The theory of constraints (TOC) is a multi‐faceted systems methodology that has been developed to assist people and organisations to think about their problems, develop breakthrough solutions and implement those solutions successfully. This paper describes a literature‐based research project examining the results of TOC applications reported in the literature. In particular, it presents here the results of a meta‐analysis of over 80 successful TOC applications, based on available quantitative data, which showed that significant improvements in both operational and financial performance were achieved as a result of applying TOC. Despite extensive searches, the research found no reports of failures. While reports are mainly from manufacturing organisations, the findings may be generalisable to other types of organisations, particularly to their operational aspects. The paper concludes with an agenda for future research on the use of TOC in operations and production management.


Despite the degree of environmental protection and economic feasibility offered by traditional poultry houses, the practice of housing laying hens in cages has been widely criticized worldwide due to the public perception that caged housing systems provide poor welfare for laying hens. As a result of this increasing public interest in laying hen welfare, alternative management systems such as free-range environments have been resurrected. To examine differences in production performance between hens reared in caged vs. range environments, a single cycle production performance for Hy-line brown layers was monitored from 17 to 82 weeks of age. Three range replicate flocks of 75 hens and 4-72 hen replicates in cages consisting of 513 flockmates were randomly assigned to either environment. Pullets were reared to prepare them for the environment they would be entering, in growing cages or on litter, for caged and range pullets, respectively. All other rearing procedures, dietary regimens, and vaccinations were identical for cage and rangereared flockmates. Cage birds had significantly better (P<0.05) feed conversion rates and higher (P<0.01) daily egg masses respectively compared to free-range hens (0.51±0.005 vs. 0.49±0.010) and (52.5±0.34 vs. 49.4±0.68). Additionally, cage birds produced significantly greater (P< 0.001) numbers of HH (357±5.2 vs. 304±10.5) and (P<0.0001) HD eggs (81.9±0.36 vs. 77.7±0.72) compared to free-range hens. Total mortality was significantly higher in free-range hens (28.4±3.50 vs. 8.9±1.75) (P<0.0001) although no significant differences in egg weights or sizes were observed. Caged hens produced a greater (P<0.05) number of Grade A eggs (90.0±0.76 vs. 85.9±1.52) while free-range hens produced a greater (P<0.0001) number of Grade B eggs (5.9±0.47 vs. 11.5±0.94). Lastly, there was no overall difference in the number of checks or losses between the two groups. This indicates that the cage environment had much better overall performance than their range flockmates.


The polymeric materials for the dental prosthesis were imposed in the Romanian dentistry due to the good physical-chemical and biological properties, easy processing, low cost, but also due to the aesthetic aspects, so desired by the patient. Materials and method. A total of 162 cases from the authors' clinical practice were analyzed. The patients received cosmetic restorations through dental prostheses, with different prosthetic materials. We made a comparison of the effects of the long-term benefits of using these materials in relation to biological aesthetics and their costs. Results and conclusions. After the different treatment options used in the study group, the metal-polymeric prosthesis occupied the second place (33.33%) regarding the choice of dental material, related to properties, aesthetics or durability, the choice being dictated by the socioeconomic criteria of patients.


Data deduplication can reduce cost and enhance throughput in backup and archiving systems. Recently, it becomes increasingly popular to apply this technique in primary storage systems, where data is actively used by enterprise business applications. However, the state-of-the-art deduplication systems for primary storages mainly provide offline solutions, which require sufficient time-window, additional space and energy. The biggest challenge for an inline deduplication solution is the acceptable performance in terms of data deduplication ratio, access latency, system throughput and management overhead. In this paper, we propose a high accuracy similarity algorithm, and based on it, construct ProSy, a real-time inline deduplication system for primary storage, which can achieve acceptable comprehensive performance without requiring file layout information. Prosy is more reliable since it uses byte-by-byte comparison instead of strong hash comparison to guarantee data integrity. The main idea behind ProSy is to minimize the size of comparison set by grouping similar file segments into the same category when performing data deduplication. For each segment of files, ProSy searches for common data only within the category which this segment belongs to. The experimental evaluation based on real world datasets shows that ProSy is practical and it achieves satisfactory performance. Comparing with the common file system, ProSy can achieve more than 60% of the max data deduplication ratio, 27% deduction on latency, about 2.7% CPU utilization, 83% write throughput and 144% read throughput.


A novel pentagon-heptagon paired azulene group that possesses a large dipole moment is immobilized onto a porphyrin. The as-prepared azulene iron porphyrin exhibits a narrower bandgap and higher electrocatalytic CO2 reduction activity than the pristine iron porphyrin. The maximum CO faradaic efficiency reaches 99.9%, which is the state-of-the-art value among molecular catalysts.


Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common types of cancer in males globally. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying PCa progression remain largely unclear. In the present study, Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets and datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were used to analyze the expression of lysine demethylase 5B (KDM5B) in PCa. Proliferation, cell cycle and migration assays were used to detect the functional roles of KDM5B. It was found KDM5B was upregulated in PCa tissues by analyzing GEO and TCGA datasets. KDM5B knockdown significantly suppressed proliferation and cell cycle progression in PCa cells. In additional, KDM5B knockdown inhibited PCa cell migration. By analyzing a TCGA dataset, KDM5B was found to be upregulated in patients at N1 stage compared with N0 stage PCa, in patients at T3+T4 stages compared with T2 stage and in patients with Gleason score ≥8 compared with those with score ≤7. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that higher expression of KDM5B was associated with shorter biochemical recurrence-free survival and overall survival time in patients with PCa. These results suggest that expression of KDM5B may serve as a biomarker to predict the outcome of PCa.


Organisms with complex genomes cannot afford imprecise genome replication and have to find more sophisticated ways to vary their antigens. This chapter is restricted to antigenic variation in pathogenic protozoa and fungi, and will only describe antigenic variation in four organisms: Trypanosoma, Plasmodium, Pneumocystis, and Giardia. Most of the available evidence suggests, however, that DNA rearrangements are not involved in silencing or in situ switches. This chapter briefly touches on this topic of reversible allelic exclusion between expression sites. The simplicity of the antigenic variation strategy is only apparent, however. The author, limits the discussion to a brief summary of the var gene family to allow a comparison with antigenic variation in the other parasites discussed in this chapter. A model showing how reciprocal recombination between the UCS and telomeric MSG genes results in antigenic variation is shown. A complication in the study of Giardia antigenic variation is the polyploidy of its nuclear DNA. The spectacular bacterial pathogens, exemplified by Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Borrelia species, set the tone, and the African trypanosomes appeared to confirm the idea that real antigenic variation requires real DNA rearrangements. DNA rearrangements require enzymes for cutting and joining DNA, and a systematic disruption of the genes for each of these enzymes, as initiated by McCulloch and Barry in trypanosomes, should eventually give us a complete overview of the DNA recombination pathways involved in antigenic variation.


New compounds Li3Ba2Bi3(XO4)8(Х = Mo, W) were obtained by the ceramic technology. Those are the first representatives of the ternary molybdates and tungstates Li3Ba2Bi3(XO4)8 family, which contain different from the rare earth elements trivalent metal. The sequence of chemical transformations occurring during the Li3Ba2Bi3(WO4)8 formation has been established. The primary characterization of the obtained phases was carried out and their ion-conducting properties were studied. The synthesized compounds are shown to melt incongruently, isostructural to the lanthanide-containing analogues (structural type of BaNd2(MoO4)4, sp. gr. C2/c) and crystallize in the monoclinic crystal system with unit cell parameters а = 5.2798(1), b = 12.8976(4), c = 19.2272(5) Å, β = 90.978(2)° (Х = Mo), а = 5.2733(2), b = 12.9032(4), c = 19.2650(6) Å, β = 91.512(3)° (Х = W). Li3Ba2Bi3(XO4)8 are found to undergo the diffuse first-order phase transitions at 441°C (molybdate) and 527°C (tungstate), after that their conductivity reaches values of 10–3–10–4 S/cm.


A practical guide that outlines the differences between designing for for devised and scripted work

Costumes designed and made for devised or physical drama, for contemporary circus or for dance, differ radically from the more traditional costume work produced for naturalistic performance. For those working in the field--whether professional or student--these differences present challenges that this book seeks to highlight and explain, while offering effective solutions to overcome them. It also discusses the specialized designing, cutting, making, and fitting of costumes for dance, circus, and other physical work, as well as the role of the designer/maker in the devising company. There are tips on design invention in the rehearsal room as well as the management of both time and budget with the late changes that happen with devised work.


When 29 child sex offenders, 30 violent offenders, 30 nonviolent offenders, and 30 community controls were compared, a secure adult attachment style was 4 times less common in the child sex offender group than in any of the other three groups. Ninety-three percent of sex offenders had an insecure adult attachment style. Compared with community controls, the child sex offender group reported significantly lower levels of maternal and paternal care and significantly higher levels of maternal and paternal overprotection during their childhood. Compared with all three comparison groups, the child sexual offenders reported significantly more emotional loneliness and a more external locus of control. With respect to anger management, the child sexual offenders' profile more closely approximated those of nonviolent offenders and community controls than that of violent offenders.


BACKGROUND
Twenty-four hours pad test is a simple tool to establish the differential diagnosis between high amount of vaginal secretion and urinary incontinence, evaluate the severity, and assess the result after treatment in women with urinary incontinence problem. The normal value of 24-hour pad test has been studied in non-Thai population. However; this may be different based on race. Therefore, this value in Thai population is important.

OBJECTIVE
Identify the normal value of 24-hour pad test in Thai continent women by accurately comparing pad's weight before and after use. The secondary objective was to identify the factor associating the amount of vulvo-vaginal secretion.

