The confluence of computers, communications, and databases is quickly creating a global virtual database where many applications require real time access to both temporally accurate and multimedia data. This is particularly true in military and intelligence applications, but these required features are needed in many commercial applications as well. We are developing a distributed database, called BeeHive, which could offer features along different types of requirements: real time, fault tolerance, security, and quality of service for audio and video. Support of these features and potential trade offs between them could provide a significant improvement in performance and functionality over current distributed database and object management systems. We present a high level design for BeeHive architecture and sketch the design of the BeeHive Object Model (BOM) which extends object oriented data models by incorporating time and other features into objects.


Ocular adnexal lymphomas (OAL) are malignant neoplasms which develop in the orbit, the conjunctiva and eyelid. The majority of lymphomas occurring in the ocular adnexa are represented by extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphomas. In patients with stage IE OAL, localized radiotherapy is the therapy of choice. Complications, however, are frequent, including dryness of the eye, corneal ulcerations, cataract and retina damage. Surgical treatment is usually recommended for conjunctival and eyelids lymphomas but fails to control the growth of lymphoma. Contralateral eye or sistemic relapses are reported in about 10–25% of cases. Therefore, a systemic approach is needed. Rituximab is an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, and its efficacy has been demonstrated in indolent and aggressive lymphomas in combination with chemotherapy. Since December 2003 to January 2006 we treated 9 patients with OAL with a combination of Rituximab and Chlorambucil according to this schedule: four weekly infusions of Rituximab 375 mg/m2 plus Chlorambucil 0,1 mg/Kg/die for 45 days, followed by Rituximab 375 mg/m2 once a month for four months and Chlorambucil 0,1 mg/Kg/die for two weeks every month. Eight pts had a diagnosis of extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma and one patient a follicular grade I lymphoma. Median age at diagnosis was 78 years (range 56–86). All pts had a stage I disease and no pts presented systemic symptoms. Disease was localized in the conjunctiva in 6 pts (4 right and 2 left), in two pts the disease was observed in the orbit and in one patient it was localized in the eyelid. IPI was evaluable in 7 pts, and all had a low risk. All pts completed the program without delays. Toxicity, both hematological and extrahematological, was mild, in spite of the high median age of the pts. At the end of treatment 8 pts obtained a complete remission (CR), and a patient obtained a partial response. After a median follow-up of 17 months all pts are alive, and 8 out of 9 (89%) are still in CR. No late toxicity of the ocular adnexa was observed. In conclusion, we hypothesize that Rituximab in combination with Chlorambucil should be take into consideration as first line treatment of primary ocular adnexa lymphomas due to its feasibility and the lacking of severe toxicity and local sequelae.


The high cost of fish feeds is the biggest problem in milkfish production caused by the protein from the expensive fish meal. Looking for an alternative from the agricultural commodities is imperative. This paper evaluates the nutritive composition of plant-based formulated feeds utilizing breadnut, breadfruit and banana peelings and their effects on the growth performance (weight gain and length increased) and, survival rate of milkfish. Results showed that the three formulated feeds have lower protein levels (19.9, 19.6, 20.35) but with extensively higher fat contents (24.4, 15.72, 10.75) than the commercial feed (27.1%, 4%). The samples' growth responses have no significant difference (p < 0.05) among the four feeds. Thus, the plant-based formulated feeds have the potential to contribute to the growth of milkfish comparable to the commercial feed. Further, the agricultural products used in the formulations are feasible for the replacement of fishmeal and must be promoted for utilization in feed production.


In this study the possibilities of in vitro vegatitive propagation of almond (Amygdalus communis L.) cv. Texas and cv. Nonpareil by shoot-tip culture were investigated. Different levels of IBA (0.0, 0.1 and 0.5 mg/l) and BAP (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 mg/l) were tested by observing shoot development and growth during three successive stages, namely initiation, transplantation and multiplication. During the initiation stage, hormone-free medium or medium with low IBA (0.1 mg/l) only seemed favourable for shoot growth. During both the transplantation and multiplication stages, the combination of 0.1 mg/l IBA and 1.0 mg/l BAP was found to be the most effective in terms of new shoot production and shoot growth rate. In general, BAP was shown to be essential for shoot development during the last two stages but high levels (2.0 or 3.0 mg/l BAP) caused vitrification and callus formation which subsequently reduced the viability of the shoots.


This paper presents the design and implementation of a one-chip camera device for capsule endoscopes. A prototype image sensor chip which has 320 times 240 effective pixels was fabricated using 0.25 mum CMOS image sensor process. This experimental chip integrates functional circuits required for capsule endoscopes and digital image transmission function. The integrated functional blocks include an image array, a timing generator, a clock generator, a voltage regulator, a 10b cyclic A/D converter, and a BPSK modulator. It can be operated autonomously with 3 pins (VDD, GND, and DATAOUT). With a 2.0 V power supply, the analog part consumes 950muW and the total power consumption at 2 frames per second (fps) is 2.6mW. Error-free image transmission over a distance of 48cm at 2.5Mbps corresponding to 2fps has been succeeded with inductive coupling


Random-pattern skin flap is widely used in tissue reconstruction. However, necrosis occurring in the distal part of the flap limits its clinical application to some extent. Activation of autophagy has been considered as an effective approach to enhance the survival of skin flaps. Pseudoginsenoside F11 (PF11), an ocotillol-type saponin, is an important component of Panax quinquefolium which has been shown to confer protection against cerebral ischemia and alleviate oxidative stress. However, it is currently unknown whether PF11 induces autophagy to improve the survival of skin flaps. In this study, we investigated the effects of PF11 on blood flow and tissue edema. The results of histological examination and western blotting showed that PF11 enhanced angiogenesis, alleviated apoptosis and oxidative stress, thereby improving the survival of the flap. Further experiments showed that PF11 promoted nuclear translocation of TFEB and by regulating the phosphorylation of AMPK. In summary, this study demonstrates that PF11 activates autophagy through the AMPK-TFEB signal pathway in skin flaps and it could be a promising strategy for enhancing flap viability.


