and immediately after exercise and after 30 min of recovery. Serum leptin at 30 min of recovery exhibited similar reductions from baseline after the MS (-20 +/- 5%), MH (-20 +/- 4%), and SE (-15 +/- 6%) protocols that were comparable to fasting-induced reduction in the C session (-12 +/- 3%) (P < 0.05). Furthermore, no differences were found in serum leptin among the MS, MH, SE, and C sessions immediately after exercise and at 30 min of recovery (P > 0.05). Cortisol was higher (P < 0.05) after the MH and SE protocols than after the MS and C sessions. Glucose and growth hormone were higher (P < 0.05) after exercise in the MS, MH, and SE protocols than after the C session. In conclusion, typical resistance exercise protocols designed for development of MS, MH, and SE did not result in serum leptin changes when sampled immediately or 30 min postexercise.


The use of renewable energy sources in energy distribution networks as distributed generation sources for dispersed and low consumption loads in remote areas such as remote villages and islands with low population can be a proper solution for reducing economic costs, reducing environmental pollutions and increasing energy efficiency. The purpose of this paper is optimal operation management of micro-grids by considering the existing capacities in the electricity market. In fact the microgrid operator, which is responsible for the safe operation of the network, should consider a process for planning in the network that takes into account all benefits of micro-grid's components. In other words, enough reliability for generation resources in these networks should be created in order to reduce costs and environmental pollution from energy production. In this paper, the artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm has been used to minimize the costs and environmental pollutions by providing the optimal production power of distributed generation.


Widespread multidrug resistance caused by the abuse of antibiotics calls for novel strategies and materials. Gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) are scarcely explored for combating multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria in vivo. We herein synthesized a novel class of AuNCs, namely quaternary ammonium (QA) capped AuNCs (QA-AuNCs) as potent antibiotics selectively targeting MDR Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE), in vivo. QA-AuNCs kill bacteria through a combined physicochemical mechanism, and show excellent therapeutic effects in both a skin infection model and a bacteremia model induced by MRSA. In addition, owing to their intense fluorescence, QA-AuNCs can be used for the discrimination of live/dead bacteria and bacteria counting, suggesting their potential for clinical theranostics.


Summary Erythrocyte-free suspensions of Plasmodium lophurae were agglutinated to a variable degree by the fresh plasma of ducks which had not been infected by this parasite. The agglutinating activity of the plasma was in general higher in older ducks than in young ducklings. It was rarely evident beyond a 1:4 dilution of the plasma, and was fully removed by heating the plasma for one-half hour at 55-56°C followed by centrifugation to remove the precipitate which formed. In infected ducks 3 months of age or older these heat-labile agglutinins generally decreased as the infection progressed, except in individuals which exhibited a strong innate resistance to the parasites. The heat-labile agglutinins disappeared completely at the peak of a severe infection. Heat-stable agglutinins appeared in the plasma of most of the infected birds. These, unlike the heat-labile agglutinins, were not demonstrable in undiluted plasma but often were active in plasma diluted as far as 1:1000. In ducklings infected when they were one month old or younger, heat-stable agglutinins did not appear. As in severely infected older ducks, the heat-labile agglutinins vanished at the peak of the infection. If such ducklings were saved from death by treatment with quinine the heat-labile agglutinins reappeared to a varying degree. Relapses, like initial infections, were accompanied by a lack of heat-labile agglutinins.


—Homogenized melt inclusions in olivine were studied in Archean komatiites from the Barberton Greenstone Belt, Weltevreden Formation in South Africa (3.3 Ga), Abitibi Greenstone Belt in Canada (2.72 Ga), and the Belingwe Greenstone Belt in Zimbabwe (2.69 Ga). Contamination of the komatiite melts with crustal material enriched in Rb, Cl, and H2O during the crystallization of olivine is demonstrated. Uncontaminated melts have mantle Rb/Nb ratios but are significantly enriched in Cl and H2O relative to K and Ce, respectively, exhibiting similar incompatibility during crystallization and partial mantle melting. These observations suggest the presence of a chlorine- and water-enriched mantle source before 3.3 Ga. The excess Cl and H2O contents in the komatiites are assumed to result from the interaction of partially molten mantle plumes with the mantle transition zone. The most likely source of Cl and H2O enriching the deep mantle is the oceanic lithosphere that endured a seafloor alteration. We conclude that the recycling of the altered oceanic lithosphere into the mantle, probably via subduction, began in the first billion years of the Earth's history. Delamination of the Archean crust could not cause transport of chlorine and water into the deep mantle.


Three strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa. Duch.) varieties commercially grown in Israel (Tamar, Yael and Malach) were studied for their volatile compositions. Two techniques were compared: headspace solid phase micro extraction (HS-SPME) and liquid-liquid extraction (organic solvent: tert-butyl methyl ether) by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The influences of techniques on the volatile compounds were tested by comparing the volatiles determined in the 3 varieties. Malach, the most aromatic variety, accumulates high levels of furanones and esters compared to the other varieties. Differences in the aroma profiles obtained by utiliszing different techniques were noted. HS-SPME was more suitable for the determination of very volatile and non-polar esters, while liquid extraction was more appropriate for the determination of the polar and less volatile furanones.


The reaction of 1,3-dimethylphenobarbital (I) with 0.02-0.32 M KOH in aqueous methanol was studied. The barbiturate ring cleaved reversibly at the 1,6-position, forming a malonuric acid which was stable to further hydrolysis but which could readily recyclize to I. N,N-Dimethylethylphenylmalondiamide arose from decarboxylation of the carbamic acid formed by a 1,2-ring opening; this irreversible decarboxylation determined the diamide as the only final reaction product. The malonuric acid, which could be isolated in solid form, appeared as N-methyl-2-phenylbutyramide (GLC) following thermal decarboxylation and degradation of the acid. The I disappearance rate was biphasic, and the kinetics were consistent with the described reaction. The individual rate constants and the equilibrium constant for the reaction between I, the malonuric acid, and hydroxide were determined.


In real life, documents contain several font types, styles, and sizes. However, many character recognition systems show good results for specific type of documents and fail to produce satisfactory results for others. Over the past decades, various pattern recognition techniques have been applied with the aim to develop recognition systems insensitive to variations in the characteristics of documents. In this paper, we present a robust recognition system for Ethiopic script using a hybrid of classifiers. The complex structures of Ethiopic characters are structurally and syntactically analyzed, and represented as a pattern of simpler graphical units called primitives. The pattern is used for classification of characters using similarity-based matching and neural network classifier. The classification result is further refined by using template matching. A pair of directional filters is used for creating templates and extracting structural features. The recognition system is tested by real life documents and experimental results are reported.


Background and Objectives It remains unknown whether the combination of antiresorptive agents and exercise would generate additive effects on bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women, though their separate roles in preventing bone loss have been well established. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the combined impact of antiresorptive treatment and exercise on the lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD in postmenopausal women compared with an exercise-only intervention. Methods A systematic literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, SportDiscus and ProQuest up to Jun 2014 was conducted to identify the influence of antiresorptive agents and exercise on BMD in postmenopausal women. The study quality of the included trials was evaluated. The effect sizes were estimated by calculating the standardized mean difference (SMD). Subgroup analyses were conducted by pharmacological regimens and exercise categories. Results Nine studies with a total of 1,248 postmenopausal women met the inclusion criteria. The heterogeneity between the studies was evident at the spine (I2 = 78.7%) and hip (I2 = 41.7%) measurements; random-effects models were used in the data analysis. The pooled effect sizes associated with the combined interventions of antiresorptive agents and exercise were significant at the lumbar spine BMD (SMD = 0.511, 95% CI = 0.118-0.904, p = 0.011). Combining hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and exercise training generated greater beneficial effects on lumbar spine (SMD = 0.729, 95% CI = 0.186-1.273, p = 0.009) and femoral neck BMD (SMD = 0.220, 95% CI = 0.0110-429, p = 0.039) than the exercise-only intervention. Impact exercise was sensitive to antiresorptive agents in preventing postmenopausal bone loss both at the spine (SMD = 1.252, 95%CI = 0.465-2.039, p = 0.002) and hips (SMD = 0.414, 95%CI = 0.106-0.723, p = 0.008). Conclusions Our findings indicate that antiresorptive agents significantly increase the impact of exercise on the prevention of bone loss in postmenopausal women, which implies that the combination of antiresorptive agents and exercise may generate additive effects.