MATERIAL AND METHOD
Continent women were screened to exclude urinary incontinence by urogenital distress inventory (UDI-6) questionnaire. Participants were requested to use pad test for 24 hours. During study period, participants were advised to do their routine as usual but avoid exercise and sexual intercourse. Participants were able to change the pads as needed and asked to put the used pad in airtight plastic bag, kept them in a sealed envelope, and sent them to the researcher at their earliest convenience. Once received, the pads were kept in airtight plastic bag and were weighed. Weights were recorded.

RESULTS
Two hundred twenty continent women were eligible to participate in the present study to determine the normal value of 24-hour pad test as our reference value. The median of 24-hour pad test was found to be 1.8 g of which the 95 percentiles was 4.7 g. The high amount of vaginal secretion were affected by premenopausal status, hormonal contraceptive used, and duration after menopause less than 5 years, which these factors were associated with estrogen.

CONCLUSION
The authors developed a normal value of the 24-hour pad test that could be used as reference or initial information for further evaluation and diagnosis of urinary incontinence in Thai women.


Despite the significant growth in the South Asian population in the United States over the past 2 decades, the experiences of South Asian adolescents have remained largely invisible. Guided by a socioecological perspective (American Psychological Association, 2012; García Coll & Marks, 2012), this study examined South Asian adolescents' experiences of acculturative stress and approaches to coping with this stress across home and school contexts. A semistructured interview was completed by 16 participants (9 girls, 7 boys; ages 14-18 years) from different South Asian backgrounds, attending an urban public high school in the Northeastern part of the United States. Conventional content analysis was used to analyze the interview data, and revealed 4 broad categories or domains related to participants' experiences as young South Asians in the U.S. These domains include the following: (a) Connection to family, community, and heritage; (b) Challenges to acculturation; (c) Stress accompanying the navigation across cultural contexts; and (d) Coping and resilience. Participants' narratives reflect acculturative stress experienced in home and school contexts which can inhibit psychological well-being and bicultural identity development. The findings have important implications for culturally informed research, intervention, and policy. (PsycINFO Database Record


Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a membrane-associated proteoglycan that is specifically up-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) although rarely or not expressed in normal liver tissues, making it a perfect diagnostic and treatment target for HCC. Several GPC3-based clinical trials are ongoing and recently several innovative GPC3-targeted therapeutic methods have emerged with exciting results, including GPC3 vaccine, anti-GPC3 immunotoxin, combined therapy with immune checkpoint blockades (ICBs), and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T or NK cells. Here, we review the value of GPC3 in the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC, together with its signaling pathways, with a specific focus on GPC3-targeted treatments of HCC and some prospects for the future GPC3-based therapeutic strategies in HCC.


A large body of research exists on the question of market efficiency and the Capital Asset Pricing Model ("CAPM"). Numerous apparent exceptions to the CAPM have been observed, with the risk adjusted outperformance of small-cap stocks over large-cap stocks being the most commonly cited anomaly. The bulk of the research to date on this topic has found excess returns for stocks below a certain size threshold. In this paper, the authors analyze valuations in a number of developed markets in Europe and Asia across the market cap spectrum. While CAPM would lead one to expect a gradual decline in valuations as one looks at smaller and smaller stocks, the research in this paper shows that valuations do not correlate with company size in a smooth fashion and that there is a "kink point" below which companies become cheaper faster than the CAPM would predict. The authors posit that the valuation anomaly described by these kink points could help explain the existence of the small-cap performance anomaly, and that the institutional behavior that probably creates these kink points is difficult to change, which could help explain why the small cap anomaly has persisted, despite ample information on the topic.


Organizations in many different industries employ virtual teams in a variety of contexts, including research and development, customer support, software development, and product design. Many virtual teams are geographically and culturally dispersed in order to facilitate around-the-clock work and to allow the most qualified individuals to be assigned to a project team. As such dispersion increases, virtual teams tend to experience greater and more diverse conflict compared to co-located teams. Since the dynamics of virtual team leadership are not yet well understood, research that examines how team leaders alleviate threats to team cohesion and provide strategies for conflict resolution makes significant contributions to the literature. Our study uses a survey-based methodology to examine the perceptions of 159 virtual team members employed by a large U.S. telecommunications corporation and five Korean firms involved in construction, finance, business consulting, sales, and distribution. The study integrates the dynamic model of conflict in distributed teams with the behavioral complexity in leadership theory to investigate the roles that virtual team leaders must effectively employ to reduce various forms of virtual team conflict. Our findings indicate that communication technologies are effective in reducing task conflict; however, the team leader may also mitigate task conflict by assuming the role of monitor. Likewise, process conflict may be abated in the virtual team as the leader performs coordinator activities. An effective virtual team leader exhibits specific roles to manage different types of conflict and the leader's response to conflict plays an important part in virtual team success.


Management practices adopted in protected natural areas often ignore the relevance of the territory surrounding the actual protected land (buffer area). These areas can be the source of impacts that threaten the protected ecosystems. This paper reports a case study where a time series of Sentinel-1 imagery was used to classify the land-use/land-cover and to evaluate its change between 2015 and 2018 in the buffer area around the Manglares Churute Ecological Reserve (REMCh) in Ecuador. Sentinel-1 scenes were processed and ground-truth data were collected consisting of samples of the main land-use/land-cover classes in the region. Then, a Random Forests (RF) classification algorithm was built and optimized, following a five-fold cross validation scheme using the training dataset (70% of the ground truth). The remaining 30% was used for validation, achieving an Overall Accuracy of 84%, a Kappa coefficient of 0.8 and successful class performance metrics for the main crops and land use classes. Results were poorer for heterogeneous and minor classes, nevertheless the performance of the classification was deemed sufficient for the targeted change analysis. Between 2015 and 2018, an increase in the area covered by intensive land uses was evidenced, such as shrimp farms and sugarcane, which replaced traditional crops (mainly rice and banana). Even though such changes only affected the land area around the natural reserve, they might affect its water quality due to the use of fertilizers and pesticides that easily. Therefore, it is recommended that these buffer areas around natural protected areas be taken into account when designing adequate environmental protection measures and polices.


In this thesis we examined several multimodal feature extraction and learning methods for retrieval and classification purposes. We reread briefly some theoretical results of learning in Section 2 and reviewed several generative and discriminative models in Section 3 while we described the similarity kernel in Section 4. We examined different aspects of the multimodal image retrieval and classification in Section 5 and suggested methods for identifying quality assessments of Web documents in Section 6. In our last problem we proposed similarity kernel for time-series based classification. The experiments were carried over publicly available datasets and source codes for the most essential parts are either open source or released. Since the used similarity graphs (Section 4.2) are greatly constrained for computational purposes, we would like to continue work with more complex, evolving and capable graphs and apply for different problems such as capturing the rapid change in the distribution (e.g. session based recommendation) or complex graphs of the literature work. The similarity kernel with the proper metrics reaches and in many cases improves over the state-of-the-art. Hence we may conclude generative models based on instance similarities with multiple modes is a generally applicable model for classification and regression tasks ranging over various domains, including but not limited to the ones presented in this thesis. More generally, the Fisher kernel is not only unique in many ways but one of the most powerful kernel functions. Therefore we may exploit the Fisher kernel in the future over widely used generative models, such as Boltzmann Machines [Hinton et al., 1984], a particular subset, the Restricted Boltzmann Machines and Deep Belief Networks [Hinton et al., 2006]), Latent Dirichlet Allocation [Blei et al., 2003] or Hidden Markov Models [Baum and Petrie, 1966] to name a few.


ABSTRACT Background: Dilong injection as a medicinal preparation extracted from earthworm in traditional Chinese medicine, is used to activate blood circulation and remove blood stasis. In this research, we aim to investigate its potential effect on random skin flap survival in rat models. Materials and methods: McFarlane flaps were established in 60 male Sprague–Dawley rats randomly divided into two groups: the control group and the Dilong injection group. Diong injection group was injected with the Diong injection (4 mL/kg) once a day for seven days, and the control group was given an equal volume of saline solution. After seven days, flaps were obtained and stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin. Histological examination was done to determine changes in histology such as thickness of granulation tissue, tissue edema, neutrophil infiltration, and the microvascular density (MVD). In addition, immunohistochemical detection was carried out to show vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression level. Results: Compared with the control group, the Dilong group exhibited more fibroblastic proliferation, thinner neutrophil infiltration with less edema through histological examination. The MVD and the VEGF expression of flaps were significantly higher. The mean superoxide dismutase activity was evidently higher in the Dilong group than in the control group, while the mean MDA level was lower. Conclusions: According to the comparison made between the two groups for histological and immunohistochemical evaluation, the Dilong injection group has potential effects on the survival of random skin flaps in rat models.


The new trend of information technology and communications has been adopted by court systems. A similar path follows other powers in the republics: executive branches with e-government portals and legislative branches with informative and participatory portals. Despite the fact that technology has reached the judiciary branch, we know very little about the changes, advantages or disadvantages of this adoption. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the use of technology, especially in the websites portals in the Latin America region. An assessment model, which has been developed by Sandoval and Gil-García (2015) and that has four components: information, interaction, integration and participation, has been implemented on a sample of 25 countries during the month of July, 2015. Findings reveal a great disparity among the different countries in the region.


The Nearctic species of Ecclisomyia are reviewed with new descriptions of the pupae of the four recognized species. The larvae of E. bilera Denning 1951, E. maculosa Banks 1907, and E. simulata Banks 1920 are described. A supplementary description is provided for the larva of E. conspersa Banks 1907. Genetic and morphological information is provided to support the recent restoration of E. simulata as a valid species. Keys to the males, females, pupae, and larvae are provided. Biological and distributional data are also included.