Purpose This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of urodynamics in female parkinsonian patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and evaluate the outcomes of deep brain stimulation (DBS) based on overactive bladder (OAB) scores and quality of life (QOL) scores. Patients and Methods Urodynamic assessment was performed in 20 female parkinsonian patients with LUTS. OAB scores and QOL scores were collected before and 6 months after DBS treatment (The target of DBS is STN). We evaluated the related factors affecting QOL score and also the changes in QOL score after DBS treatment. Results The mean age of 20 patients was 60.6±6.3 years, with 65% of patients identified with OAB in urodynamic studies. The mean OAB total score and QOL score at baseline were 7.3±3.7 and 5.0±1.1, respectively. Four items in the OAB score were found to be independent factors and they influenced the baseline QOL scores. Six months after DBS treatment, the OAB total score and the QOL score were significantly decreased (3.7±3.2 (p = 0.002) and 3.4±1.4 (p < 0.001), respectively). Improvements in OAB item 2 (nocturia) and item 3 (urgency) scores were found to be independent factors, which had an influence on the improvement in QOL scores from multivariate analysis. Improvement of OAB item 2 (nocturia) exhibited the greatest influence on improvement in the QOL score. After DBS treatment, 40% of the patients showed significant improvement in urination symptoms (≥2 points reduction in QOL score), 30% of the patients showed mild improvement (1 point reduction in QOL score), and 30% patients showed no improvement (no change in QOL score). No patients exhibited worsening urination symptoms. Conclusion Most parkinsonian female patients with lower urinary tract symptoms were diagnosed with OAB. DBS treatment improved OAB symptoms. Improvement of nocturia and urgency positively impacts the QOL of female parkinsonian patients.


We examine the issue of optimal asset allocation among three broad classes of assetsA A Large Stocks (proxied by the SP real estate assets (a portfolio of thirty Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) traded on major stock exchanges); and the risk-free asset (the one-month T-bill), employing the evidence on their predictability. An active strategy of investing in the assets, using predicted returns from our model outperforms investing in passive strategies, which are combinations of asset classes with fixed weights for the entire period of the study. Thus our superior performance is not due to diversification alone.


Canadian University Service Overseas (CUSO), a non-governmental organization established in 1961, placed young volunteers in assignments in the developing world. Among the volunteers was a small and atypical group, mostly nurses, who served in family planning projects in India. Although CUSO was a secular NGO, the majority worked for an Indian Christian medical organization founded by missionaries in the late colonial era. While the nurses lacked professional training in birth control, which remained illegal in Canada until 1969, other aspects of their backgrounds equipped them to make contributions that were appreciated. Still, they recognized that they themselves were the greatest beneficiaries of their volunteer experience, which proved to be a launching pad for advanced education and rewarding careers both overseas and within Canada.


One of the last poetics trials in Turkish literature history is the Newwholistic (Yenibütüncü) poetry manifesto published in 1988. This manifesto published in Broy magazine was signed by Seyyit Nezir, Veysel Çolak, Hüseyin Haydar, Metin Cengiz and Tuğrul Keskin. Newwholistic (Yenibütüncü) poetry, first of all, is an effort to capture a new outlet during the collapse of socialist realistic poetry in the world of literature and art after the 12 September coup, without ignoring the individual with an aesthetic and philosophical approach. The Newwholistic (Yenibütüncü) poets, considering themselves as responsible for representing the lyricism of the intelligence dedicated to disrupting the magic of money, invite people who are away from politics with the 80 coup to become a politic having peace of mind. The newwholistic (Yenibütüncü) manifesto cannot have a strong impact on a number of internal and external reasons. As a result, the effects of Newwholistic (Yenibütüncü) poetics are weak in an environment that has not yet been able to wrap up the social traumas of 12 September and has not been yet overcome the shock of the coup, and it has been on the top of the criticism against to socialist realist poetry. In short, in an era where poetical terms and many other fields of culture and literature were closed, comprehensive and systematic definitions fell into disregard, the language, style and content of the Newwholistic (Yenibütüncü) poetics can be read as romantic, as an anachronistic poetic trial. The fact that it is one of the last poetics trials in Turkish literature makes its character clear.


In this article we aim to analyze the disputes over capital by bureaucratic State agents acting in favelas within the context of pacification. To this end, we rely on the theoretical perspective of Pierre Bourdieu and we conducted an ethnography-inspired field research in two Rio de Janeiro favelas, which included participant observation and 91 semi-structured interviews. We concluded that the types of capital most valued by the State bureaucratic agents acting in the favelas are economic capital, a fundamental type, and spatial capital, a specific type found in the field in question related to occupation of territory or material results. Therefore, agents that accumulate a larger volume of these capitals, such as the UPP (Police Pacification Unit) and the PAC (Program for Growth Acceleration), seem to achieve dominant field positions.


The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of mother and father's parenting efficacy, parenting stress on children's daily stress. The subjects were 292 children selected from 4 elementary schools and their mothers and fathers. Data was collected using the parenting efficacy index, parenting stress index, and children's daily stress inventory, and was statistically analyzed using t-test, one way ANOVA(Scheffe test), correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. The study showed that there were some significant differences in children's daily stress according to the children's grade and gender. Correlation analysis indicated that the mother's parenting efficacy and children's daily stress had negative correlation, and also father's parenting efficacy and children's daily stress had negative correlation. Further, mother's parenting stress had positive correlation with children's daily stress, and father's parenting stress as well. It was also found that parenting efficacy of mother's general parenting ability, parenting efficacy of father's discipline ability, father's stress of difficult child, mother's educational distress, and children's gender were all significant predictors of the children's daily stress.


To fast approximate maximum likelihood estimators with massive data, this paper studies the Optimal Subsampling Method under the A-optimality Criterion (OSMAC) for generalized linear models. The consistency and asymptotic normality of the estimator from a general subsampling algorithm are established, and optimal subsampling probabilities under the A- and L-optimality criteria are derived. Furthermore, using Frobenius norm matrix concentration inequalities, finite sample properties of the subsample estimator based on optimal subsampling probabilities are also derived. Since the optimal subsampling probabilities depend on the full data estimate, an adaptive two-step algorithm is developed. Asymptotic normality and optimality of the estimator from this adaptive algorithm are established. The proposed methods are illustrated and evaluated through numerical experiments on simulated and real datasets.


Two variants of application of a transaxial mirror with stigmatic
spatial time-of-flight focusing in the time-of-flight mass
spectrometer have been considered. In the first variant, the transaxial
mirror is used as an ion reflector in the ordinary scheme of the time-of-flight
mass reflectron. In the second variant, the transaxial mirror simultaneously fulfills
the function of the ion reflector and corrector of aberrations caused by the
energy spread of ions in the package, formed by the ion source of the mass
reflectron. The expressions defining the conditions of stigmatic spatial
time-of-flight focusing in the transaxial mirror and the combined system
consisting of an ion source and a mirror
have been derived. The relationships between geometrical and electrical
parameters of three- and four-electrode transaxial mirrors realizing these
conditions have been obtained by numerical calculations.


Governmental processes are complex and knowledge-intensive. Most process management systems fail to support them in an adequate way. Semantic technologies like Semantic Web Services allow incorporating knowledge in process. But often these techniques are overdimensioned and can not be executed properly. Here we propose a more practical motivated approach where knowledge-intensive parts of a process are controlled, enacted and supported by business rules on top of ontologies. With the help of a case study we demonstrate how to model knowledge-intensive processes.