Stuart Glennan, and the team of Peter Machamer, Lindley Darden, and Carl Craver have recently provided two accounts of the concept of a mechanism. The main difference between these two versions rests on how the behavior of the parts of the mechanism is conceptualized. Glennan considers mechanisms to be an interaction of parts, where the interaction between parts can be characterized by direct, invariant, change‐relating generalizations. Machamer, Darden, and Craver criticize traditional conceptualizations of mechanisms which are based solely on parts interacting and introduce a new concept—activity. This essay is an attempt at carving out a relationship between these two philosophical interpretations of a mechanism. I will claim that, rather than being in conflict, Glennan's concept of interaction and Machamer, Darden, and Craver's notion of activity actually complement one another, each emphasizing a missing element of the other.


A case of multiple subcutaneous and cerebral cysticercosis in a 33-year-old Balinese female, is reported. The patient suffered from seizures since adolescence, which was not treated. Since three years before admission she started developing multiple nodules in the skin, starting from her forehead and since a year ago also in other parts of the head and body such as shoulders, chest and back. Serum sample tested against cysticercus antigen by immunoblot assay against antigen of Taenia solium was positive. The copro-antigen test was also positive, indicating the presence of the adult worm in the intestines. The patient was treated with praziquantel for the adult T. solium infection and thereafter with albendazole for the larval stages, which resulted in obvious reduction of the cerebral cysts and most of the subcutaneous nodules disappeared. However the adult worm was not recovered in the 24 hours stool specimen and after one year the immunoblot test was still positive. (Med J Indones 2002; 11: 169-73) Keywords: cysticercosis, Taenia solium, praziquantel, albendazole


This paper introduces the idea that the general mixing inequality obeyed by evolving stellar phase densities may place useful constraints on the possible history of the over-all galaxy population. We construct simple models for the full stellar phase space distributions of galaxies' disk and spheroidal components, and reproduce the well-known result that the maximum phase density of an elliptical galaxy is too high to be produced collisionlessly from a disk system, although we also show that the inclusion of a bulge component in the disk removes this evolutionary impediment. In order to draw more general conclusions about the evolution of the galaxy population, we use the Millennium Galaxy Catalogue to construct a model of the entire phase density distribution of stars in a representative sample of the local Universe. In such a composite population, we show that the mixing inequality rules out some evolutionary paths that are not prohibited by consideration of the maximum phase density alone, and thus show that the massive ellipticals in this population could not have formed purely from collisionless mergers of a low mass galaxy population like that found in the local Universe. Although the violation of the mixing inequality is in this case quite minor, and hence avoidable with a modest amount of non-collisionless star formation in the merger process, it does confirm the potential of this approach. The future measurement of stellar phase densities at higher redshift will allow this potential to be fully exploited, offering a new way to look at the possible pathways for galaxy evolution, and to learn about the environment of star formation through the way that this phase space becomes populated over time.


The significance of morphology and the number of lymphocyte nucleoli was evaluated by electronmicroscopic sections of malignant lymphomas. It was not only the number and the size of nucleoli which characterized malignant lymphomas differing in histological respect, but above all the different morphology of the nucleoli. The prognostic significance of the nucleolus can be illustrated, if malignant lymphomas of a low grade malignancy with a preponderance of micronucleoli and a low nucleolar index are compared with a significantly higher nucleolar index and markedly increased macronucleoli. These differences are further supplemented by additional morphological properties of nucleoli in malignant lymphomas.


UNLABELLED
Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is usually performed by transperitoneal approach. Patients may encounter; intraperitoneal organs injury, and prolonged ileus during recovery period. The authors firstly performed endoscopic extraperitoneal radical prostatectomy (EERPE) in Thailand, which is mimicking open radical prostatectomy, the gold standard for treatment of localized prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE
Assess and evaluate the feasibility and early outcomes of the authors' experience in endoscopic extraperitoneal laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (EERPE).

MATERIAL AND METHOD
From December 2005 to May 2006, 27 cases of EERPE were performed at the authors' institute for clinically localized prostate cancer by one surgeon (group I). Operative data was compared to those 55 patients who underwent open radical prostatectomy from February 2001 to August 2005 for early prostate cancer by the same surgeon (group II). Early postoperative results, clinical outcomes and complication were analyzed between the two groups using Chi-Square, student unpaired t-test and Mann-Whitney U tests.

RESULTS
Patients' age and clinical staging were not different between the two groups. Mean operative time was longer in the EERPE group (268 minutes vs 157 minutes; p < 0.01). Median blood loss was 500 mls and 1000 mls in the EERPE and open groups, respectively (p < 0.001). The likelihood of transfusion rate in the open group was higher than the EERPE group, with odd ratio of 8.75 (95%CI = 2.09-39.86), p = 0.001. Hospitalization time and pathological stage were not different between the two groups. In the EERPE group, there were two rectal complications, including rectal injury and rectal necrosis, which were treated laparoscopically and conservatively without long-term problems.

CONCLUSION
The authors' early experience has shown that EERPE is feasible. Although operative time was longer; the patients may gain benefit of minimally invasive surgery and decreased operative blood loss. In EERPE group, oncological outcomes are equal to open surgery, however more cases and long-term follow up are required to evaluate the efficacy of such an approach.


THE CRITICAL AND SCHOLARLY attention to Charles Dickens and his body of work in the last few years is quite varied, ranging from detailed critical analysis of singular aspects of his work to broader studies of his role as commentator and critic in Victorian England. Dickens scholarship, which once might have led to articles in PMLA, has morphed into historical-critical studies using deconstruction, Lacanian analysis, the new historicism, and other disciplines. One omission, surprisingly, in this latest batch is the passing over of Dickens's flaws as a novelist and thinker – so that in turning him into an iconic figure critics have often glossed over his shakiness of structure, his contradictory ideas, and his failure to achieve a consistent fictional ideology. I emphasize a "fictional" ideology, since we have no reason to demand that a novelist sustain any consistent social or political agenda. A fictional one becomes necessary in order for the novelist to uphold his or her own voice, personal tone, that meeting of the reader's expectations with the writer's sense of order (or disorder).