A careful examination of the fundamentals of electromagnetic theory shows that due to the underlying mathematical assumptions required for Stokes' Theorem, global charge conservation cannot be guaranteed in topologically non-trivial spacetimes. However, in order to break the charge conservation mechanism we must also allow the electromagnetic excitation fields D, H to possess a gauge freedom, just as the electromagnetic scalar and vector potentials $\varphi$ and A do. This has implications for the treatment of electromagnetism in spacetimes where black holes both form and then evaporate, as well as extending the possibilities for treating vacuum polarisation. Using this gauge freedom of D, H we also propose an alternative to the accepted notion that a charge passing through a wormhole necessarily leads to an additional (effective) charge on the wormhole's mouth.


A new image denoising method based on curvelet transform is proposed. The limitations of commonly used separable extensions of one-dimensional transforms, such as the Fourier and wavelet transforms, in capturing the geometry of image edges are well known. Here, we pursue "true" two-dimensional transform that can capture the intrinsic geometrical structure that is key in visual information. Denoising of an image is done by processing an image through Wiener filter and using curvelet transform [1], [6]. Experimental results show that proposed denoising technique performs better in terms of the PSNR. We have compared PSNR values of proposed algorithm with that of wavelet and curvelet in RBG and YCbCr regions.


PURPOSE
Proverb comprehension through reading was examined in 42 preadolescents (mean age=12:2 [years:months]) attending a rural public middle school. The study was designed to learn about individual differences with respect to reading, word knowledge, and analogical reasoning skills.

METHOD
The 42 students were assigned to subgroups of proficient and less proficient readers based on their scores on a school-administered achievement test. Reading tasks were presented to examine their comprehension of unfamiliar concrete (e.g., every bird must hatch its own eggs) and abstract (e.g., gratitude is a heavy burden) proverbs, and their knowledge of nouns contained in the expressions. A nonverbal analogical reasoning task also was administered.

RESULTS
Proverb comprehension was found to be associated with reading proficiency, word knowledge, and analogical reasoning. Although all students were considered by their school to be typical achievers, they demonstrated wide individual differences in their ability to interpret unfamiliar concrete and abstract proverbs. Proficient readers outperformed less proficient readers on comprehension of both types of proverbs, knowledge of abstract nouns contained in proverbs, and analogical reasoning. They did not differ, however, on knowledge of concrete nouns, with both subgroups having mastered those words. Educational Implications: The results support the view that reading is an important language modality in older children, significantly related to their understanding of words and figurative expressions. Implications for instruction in proverb comprehension as part of a language arts curriculum are offered for speech-language pathologists working collaboratively with classroom teachers. These guidelines reflect the view that multiple factors (i.e., reading, word knowledge, analogical reasoning) promote proverb comprehension in youth.


A case of arteriovenous malformation (AVM) with cyst formation is reported. A 14-year-old girl was admitted to our hospital, complaining of headache. On admission, CT scan showed a cystic mass with mural nodule in the right parietal lobe. Contrast enhanced CT scan demonstrated homogeneous enhancement of the nodule. MRI demonstrated the nodule as an area of signal void. Right carotid angiogram showed a typical nidus with feeding artery and draining vein. The nidus was totally removed by the trans-cystic approach. Histological diagnosis was typical AVM with hemosiderin deposits. AVM with cyst formation is very rare, with only six cases having been reported. The mechanism of cyst formation is controversial. Past reports have hypothesized the participation of a massive hemorrhage, or exudative process. Our case showed hemosiderin deposits, but no symptom indicative of hemorrhage. In this case, the etiology of cyst formation was considered to be exudation and thrombosis of the nidus.


There is no single, universal model for the protection of democracy that sets limits on freedom and tolerance in liberal democracies. In response to political extremism, states apply various measures — from highly repressive ones, such as restrictions on freedom of speech or association, to more liberal ones based on persuasive strategies. Which instruments are adopted and implemented depends on the decisions of public actors. This article deals with the ban on assembly, which is a repressive instrument of democracy protection. Basing on the analysis of selected assembly bans cases, the aim is first to determine which model of democracy protection is closer to the solutions adopted in Poland — militant or procedural democracy, and second to indicate why such solutions were adopted. More precisely, by means of an ideational perspective, the aim is to explain the different positions taken by public actors in the process of implementing the assembly ban. The article uses the method of qualitative content analysis of legal acts and decisions made by public authorities regarding holding assemblies. By means of a purposeful case selection, the analysis was carried out on the assembly bans against extreme right-wing groups in Warsaw and Wrocław. The research has shown that the legal norms adopted in Poland allow the application of assembly bans in accordance with the concept of militant democracy. However, the implementation shows a different approach of public actors in this matter. Municipalities are closer to the model of a militant democracy, as they allow a preventive ban on assembly as an instrument of public order protection in relation to freedom of speech infringements. In doing so, they do not maintain neutrality towards the views public discourse participants. The courts, on the other hand, exclude the subject of assemblies as a basis for their preventive restriction, the premises of the ban being violence or a direct threat to life, health and property. Their position is thus closer to the procedural model of protecting democracy. The adopted ideational perspective points to possible reasons for the different positions of public actors. Their attitude to values which are crucial for the protection of democracy shows differences. This applies, among others, to the different weight ascribed to particular democratic values, the different perception of threats to the society and the democratic state, and the divergence in defining the thresholds of freedom and tolerance.
∗ Artykuł powstał w wyniku realizacji projektu badawczego UMO-2014/15/D/HS5/03272 finansowanego ze środków Narodowego Centrum Nauki. Wyrazy podziękowania kieruję do recenzentów za bardzo wnikliwe i inspirujące komentarze.


Migraine is a debilitating condition, however, the pharmacological effects on central nervous system networks following successful therapy is poorly understood. Defining this neurocircuitry is critical to our understanding of the disorder and for the development of anti-migraine drugs. Using an established inflammatory soup (IS) model of migraine-like pathophysiology (N=12) compared to sham synthetic interstitial fluid (SIF) migraine induction (N=12), our aim was to evaluate changes in network-level functional connectivity following sumatriptan-naproxen infusion in awake, conscious, rodents (Sprague-Dawley rats). Sumatriptan-naproxen infusion fMRI data was analyzed using an independent competent analysis approach. Whole brain analysis yielded significant between-group (IS vs. SIF) alterations in functional connectivity across the cerebellar, default mode, basal ganglia, autonomic, and salience networks. These results demonstrate the large-scale anti-migraine effects of sumatriptan-naproxen co-administration following dural sensitization.


This paper takes up the Idealized Cognitive Models (ICM, Lakoff, 1987) used in mass media about the breaking of ETA'S truce: PEACE IS A WAY, TERRORISM IS A ILLNES, etc. The article starts by describing the metaphoric and metonimic aspects of ICM'S. The rest of the article reviews some of the aspects of the comprehension of metaphors: cognitive acquisition, implicatures and inferences.


ABSTRACT
Proenvironmental behavior is a behavior that seeks to minimize the negative impact on the environment which is influenced by several factors, one of which is motivation. This study aims to analyze the direct effect of motivation on proenvironmental behavior. This research was conducted using a quantitative approach with a causal survey method and analyzed using path analysis. The number of samples used as respondents is 200 students of class XI MIA SMAN 1 Tangerang Regency. Based on the results of testing the hypothesis it can be concluded that there is a positive direct effect of personality on proenvironmental behavior with a path analysis coefficient of 0.159. There is a positive direct effect of motivation on proenvironmental behavior with a path coefficient of 0.486.
Keywords: Motivation, Pro Environment Behavior, Path Analysis.


Inhibition of return (10R) refers to a mechanism that slows response times (RTs) to detect, localize, or discriminate a target that is presented at a location previously occupied by an irrelevant peripheral cue. Generally, the slowing of RTs is described as a negative effect on responding that is believed to promote searching to new locations. In this report, we consider whether IOR might benefit performance when the goal is to prevent a prepared response. Using the stop-signal paradigm, we show that IOR improved the ability to inhibit a prepared response by delaying responses to the target. Thus, in addition to aiding visual search, IOR may also provide an opportunity for the adjustment of decisions and behaviour in accordance with the demands of a dynamic environment.


This paper describes a systematic study on the thermal polymerization of both pristine 4-vinylbenzenesulfonic anion (VBS) and intercalated VBS in the two-dimensional (2D) gallery of Ni-Al layered double hydroxide (VBS/Ni-Al-LDH), by virtue of combining experimental and theoretical investigations. In situ FT-IR, in situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction (HT-XRD), UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, TG-DTA and elemental analysis were used to study the polymerization process, and it was found that the polymerization of VBS/Ni-Al-LDH occurs at ca. 150-170 degrees C, at least 40 degrees C lower than that of the pristine VBS, indicating that the layered structure of LDH is favorable for thermal polymerization of VBS. Therefore, this layered inorganic material may have potential application as a "molecular reactor" for enhancing the efficiency of polymerization reaction. Furthermore, the sheet-like polymerization product was obtained with the LDHs lamella as template. For better understanding the structure and arrangement of intercalated VBS and the polymerization product between the layers of Ni-Al-LDH, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method was employed. The simulation results of hydration energies show that there are two relatively stable stages upon the increase of the number of interlayer water molecules. VBS molecules exhibit a tendency from tilted to vertical orientation with respect to the layers as the interlayer water content increases. Compared with the experimental results, the calculated interlayer spacing is more severely affected by interlayer water content. Finally, a typical tetramer product of VBS intercalated LDH was studied and the simulated equilibrium interlayer spacing is consistent with the experimental result of in situ HT-XRD. Based on the combination of experimental and theoretical studies on the interlayer polymerization system, the aim of this work is to deeply investigate the differences in thermal polymerization process between pristine monomers and intercalated ones in the gallery of LDHs, and to give detailed information of the arrangement and swelling behavior of guest molecules confined between the sheets of host layers.