David Alymer Scott died at Toronto, Canada, on Thursday 18 November 1971, less than 24 hours after suffering an aneurysm. David Scott was born on a farm in Kincardine Township, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada, on 2 October 1892. His father, James Robert Scott and mother Mary Scott (née MacKenzie) were of Scottish descent. His mother's grandfather, John MacKenzie, emigrated from Applecross, Ross-shire, Scotland to Middle River, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, in 1824. One of his sons, Neil MacKenzie, when still a young man in his thirties, moved to the province of Ontario in 1863 and took up a farm of Crown land in Ashfield Township, Huron County. He had seven children. The second youngest was Mary—David's mother. The MacKenzie family grew up in a typical Highland Scottish tradition. Gaelic was the language of the home and each member of the family spoke it before mastering English. Neil MacKenzie was for many years precentor at the Gaelic Sunday services at the local Presbyterian Church. He endured all the hardships and privations of the early pioneers and lived to be one hundred. The exact date on which the Scotts emigrated from Scotland is not known, but it would appear to be about the year 1840. Hugh Scott, David's grandfather, was a blacksmith by profession. He first settled in Walkerton, the county town of Bruce County, to practise his trade. He had five children— four sons and one daughter. The second oldest son was James Robert— David's father. With a family of energetic young boys the thing to do in those days was to take up Crown land. This Hugh Scott did in 1856 and settled in Kincardine Township, Bruce County.


INTRODUCTON
We assessed oncological outcomes of active surveillance (AS) using a community database and identified factors associated with disease reclassification on surveillance biopsy.

METHODS
A retrospective review was performed on 200 men on AS. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was measured every 3 to 6 months. Prostate biopsies were performed every 1 to 4 years, and at the individual physician's discretion. Disease reclassification was defined as clinical T1 to cT2 progression, or histologically as >2 cores positive, Gleason score >6, or >50% core involvement on surveillance biopsy. Multivariate Cox regression analysis evaluated factors associated with disease reclassification. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were plotted.

RESULTS
We assessed a heterogeneous cohort of 86 patients, with a median age 67.2 years, who received ≥1 surveillance biopsies. The median follow-up was 5.2 years. The median times to first and second surveillance biopsies were 730 and 763 days, respectively. Overall, 47% of patients were reclassified on surveillance biopsy after a median 2.1 years. Factors associated with disease reclassification were PSA density >0.20 (p < 0.0001, hazard ratio [HR] 4.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.116-9.782) and ≥3 positive cores (p = 0.0152, HR 3.956, 95% CI 1.304-12.003) at diagnosis, and number of positive cores on surveillance biopsy. In total, 25 (29%) patients received delayed intervention, with a median time to intervention of 2.6 years. The median time on AS was 4.4 years, with an overall survival of 95% and prostate-specific survival of 100%.

CONCLUSIONS
Our community study supports AS to reduce over-treatment of prostate cancer. PSA density >0.20 and ≥3 cores positive are associated with disease reclassification on surveillance biopsy.


LonA peptidase is a major component of the protein quality-control mechanism in both prokaryotes and the organelles of eukaryotes. Proteins homologous to the N-terminal domain of LonA peptidase, but lacking its other domains, are conserved in several phyla of prokaryotes, including the Xanthomonadales order. However, the function of these homologous proteins (LonNTD-like proteins) is not known. Here, the crystal structure of the LonNTD-like protein from Xanthomonas campestris (XCC3289; UniProt Q8P5P7) is reported at 2.8 Å resolution. The structure was solved by molecular replacement and contains one polypeptide in the asymmetric unit. The structure was refined to an Rfree of 29%. The structure of XCC3289 consists of two domains joined by a long loop. The N-terminal domain (residues 1-112) consists of an α-helix surrounded by β-sheets, whereas the C-terminal domain (residues 123-193) is an α-helical bundle. The fold and spatial orientation of the two domains closely resembles those of the N-terminal domains of the LonA peptidases from Escherichia coli and Mycobacterium avium. The structure is also similar to that of cereblon, a substrate-recognizing component of the E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. The N-terminal domains of both LonA and cereblon are known to be involved in specific protein-protein interactions. This structural analysis suggests that XCC3289 and other LonNTD-like proteins might also be capable of such protein-protein interactions.


In this paper a new concept of integrating micromachined high-resistivity (HR) silicon dielectric resonator antennas (DRAs) compatible with a millimeter wave multichip module deposited (MCM-D) process based on multiple layers of benzocyclobuthene (BCB) is presented. The HR Si wafer is used not only as a carrier substrate for the BCB but also for manufacturing of the integrated antenna elements. A 4times8 focal plane array (FPA) was designed for use in a 94 GHz imaging radar system. Each channel uses a small 2times2 DRA subarray as feed element. By using the presented antenna a higher impedance bandwidth and radiation efficiency can be attained compared to the use of microstrip antennas. An improved isolation between the antennas and the feed lines/active circuits is also realized.


Abstract Being poked, prodded and exposed to poisons or to radiation is often essential in oncology and can be deeply unpleasant, objectifying and dehumanising. Becoming an object of medical processes can also raise significant issues of identity. Art psychotherapy can work alongside these medical processes, bringing the humanity and search for and expression of meaning and value back into the equation. This is both intrinsically valuable to the patient and also to the quality of their relationships with others. I discuss some of the particular issues arising for oncology patients and consider the influence of existential phenomenological psychotherapy on my approach in this setting. I present a single session with a patient who felt he had lost his identity and was unable to connect with those around him. I also present work spanning 12+ sessions in which patients used art psychotherapy not only to negotiate changing body image and identity during cancer treatment, but to develop new ways of being in the world and relating to others post treatment.


Background: The most common long-term symptoms of critically ill COVID-19 patients are fatigue, dyspnea and mental confusion. Adequate monitoring of long-term morbidity, mainly analyzing the activities of daily life (ADLs), allows better patient management after hospital discharge. The aim was to report long-term ADL evolution in critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted to a COVID-19 center in Lugano (Switzerland). Methods: A retrospective analysis on consecutive patients discharged alive from ICU with COVID-19 ARDS was performed based on a follow-up one year after hospital discharge; ADLs were assessed through the Barthel index (BI) and the Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) scale. The primary objective was to assess differences in ADLs at hospital discharge (acute ADLs) and one-year follow-up (chronic ADLs). The secondary objective was to explore any correlations between ADLs and multiple measures at admission and during the ICU stay. Results: A total of 38 consecutive patients were admitted to the ICU; a t-test analysis between acute and chronic ADLs through BI showed a significant improvement at one year post discharge (t = −5.211, p < 0.0001); similarly, every single task of BI showed the same results (p < 0.0001 for each task of BI). The mean KPS was 86.47 (SD 20.9) at hospital discharge and 99.6 at 1 year post discharge (p = 0.02). Thirteen (34%) patients deceased during the first 28 days in the ICU; no patient died after hospital discharge. Conclusions: Based on BI and KPS, patients reached complete functional recovery of ADLs one year after critical COVID-19.