Central respiratory chemosensitivity has been ascribed to CO2-sensitive neurons located on the ventral brainstem surface. The effects of cholinergic mechanisms on CO2-sensitive neuronal activity recorded extracellularly at the brainstem respiratory chemosensitive area at the caudal ventral medullary surface (cVMS) were investigated in cats (n = 14) anesthetized with chloralose-urethane. The neurons increased their firing rate from 10.4 +/- 1.6 Hz to 33.9 +/- 5.2 Hz when the mock cerebrospinal fluid (mCSF) superfusing buffer solution was changed from pH 7.4 (control) to pH 7.0 (acidic). Atropine (ATR) applied topically to the cVMS depressed the H(+)-ion-induced increase in neuronal frequency from 32.8 +/- 4.8 Hz to 13.4 +/- 2.2 Hz. ATR also depressed the inspired-CO2-induced increase in neuronal activity from 33.2 +/- 8.3 Hz to 18.9 +/- 4.9 Hz, suggesting the possibility of a muscarinic cholinergic involvement in cVMS neuronal responses to changes in PCO2 and mCSF-pH. Acetylcholine (ACh) increased the activity of cVMS CO2-sensitive neurons by 237.5% +/- 34.9%, and naloxone applied topically to the cVMS augmented the ACh responsiveness to 338.6% +/- 52.7%. Physostigmine (PHY) increased neuronal activity by 254.3% +/- 42.9%, and this increase was augmented to 435.4% +/- 61.2% by naloxone. Although responses of the CO2-sensitive neurons to PHY were biphasic, the depressant phase failed to appear whenever the cVMS was pretreated with naloxone. Naloxone also augmented the responsiveness of cVMS neurons to increased H+ ion superfusion. These findings suggest that the endogenous opiates may be involved in the central regulation of respiration by interaction with CO2-sensitive cholinergic structures at the cVMS.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


In this work, it was developed novel bioreactor consisting of Aspergillus niger lipase (ANL) entrapped in a polyacrylamide-based supermacroporous monolithic cryogel. Bioreactor performance in catalyzing the flavor ester butyl butyrate was optimized as a function of temperature (°C), substrate molar ratio (butyric acid: n-butanol) and added water (% (v/v)). The bioreactor was also applied to interesterification reactions. The maximum esterification yield (46%) for butyl butyrate synthesis was found at 40 °C, with a butyric acid:n-butanol molar ratio of 1:1.43 and added water of 65% (v/v). The bioreactor proved to be reusable with four consecutive reuses in the esterification reaction, with a residual esterification yield of 64.6% and volumetric activity of 31.6 mmol/mL·h. A high interesterification yield (17.35% in 24 h) was achieved when the substrate concentrations of tripalmitin and triolein were both 15 mmol/L, 35% added water (v/v) and temperature of 40 °C. These results showed that the bioreactor is a promising biocatalyst for biotechnological applications.


In many taxa, the left and right testes often differ in size. The compensation hypothesis states that one testis of the pair serves as a 'back-up' for any reduced function in the other and provides a mechanism to explain intraspecific variation in degree and direction of gonad asymmetry. Although testis asymmetry is common in birds, evidence for natural testis compensation is unknown. Using a novel quantitative approach that can be applied to any bilateral organ or structure, we show that testis compensation occurs naturally in birds and can be complete when one testis fails to develop. Owing to a recurrent risk of testis impairment and an evolutionary trade-off between natural and sexual selections acting on the arrangement of internal organs in species with abdominal and/or seasonal testes, compensation adds an important, but neglected, dimension to measures of male reproductive investment.


Abstract:This paper assesses how a change in governmental discourse on poverty after Brazil's return to democracy in 1985 was instrumental to the implementation of the first federal cash-transfer program in Brazilian history, Bolsa Escola 2001. It argues that the end of the military dictatorship prompted the political elite to be responsive to calls for greater civic engagement from marginalized sectors of the Brazilian society that had awakened during the democratic transition, thus demanding that these actors address poverty in novel forms. Rather than reducing the implementation of cash-transfer programs to a top-down policy that came to fruition as a cognitive change within the federal government, this article maintains that the shifting social, economic, and political settings brought about by the end of the authoritarian regime played an important part in the debates addressing poverty in Brazilian society, and, as a consequence, were conducive to the idea of giving money to the poor.


Tulbaghia violacea Harv. indigenous to southern African countries, is an herbaceous perennial bulbous plant belonging to the family Amaryllidaceae. It is a popular garden plant in China. This attractive plant is traditionally used as medicine and repellent (Kubec et al. 2002; Moodley et al. 2015). In June 2021, T. violacea plants showing typical tospovirus-like symptoms of chlorotic rings patterns, were found at the campus of Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine (Fig.S1). Disease incidence was about 11.0% during the field survey. Total RNA was extracted from symptomatic leaves of T. violacea plants using the TRIzol reagent (ambio, Carlsbad, CA). Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR was conducted to identify the virus using RNA extract as the template. The degenerate primers (dTospo-F2 and dTospo-R2) (Huang et al. 2018) were used to amplify the conserved regions of the orthotospoviral L RNA sequences. No amplification was obtained from extracts of two asymptomatic plants. The amplicons from four symptomatic samples were cloned into the pMD19-T vector (TaKaRa) and sequenced (three clones for each amplicon) by Tsingke (Shanghai, China). The obtained DNA fragments were determined to be 312 bp. The sequences from four symptomatic samples were identical (GenBank acc.no. OK258285) and shared the highest nucleotide identities (98.0%) with a corresponding sequence of segment L of impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV) isolated (GQ336991) from Phalaenopsis amabilis in Yunnan province, China. To further confirm the INSV infection to T. violacea, the samples were analyzed with the specific primers for the N, NSs and NSm genes of INSV (Table S1), respectively. Amplicons of the expected size, 789 bp, 1344 bp and 912 bp, were produced, respectively. Amplicons were cloned and sequenced. The 789-bp N (ON529554) and 1344-bp NSs (ON529554) gene sequences had 99.1% and 99.3% nucleotide identities with the corresponding region of previously described INSV Phalenopsis isolate (GQ336989), respectively. The 912-bp NSm (ON529553) gene sequence shared 99.5% nucleotide identity with the corresponding region of INSV Phalenopsis isolate (GQ336990). Metavirome and Sanger sequencing were used to complete the genome of INSV from T. violacea. The leaves of the symptomatic sample were used to construct an rRNA-depleted library using Nextera XT reagents (Illumina, San Diego, CA). The library was subjected to RNA-Seq a NovaSeq 6000 platform (Illumina, San Diego, CA). A total of 33,193,233 quality-filtered reads were obtained using BBMAP (https://github.com/BioInfoTools/BBMapBBMap - Bushnell B. - sourceforge.net/projects/bbmap/). Among 161052 reads mapped to virus sequences, 151407 reads (read ratios 94.0%) were mapped to INSV. Three complete segments of INSV genome were determined to 8,778 nt (L segment, Acc. No. ON529552), 4,958 nt (M segment, Acc. No. ON529553), and 2,983 nt (S segment, Acc. No. ON529554) in length. These segments were validated by RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. Three segments share nucleotide sequence identities of 99.6%, 99.3% and 98.9% with the L (GQ336991), M (GQ336990) and S segments (GQ336989) of INSV Phalenopsis isolate, respectively. The results of sequence comparisons showed no evidence of reassortment between INSV and another orthotospovirus. There was a report of tomato spotted wilt virus infecting T. violacea in Florida, USA (Dey et al. 2019). No other virus infecting T. violacea was reported. INSV has been reported to infect several economically important crops including Phalenopsis, pepper etc. in China (Chen et al. 2016). INSV-infected T. violacea not only losses landscaping value but also plays an important intermedia host role in the spread of INSV. Additional surveys and evaluation will be needed to understand the potential medicinal effect of this virus on this plant. To our knowledge, this is first report of INSV in T. violacea.