The aim of this research is to test Artificial Neural Network (ANN) package in GRASS 6.4 software for spatial interpolation and to compare it with common interpolation techniques IDW and ordinary kriging. This package was also compared with neural networks packages nnet and neuralnet available in software R Project. The entire packages uses multi-layer perceptron (MLP) model trained with the back propagation algorithm. Evaluation methods were based mainly on RMSE. All the tests were done on artificial data created in R Project software; which simulated three surfaces with different characteristics. In order to find the best configuration for the multilayer perceptron many different settings of network were tested (test-and-trial method). The number of neurons in hidden layers was the main tested parameter. Results indicate that MLP model in the ANN module implemented in GRASS can be used for spatial interpolation purposes. However the resulting RMSE was higher than RMSE from IDW and ordinary kriging method and time consuming. When compared neural network packages in GRASS GIS and R Project; it is better to use the packages in R Project. Training of MLP was faster in this case and results were the same or slightly better.


We study the acoustic field enhancement through a circular hole in a hard plate of finite thickness in this work. We derive the boundary-integral equations corresponding to the acoustic scattering to investigate the Fabry-Perot type resonant frequencies that induce the field enhancement. The asymptotic expansions of Fabry-Perot type resonances with respect to the size of the hole are derived, and the quantitative analysis of the field enhancement caused by the configuration at the resonant frequencies is presented with both the enhancement order and the shapes of resonant modes characterized. The transmission in the nonresonant quasi-static regime is also investigated.


This paper discusses different methods that have been used for management of word form variation in information retrieval during the history of textual information retrieval. The techniques have been characterized in many ways during the history of IR. We pinpoint the most meaningful features of the approaches and make comparisons that have practical value. In the discussion we characterize word form variation management methods in different ways and offer the reader an overall practical guide for choosing between different methods to be used.


Objective: To measure physical activity and identify perceived barriers and facilitators of physical activity for people aged >80 years in assisted living (AL). Methods: Focus groups and physical activity measures were conducted n=20 (AL) and n=20 independently living (IL). Physical activity (step counts, light and moderate to vigorous activity) was measured by SenseWear Armbands. Results: Thematic analysis identified barrier and facilitator themes. IL participants had significantly greater step counts and spent significantly more time in light intensity physical activity than AL participants. Conclusions: Health concerns, fear of injury and motivation were important barriers. Barriers unique to AL were perceived difficulty of physical activity and old age. Social and physical environments were key facilitators of physical activity. Social support was important for both genders. More staff involvement was a key facilitator of physical activity in AL participants. Suggestions for improving physical activity for older people living in assisted care are identified. *Corresponding author: Dafna Merom, Department of Physical Activity and Health, The University of Western Sydney, Penrith, Australia, Tel: 61 2 9852 5222; Fax: +61 2 4620 3792; E-mail: email@example.com Received August 29, 2015; Accepted November 16, 2015; Published November 24, 2015 Citation: Moran F, MacMillan F, Smith-Merry J, Kilbreath S, Merom D (2015) Perceived Barriers, Facilitators and Patterns of Physical Activity of Older-old Adults Living in Assisted Retirement Accommodation. J Gerontol Geriatr Res 4: 255. doi:10.4172/2167-7182.1000255 Copyright: © 2015 Merom D, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.


The inhibitory effect of Al3+ on photosynthetic electron transport was investigated in isolated thylakoid membranes of spinach. A combination of oxygen evolution, chlorophyll fluorescence induction (FI) and decay and thermoluminescence measurements have been used to characterize photosystem II (PSII) electron transport in the presence of this toxic metal cation. Our results show that below 3 mm, Al3+ already caused a destabilization of the Mn4O5Ca cluster of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC). At these concentrations, an increase in the relative amplitude of the first phase (OJ) of FI curve and retardation of the fluorescence decay kinetics following excitation with a single turnover flash were also observed. A transmembrane structural modification of PSII polypeptides due to the interaction of Al3+ at the OEC is proposed to retard electron transfer between the quinones QA and QB. Above 3 mm, Al3+ strongly retarded fluorescence induction and significantly reduced Fv/Fm together with the maximal amplitude of chlorophyll fluorescence induced by a single turnover flash. This chlorophyll fluorescence quenching was attributed to the formation of P680+ due to inhibition of electron transfer between tyrosine 161 of D1 subunit and P680.


It is a notable fact that in otolaryngologic and in stomatologic practice leukemic lesions are frequently misdiagnosed or their possible significance is entirely overlooked. In cases of acute leukemia the occurrence of a necrotic lesion on the inside of the cheek, a sore, enlarged or ulcerated tonsil, bleeding gums, acute stomatitis, epistaxis or rapidly developing cervical adenopathy is many times the first symptom of the disease. In cases of chronic leukemia the patient may have overlooked or made light of an enlarged spleen or liver, dyspnea, weakness, loss of weight and appetite or moderate fever but is driven to seek medical care by a prolonged hemorrhage after extraction of a tooth, bleeding of the gums, epistaxis, sudden deafness and vertigo or a disturbing lesion of the mouth or throat. The possibilities of these initial symptoms are well known to pathologists, hematologists and those internists who are consultants in


The GPS is a satellite navigation system that provides location and time information. Such a system currently supports critical applications for military, civil and commercial users worldwide and is accessible to any operator by using a single GPS receiver. However, although being too dependent on GPS signals, just a few of these applications present some kind of countermeasure to electromagnetic attacks, showing a high level of vulnerability to intentional attacks. In this paper, we pose questions and situations related to security and vulnerability of different kinds of platforms/vectors and systems which directly afflict the situational awareness of operators. Experiments were made with different general GPS receivers as a function of distance and incidence angle,showing that they fail to work even at low jamming powers (−25 and 0 dBm at 10 m). More complex GPS systems, such as aeronautical receivers, were also tested, losing completely the tracking at −30 dBm, when a 0° (levelled) and 10 m far electromagnetic jamming signal is incident on its antenna. A specific open source, free software (JammPy) allows extending these experimental results, providing a roadmap and estimating how much jamming power is necessary to cause damage to these systems.


Intra-amniotic endotoxin induces IL-1, causes chorioamnionitis, lung inflammation, lung injury and lung maturation in preterm lambs. Intra-amniotic IL-1α also causes chorioamnionitis, lung inflammation and lung maturation. We asked if IL-1α effects on the preterm lung are mediated by direct signaling to the lung rather than by indirect effects from the chorioamnionitis. To study IL-1 effects independently of chorioamnionitis, the lungs and the amniotic fluid were surgically separated in fetal sheep by diverting fetal lung fluid via a tracheostomy tube to a sialastic bag. A mini-osmotic pump delivered an intratracheal infusion of recombinant sheep IL-1α (10 μg) or saline (control) over 24 h. Preterm lambs were delivered 1d or 7d after the start of the infusion at 124d gestational age (Term = 150d). IL-1α recruited inflammatory cells and increased pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNA expression in the fetal lungs. Compared with controls, IL-1α did not alter lung antioxidant enzyme activity or alveolar numbers. IL-1α had minimal effects on the mRNA or protein expression of proteins essential for vascular development. IL-1α induced large increases in alveolar surfactant saturated phosphatidylcholine and increased lung gas volumes. Lung inflammation and maturation result from direct exposure of the fetal lung to a single cytokine - IL-1α.


BACKGROUND
Secondary solid tumors are rare events occurring in patients who underwent allogeneic marrow transplantation for aplastic anemia and Fanconi's anemia. Human herpes virus 8 (HHV8), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and human papillomaviruses (HPV) sequences have been found in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) occurring in organ transplant recipients. The tumor suppressor gene p53 has been strongly linked to the occurrence of SCC in the nonimmunocompromised population.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
In eight patients with SCC, we searched for HHV8, EBV, varicella zoster virus, adenovirus, and HPV sequences from DNA extracted from selected areas of SCC. We also looked for p53 expression in those specimens as well as the presence of anti-p53 antibodies in the serum of these patients at the onset of SCC.

RESULTS
In one patient, we found the presence of both HHV8 and EBV sequences, and in another patient we found HPV16 sequences. All five tumors that could be studied disclosed evidence of p53 accumulation, but none of the eight patients had anti-p53 antibodies in the sera.

CONCLUSION
SCC developing in marrow transplant recipients seems to occur via a multistep process. Genetic predisposition may be present, as in patients with Fanconi's anemia. Transplantation-related factors, such as irradiation and chronic graft-versus-host disease, also have a role. In this article, we add two more potent risk factors: p53 alteration(s) and in some cases the presence of oncogenic viruses.


The physical and mechanical properties of polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) are greatly dependent on the degree of crystallinity and this is extremely important for the modeling of PTFE processing which is complex and costly. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is one of the most important techniques for the determination of the degree of crystallinity and powder granules of the sample are generally used in the analysis. This procedure provides samples with a high surface-to-volume ratio, resulting in the formation of a considerable number of surface crystalline structures, called warts, along with the bulk crystallization, as shown by scanning electron microscopy. The presence of warts has a significant effect on the PTFE melting enthalpy and thus hinders the correct estimation of the degree of crystallinity of industrial PTFE parts, in which bulk crystallization prevails. In this study, we propose a procedure which does not lead to the formation of warts in the DSC sample and thus allows a more accurate determination of the melting enthalpy (or the degree of crystallinity) of industrial PTFE parts. We demonstrate that samples must be extracted from the core of dense (well-pressed) parts previously sintered in an oven, and the use of powder granules and/or sintering in DSC is not recommended.Keywords:


[structure: see text] We synthesized estrone oximes as chemical inducers of protein heterodimerization (CIDs). Estrone-17-(O-carboxymethyl)oxime coupled to biotinamidocaproic acid via N,N'-dimethylhexane-1,6-diamine efficiently heterodimerizes estrogen receptors (ERs) and streptavidin Y43A in yeast three hybrid systems, activating gene expression over 100-fold at 10 microM. Related hexane-1,6-diamine and estradiol-6-(O-carboxymethyl)oxime derivatives were ineffective CIDs due to low affinity for ERs when bound to streptavidin. Estrone oximes bind ERs with submicromolar affinity and effectively display small molecules to target proteins expressed in yeast.