ABSTRACT An annual seasonal cycle of composition of a bacterioplankton community in an oligotrophic coastal system was studied by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) using five different primer sets. Analysis of DGGE fingerprints showed that primer set 357fGC-907rM grouped samples according to seasons. Additionally, we used the set of 16S rRNA genes archived in the RDPII database to check the percentage of perfect matches of each primer for the most abundant bacterial groups inhabiting coastal plankton communities. Overall, primer set 357fGC-907rM was the most suitable for the routine use of PCR-DGGE analyses in this environment.


Bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are important candidates for bone regeneration. The role of Bergenin, a C-glucoside of 4-O-methyl gallic acid obtained from the species, Bergenia, in BMSC osteogenesis has not yet been elucidated. We therefore investigated the effects of Bergenin on the osteogenesis of BMSCs and found that Bergenin enhanced osteoblast-specific markers and downregulated the adipocyte-specific markers in vitro. Furthermore, using a rat calvarial defect model, we found that Bergenin significantly improved bone healing, as determined by imaging and histological analyses. Moreover, it also upregulated SIRT1 expression. A SIRT1 inhibitor (EX 527) decreased the enhanced bone mineral formation caused by Bergenin. Taken together, these findings show that Bergenin accelerated the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, at least partly through the activation of SIRT1.


New N4O2-donor acyclic chelators 2-[[2-[2-(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)ethyl-[2-[(2-hydroxyphenyl)methylamino]ethyl]amino]ethylamino]methyl]phenol (H2L(pz*,NH)) and 2-[[2-[2-[(2-hydroxyphenyl)methylamino]ethyl-(2-pyridylmethyl)amino]ethylamino]methyl]phenol (H2L(py,NH)) were obtained upon introduction of pyridyl or pyrazolyl coordinating units at the central nitrogen atom of diethylenetriamine (dien) and by functionalization of its terminal amines with phenol groups. The coordination behavior of H2L(pz*,NH) and H2L(py,NH) was evaluated towards (nat)Ga/(67)Ga, aiming to assess their suitability to obtain Ga(iii) chelates relevant for biomedical applications. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of the complexes [GaL(pz*,NH)](ClO4) and [GaL(py,NH)](ClO4) confirmed the presence of N4O2-hexadentate chelators with the phenoxide groups coordinated cis relatively to the pyridyl/pyrazolyl arms. Unlike [GaL(pz*,NH)](ClO4), [GaL(py,NH)](ClO4) exists in solution as a mixture of isomers, as confirmed by several NMR techniques. The corresponding radiocomplex [(67)GaL(py,NH)](+) was obtained smoothly in almost quantitative radiochemical yield, contrary to [(67)GaL(pz*,NH)](+) that seems to be (hemi)labile under the same conditions. [(67)GaL(py,NH)](+) presents a high in vivo stability and a favourable biodistribution profile in mice. The imine congeners 2-[(E)-2-[2-(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)ethyl-[2-[(E)-(2-hydroxyphenyl)methyleneamino]ethyl]amino]ethyliminomethyl]phenol (H2L(pz*,C[double bond, length as m-dash]N)) and 2-[(E)-2-[2-[(E)-(2-hydroxyphenyl)methyleneamino]ethyl-(2-pyridylmethyl)amino]ethyliminomethyl]phenol (H2L(py,C[double bond, length as m-dash]N)) were also evaluated but they did not form complexes compatible for biomedical applications owing to their high reactivity.


The main complication of volar locking plates for distal radius fractures is flexor tendon rupture. The flexor pollicis longus (FPL) is the most commonly ruptured. Repair of the pronator quadratus (PQ) is one of the ways to prevent tendon rupture. The main purpose of this series was to evaluate the role of PQ repair after volar plating to prevent flexor tendon rupture using ultrasound (US). This work was a mono‐operator prospective series of 20 consecutive patients with volar locking plates for distal radius fracture between September 2014 and May 2015. The PQ was repaired in all patients. A clinical, ultrasound, and perioperative evaluation of the flexor tendon was performed by this same surgeon. There was no flexor tendon rupture or tenosynovitis. There were no type A cases, which are characterized by contact between the plate and the FPL, and mostly type C cases, which are characterized by no contact between the plate and the FPL on US imaging. The suture of the PQ was sustainable over time when we removed the plate. Pronator quadratus repair is one of the ways to prevent flexor tendon rupture after volar plating. The outward‐running suture is an effective technique for repairing the PQ. Ultrasound may be helpful during follow‐up to detect asymptomatic flexor tendon irritation.


In August 2017, Botswana's parliament passed the Tribal Land Bill, which became the Tribal Land Act no. 1 of 2018. It shall come into operation once the minister sanctions. Until then, the 1994 Act shall be operational. The new Act is aimed at addressing the challenges that cannot be effectively addressed by the operational Act. Some hail it as progressive, but this article argues that the Act has some limitations. Its insistence on the registration of customary grants with the Registrar of Deeds may lead to unintended consequences, such as family conflicts. The Act also aims to strictly regulate the acquisition of tribal land by non-citizens, but this will not address the rising accumulation of land by the local elite through the market. Oddly, the Act and the 2015 land policy contradict each other. Commendably, the Act shall introduce an association of land boards to assist in tackling land problems.


This study aimed to assess HIV knowledge, risk perception and risk behaviour of ex-offenders at risk of new infection and to compare them with the general population. A case-control interview study was conducted with conveniently sampled ex-offenders and persons with no history of incarceration in four countries (Canada, France, Ivory Coast, South Africa). The total sample included 232 participants with a mean age of 33.9 years (SD=9.8 years). Results indicate various high HIV risk behaviours including multiple sexual partners, irregular sexual partner, and commercial sexual partner. Other risk factors were unprotected sex at last intercourse with a regular partner, with an irregular partner and with a commercial sexual partner. A history of incarceration did not differentiate risk for infection. Younger age, coming from the Ivory Coast, and higher HIV risk perception were found to be associated with HIV risk behaviour. Prevention efforts should focus on education, promotion of safe sex and substance abuse treatment.


In this study we present robust solution for estimating 3D pose and shape of human targets from multiple, synchronized video streams. The objective is to automatically estimate physical attributes of the targets that would allow us to analyze its behavior non-intrusively. Proposed system estimates the anthropometric skeleton, pose and shape of the human target from the 3D visual hull reconstructed from multiple silhouettes of the target. Discriminative (bottom-up) method is used to first initialize 3D pose of the targets using low-level features extracted from the 2D image. The pose is refined using generative (top-down) method that also estimates the optimal skeleton of the target using anthropometric prior models learned from the CAESAR dataset. Statistical shape models are also learned from the CAESAR dataset and are used to model both global and local shape variability of human body parts. We also propose a novel optimization scheme to fit 3D shape by searching in the parametric space of local parts model and constraining the overall shape using a global shape model. The system provides a useful framework for automatically identifying dispropotionate body parts, estimating size of backpacks and inferring attributes like gender, age and ethnicity of the human target.