We present two implementations of the Cube-4 volume rendering architecture on the Teramac custom computing machine. Cube-4 uses a sliceparallel ray-casting algorithm that allows for a parallel and pipelined implementation of ray-casting with tri-linear interpolation and surface normal estimation from interpolated samples. Shading, classification and compositing are part of rendering pipeline. With the partitioning schemes introduced in this paper, Cube-4 is capable of rendering large datasets with a limited number of pipelines. The Teramac hardware simulator at the Hewlett-Packard research laboratories, Palo Alto, CA, on which Cube-4 was implemented, belongs to the new class of custom computing machines. Teramac combines the speed of special-purpose hardware with the flexibility of general-purpose computers. With Teramac as a development tool we were able to implement in just five weeks working Cube-4 prototypes, capable of rendering for example datasets of 1283 voxels in 0.65 seconds at 0.96 MHz processing frequency. The performance results from these implementations indicate real-time performance for high-resolution data-sets.


Heteroatom doping is regarded as a promising method to enhance the sodium storage performance of carbon materials. In this work, a sulfur-enriched N-doped multichannel hollow carbon nanofiber (denoted as S-NCNF) film is prepared through electrospinning technology and heat treatment with sublimed sulfur as the flexible anode for sodium ion batteries (NIBs). The S-NCNF film displays outstanding electrochemical performance, particularly with a high rate capacity (132 mA h g-1 at the current density of 10 A g-1 ) and remarkable long cycling stability (reversible specific capacity of 187 mA h g-1 at 2 A g-1 over 2000 cycles). The improved sodium storage performance results from the unique 3D structure, abundant defects, and increased interlayer spacing of S-NCNFs. The density functional theory calculations demonstrate that nitrogenous carbon nanofibers doping with sulfur could not only promote the adsorption of sodium but also favor electrons' transfer. This strategy has been demonstrated as a general process to design free-standing carbon-based thin film with other heteroatom doping.


This paper presents a novel InP-SiGe BiCMOS technology using wafer-scale heterogeneous integration. The vertical stacking of the InP double heterojunction bipolar transistor (DHBT) circuitry directly on top of the BiCMOS wafer enables ultra-broadband interconnects with <; 0.2 dB insertion loss from 0-100 GHz. The 0.8 × 5 μm2 InP DHBTs show fT/fmax of 400/350 GHz with an output power of more than 26 mW at 96 GHz. These are record values for a heterogeneously integrated transistor on silicon. As a circuit example, a 164-GHz signal source is presented. It features a voltage-controlled oscillator in BiCMOS, which drives a doubler-amplifier chain in InP DHBT technology.


The authors developed a fractal branch and bound method for optimization of stacking sequences of laminated composites to maximize buckling load of composite structures. The method demands an approximation of a design space with a response surface comprising quadratic polynomials for pruning branches of stacking sequences. Approximation of the objective function with quadratic polynomials has been confirmed for buckling load maximizations and panel-flutter-speed-limit maximizations using lamination parameters as predictors. Flutter speed maximization of composite delta wing is employed in this study as an example of stacking-sequence optimization using the fractal branch and bound method. This paper describes the theoretical background of the fractal branch and bound method. Then approximations are performed using quadratic polynomials with lamination parameters as predictors. Subsequently, we investigated effectiveness of this method for supersonic flutter of a composite delta wing. Results indicate that the method was applied successfully; a practical optimal stacking-sequence was obtained using modified response surfaces.


Are state and local government workers overcompensated? In this paper, we step back from the highly charged rhetoric and address this question with the two primary data sources for looking at compensation of state and local government workers: the Current Population Survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Employer Costs for Employee Compensation microdata collected as part of the National Compensation Survey of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In both data sets, the workers being hired in the public sector have higher skill levels than those in the private sector, so the challenge is to compare across sectors in a way that adjusts suitably for this difference. After controlling for skill differences and incorporating employer costs for benefits packages, we find that, on average, public sector workers in state government have compensation costs 3-10 percent greater than those for workers in the private sector, while in local government the gap is 10-19 percent. We caution that this finding is somewhat dependent on the chosen sample and specification, that averages can obscure broader differences in distributions, and that a host of worker and job attributes are not available to us in these data. Nonetheless, the data suggest that public sector workers, especially local government ones, on average, receive greater remuneration than observably similar private sector workers. Overturning this result would require, we think, strong arguments for particular model specifications, or different data.


Abstract This article discusses preliminary findings of a study on the transposition of the legal concept of genocide into 131 national jurisdictions. The specificities of this transposition into national criminal systems, as well as those related to the international legal definition of genocide, are described in the first part. The communicative situations in which the concept of genocide has been transposed are then examined in order to show their scope and breadth, and to which extent they contribute to the transformation of the concept of genocide. Trends related to the object of transformation in the definition and their effect on meaning are subsequently outlined. The findings point to a situation where, despite having been the object of multiple consensus at the international level, the concept of genocide has been transformed by the vast array of domestic legal languages and legal systems into which it has been transposed and thereby reinforce the relation between the configuration of the language and law, and the difficulty of translation.


Synopsis This work deals with the marketing and communication of government institutions, non-profit organizations and profit organizations that make up the challenge of sustainable development. Each chapter deals with marketing and (mass) communication and, all together, the chapters give an overview of marketing and communication knowledge and strategies directed at influencing sustainable consumption in all parts of the world, not only in the Western world. Practitioners can use these insights to develop communication strategies and students can learn from the experiences described in this work. It is divided into five parts: policy development; mass media campign; information processing; behaviour change and social developments; and risks, trends and youth. ________________________________________


Abstract. The 15N gas-flux method allows for the
quantification of N2 flux and tracing soil N transformations. An
important requirement for this method is a homogeneous distribution of the
 15N tracer added to soil. This is usually achieved through soil
homogenization and admixture of the 15N tracer solution or multipoint
injection of tracer solution to intact soil. Both methods may create
artefacts. We aimed at comparing the N2 flux determined by the gas-flux
method using both tracer distribution approaches. Soil incubation
experiments with silt loam soil using (i) intact soil cores injected with
 15N label solution, (ii) homogenized soil with injected label solution,
and (iii) homogenized soil with admixture of label solution were performed.
Intact soil cores with injected 15N tracer solution show a larger
variability of the results. Homogenized soil shows better agreement between
repetitions, but significant differences in 15N enrichment measured in
soil nitrate and in emitted gases were observed. For intact soil, the larger
variability of measured values results rather from natural diversity of
non-homogenized soil cores than from inhomogeneous label distribution.
Generally, comparison of the results of intact cores and homogenized soil
did not reveal statistically significant differences in N2 flux
determination. In both cases, a pronounced dominance of N2 flux over
 N2 O flux was noted. It can be concluded that both methods showed close
agreement, and homogenized soil is not necessarily characterized by more
homogenous 15N label distribution.


At the Gray Laboratory a 4 MV van de Graaff accelerator is used to produce neutrons for radiobiology research by bombarding a thick beryllium target with deuterons. Several of the parameters used in neutron dosimetry are dependent upon the neutron energy spectrum. This has prompted the construction of a recoil proton spectrometer which uses a high-resolution silicon surface barrier detector to measure the energy of protons scattered from a thin polypropylene radiator by the neutron beam. Because of the high-scatter environment within the neutron room, fast coincidence methods have been employed to reject spurious pulses. The coincidence signal is derived from a proportional counter located between the silicon and the radiator. By making the radiator as thin as practicable, it has been possible to reduce the lower energy detection threshold to 600 keV. Results are presented for the d(4)-Be spectrum at 0 and 9 degrees to the deuteron beam axis and the d(3)-Be spectrum at 9 degrees . The energy calibration and response have been checked by measuring near-monoenergetic neutrons from th d(4)-D reaction.