Abstract Almandine garnet (Alm62.6Pyr11.4Sps8.4And6.5Grs4.0) exceptionally rich in Y2O3 (220.127.116.11 wt%), Sc2O3 (0.11-0.23 wt%), HREE2O3 (22.214.171.124 wt%), and Na2O (~0.3 wt%) occurs in Precambrian quartzofeldspatic granulites (T ~ 860°C) on Hisarøya, Western Gneiss Region, Norway. The granulites were partially reequilibrated to eclogite-facies (P = 14.9 ± 1.3 kbar, T = 649 ± 67°C) and amphibolite-facies assemblages during the Caledonian Orogeny. The granulite-facies garnet is reequilibrated in an outer zone, typically ~4 μm thick, where both Y2O3 and HREE2O3 concentrations decrease to 1.2 wt%, and overgrown by Caledonian garnet with Y2O3 and HREE2O3 both below 0.1 wt%. The granulitefacies cores are also reequilibrated to lower Y2O3 and HREE2O3 (both ~1.8 wt%) along deformation structures including microfaults with horsetails, en-echelon bands, and splaying features around the tip of fractures. Locally, these reequilibrated zones, typically 10.20 μm across, have shoulders with higher Y and HREE (~2.9 wt%) than in the original garnet, suggesting closed-system behavior for these elements. In addition, the garnet locally displays a complex mesh-like pattern with high and low HREE and Y bands, possibly related to strain. Two charge-balancing mechanisms account for Y and HREE incorporation: (1) the yttrium aluminum garnet (Y2Al2O6, YAG) substitution involving incorporation of Al into the tetrahedral site is dominant in the granulite-facies garnet, and (2) coupled substitution with Na into the dodecahedral site is increasingly important during high-P reequilibration. The internal closed-system reequilibration of the granulite-facies garnet may be related to stress concentrations build up in garnet during the eclogite-facies event. Local stress concentrations during propagation of fractures may be the driving force behind the redistribution of elements seen within cores of granulite-facies garnet


Abstract Let X be the quotient of an irreducible bounded symmetric domain Ω by a lattice. In order to characterize algebraic correspondences on X commuting with exterior Hecke correspondences, Clozel–Ullmo studied certain germs of measure-preserving maps from (Ω; 0) into its Cartesian products, proving that such maps are totally geodesic when dim(X) = 1. Here we prove total geodesy when dim(Ω) ≧ 2 by methods of analytic continuation. For Bn, n ≧ 2, total geodesy follows then from Alexander's theorem. When rank(Ω) ≧ 2, we deduce total geodesy from Alexander-type theorems, especially from a new Alexander-type theorem involving Reg(∂Ω) in place of the Shilov boundary.


Patient skeletal age estimation using a skeletal bone age assessment method is a time consuming and very boring process. Today, in order to overcome these deficiencies, computerized techniques are used to replace hand-held techniques in the medical industry, to the extent that this results in better evaluation. The purpose of this research is to minimize the problems of the division of existing systems with deep learning algorithms and the high accuracy of diagnosis. The evaluation of skeletal bone age is the most clinical application for the study of endocrinology, genetic disorders and growth in young people. This assessment is usually performed using the radiologic analysis of the left wrist using the GP (Greulich-Pyle) technique or the TW(Tanner-Whitehouse) technique. Both techniques have many disadvantages, including a lack of human deductions from observations as well as being time-consuming.


Hospital service is a multi-disciplinary service and one part of the healthy service. That has a quality determinant contribution and forms the image of a hospital is a nurse. The performance of nurses is the appearance of the work of nurses in providing nursing services in the form of nursing care Awarding based on performance can have a positive impact on the behavior of nurses, causing job satisfaction for nurses, giving a positive impact on the ability of the hospital. Able to achieve the achievement of goals that have been designed and maintain more health workers who are able to work with high achievement.Research Objectives To determine the relationship between Reward and Performance at Tanjung Pura, Public Hospital Year 2017, the number of research samples 30 people. The results of statistical tests show that by using a significant level of 0.05 and then obtained statisticals test results show that there is a Reward Relationship with Performance Nurses can be seen from the significant value 0.000 l0.05. The result of hypothesis testing to see the relationship between variables X and variable Y is with significant level (α) = 5% (0,05) and df = 1 obtained result p.value = 0,000 at df = 1 where sig lα (0,000 l0 , 05) then it can be known there is a Reward Relationship with Performance Nurse at Tanjung Pura Public Hospital Year 2017.Reward given 18 respondents (60.0%) and minority of 12 respondents (40.0%), good performance 17 respondents (56.7%) and minority 13 respondents (43.3%), there is a significant relationship between Reward and Nurse Performance.It is expected to be the input for the hospital leader to give reward for the nurse so that the nurse can improve its performance on the achievement, it is expected to be the motivation for the nurse to keep improving his work performance, can be refrensi material, add the information and study the student literature especially regarding the reward system.
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Micropropagation can be used as an alternative method for vegetative propagation of mature birch trees in order to increase effectiveness of breeding. In this study the optimal concentration of synthetic cytokinin 6-benzylaminopurine and naturally occurring cytokinin zeatin were determined for shoot proliferation of birch genotype Bau-40-17. Woody Plant Medium supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine or zeatin at three different concentrations was used. The results showed that Woody Plant Medium supplemented with 1.0 mg L−1 6-bezylaminopuryne gave the best results for shoot multiplication. In the case of natural cytokinin zeatin, 1.0 mg L–1 with addition of 0.1 mg L–1 kinetin gave the best results, but proliferation rate was significantly lower than with synthetic cytokinin. The presence of cytokinin in the medium affected adventitious root formation and resulted in change of pH, which may have caused a positive effect on shoot multiplication rate.


An original application for a magnetic field-sensitive Split-Drain MOSFET (MAGFET) used to monitor both the integrity of the electrical signal on-chip, as well as the magnetic flux density radiation on-chip is presented in this work. We introduce experimental and simulation results of a test chip that prove static and low-frequency on-chip generated magnetic fields that can be detected on-chip leading to a fluctuation in the drain current (¢IDS) of a MAGFET device. The design of this first version of the test chip is intended for DC characterization as the pads, package and wiring do not allow going above a frequency of 300 MHz. In this particular case of a 0.5 "m CMOS technology and the used dimensions, the cutoff frequency of the test MAGFET is in the range of 500 MHz to 1 GHz depending on the bias conditions. For the static and low-frequency case used in this experimental work the capacitive coupling between the interconnect line and the gate electrode is negligible. The current in the interconnected line, that varies from 500 "A to 35 mA, generates a magnetic flux density at a rate of 100 "T/mA. When these magnetic lines cross through the channel of the MOS transistor, an electromagnetic coupling rate (¢IDS/B) as far as 1.5 "A/mT is induced. We observed that from the 0.7, 0.5, and 0.35 "m characterized MOS technologies data, the (¢IDS/B) rate increases with the miniaturization process of fabrication technology. This electromagnetic rate reduces as the temperature is increased from 20 to 120 ‐ C. From numerical simulations we conclude that this phenomenon is attributed to the way carrier mobility and inversion channel charge interplay with the on-chip tangential and perpendicular components of the (B) field. Having an array of MAGFETs distributed on the surface of the chip would serve to monitor the EM radiation, which in turn may be used for estimation and mitigation of RF interference. These results allow establishing the basis for a future development for on-chip magnetic probe for nanometer MOS technologies.


BACKGROUND
Organ donation provides a second chance for those who have experienced severe disease or injury. Unfortunately there is a huge discrepancy between the supply and demand of transplantable organs, despite the existence of sufficient numbers of potential donors. Through a review of the literature and a survey of optometry students, this article provides insight into the reasons for the shortage of corneal donors and how more corneal donors might be obtained.

METHOD
A survey of 200 optometry students at the University California, Berkeley, School of Optometry was conducted to augment the literature review. Seventy-six students (38% of those surveyed) completed the survey process.

RESULTS
Results of the survey indicated that 64.5% of who responded were willing to donate body organs, while 31.6% were not. Of those not willing to donate organs, 11.8% cited religious reasons. Other personal reasons included: fear (4%), respect for the human body (7.9%), and parental disapproval (6.4%). Only 46.1% of respondents had donation stickers on their driver's licenses.

CONCLUSION
The literature review and survey indicate that age, religion, culture, personality characteristics, views on death and mortality, body image, and humanitarian concerns are among the many factors that influence people's opinion concerning organ donations. Education of the public and health care professionals' awareness of the importance of obtaining corneas for donation is crucial to end the shortage of organ donors.


INTRODUCTION
There is a growing trend of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO). The goal of this study was to characterize MDRO at a single center from ophthalmic cultures to better understand how treatments were tailored and to assess effect on visual acuity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The MDRO data were collected by the Multidrug-Resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network from the Brooke Army Medical Center clinical laboratory. Both patient- and isolate-specific data were collected and qualitatively analyzed. Primary outcome measures were organism and type of resistance, anatomic location of isolate, initial and final antibiotic choice, and visual acuity.