Video games are understood by society, particularly young people, and young adults, as a form of entertainment. However, given the transformation of society towards the digital, in recent years the games have crossed the barriers of entertainment, and have been used in more ambitious environments and purposes, especially in business and education. In this context, this practice is called gamification, being used at education and aims to make the teaching and learning more attractive and motivating. Gamification, as noted, has the principles of video games, i.e., leverage the elements of the games, which underpin its enormous success, to make learning more engaging, customizable and relevant. Its use in the teaching- learning process has been carried out in parallel with active methodologies, and in the use of learning management systems that include various elements of the game to be integrated into teaching, learning and evaluation activities. In this paper, the gamified programmatic contents idea is presented, and it specifies a level-based programmatic contents structure as well as other gamification elements used, such as points and different types of rewards, the progress bar, the leaderboard, content locking and trading. The gamified programmatic contents will be implemented on the Moodle platform.


With the introduction of the Microsoft Kinect for Windows v2 (Kinect v2), an exciting new sensor is available to robotics and computer vision researchers. Similar to the original Kinect, the sensor is capable of acquiring accurate depth images at high rates. This is useful for robot navigation as dense and robust maps of the environment can be created. Opposed to the original Kinect working with the structured light technology, the Kinect v2 is based on the time-of-flight measurement principle and might also be used outdoors in sunlight. In this paper, we evaluate the application of the Kinect v2 depth sensor for mobile robot navigation. The results of calibrating the intrinsic camera parameters are presented and the minimal range of the depth sensor is examined. We analyze the data quality of the measurements for indoors and outdoors in overcast and direct sunlight situations. To this end, we introduce empirically derived noise models for the Kinect v2 sensor in both axial and lateral directions. The noise models take the measurement distance, the angle of the observed surface, and the sunlight incidence angle into account. These models can be used in post-processing to filter the Kinect v2 depth images for a variety of applications.


A new type of reflectometer not previously used on tokamaks has been installed on TFTR to measure edge electron density profiles. This reflectometer gives unambiguous edge profiles despite large edge density fluctuations and the presence of strong auxiliary heating. The effects of the large density fluctuations in the edge gradient region are overcome by reducing the multiplicity of fringes and eliminating phase excursions produced by scattering from density fluctuations at the reflecting layer. This is accomplished by using differential-reflectometry: the difference phase between two probing signals reflecting from cut-off layers separated by a distance much less than the correlation length of the density fluctuations is used. This system probes the TFTR plasma using the extraordinary mode (X-mode) with two signals swept from 90-118 GHz while maintaining a fixed difference frequency of 125 MHz between these signals. It has been used to obtain density profiles in the range of 1*1011 to 3*1013 cm-3 in high-field (4.5-4.9 T) full size (R0=2.62 m, a=0.96 m) TFTR plasmas. The reflectometer launcher is located in an ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) antenna and views the plasma through a small penetration in the centre of the Faraday shield. Initial measurements demonstrated that this technique is an effective way to measure the electron density profile in the edge gradient region.


Theoretical and experimental optimisation was made of the parameters of an Nd:YAG oscillator based on four-wave mixing (FWMF) with feedback. Use was made of a thermal-nonlinearity hologram and the energy efficiency under conditions of generation of giant pulses was determined. The efficiency reached was 60% when the energy pulse was 200 mJ for a 2-mm input beam of 50 mJ energy. The ability of the system to operate in the pulse-periodic (up to 25 Hz) conditions was demonstrated.


Dietary fibre is beneficial for human health, but dietary intakes are below recommended levels in most countries. Cereals are the major source of dietary fibre in Western diets, with bread providing about 20% of the daily intake in the United Kingdom. Despite the promotion of fibre-rich wholegrain products, white bread (which has a lower fibre content) remains dominant in many countries due to cultural preferences. Increasing the fibre content of white bread and other products made from white flour is therefore an attractive strategy for increasing fibre intake. This can be achieved by exploiting genetic variation in wheat without major effects on the processing quality or the consumer acceptability of products. Modelling data for food consumption in the United Kingdom shows that increasing the fibre content of white flour by 50% (from about 4% to 6% dry weight) and in wholegrain by 20% will increase total fibre intake by 1.04 g/day and 1.41 g/day in adult females and males, respectively. Furthermore, in vitro studies indicate that the increased fibre content of white bread should reduce the rate of starch digestion and glucose release in the human gastrointestinal tract.


In this article, we analyze the plurilingualism of instructors and their students in a program taught through the medium of French at a multilingual, Anglophone university in Western Canada. We employ the lenses of plurilingualism and plurilingual competence in the analysis of data from a one-year qualitative study of plurilingualism across the disciplines at the university. We analyze interview data and students' writing samples, focusing on how French and other languages are used by instructors and students in classes, and on the professional dilemma that instructors face in such courses: are they disciplinary experts and/or French immersion teachers? In our discussion, we suggest that instructors' and students' classroom practices are the result of several factors, including institutional discourses around plurilingualism and the French language, personal beliefs and ideologies, experiences of mobility from France and Quebec to British Columbia (instructors), and normative practices previously experienced in French immersion schools (students).


The widespread use of credit scoring in the underwriting and pricing of mortgage and consumer credit has raised concerns that the use of these scores may unfairly disadvantage minority populations. A specific concern has been that the independent variables that comprise these models may have a disparate impact on these demographic groups. By "disparate impact" we mean that a variable's predictive power might arise not from its ability to predict future performance within any demographic group, but rather from acting as a surrogate for group membership. Using a unique source of data that combines a nationally representative sample of credit bureau records with demographic information from the Social Security Administration and a demographic information company, we examine the extent to which credit history scores may have such a disparate impact. Our examination yields no evidence of disparate impact by race (or ethnicity) or gender. However, we do find evidence of limited disparate impact by age, in which the use of variables related to an individual's credit history appear to lower the credit scores of older individuals and increase them for the young.(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)