The plant Ctenante oppenheimiana presents an interesting contrast of colors in the abaxial epidermis. A striking feature is that the stomata are green and cover a purple pavement where the pavement cells have green cellular walls. These characteristics have been used in studies about ecophysiology and phenotypic plasticity. However, the existence of a second tricolor variety of the plant make these characteristics even more heterogeneous and introduce new paradigms of the physiological role underlying this morphology. In this work we show by optical microscopy images the striking differences between the varieties bicolor and tricolor of the plant Ctenante oppenheimiana


Abstract
 Calamus javensis (Calamoideae) is a slender rattan common in tropical rainforests. The species is very polymorphic and forms a species complex together with some undetermined forms and the species C. acuminatus, C. amplijugus, C. congestiflorus, C. corrugatus, C. elopurensis, C. hypertrichosus, C. impar, and C. tenompokensis.Within the complex, themorphological variation and similarities among the entities are too difficult to solve with traditional morphological observation. Therefore, two multivariate analyses, MDS (multidimensional scaling) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) with UPGMA (unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean) were used for two datasets, quantitative data only and in combination with qualitative data. The inclusion of qualitative characters did not make significant differences in the cluster results. Of all nine taxa included in the complex, only two clusters resulted from the analysis next to two forms based on few specimens. Only C. tenompokensis was recognized as a separate cluster, while all other taxa were combined into one typical C. javensis cluster. Morematerial may result in the recognition of the two forms as distinct species.


Engaging Humphrey and Laidlaw's 'archetypal actions of ritual', this article explores the thing-like and seemingly externally derived quality of ritualized action in 'alternative' medical settings in Mongolia. The cultural rupture of the Soviet era presents a case study in which the continuity of ritualized action cannot be assumed in ritual making during the post-1990 (re)construction of national culture. Elements derived from shared public knowledge have become constituted in ritual more recently and frequently than can be accounted for by an aperture-like model, where previously external elements gradually filtered in. Building on regional literature concerning loss of ritual form and recent syncretic innovation, I suggest that the affordances of form—mobility, iterability, and malleability—capture the politics inherent in the reordering of associations in the making of ritual.


Strategic client briefing is now recognised as an essential component of best practice in facilities management. A number of different briefing approaches have evolved, or are being developed, and this paper presents strategic needs analysis (SNA). It has been applied within six project‐inception studies with real clients, for developing and choosing a strategic direction for the project being considered by all the stakeholders. Moreover, a survey of stakeholders was carried out after each study, in order to find out how well participants thought the workshop performed in terms of six key process characteristics. Such key characteristics were further divided into a total of 41 additionally assessed attributes considered as important within the client‐briefing process. Analysis of such assessments revealed some interesting positive and negative features. Consequently, the SNA approach was refined. Presents the major findings of the work carried out along with some observations about overall processes, and suggestions for further improving strategic client briefing using SNA or similar approaches.


The world is currently suffering from a pandemic which has claimed the lives of over 230,000 people to date. The responsible virus is called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is mainly characterized by fever, cough and shortness of breath. In severe cases, the disease can lead to respiratory distress syndrome and septic shock, which are mostly fatal for the patient. The severity of disease progression was hypothesized to be related to an overshooting immune response and was correlated with age and comorbidities, including cancer. A lot of research has lately been focused on the pathogenesis and acute consequences of COVID-19. However, the possibility of long-term consequences caused by viral infections which has been shown for other viruses are not to be neglected. In this regard, this opinion discusses the interplay of SARS-CoV-2 infection and cancer with special focus on the inflammatory immune response and tissue damage caused by infection. We summarize the available literature on COVID-19 suggesting an increased risk for severe disease progression in cancer patients, and we discuss the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 could contribute to cancer development. We offer lines of thought to provide ideas for urgently needed studies on the potential long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection.


Women aged 75 and over with fractures will get bone-saving treatment and drugs straight away. Women aged 65-75 with fractures will need a DEXA scan before treatment can start. Specialists are concerned that women under 75 will lose out because scanning is patchy around the UK.


Aldosterone mediates actions of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inducing hypertension, oxidative stress, and vascular inflammation. Recently, we showed that angiotensin II–induced hypertension and vascular damage are mediated at least in part by macrophages and T-helper effector lymphocytes. Adoptive transfer of suppressor T-regulatory lymphocytes (Tregs) prevented angiotensin II action. We hypothesized that Treg adoptive transfer would blunt aldosterone-induced hypertension and vascular damage. Thirteen to 15-week–old male C57BL/6 mice were injected intravenously at 1-week intervals with 3×105 CD4+CD25+ cells (representing Treg) or control CD4+CD25− cells and then infused or not for 14 days with aldosterone (600 &mgr;g/kg per day, SC) while receiving 1% saline to drink. Aldosterone induced a small but sustained increase in blood pressure (P<0.001), decreased vasodilatory responses to acetylcholine by 66% (P<0.001), increased both media:lumen ratio (P<0.001) and media cross-sectional area of resistance arteries by 60% (P<0.05), and increased NADPH oxidase activity 2-fold in aorta (P<0.001), kidney and heart (P<0.05), and aortic superoxide production. As well, aldosterone enhanced aortic and renal cortex macrophage infiltration and aortic T-cell infiltration (all P<0.05), and tended to decrease Treg in the renal cortex. Treg adoptive transfer prevented all of the vascular and renal effects induced by aldosterone. Adoptive transfer of CD4+CD25− cells exacerbated aldosterone effects except endothelial dysfunction and increases in media:lumen ratio of resistance arteries. Thus, Tregs suppress aldosterone-mediated vascular injury, in part through effects on innate and adaptive immunity, suggesting that aldosterone-induced vascular damage could be prevented by an immunomodulatory approach.


The amelioration of secondary neurological damage is among the most important therapeutic goals for patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Secondary injury of the ipsilateral substantia nigra (SN) and pyramidal tract (PY) is common after cerebral stroke. Such injury has been characterized previously by anatomical or diffusion MRI, but not in a comprehensive manner, and the knowledge regarding the contralateral changes is relatively poor. This study examined longitudinally both contralateral and ipsilateral SN and PY changes following experimental ICH with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and histology. ICH was induced in 14 Sprague‐Dawley rats by the infusion of collagenase into the right striatum. Four‐shot, spin‐echo, echo‐planar DTI was performed at 7 T with a b value of 1000 s/mm2 and 30 diffusion gradient directions at 3.5 h and days 1, 3, 7, 14, 42 and 120 after ICH. Fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (λ//) and radial diffusivity (λ┴) were measured in SN and PY accordingly. Two to three rats were sacrificed at days 3, 7, 42 and 120 for histology. The contralateral SN showed an increase in λ// with perivascular enlargement during the first 3 days after ICH. The ipsilateral SN showed increases in FA, λ//, λ┴ and MD at day 1, dramatic decreases at day 3 with neuronal degeneration and neuropil vacuolation, and subsequent gradual normalization. The contralateral PY showed diffusivity decreases at day 1. The ipsilateral PY showed early decreases and then late increases in MD and λ┴, and continuously decreasing FA and λ// with progressive axonal loss and demyelination. In summary, DTI revealed early bilateral changes in SN and PY following ICH. The evolution of the ipsilateral parameters correlated with the histological findings. In the ipsilateral PY, λ// and λ┴ changes indicated evolving and complex pathological processes underlying the monotonic FA decrease. These results support the use of quantitative multiparametric DTI for the evaluation of SN and PY injuries in clinical and preclinical investigations of ICH. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Abstract Background: Although therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for antibiotics in critically ill patients is recommended by expert panels, no commercial tests are available for most antibiotics. Therefore, we previously developed a multi-analyte method for the quantification of piperacillin, tazobactam, cefepime, meropenem, ciprofloxacin and linezolid in serum. However, limited stability data were available, and the relevant studies did not address the coefficients of variation of the methods applied, which may be important for verifying the storage dependency of the observed effects. Here we aimed to evaluate the storage effects of antibiotics by applying a novel evaluation protocol. Methods: Serum-based test samples were aliquoted and stored at room temperature, 4 °C, −20 °C or −80 °C for up to 180 days. Using an innovative evaluation protocol (considering the coefficient of variation, p-value, and criterion of monotony of observed changes), we assessed whether relevant changes (defined as ≥15% in comparison with baseline) were storage dependent (defined as substantial changes). Results: Storage at −80 °C for up to 180 days did not lead to substantial changes for any analyte. In contrast, storage at −20 °C induced substantial decreases after ≥7 days for piperacillin, tazobactam, cefepime and meropenem; after 90 days at −20 °C, only ≤23% of the initial concentrations were found for these parameters. No substantial changes were observed for linezolid and ciprofloxacin at any storage condition. All of the observed substantial changes were monotonic decreases. Conclusions: We recommend a storage temperature of −80 °C for β-lactam antibiotics. The applied evaluation protocol yielded conclusive results and may be generally useful for stability studies.