RESULTS
Thirty-one bacterial culture samples were analyzed from 29 patients. Twenty-two (72%) were Gram-positive and all were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Nine (29%) were Gram-negative and of these five were Pseudomonas spp. Fourteen (45%) isolates were cultured from the cornea, nine (29%) from the lid, four (13%) from the conjunctiva, and four (13%) from other locations. The majority (66.6%) required adjustment of initial antibiotics following ocular culture results. Sixteen adult patients had recorded initial and final visual acuities. Fifteen of those 16 patients had stable or improved visual acuities following treatment of the infection, but five patients had a final visual acuity less than 20/200.

CONCLUSION
This study demonstrated a high frequency of corneal MDRO infections and specifically MRSA and Pseudomonas spp. isolates. Antibiotic treatments frequently required adjustment. Further prospective study of visual outcomes from ophthalmic MDRO cultures is needed.


This article describes the main areas of foreign investments and the problem of the under-utilization of capacities of developing countries due to incorrect interpretation of the stakeholders' behavior. Four hypotheses were studied in this article and, as a result, there were formed suggestions for solving the underlying problem. Research proves that it is necessary to encourage public-private partnerships, to raise capital needed for the development of regional projects. Summing up all mentioned above, it could be suggested that foreign direct investment is a very important financial indicator in the 21st century. While the need in foreign investments sharply arises, more and more problems appear for the developing countries, looking forward to attracting investors' attention. Initially, investors mostly tend to profit, but the fear of not getting it at all, the loss of their funds, stops investors from putting their money in the developing economies. Keywords—Foreign Direct Investments; Behavioral Economy; Risk-Return Strategy; Developing Countries; Developed Countries


Microstrip patch antenna with multi-frequency and dual-mode is presented in this communication. The introduction of metamaterial substrate made of modified mushroom-type electromagnetic band-gap (EBG) structure enables the multi- functions. The composite right/left-handed transmission line (CRLH TL) theory and multi-conductor transmission line (MTL) theory are introduced to analyze and design this kind of antenna. Three modes including one monopolar radiation pattern in the n=0 mode and two patch-like radiation patterns in the n=-1, 1 modes respectively are analyzed and can be tuned by the parameters of the EBG structure. Since geometry of the radiating patch does not affect the infinite wavelength mode, circular polarization (CP) is obtained for the n=+1 mode by truncating the square radiating patch with linear polarization (LP) for the n=0 mode staying unchanged. Thus dual polarized antenna is obtained. Two prototypes of probe-fed patch antennas are fabricated to verify the theory analysis.


Background: The increased cancer risk among patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is well reported, whereas studies regarding the cancer prognosis with IBD have shown conflicting results. We aimed at assessing and quantifying the cause‐specific and overall mortality among cancer patients with IBD compared to those without IBD. Methods: The population‐based Swedish registers were used to identify cancer patients diagnosed with or without IBD. We used a Cox regression model to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for cause‐specific and overall mortality, showing the probability of death in the study group compared to the reference. Results: A total of 2462 cancer patients with IBD and 1,011,894 cancer patients without IBD were ascertained from 1964 to 2006, showing a significant survival disparity (overall HR, 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20–1.33 versus cause‐specific HR, 1.22; 95% CI: 1.15–1.29). Although worse overall cancer mortality with IBD was widely observed, the worse cause‐specific mortality was only confined to colorectal cancer (CRC). There was no difference in TNM staging among cancer patients with or without IBD. Stratified analyses showed that a worse prognosis was more pronounced in younger patients (<60 years) and in men. Discordant malignant neoplasms and cardiovascular diseases were noted to be associated with increased mortality in the study group. Conclusions: Previously diagnosed IBD worsens the prognosis of cancers, especially for CRC. The more pronounced effect was noted among younger patients and in men. The underlying mechanisms warrant further investigation. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2011)


An investigation is a critical component of criminal procedure. Investigation is closely related to collection of evidence and identification of the accused. The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022 has significantly altered criminal identification methods. It supersedes the Identification of Prisoners Act of 1920. The concept of measurements was restricted in previous legislation, but it now encompasses almost every biological material as a measurement. The information specified under the Act forms part of the personal data of individuals and is thus protected under the right to privacy of individuals. In 2017 Supreme Court of India in historic judgment has held that the right to privacy is a fundamental right. It may also fail Article 14 requirements of a law to be fair and reasonable and for equality under the law. The important challenges involved in this Act are that data can be collected not only from convicted individuals, but also from individuals arrested for any offence and from any other person to aid an investigation. Compulsory taking of measurements of an accused would come within the mischief of Article 20 (3). Act enables coercive drawing of samples and possibly involves a violation of Article 20(3), which protects the right against self-incrimination. Therefore, scope for arbitrariness is present in this Act which can possibly misused by the police authorities.


. To realize intelligent obstacle avoidance and local path decisions for maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) in uncertain environments, a navigation behavioural decision-making model based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithm improved by artificial potential field (APF) is proposed. Based on the analysis of navigation decision system and perception principle, the action space, reward function, motion search strategy and action value function are designed respectively for the purpose of steering to collision avoidance. The navigation behavioural decision-making model for MASS is improved by adding the prior information, the gravitational potential field and the obstacle repulsion potential field to update the initial action state value function and search path. Python and Pygame modules are used to build a simulation chart. Effectiveness of the algorithm is verified, with Tianjin Xingang port as a study case. The simulation results show that the APF-DRL algorithm is better than the DRL algorithm in training iteration time and piloting decision path, which improves the self-learning ability of MASS, and can meet the requirements of MASS path decision and adaptive obstacle avoidance.


BACKGROUND
A rapidly evolving body of literature in medical education can impact the practice of clinical educators in graduate medical education.

OBJECTIVE
To aggregate studies published in the medical education literature in 2011 to provide teachers in general internal medicine with an overview of the current, relevant medical education literature.

REVIEW
We systematically searched major medical education journals and the general clinical literature for medical education studies with sound design and relevance to the educational practice of graduate medical education teachers. We chose 12 studies, grouped into themes, using a consensus method, and critiqued these studies.

RESULTS
Four themes emerged. They encompass (1) learner assessment, (2) duty hour limits and teaching in the inpatient setting, (3) innovations in teaching, and (4) learner distress. With each article we also present recommendations for how readers may use them as resources to update their clinical teaching. While we sought to identify the studies with the highest quality and greatest relevance to educators, limitation of the studies selected include their single-site and small sample nature, and the frequent lack of objective measures of outcomes. These limitations are shared with the larger body of medical education literature.

CONCLUSIONS
The themes and the recommendations for how to incorporate this information into clinical teaching have the potential to inform the educational practice of general internist educators as well as that of teachers in other specialties.


A high frequency planar transformer with helical windings is proposed. This transformer combines the advantages of the planar magnetic core transformer and air core transformer. The experimental results show that the input impedance and the voltage ratio of this new transformer are much higher than its air core counterpart. The numerical result shows that the flux is evenly distributed and totally enclosed inside the planar ferrite. The electromagnetic interference (EMI), generated from the windings of transformer, is significantly reduced by using magnetic ferrite cores.


A quantitative description of the magnetic behaviour is obtained for the itinerant electrons of the rare-earth-cobalt Laves-phase compounds. This is accomplished by fitting the results of a fixed-spin-moment calculation of the electronic energy of YCo2 to a power series in the magnetization for several different volumes and by coupling to the rare earth spins in molecular field theory. The T=0 itinerant moments are obtained for the RCo2 series and the alloy Y1-xGdxCo2. The spontaneous volume magnetostriction of RCo2 is also estimated. The results are compared with experiment.


This paper proposes a distributed quasi-orthogonal space-time block code (DQOSTBC) over frequency selective fading channels for amplify-and-forward cooperative wireless relay networks. The proposed DQOSTBC is designed to achieve maximal data rate, spatial diversity gain and full decoupling for a relay network with four active relays. These goals are obtained by precoding the received signals at each relay to form the quasi-orthogonal space-time block codes (QOSTBCs) as developed for multiple-input multiple-output systems. To avoid the intersymbol interference caused by the dispersive nature of frequency selective fading, the frequency domain equalizer is exploited in our design for low-complexity receiver. In addition, the simulation results prove that our design provides 4dB improvement in terms of bit error rate as a benefit of applying the QOSTBC to cooperative networks.


With the increased focus on skills and attitudes, pharmacy practice training has become an essential component of pharmacy education during which students improve their skills and develop important work habits. Therefore, accreditation agencies require pharmacy colleges and schools to provide pharmacy practice experiences throughout the curriculum.1

Developing countries may differ from developed countries in the challenges facing the implementation of introductory pharmacy training. These challenges include a limited number of sites, low-quality sites, absence of training assessment, and variations in pharmacy practice models within the same country. These challenges will certainly affect the outcome of the training and may result in students graduating from the same school with big variations in skills and experience. In Saudi Arabia, the college of pharmacy at King Saud University was the first and has been the only pharmacy school in the country for more than 40 years.2-4 In addition to the above mentioned challenges, significant changes were made to pharmacy training as part of the new curriculum.

In the old curriculum, after students finished all courses, they were required to spend 1 semester training in a hospital pharmacy. Students are trained in inpatient and outpatient pharmacy, intravenous preparations, and other elective practice experiences. In preparation for academic accreditation and based on feedback from students and preceptors, training in the new curriculum was divided into 2 parts, the first in the summer after the third year and the second in the summer after the fourth year. In the first exposure, students spend 250 contact hours in community pharmacy or primary care clinics. In this experience, the goal is that students will be exposed to medications and build important patient counseling skills. The second experience involves another 250 hours in hospital pharmacy. The experience includes inpatient pharmacy, intravenous preparations, drug information, and other elective practice experiences, depending on site availability.