This article reflects on contemporary social development, and suggests that we need to initiate a process of thinking about a post neo-liberal development agenda. As a step in this direction, it is suggested we need to re-approach the social as a conceptual category in order to consider social analysis not simply as an epiphenomenon of economic development, but as a social sphere in its own right. To start thinking about this process, the social is approached through the metaphor of the middle ground, which acts as a device to help conceptualize a field of action between social life and policy processes. Exploration of this field of action is used to consider changes in the policy community by focusing on the implications of 'liberal freedom' and 'negative freedom' for people's actions. This provides a basis to take a critical view of concepts such as social capital and approaches such as sustainable livelihoods, reflect neo-liberal social development discourses. This leads us to argue for the need to consider the potential of contemporary biological science and of social movements for reinvigorating our understanding of social development. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Background: There is sparse data on real time rates, trends and predictors readmission rates of ulcerative colitis. We aim to find national real time rates, trends and predictors of readmission. Methods: We utilized National Readmission Data (NRD) 2013, a subset of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Crohn's Disease was identified using ICD 9 code (556.xx) as primary diagnosis. Patients with missing information on age, gender and mortality were removed. Patient with age < 18 were removed as well. Patients were followed over next 30 days with help of "NRD_VisitLink" and "NRD_DaysToEvent" variables. Co-morbidities were identified by "cm_" variables in HCUP database. Comorbid conditions were defined by Charlson's Comorbidity Index (CCI). Primary outcome of study was 30-days readmission. We ran 2 level hierarchical logistic model to find out predictors of outcomes. Readmission etiologies were identified with ICD 9 diagnosis codes in primary diagnosis field. Results: Twelve thousand thirteen patients were identified with ulcerative colitis, which were national representative of 27,552. Mean age of patients was 48.8 ± 0.2 and 53.38% of patients were female. 1734/12,013 (14.43%) patients were readmitted with total of 2020 readmissions over 30 days post discharge. 1489/1734 (85.87%), 206/1734 (11.88%) and 39/1734 (2.25%) patients were readmitted one, 2 and more than equal to 3 times respectively. 25%, 50% and 75% of readmissions took place in 7, 14 and 21 days respectively. 685/2020 (33.92%) readmissions were due to ulcerative colitis. On multivariate analysis, Patients with older age (OR: 95% Confidence Interval [CI], P value] (1.01, 1.01–1.01, P = 0.03), higher charlson score (CCI ≥ 2: 1.46, 1.24–1.72, P < 0.001) compared to CCI-0, heart failure (1.20, 1.01–1.15, P = 0.04), anemia (1.27, 1.17–1.38, P < 0.001), Emergent admission (1.35, 1.22–1.49, P < 0.001) were associated with increase in readmission. While, Female patients (0.93, 0.27–0.99, P = 0.04) with peripheral vascular disease (0.73, 0.59–0.90, P = 0.003) and private insurance (0.76, 0.69–0.83, P < 0.001) compared to medicare/mediaid were associated with decrease in readmission rates. Non influential co morbidities were obesity, liver disease, diabetes, hypertension, renal failure, chronic lung disease, arthritis. 69/12,013 (0.57%) patients died during index admission and 29/20.20 (1.44%) patients died during readmission. Conclusion: Patient's with ulcerative colitis has striking 14% readmission rate regardless of the age. Sicker patient population and population with comorbidities has higher readmission rate. National average of readmission will help institutes to set the bar for their own community and predictors of readmission will help to identify high risk patient population and to do additional intervention to prevent readmissions.


The interaction of an organism with its environment is a hallmark of life and pre-requisite for natural selection. Among the strongest evolutionary processes is the interaction between hosts and parasites. Their antagonistic co-evolution of host defence and parasite exploitation is shaped through both genotypes, local environmental conditions, and their potential for plastic responses. However, the relative contribution of these effects is often unclear. Here, I aimed to find answers to the questions how and why epidemiological traits vary among populations by using hosts and parasites from geographically distinct and ecologically divergent populations. I used three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) as vertebrate model organisms to study defence mechanisms against helminth parasites. Helminths are of exceptional interest because they can have complex immune modulatory effects on their hosts. This phenomenon is already applied in clinical settings, where helminths, their ova, or their products are used to treat autoimmune or inflammatory disorders (helminth therapy). Nevertheless, many questions on the specificity of the host-helminth interaction have yet to be answered.
Incorporating evolutionary and ecological perspectives, I found that different strains of the same cestode species (Schistocephalus solidus) had profoundly different effects on divergent G. aculeatus types. This effect was linked to the co-evolutionary history and ecology of G. aculeatus and S. solidus. The infection outcome was largely determined by effects of host and parasite genotypes, while interaction effects were generally weak and only evident over the scale of continents. Moreover, parasite-induced phenotypic plasticity transcended host genetic differences. By revealing the dominant effect of the parasite and the relative importance of induced plasticity, this thesis advances our understanding about the role of each partner in a host-parasite interaction. I propose to incorporate such evolutionary and ecological perspectives in future research of helminth therapy.


In previous studies we have shown that hepatocytes stream from the portal tract toward the terminal hepatic vein. The present study provides evidence that littoral cells participate in the same cell stream and that the liver actually streams en masse. Littoral cells stand for sinusoidal endothelia and Kupffer cells. Thirty male adult rats, random bred, were injected with 0.5 microCi [3H]-thymidine, specific activity 5 Ci/mmol/g body weight. The rats were killed in groups of five, at the following times: 1 h, 14, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days. The livers were processed histologically and dipped into liquid emulsion for autoradiography. In each animal 50 labelled hepatocytes and 50 littoral cells were randomly selected and their distance from the nearest terminal portal tract rim was measured. Both cell populations renew their cells continuously. Each consists of two cell types, progenitors, residing around the portal tract up to the distance of 200 microns, and functional cells, which inhabit the rest of the acinus. The two regions where the different cell types reside are known respectively as progenitor (P) and functional (Q) compartments. Both cells are formed in the P-compartment and advance jointly along a trajectory, the tissue radius, toward the terminal hepatic vein where they die. They progress at a daily velocity of 2 micron. Since both advance at the same speed, as long as they exist they remain neighbours. Liver parenchyma and stroma thus stream en masse.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Costumes for dancers have exacting requirements. They have to look the part but let the dancers move freely. They need to be strong enough to cope with the wear and tear of performances and stresses that dance can place on seams and darts, and yet be light enough to flow well and to allow the dancer to move and breathe. This well-illustrated book shows how to start making costumes for dancers. The author looks at different styles, cuts and materials that can be used, and shows how costume sketches can be translated into actual garments to suit the dancer's needs.


The present paper reports the novel synthesis of polyaniline/magnesium boride (PAni/MgB2) nanocomposites. Nanowires 50–100 nm in diameter grown by the sol–gel technique were incorporated in the PAni to prepare PAni/MgB2 nanocomposites, which yielded an enhancement of conductivity by 5 orders of magnitude. PAni was synthesized through the chemical oxidative polymerization method. The composition of the prepared nanocomposites was tunable, i.e. the amount of dopant was varied and the effects on various parameters were observed by different techniques. The morphology of PAni/MgB2 nanocomposites was determined using SEM. The temperature dependence of the conductivity of all composites was measured in the temperature range 300–450 K and it was observed that samples having a high concentration of MgB2 show the highest conductivity. The molecular structure of the nanocomposites was further characterized by Fourier Transform IR spectroscopy which showed small structural changes in the backbone of PAni. I−V measurements showed that the current increases on increasing MgB2 content. UV−visible spectra exposed the occurrence of an indirect optical transition in the composite. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry


Damaraland mole rats (Cryptomys damarensis) are among the longest-living rodents, with a maximum longevity of approximately 16 years. As one of the few mammals termed eusocial, these animals have been used in behavioral, genetic, metabolic, and physiologic research at the University of Connecticut since 1997. For individual identification at 3 to 4 months of age, mole rats were subcutaneously implanted with microchip transponders (11 mm in length) in the dorsal cervical region. In 2007, 2 of the 90 implanted adults, 10-year-old and 9-year-old females, developed subcutaneous masses at the site of the implant. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations revealed amelanotic melanoma and fibrosarcoma, respectively, with metastasis of the amelanotic melanoma. In 2008, a total of 3 adult males were castrated as part of a sex behavior study; 3 months later, all 3 castrated males developed subcutaneous masses around their implants, whereas none of the noncastrated males had masses. After an additional 9 months, these masses were found to be granulomas. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of neoplasia in this species. Both the tumors and the granulomas surrounded the microchip transponder.