The pain message originates peripherally from a great variety of substances either released from preformed stores or extemporaneously synthetized. They stimulate or sensitize nociceptors which are associated with the peripheral endings of sensitive protoneurones. Their central endings release many types of transmitters in the dorsal horn of medulla (substance P, NO, CGRP.). At this level their release, triggered by the firing rate, is modulated by the stimulation of various presynaptic receptors operated by transmitters produced by either interneurones (enkephalins) or medullar descending neurons (dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonine). These modulations correspond to the so-called gate control. The sensitive consecutive neurones which climb towards various brain areas are submitted to contradictory influences. Several of them enhance the pain perception (nociceptin, cholecystokinin, neuropeptide FF.) whereas several other reduce it (endorphines, neurotensin, neuromedin N, anandamide.).


Phenothiazines are synthetic antipsychotics with a wide range of biological effects. Their properties are determined by the structure and variety of substituents in the heterocyclic system. It is known that various quantum chemical properties have a significant influence on drug behavior in biological systems. Because of the diversity in the chemical structure of phenothiazines and other drugs that include heterocyclic systems, quantum chemical calculations provide useful methods for predicting their effects. This study made an attempt to describe the physicochemical properties and the molecular docking simulation of phenothiazine derivatives. To predict the reactivity of phenothiazine derivatives, DFT-based descriptors including certain highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, energy gap, electronic chemical potential, chemical hardness, nucleophilicity, and electrophilicity were performed by using B3LYP / 6311 ++ G (d, p) level. The most and least active compounds were docked to the protein proteins glycosylphosphatidylinositol phospholipase D inhibitor (1GYM), anaphylatoxin receptor antagonist (6C1Q), arylacetonitrilase inhibitor (3UGC) and aspulvinone dimethylallyl transferase inhibitor (3RIX) to confirm the observations of DFT models and elucidate the mode of binding between this type of compound and the corresponding protein.


"National identity" is one of those concepts, like "political culture", which historians have somewhat casually borrowed from the social sciences and then used promiscuously for their own purposes. Over twenty years ago Philip Gleason wrote a wise and prescient (yet sadly underappreciated) essay on the origins of the concept of "identity" in the 1950s, warning historians that already then it had two quite distinct—psychological and sociological—meanings that needed to be distinguished to retain any conceptual clarity. Since then our own use of it has proliferated uncontrollably, and the original confusion identified by Gleason has been compounded by many others. The chain of communication between the concept's progenitors and its present-day users is now so long and so fragmentary that our usage may bear little or no relation to the discourse that Gleason described. There may be nothing wrong with this state of affairs; historians may have found their own value in the term, which need not necessarily be validated by social science. Yet social scientists have continued to work with "identity", and have puzzled much further over its possible meaning and utility with a degree of conceptual rigour that historians do not usually share. And we continue to validate our own use of the term by reference to an increasingly shadowy and distant social science whence it came. Accordingly it may be useful to look more closely at what social scientists think "national identity" is, and how it operates in human minds and societies. This essay attempts a brief exploration of that kind and then applies its findings to the recent historiography of "national identity" in modern Britain.


In retrospective review of survivors of neonatal extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, eight patients with varying degrees of right hemispheric brain injury were identified. The extent of preextracorporeal membrane oxygenation hypoxia and ischemia was documented: five of eight patients had arterial PO2 values of less than 40 mm Hg, seven of eight required dopamine for blood pressure support, and five of eight required cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Two patients had proven neurologic abnormalities before extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Postextracorporeal membrane oxygenation CT brain scans showed right hemispheric focal abnormalities in three patients. Seven infants had neuromotor abnormalities which were lateralizing in nature; all were left sided, suggesting right-sided brain injury. EEGs showed an increased incidence of slowing and attenuation over the right hemisphere. These findings indicate that right-sided brain abnormalities exist after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and that carotid artery ligation for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is not without risk.


The importance of the current study lies in the degree of flexibility and the extent of grip strength, which is one of the good features that can increase the strength and rigidity of bones in women with osteoporosis, and this requires some exercises that stop the increase in the loss of bone density.
The research problem revolved around women who suffer from early interruption of the menstrual cycle and the consequent deficiency in the secretion of the estrogen hormone, which has the main role in reducing the dissolution of calcium in the bones, in addition to not practicing sports activity, which has an effective role in prevention, treatment and reduction of operations Low bone mass.
The study aimed to identify the flexibility and grip strength of women with osteoporosis between the ages of (40-50) years, as well as the relationship between flexibility and grip strength in women with osteoporosis The researchers used the descriptive approach on a sample of (9) women of (40-50) years old in Al-Sadr Teaching Hospital / Najaf.
The two researchers concluded in their conclusions that the greater the degree of flexibility and strength of the grip in the injured can positively affect osteoporosis, as well as that the lack of regular exercise is not in the interest of women with osteoporosis.


We have performed the retrospective comparison of the parameters of physical development (circumference of head and chest, body weight and length), dynamics of laboratory tests, death rate in 103 HIV-positive and 77 HIV-exposed children. The majority of the studied parameters were within the normal range. The differences between the groups revealed in the follow up might be used for HIV status prognosis.


The sulphydryl population on erythrocyte membrane is shown to vary as a function of the nutritional status of the cell. When an assay based on reaction with Ellman's reagent and controlled conditions were used the mean values (SEM) for the sulphydryl population on the membranes of normal erythrocytes incubated overnight in the presence and absence of glucose were found to be 3.29 (0.27) and 2.56 (0.25) million sulphydryl functions per cell respectively. Under identical conditions rheumatoid erythrocytes incubated in the presence and absence of glucose were found to have a significantly lower sulphydryl population--1.54 (0.08) and 1.15 (0.08) million respectively. The predominant concentrations of sulphydryl groups on the membrane are found at sites on the transmembrane proteins and, in particular, on the hexose transport protein. By influencing the nutritional status of the cells significant differences in activity between the normal and diseased state have been identified and these may have a role in the aetiology of rheumatoid arthritis by altering the response of cells to oxidative stress.