Because many preceptors take their vacation in the summer, moving training to the summer limited the number of available training sites. Also, faculties are not usually available in the summer for site visits. To handle these challenges and to increase the number and quality of training sites, we established a preceptor development program. This program involves a basic preceptor training workshop, a retreat for training coordinators twice a year, and continuing education activities in pharmacy training topics led by well-known international speakers recommended by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Also, we focused more on accrediting training sites, developing training manuals, and establishing an assessment system. To double the number of available sites, summer training was divided into 2 periods of 6 weeks each (ie, 250 hours). All these different solutions resulted in an increase in the number and quality of training sites (trained students increased from 194 in 2009 to 612 in 2010). These extra activities were accomplished by establishing an experiential training unit that reports to the vice dean for academic affairs. The unit is staffed by 3 full-time pharmacists, 2 pharmacy technicians and 2 administrative assistants, and is supervised by a part-time faculty member who holds a doctor of pharmacy degree.

While we have had some success in handling some of the current challenges, we need to look at the future of introductory pharmacy training and continuously review the training objectives and adapt them to the needs of the country's health-care system. The use of simulation and model pharmacy as adjuvant to practical training may help with the limited number of sites and the unavailability of some experiences. However, using technologies is expensive and many schools in developing countries will not be able to afford them. The cost can be reduced by sharing these technologies between several schools in the region and with medical and nursing schools on the same campus.

Students must be involved in educating the public about the use of medications as part of their training. Starting training earlier in the pharmacy program will help students to develop their professional skills and to relate the information learned in courses with skills practiced at pharmacy training sites. Moreover, educators may elect to integrate training with courses. However, integration needs to be carefully planned and implemented. Students' reflection on training activities is an important learning tool that needs to be used more in the future. Implementing a training exchange program will help in improving the quality of training and expose students to other healthcare systems.

In conclusion, introductory pharmacy training in developing countries is facing many challenges including limited sites, variations in pharmacy training experiences between sites, little use of good assessment tools, and not enough resources to use technology in training. The future may involve thinking about a new model for introductory pharmacy training to facilitate finding alternative solutions that fit the needs of developing countries.


Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) is a congenital or acquired condition of the heart rhythm which is characterized on an electrocardiogram by a long QT interval and a type of ventricular tachycardia known as Torsades de Pointes (TdP). The pathophysiology of LQTS may be based in either increases in sympathetic activity in the electrical conduction system, or in abnormal ion flow within the heart, which lead to increases in action potential duration and subsequently prolongs the QT interval, causing predisposition to TdP. LQTS can result from inherited genetic mutations but can also be acquired due to medications such as Class I and Class III antiarrhythmics. Treatment for the condition includes beta-blocker medications, sympathetic denervation procedures, and cardioverter-defibrillator implants. LQTS is of particular interest due to its ability to lead to TdP, which can lead to unconsciousness or sudden cardiac death, and because of its typical onset and severity without other clinical signs which often leads to misdiagnosis. Work must be continued to investigate the drugs which can cause the acquired form of this disease, the genetics of the disease, and the best treatment for varying severities of the disease in order to improve patient outcomes.


Privacy is an increasingly important issue for Internet users, especially in the world of e-commerce, where they must disclose large amounts of personal information to make purchases. Various privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) are currently available, including the platform for privacy preferences project, privacy seals, and human-readable privacy policies. In particular, P3P has been the subject of considerable interest; however, it's also highly dependent on the symbiotic deployment of P3P user agents and policies on vendors' Web sites. Internet users and vendors must commit time and resources to deploy P3P agents or policies, and thus require evidence that the technology won't stagnate or become obsolete. In this article, we survey the current rate of P3P deployment within the e-commerce industry. We also examine P3P's usefulness as a PET, using Everett Rogers' drivers of innovation adoption


Background: Child nutritional status needs to be assessed accurately so that early and appropriate
management can be carried out. Indonesia has launched child growth standards in 2005, known as Growth
Diagrams of Indonesian Children (GDIC), while the WHO 2006 child growth standards (WHO-CGS) is
currently use as standards to assess growth of Indonesian children.
Aim: This study aims to analyze differences in the interpretation of nutritional status between 2006 WHO
CGS and 2005 GDIC.
Method: This is a cross sectional study. 1162 children aged 0-60 months in five selected villages in a public
health center in East Java, Indonesia were included in this study. Interpretation of growth was categorized
into weight-for-age, length/height-for-age, and weight-for-length/height based on two growth assessment
standards; 2006 WHO-GCS and 2005 GDIC.
Results: 2005 GDIC detected underweight, stunted, wasted, and obese children fewer than the 2006 WHO
CGS. There are significant differences in the interpretation of weight-for-age in girls aged 0-50 weeks
(p<0.001) and length/height-for-age in children aged 0-60 months (p<0.001). While weight-for-length/
height showed significant differences in boys aged 0-60 months (p=0.008) and aged 6-36 months (p=0.027).
Conclusion: 2005 GDIC detects fewer children with malnutrition than 2006 WHO-CGS. The significant
difference on interpretation between two growth charts was particularly found in height-for-age.


The review is devoted to the polarographic study of the reactions of aminoalkyl esters of αβ-unsaturated acids: electrochemical reduction, hydrolysis (including hydrolysis in a two-phase system), partition, and isomerisation. Detailed polarographic characteristics and equations for the polarographic wave and the kinetics and equilibria of the reactions using the limiting polarographic current are presented. The corresponding analytical applications of the method are considered. The kinetics and mechanisms of the processes are discussed from the standpoint of the structure of the electrical double layer, the acid–base properties of the aminoalkyl esters, and intramolecular hydrogen bonds in conjunction with correlation analysis. A comparison is made with data obtained by pH-stat and spectrophotometric methods. The bibliography includes 166 references.


A case of rheumatoid nodulosis and the difficulties encountered in its diagnosis are presented. A positive rheumatoid factor, biopsy proved involvement of the synovium and bone at the second metacarpophalangeal joint, and regression of nodules and mild arthritic symptoms with gold therapy, supported the diagnosis of a rheumatoid disease variant. The relationship of the disease to rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and xanthomatosis is discussed.


A tungsten lamp of known colour temperature and intensity may conveniently be used as a standard of spectral power distribution. This paper describes a method of calculating absolute values of spectral radiant intensity using the two known parameters. The tables, which are based on De Vos' values for the emissivity of tungsten, list the spectral radiant intensity per candela Q(?) for both tungsten and blackbody sources in ?W sr?1 cd?1 ???1 for a 10 nm wavelength interval. Specimen tables are reproduced for the three temperatures 2043?2, 2700 and 2855?54 K. Q(?) is given at 10 nm intervals over the range 240 to 830 nm and at wider intervals to 2600 nm. The accuracy attainable by this method is about ?1% at the centre of the visible spectrum.


The Purpose of this paper is to study questions regarding controllability for the distributedparameter systems described by partial differential equations of parabolic type. Fattorini studied controllability by finitely many functions of time. We also consider this type of controllability for the distributed-parameter systems with control functions appearing in the differential equations as well as in the boundary conditions. Necessary and sufficient conditions for controllability are presented. We give some useful results for designing controllers which make systems controllable. Several examples are worked out.


People often visit aquariums to see sea creatures in their natural environment, but in Baltimore, a local program brings aquarium exhibits to people. Local teenagers travel to schools and libraries to educate children about sea life and conservation. How do people react to Aquarium on Wheels? What do the teenagers learn from their work?


A regional subsurface study of 200 cores and several thousand well logs has led to an interpretation of the depositional history for the Lloydminster area of western Canada. Major geologic controls on deposition were tectonism in western North America, a series of northwest-trending ridges formed of Paleozoic carbonates found in the central plains, salt collapse within the depositional basin, and eustatic changes associated with Boreal and Gulfian seas. On the basis of genetic units, the Mannville Group has been divided into three units: lower, middle, and upper. The lower unit is dominantly a siliceous, fine to medium-grained sandstone which is found in the lows between the northwest-trending ridges of Paleozoic carbonates. The unit is up to 60 m thick with the dominant sedimentary structures being high-angle (30°) cross-stratification. The middle unit consists mainly of upward-coarsening, very fine to fine-grained, quartzose sheet sandstones, 6 to 10 m thick, associated with a restricted marine microflora and microfauna. A typical sequence begins with a basal bioturbated shaly siltstone and proceeds upward through wavy lenticular sandstones in silty shales, wave-rippled sandstones with mud drapes, wavy-bedded sandstones, and low-angle (0 to 10°) cross-laminated sandstones. This sequence is commonly capped by a coal or gray carbonaceous shale. Although sheetlike in appearance, the lateral continuity of the sandstones is commonly broken by shale or sand-filled channels. The upper unit is comprised of thick (up to 35 m) lenticular channel fills of cross-bedded, lithofeldspathic or quartzose sandstones which grade laterally into interbedded deposits of current-rippled sheet sandstones, siltstones, mudstones, and coals. The vertical sequence of environments is interpreted to be: post-Paleozoic incision followed by valley-fill deposition of an aggrading north-flowing fluvial system (lower unit), transgression followed by regressive sedimentation in wave-dominated paralic environments (middle unit), and continued regressive deposition within an areally extensive, north-flowing anastomosed fluvial network (upper unit). Mannville deposition in the Lloydminster area was terminated by a major transgression which deposited the widespread marine shales of the Colorado Group. End_of_Article - Last_Page 620------------


Importance
While the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to increase and early diagnosis is emphasized, there is limited information on outcomes for children diagnosed with ASD in early childhood using contemporary diagnostic criteria.

Objectives
To determine the frequency with which children who are clinically diagnosed with ASD at 12 to 36 months of age continue to meet diagnostic criteria for ASD at 5 to 7 years of age and to evaluate whether baseline child-specific and demographic characteristics and receipt of interventions are associated with ASD persistence.