This annual report presents six research articles on child development. The articles and their authors are: (1) "Beyond Psychological Limits: Applying Human Development in Education" (John Kirkland); (2) "Beyond Reductionism: Directions toward Understanding Children" (Frank Self) ; (3) "A Psychometric Examination of the Children's Behavior Questionnaire" (Emiko Kusanagi); (4) " 'Behavioral Space Therapy': An Alternative Approach to 'Handicapped' Children" (Emiko Gotoh) ; (5) "Absence of Avoidance Response to Impending Collision in Children" (Shing-jen Chen and Geert J. P. Savelsbergh) ; and (6) "Looming: An Information Source for Avoiding and Making Contact" (Geert J. P. Savelsbergh and Shing-jen Chen).


Odontogenic myxomas are rare benign mesenchymal tumours of head and neck with a potential for local infiltration and recurrence. They appear to originate from the dental papilla, follicle or periodontal ligament in mandible and less commonly the maxilla. These usually present in second or third decade of life as slowly progressive space occupying lesion in the jaw giving a mixed radiopaque-radiolucent appearance. The treatment is considered to be wide local excision in view of high recurrence with curettage alone. Here, we present a case of odontogenic myxoma of maxilla, in a 40 year old lady, with a brief review of literature, clinical, radiological, histopathological characteristics and therapeutic modality employed.


Maintaining updated in vitro plant subcultures is essential for commercial micropropagation and tissue culture research. In unusual situations, the subcultures can be delay and the slow-growth in vitro storage technic could be applied to reduce the loss of plant material. The present study aimed to evaluate the slow-growth in vitro storage of banana plantlets ('Prata Catarina'; group AAB) under different light spectra. Shoot cultures in MS medium without plant growth regulators were maintained under blue (B), red (R), red plus blue (R2B), and white (CW) light spectra (25°C ± 2°C; 50 µmol m -2 s -1 ) for up to 140 days. The plantlets maintained under the R, CW, and R2B spectra did not survive after 140 days of in vitro slow-growth storage. The plantlets maintained under the B spectrum survived after 140 days of in vitro slow-growth storage and showed little browning.


Because Whites use positivity to conceal bias, people of color may question whether Whites' positivity is genuine. We predicted that those suspicious of Whites' motives may mentally represent Whites as less trustworthy and more hostile than those low in suspicion. We tested these predictions using reverse correlation. First, we examined high- and low-suspicion Black participants' mental representations of Whites using neutrally expressed (Study 1a) and smiling (Study 2a) White base faces. In Study 2b, we compared suspicious Black participants' mental representations of Whites to a randomly generated control. In Study 2c, we extend these results to perceptions of smile authenticity and rule out a potential stimulus effect. The results suggest that compared to unsuspicious participants and controls, suspicious Black participants hold less trustworthy, less authentic, and sometimes more hostile representations of Whites. Suspicion's effect on intergroup dynamics may therefore extend up the cognitive stream to the fundamental mental representations of Whites.


Assessments of the human damage caused by the tsunami are required in order to consider disaster prevention at such a regional level. Hence, there is an increasing need for the assessments of human damage caused by earthquakes. However, damage assessments in japan currently usually rely on static population distribution data, such as statistical night time population data obtained from national census surveys. Therefore, human damage estimation that take into consideration time frames have not been assessed yet. With these backgrounds, the objectives of this study are: to develop a method for estimating the population distribution of the for each time frame, based on location positioning data observed with mass GPS loggers of mobile phones, to use a evacuation and casualties models for evaluating human damage due to the tsunami, and evaluate each time frame by using the data developed in the first objective, and 3) to discuss the factors which cause the differences in human damage for each time frame. By visualizing the results, we clarified the differences in damage depending on time frame, day and area. As this study enables us to assess damage for any time frame in and high resolution, it will be useful to consider provision for various situations when an earthquake may hit, such as during commuting hours or working hours and week day or holiday.


Transovarial transmission experiments were conducted with three groups of Ornithodoros (Pavlovskyella) marocanus Velu; one group consisted of 27 pairs of adults that had been fed as larvae on a pig with a viremia of 10(7.4) HAd50/ml of African swine fever virus (ASFV). The second and third groups each consisted of 100 pairs of adults fed on a viremic pig (10(4.5) HAd50/ml) as adults. The first group underwent five gonotrophic cycles over a 554-d period. The second and third groups underwent three and two gonotrophic cycles, respectively. All larvae were fed in individual cohorts on naive pigs and the resulting nymphs were assayed by cohort for ASFV. None of the larvae transmitted ASFV to naive pigs by bite and ASFV was not isolated in swine buffy coat cultures from any cohort of nymphs. Therefore, O. marocanus does not exhibit transovarial transmission of ASFV. Venereal transmission experiments were conducted with pairs of O. marocanus in which either the female (100 pairs) or the male (100 pairs), respectively, had fed on a viremic pig (10(4.5) HAd50/ml). Both groups underwent at least two gonotrophic cycles over a 470-d period, were sampled periodically for the presence of ASFV, and the progeny were tested for the presence of ASFV. Venereal transmission from male to female occurred in 10% (1/10) of O. marocanus after the first gonotrophic cycle, but not after the second or third gonotrophic cycle, and transovarian transmission in these groups was not observed. Venereal transmission from infected females to uninfected males did not occur. ASFV persisted through five gonotrophic cycles over a 554-d period in 30% of adults fed on a viremic pig as larvae. ASFV was cleared during three gonotrophic cycles within a year from nearly all ticks fed on a viremic pig as adults. Virus-induced mortality rats of 12-80% occurred among ticks fed on viremic animals, whereas, no mortality was seen in ticks fed on uninfected animals. ASFV infection in ticks did not effect feeding frequency, egg-hatch rate, or the oviposition rate among females fed on a viremic pig as adults. The oviposition rate for females fed on a viremic pig as larvae was reduced by 63.4%. Parthenogenesis was not observed among O. marocanus. The mean gonotrophic cycle duration for pig-fed O. marocanus at 27 degree C was 19.8 d and the mean fecundity was 88.3 +/- 17.9 eggs/female/gonotrophic cycle.


Abstract: A total of 1094 HIV patients were involved in a cohort study (from January-December 2010) with follow-up in their CD4 cell transition counts and grouped according to their immunological states into five(5) states developed by Guiseppe Di Biase et al (2007). The five states (5) considered were: State one (CD4 > 500 cells/mm ), State two (350 < CD4 500 cells /mm ) State three(200 < CD4 350 cells/mm ), State four(CD4 200 cells/mm ), State five(Death). These states de ne the seriousness of the sickness based on the epidemiological states of the patients CD4 cell counts. We use the non-stationary Markov chain model for the prediction. The estimation of the non-stationary probabilities were done using the exponential smoothing technique. The result of the prediction showed a gradual decrease of the CD4 cells as we move from Jan-Dec. Furthermore, the result showed that the patients in the study cannot survive death from the month Dec. 2011, if they are not subjected to therapy, using highly active antiretrovirals (HAART). The results also showed that the model can be used for the testing of the drug e efficacy administered to patients within a given period.


The incidence of infection is increased in patients with cancer and certain hematologic disorders. We retrospectively reviewed all the patients evaluated for infection in our Hematology-Oncology unit during a six month period. The purpose of this study was to identify the most common organisms causing infection, evaluate the usefulness of tests performed as well as to determine the outcome and complications of therapy. Contrary to earlier experience the most common organisms causing bacteremia were gram-positive. Despite this finding, gram-negative organisms remained important pathogens specially of the respiratory and urine tract judging by their predominance in urine and sputum cultures. Of the commonly ordered tests, the chest X-ray was the most frequently positive test for infection and the complication rate of antibiotic therapy was 15%. We conclude that in addition to the traditional antibiotics effective against gram-negative organisms, institution of antibiotics effective against gram-positive organisms including Staphylococcus epidermides, should be considered early in the management of these patients.


In the development of pharmacological probes, 2(3H)-benzoxazolones are viewed as privileged scaffolds. The functionalization of the nitrogen atom at the third position of the 2(3H)-benzoxazolone moiety is of importance because the electrical properties of this atom can be crucial for biological activity. The purpose of this study was to use in silico techniques to examine the affinities of 3-substituted-2(3H)-benzoxazolone derivatives against the caspase-3 enzyme. These compounds are predicted to have strong anticancer action on several cancer cell lines. In order to determine the potential binding modes of compounds with similar structures synthesized in this study and earlier studies with caspase-3, molecular docking studies were conducted. It was found that the majority of the compounds formed hydrogen bonds with the Arg207 amino acid residue, which is thought to be crucial in activities. The design and manufacture of future therapeutic compounds with anticancer properties may therefore benefit from understanding provided by this research.


Half of the world's population and especially those in Africa are most vulnerable to malaria. In Western region of Kenya, malaria prevalence levels are above 40%. The disease is preventable and treatable with currently recommended interventions one being the use of Artemisinin-based combination therapy. A hybrid plant Artemisia annua anamed ('A3'), a clone of artemisinin annua is being embraced in western Kenya. We report the levels of artemisinin in leaves of 'A3' grown in regions of Western Kenya and of soil nutrients Zinc (Zn), Boron (B), Nitrate (NO3) and Ammonium (NH4). High performance Liquid Chromatography, Atomic Absorption Spectrometry and Ion Selective Electrodes were employed. In comparison to the expected levels in soils for artemisinin accumulation; Zn was above the minimum tolerable levels; B was very low in the topsoil but high at in-depth; nitrogen NH4 and NO3 ions were found sufficient and the ratio of NO3 : NH4 was high. Artemisinin in leaves of cultivars ranged between 0.04-0.88% dry matter. The levels of artemisinin in 'A3' grown in Western region of Kenya can be improved if nutrient levels are well managed. These findings showcase the need to expand cultivation of A. annua in Western Kenya and consequently produce artemisinin that would be useful in addressing malaria.


Apprehending the full range of one's countertransference presents a challenge for the new therapist and psychiatry resident. Experiencing negative or aggressive feelings while also striving to consolidate one's professional identity and self-experience as a good, helpful, and competent doctor feels dissonant and contradictory. Developing and practicing the skills of countertransference awareness and analysis are crucial aspects of psychiatry and psychotherapy training. These skills can help the trainee navigate difficult clinical interactions through reflection on their own anxieties, as well as the unconscious social and personal biases and motivations that shape their countertransferences. This article examines some of the countertransference reactions that may be colored by social and personal stigma toward patients with substance use disorders. Acknowledging and exploring such countertransference reactions in training not only can provide valuable insights into the psychodynamic experiences of the patient and the treatment dyad, but also can sharpen a lifelong tool, helping the trainees weather powerful and disorienting countertransference currents, untangle their personal motivations and prejudices, and recognize the times when supervision may help to provide containment and clarity throughout their careers.


Previous research has focused on using taste sensors to evaluate very low concentrations of minerals in table salt that cannot be detected with the senses, indicating potential applications in salt quality control. However, the poor selectivity of taste sensors for salt and the inability to evaluate the total taste due to the presence of other tastes, such as bitterness, besides saltiness have become new research topics. Our work aims to improve the selectivity of sensors for saltiness by optimizing the sensor components for foodstuff applications. Furthermore, we have evaluated saltiness with a high correlation to human sensory saltiness evaluation scores by a new analysis method using saltiness sensors with positively and negatively charged membranes. We hope that the optimized saltiness sensors and new analysis method can be used in evaluating the taste of salt in the general foodstuff industry.


Diabetes has been known for last 3500 years. Different cultures and systems of medicine describe this disease in their own way. This article gives an overview regarding historical aspects of diabetes mellitus. This article also compiles the development in the field of diabetes mellitus in chronological order.


One of the most important functions of skin is thermoregulation. The alterations in the patterns of blood flow in skin is one of the main physiological processes responsible for thermoregulatory control. The mechanisms governing the thermoregulatory control of cutaneous blood flow are mainly neural and chemical in nature. At present, there is a lack of studies in the literature looking at the relationship between reinnervation and the blood flow pattern of skin grafts. The present study uses Laser Doppler flowmetry and the immunohistochemical stains protein gene product 9.5, calcitonin gene-related peptide and substance P to identify nerve fibres, and antibodies to CD31 and von Willebrand factor to identify endothelial tissues. The aim of the present study was to investigate the patterns of blood flow and nerve tissue regeneration in split-skin grafts up to 15 years following the original procedure. Thirty-two split-skin grafts were studied and these were placed into two groups based on the nature of the bed of excision: group I consisted of patients who underwent tangential excision and split-skin grafting (n=17), and group II consisted of patients with split-skin grafts placed onto fascial beds (n=15). Each subpopulation of patients was further divided into three groups based on the length of time following grafting: one to three years, four to six years and seven to 15 years. These divisions were arbitrarily chosen and called A1, A2 and A3, respectively. In the Laser Doppler flowmetry arm of the study, the grafts were assessed at various stages after heating, cooling and further reheating. The Laser Doppler flowmetry studies showed that, on subjecting the skin grafts in both groups I and II to heating and cooling followed by reheating, the overall response of the blood flow to changes in the temperature was slower. The immunohistochemical analysis showed that in all graft types and graft ages, protein gene product 9.5, calcitonin gene-related peptide and substance P stains demonstrated a relative lack of the presence of nerve fibres in the split-skin grafts compared with the control ('normal' skin). However, von Willebrand factor and CD31 immunological staining demonstrated that vessels were present in the split-skin grafts, with no significant difference in size or quantity from the control samples. It was found that the blood flow in the split-skin graft in response to thermal challenge, although present, was slower than that of normal skin, a finding which was independent of the age of the skin graft. It is thought that this was related to a lack of regeneration of nerve fibres and, hence, a deficiency in the neurally mediated reflexes of the blood vessels within the split-skin grafts.


The objective of this work was to evaluate the agronomic performance of 'Valencia' sweet orange ( Citrus sinensis ) tree, in combination with 13 rootstocks cultivated in soil and climate conditions of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The following agronomic variables were evaluated: scion height and volume, plant production, production efficiency, productivity, fruit diameter, fruit mass, peel mass, juice yield, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, soluble solids:acidity ratio, ascorbic acid, peel color, antioxidant capacity, and phenolic compounds. A randomized complete block experimental design was used, with three replicates and nine plants per plot, in a two-factor arrangement (13 rootstocks and the 2015 and 2016 harvests). The following rootstocks stood out: TSKC × TRDP-023 for its juice yield (54.0 and 51.7%), soluble solids:acidity ratio (8.66 and 6.99), and ascorbic acid (49.3 and 51 mg 100 g -1 ); and the citrandarin 'San Diego', for its higher phenolic-compound content (106.4 and 74.9 100 g -1  gallic acid), coloration (76.2 and 75.9 ho), and ascorbic acid (42.2 and 44.7 mg 100 g -1 ). The TSKC × TRDP-026 and TSKC × CTQT1434-004 rootstocks induce canopy formation and productive precocity in 'Valencia' orange trees grown in the southern region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul state, in the first few years of growth.