Design, Setting, and Participants
In this natural history cohort study, children who received a clinical ASD diagnosis at 12 to 36 months of age underwent a research diagnostic assessment at 5 to 7 years of age. Research assessments occurred from August 14, 2018, to January 8, 2022.

Intervention
Children received community-based interventions, and parents provided details about interventions received.

Main Outcomes and Measures
The main outcome was persistence of ASD diagnosis based on current functioning. An experienced research psychologist assigned an ASD diagnosis (present or absent) according to criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) after the research assessment. The research assessment included administration of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2, Autism Diagnostic Interview-Research, and a cognitive measure.

Results
Of the 213 participants diagnosed with ASD at initial clinical assessment (mean [SD] age, 24.6 [3.9] months; 177 boys [83.1%]), 79 (37.1%) did not continue to meet diagnostic criteria for ASD (nonpersistent ASD) at research assessment (mean [SD] age, 74.3 [7.1] months). All children with nonpersistent ASD had IQ of at least 70, while there was a bimodal distribution of IQ for those with persistent ASD (46 with IQ <70 and 88 with IQ ≥70). All children received some interventions, and 201 (94.4%) received ASD-specific intervention, mostly applied behavioral analysis. In a multilevel logistic regression model, the only variables associated with increased odds of being in the nonpersistent ASD group at 6 years of age were higher baseline adaptive skills (b coefficient = -0.287 [SE, 0.108]) and female sex (b = 0.239 [SE, 0.064]).

Conclusions and Relevance
The findings of this cohort study suggest that among toddlers diagnosed with ASD, baseline adaptive function and sex may be associated with persistence of ASD.


Fourier transform (FT) Raman spectroscopy was used to elucidate heat-induced structural changes of albumin, globulins, serum, and plasma protein solutions (15% w/w) as affected by pH (4.5, 6.0, and 7.5). Reduction of alpha-helix and formation of beta-sheet, disulfide bond reactions, and exposure and buriedness of hydrophobic groups and amino acid residues were observed. All of these features contributed to the formation of strong, irreversible heat-induced gels. The application of a dimensionality reducing technique such as principal component analysis proved to be useful to determine the most influential qualities of protein samples, as well as the pH-dependent behavior of some of the attributes of both unheated and heated solutions. Analysis of Raman spectra in terms of differences demonstrated the interactions of albumin and globulins in co-occurrence and the significant role of fibrinogen on the gel's attributes.


Despite the important progress that has been made on dosage compensation (DC), a critical link in our understanding of the X chromosome recognition mechanisms is still missing. Recent studies in Drosophila indicate that the missing link could be a family of DNA repeats populating the euchromatin of the X chromosome. In this opinion article, I discuss how these findings add a new fresh twist on the DC problem. In the following sections, I first summarize our understanding of DC in Drosophila and integrate these recent discoveries into our knowledge of the X chromosome recognition problem. Next, I introduce a model according to which, 1.688 g/cm3 satellite‐related (SR) repeats would be the primary recognition elements for the dosage compensation complex. Contrary to the current belief, I suggest that the DC system in Drosophila is not conserved and static, but it is continuously co‐evolving with the target SR repeats. The potential role of the SR repeats in hybrid incompatibilities and speciation is also discussed.


This study examines marketing communication by electronic of mouth through a beauty vlogger that is done to communicate the product.  The product of this case study is Wardah. This research uses the concept of electronic words of mouth as its analysis blade. This research uses interpretative paradigm with qualitative approach. Informants as research subjects are representative Wardah, beauty vlogger, and audiences. The results show that electronic word of mouth is one form of marketing communication that utilizes the digital media platform as a means of communication. Social media used by beauty vlogger is considered more effective in communicating a product. Wardah uses beauty vlogger as a medium that communicates its marketing through electronic word of mouth in order to reach a broader target with a relatively short time. The effectiveness of an electronic word of mouth dissemination done by beauty vlogger can not be separated from the content of communications submitted in the uploaded video.


A substantial amount of research has focused on determining the factors that alter the activity of substantia nigra dopamine neurons. Much of this research has indicated that several mechanisms that regulate dopamine neuron activity have the capability to maintain the baseline activity of dopamine cells at a fairly constant rate. For example, the intrinsic membrane conductances present on dopamine neurons, which generate the spike activity of these cells, appear to maintain the activity of spontaneously active neurons and suppress the induction of activity in quiescent cells. In addition, dopamine cell activity can be regulated by afferent systems that appear to be capable of preventing dopamine neurons from displaying sustained variations in electrophysiological activity. Specifically, inputs from the striatum or from the subthalamic nucleus may each exert opposing influences on dopamine cell activity via direct vs. indirect afferent projection pathways. In addition, the dendritic release of dopamine may provide negative feedback; dopamine cell firing may increase the dendritic release of dopamine within the substantia nigra, providing a local feedback inhibition of dopamine neuron activity. Factors such as the intrinsic membrane properties, afferent input, and the dendritic release of dopamine all work together in a complex manner to regulate the activity level of dopamine neurons.


ABSTRACT p53 is a central regulator that turns on vast gene networks to maintain cellular integrity in the presence of various stimuli. p53 activates transcription initiation in part by aiding recruitment of TFIID to the promoter. However, the precise means by which p53 dynamically interacts with TFIID to facilitate assembly on target gene promoters remains elusive. To address this key issue, we have undertaken an integrated approach involving single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, single-particle cryo-electron microscopy, and biochemistry. Our real-time single-molecule imaging data demonstrate that TFIID alone binds poorly to native p53 target promoters. p53 unlocks TFIID's ability to bind DNA by stabilizing TFIID contacts with both the core promoter and a region within p53's response element. Analysis of single-molecule dissociation kinetics reveals that TFIID interacts with promoters via transient and prolonged DNA binding modes that are each regulated by p53. Importantly, our structural work reveals that TFIID's conversion to a rearranged DNA binding conformation is enhanced in the presence of DNA and p53. Notably, TFIID's interaction with DNA induces p53 to rapidly dissociate, which likely leads to additional rounds of p53-mediated recruitment of other basal factors. Collectively, these findings indicate that p53 dynamically escorts and loads TFIID onto its target promoters.


Religion is a multi-dimensional phenomenon, and scholars have taken different approaches to measuring religion in seeking to study religion's influence on political attitudes and behavior. One analytical strategy for assessing the influence of religion politically among members of the mass public has been to adopt what is known as the "3B" approach. Though this approach can be applied across different cultural contexts, it has been widely adopted in the American context because of the multiplicity of denominational affiliations present in American life. Associated with this approach in the American context is the concept of religious traditions, particularly the presence of subtraditions within the Christian faith, and the associated measurement strategy for assigning such affiliations to their specific religious tradition. The approach offers various analytical advantages, but it constitutes an analytical strategy and not a specific theoretical explanation about how different facets of religious life necessarily shape political attitudes and behavior.


&NA; The consequences of prematurity and prenatal cocaine exposure on early neurobehavior and physical growth were examined longitudinally in a sample of 20 cocaine‐exposed and 20 non‐exposed preterm neonates. The magnitude of the difference in physical growth acceleration related to prenatal cocaine exposure increased with increasing birth gestational age, whereas growth rate differences in irritability decreased. In contrast, prenatal cocaine exposure, independent of prematurity, was related to reduced attention skills at 36 weeks conceptional age and increased rates of neurobehavioral change. The effects of prenatal cocaine exposure differed with respect to the degree of prematurity, depending on the nature of the outcome examined, suggesting differing windows of vulnerability for different outcome domains. The usefulness of a developmental growth perspective was demonstrated.


Abstract Species of the genus Pnigalio Schrank are ectoparasitoids on several pest insects. Most species are polyphagous parasitoids of lepidopteran and dipteran leafminers. Despite their potential economic importance, information on intraspecific phenotypic variability is insufficient. Pnigalio soemius (Walker) was reared at five different temperatures (10, 15, 20, 25, 30°C) on mature larvae of one of its natural hosts, Cosmopterix pulchrimella Chambers (Lepidoptera: Cosmopterigidae), to investigate the influence of temperature on size, colour and other morphological traits, and to measure the range of variation of several characters. Thermal developmental reaction norms, which represent the effect of temperature during growth and development on the value of some adult traits, were produced. The results confirmed the influence of temperature on numerous characters and that these characters had a larger range of variation than realized previously in the construction of taxonomic keys to species. In particular, the number and position of the costulae on the propodeum and colour of the gaster were affected by rearing temperature.


Background: The medical students may also suffer anaemia because of long schedule in college, clinical postings, and extra-curriculum activities. They come from different socio economic, cultural backgrounds and various geographical regions of the country.
Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted during from 1st January, 2009 to 28th February, 2009 among 3rd year MBBS Students between the ages of 20 to 25 years studying at Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Science (CIMS), Bilaspur. A total of 96 students age ranging 20 to 25 years out of 100 students enrolled in the batch were studied. A structured questionnaire, which include general information, sign and symptoms regarding anaemia, dietary habit, BMI, general physical examination, systemic examination and a TALLQVIST strip for Hemoglobin estimation were carried out.
Results: Anaemia prevalence was 30.20% among medical students. Out of total 96 students 29 students were found anaemic out of which 11 (19%) male students were anaemic. And 18 (47.4%) female students were found anaemic. The cutoff hemoglobin level below 12.0 gm% was considered anaemia. The mean hemoglobin among student was 12.4 gm % with standard deviation of 1.59, variance of 2.54, and median of 12.5.
Conclusion: The studies like present one in the country can highlight the size of the problem i.e. iron deficiency without anaemia which is also called latent iron deficiency among unexpected population i.e. medical students. Iron supplementation is thus required for the target group. Therefore preventive programs and policies of the country can target this age group particularly in educational institutes.