In this paper, we consider the design of efficient anti-jamming coding techniques for recovering lost packets transmitted through parallel channels. We present two coding schemes with small overhead and low complexity, namely, rateless coding and piecewise coding. For piecewise coding, we propose the optimal as well as several suboptimal design methods to build short block codes with small number of parity checks. One application of the anti-jamming coding techniques is in a cognitive radio system to protect the secondary users from the interference by the primary users. For such application, we consider two types of subchannel selections, i.e., the single uniform and general non-uniform subchannel selections. Throughput and the goodput performance of the secondary users employing either anti-jamming coding technique is analyzed under both subchannel selection strategies. The results show that both coding techniques provide reliable transmissions with high throughput and small redundancy. The piecewise coding using the designed short codes provides better performance with smaller overhead under low to medium jamming rate. For non-uniform subchannel selection, the designed short code improves the throughput and goodput performance of secondary transmission with antijamming piecewise coding while the rateless coding provides similar or worse performance than that in the uniform case.


abstract Marriage is bundled with a range of privileges – numerous visible and invisible protections, responsibilities and benefits which can be acquired in no other way. It is also a site of gendered power, from the intimacy of a couple's relationship with each other, to the ways in which the marriage does or does not fit into dominant forms of kinship and family. Even in the countries where same-sex partnerships are legal, many do not include same-sex 'marriages' under the same legal umbrella as heterosexual marriages. By the enactment of the Civil Union Act (2006) same-sex marriage was legalised in South Africa. In this article I investigate how 10 women in same-sex marriages in Cape Town feel to what extent marriage contributes to their sense of 'belonging' in their everyday world. Speaking to five couples from diverse backgrounds and ages, I ask how they experience their marriages. How do they identify themselves? Why did they decide to get married? What are the power dynamics that underpin their relationships? How do they negotiate family relationships and children? I also explore their feelings of safety and risk and how they live their relationship publicly in an environment that is often hostile. In conclusion, I analyse to what extent heteronormativity is reproduced or can be challenged by women's same-sex marriages.


Succinic acid has attracted much interest as a key platform chemical that can be obtained in high titers from biomass through sustainable fermentation processes, thus boosting the bioeconomy as a critical production strategy for the future. After several years of development of the production of succinic acid, many studies on lab or pilot scale production have been reported. The relevant experimental data reveal underlying physical and chemical dynamic phenomena. To take advantage of this vast, but disperse, kinetic information, a number of mathematical kinetic models of the unstructured non-segregated type have been proposed in the first place. These relatively simple models feature critical aspects of interest for the design, control, optimization and operation of this key bioprocess. This review includes a detailed description of the phenomena involved in the bioprocesses and how they reflect on the most important and recent models based on macroscopic and metabolic chemical kinetics, and in some cases even coupling mass transport.


Drought stress encumbers the rice growth predominantly by oxidative damage to biological membranes and disturbed tissue water status. In this study, the role of salicylic acid (SA) to induce drought tolerance in aromatic fine grain rice cultivar Basmati 2000 was evaluated. SA was applied as seed and foliar treatments. For seed treatment, rice seeds were soaked in 50, 100 and 150 mg 1- 1 aerated solution of SA for 48 h and then dried back. Treated and untreated seeds were sown in plastic pots in a phytotron. At four leaf stage, one set of plants was subjected to drought stress, while the other remained well watered. Drought was maintained at 50 % of field capacity by watering every alternate day. For exogenous application, SA was applied 50, 100 and 150 mg l ―1 at five leaf stage. In the control, SA was neither applied exogenously nor as seed treatment. Drought stress severely affected the seedling fresh and dry weight, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, plant water relations and starch metabolism; however, SA application improved the performance of rice under both normal and stress conditions. Drought tolerance in rice was well associated with the accumulation of compatible solutes, maintenance of tissue water potential and enhanced potency of antioxidant system, which improved the integrity of cellular membranes and facilitated the rice plant to sustain photosynthesis and general metabolism. Foliar treatments were more effective than the seed treatments. Foliar application with 100 mg l ―1 (FA 100) was the best treatment to induce the drought tolerance and improve the performance under normal and stress conditions compared with the control or other treatments used in this study.


UNLABELLED
Using gated SPECT, we evaluated the relationship between admission troponin I, risk area, and myocardial salvage in patients with a first myocardial infarction treated with abciximab and primary percutaneous coronary intervention within 6 h.

METHODS
In 43 patients, (99m)Tc-sestamibi was injected before primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Gated SPECT was acquired immediately thereafter and was repeated 7 and 30 d later. The initial risk area and subsequent infarct size were expressed as a percentage of the left ventricle; salvage index was the ratio between salvaged myocardium and initial risk area; left ventricular ejection fraction was calculated using the quantitative gated SPECT software.

RESULTS
On admission, 20 patients showed elevated troponin I and had a larger risk area (P < 0.03) than did the group with normal troponin I. Infarct size at 30 d (15% +/- 12% vs. 13% +/- 13%) and salvage index (0.63 +/- 0.27 vs. 0.60 +/- 0.28) were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Ejection fraction was lower in the group with high troponin I on admission (36% +/- 10% vs. 41% +/- 11%, P < 0.05) and at 7 d (41% +/- 11% vs. 48 +/- 10, P < 0.03). At 30 d, improvement was greater in the group with high troponin I, and ejection fraction became comparable.

CONCLUSION
Patients with high troponin I on admission have a larger initial risk area, but if they undergo primary percutaneous coronary intervention within 6 h and are treated with abciximab, myocardial salvage and functional recovery are similar to those observed in patients with normal troponin I, and no unfavorable relationship between high troponin I values on admission and myocardial salvage is registered.


Blood oxygenation was studied in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass using the Rygg-Kyvsgaard bubble oxygenator. Oxygenation was satisfactory in perfusions carried out at nor-mothermia and during hypothermia. During the rewarming phase of hypothermic perfusions hypoxaemia occurred. This could be prevented by a ganglion blocking agent (trimetaphan) given during the cooling phase.


The nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) describes a vast variety of phenomena in the optics of Kerr media. Be-ing supplied by gain and dissipation it is employed for modeling of open systems [1,2]. Soliton formation described by the NLSE equation and soliton properties depend dramatically on the dimensionality of the system. In particular, in the conservative case, while the one-dimensional cubic NLSE equation with homogeneous coefficients has stable soliton solutions, no stable localized states can exist in two or more dimensions in focusing medium. When homoge-neous linear gain and nonlinear dissipation are added to the system, stable stationary localized structures do not exist even in one-dimensional case. Nevertheless, stabilization can be achieved by considering a spatially localized gain.


Interdisciplinary publications suggesting an etiopathogenetic relationship between sensorineural hearing loss and some chronic non-communicable diseases were reviewed. A substantial amount of data on atherogenesis, thrombosis and immunological processes affecting the blood circulation of inner ear receptor cells has so far been accumulated. Various reasons for sensorineural hearing loss have been studied, such as changes in the rheological properties of blood; arteriole hypertonicity; precapillar sphincter dysfunction; impaired lipid metabolism leading to the lack of tissue oxygenation and dystrophy and necrosis of the organ of Corti. The definition of endothelial dysfunction has been given. The role of vasomotor, thrombophilic, adhesive and angiogenic forms of endothelial dysfunction in the development and progression of sensorineural hearing loss under the influence of harmful work-related factors, with arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus with the most common and aggressive disorders of the microvasculature has been determined. A clear relationship between the development of sensorineural hearing loss in diabetic microangiopathy has been established. Historical data on the study of the mechanisms of sensorineural hearing loss were analyzed. The aim of this article was to conduct a literature review of interdisciplinary publications with a particular focus on the role of sensorineural hearing loss in the working population in predicting endothelial dysfunction in some chronic non-communicable diseases. The novelty of this article consists in the consideration of occupational and population risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases in the form of their cascade, which also leads to sensorineural hearing loss.


A thin liquid film covered with an insoluble surfactant in the vicinity of a first-order phase transition is discussed. Within the lubrication approximation we derive two coupled equations to describe the height profile of the film and the surfactant density. Thermodynamics of the surfactant is incorporated via a Cahn-Hilliard–type free-energy functional which can be chosen to describe a transition between two stable phases of different surfactant density. Within this model, a linear stability analysis of stationary homogeneous solutions is performed, and drop formation in a film covered with surfactant in the lower density phase is investigated numerically in one and two spatial dimensions.


This study presented both the empirical and artificial neural network (ANN) approaches to estimate the moisture content of Mentha spicata. Two different types of drying methods (in shade and in oven (35 and 50°C)) were used to investigate the drying kinetics of the Mentha spicata samples. The effects of drying methods on effective diffusion coefficient, moisture ratio (MR), drying rate, and activation energy were investigated. Moreover, six different thin layer drying models (Page, Diffusion approach, Newton, Modified Henderson, Henderson and Pabis and Pabis and Midilli) and an ANN with feed forward structure were used to define the drying kinetics of these samples. In order to estimate the kinetic model parameters, sequential quadratic programming (SQP) was used. Model performances were evaluated based on the coefficient of determination (R²), root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE%) values. In the kinetic part of the modeling study, the Midilli model provided better results than the others. However, the ANN had the best results when a total assessment was made. The effective diffusion coefficient values were found in the range between 1.31 × 10–¹² and 4.43 × 10–¹² m²/s. The activation energy was obtained as 44.31 kJ/kmol. The R², MAPE%, and RMSE values for the ANN test data were 1.00, 0.2257, and 5.9447 × 10⁻⁴, respectively. In the future, different modeling approaches will be applied to describe this drying process. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Drying is a process where heat transfer and mass transfer take place together. Modeling is an innovative approach used in evaluation of experimental data and has increasing popularity in recent years. ANNs are a powerful data‐driven method, and they have a very broad area of usage from medicine to engineering issues. Empirical models are another approach for describing experimental data. In this study, these two modeling approaches were used to obtain the MR. Humidity is a condition that needs to be checked in food safety and protection. Therefore, it is very important to ensure control with robust modeling techniques. In this study, the developed ANN model had a high R² value (R² = 1.00). This indicated that it may be used successfully in real applications.


FeNO and PBE are frequently used in refractory asthma clinics to phenotype asthma and predict clinical responsiveness to corticosteroid therapy, however the relationship between them remains uncertain. In a retrospective study we previously reported a positive correlation between FeNO and PBE in patients with refractory asthma but no significant correlation was found between asthma control and these biomarkers. To confirm these findings herein we present our data from a prospective study. Method: 100 consecutive patients with refractory asthma presenting to severe asthma unit were recruited in the study after written consent. In addition to clinical characterisation, simultaneous measurement of FeNO, PBE, lung function and asthma control questionnaire (ACQ) were conducted. We analysed correlations mentioned above using Spearman9s rank correlation coefficient (Rs). Result: 94 patients (66 females) with mean age of 45.2 years were included in final analysis. The study population had mean ACQ of 3.29 (SD=1.28), mean FEV 1 of 1.96L (SD: 0.79), mean ICS of 1.7mg, mean FeNO of 35.5 and PBE of 0.31. We observed significant positive correlation between FENO and PBE (RS= 0.53, p = 0.01) and negative correlation between peripheral blood neutrophil (PBN) and PBE (RS=-0.5, p=0.01). There was no significant correlation between ACQ and these biomarkers individually or in combination. The patients on lower ICS doses ( Conclusion We confirm our previous report of a positive correlation between FeNO and PBE in refractory asthma patients.


We studied on the design of electrical parameters for ICP(Inductively Coupled Plasma) light sources which can be effective to improve the electrical power efficiency of it. These parameters were derivated from Barkhausen theory about the oscillating condition of a ballaster. The relationships of and f-n were calculated theoretically and then these relationships were compared with the measured results about and power depending to a discharge length(l) of ICP light source. Finally, we can see that a specific range of induced current depending to a discharge length would be necessary to minimize the change of magnetization inductance and driving frequency at driving.


This study evaluated the results of diuretic renal scintigraphy in dogs with urolithiasis. Eighty-three kidneys with nephroureterolithiasis +/- renal pelvis/ureteral dilation were included in the study. Sixty-three kidneys showed a non-obstructive pattern, with a steep drop or gradual downward slope of renal time-activity curve (TAC). Excretion half-time of radiopharmaceutical (T(1/2)) was 3.99 (2.99 to 7.95) min. Three kidneys showed an obstructive pattern, with continuous rise of the TAC and median T(1/2) of -10.71 (-5.20 to -17.56) min. Fifteen kidneys had non-diagnostic studies characterized by flat TAC. Individual kidney glomerular filtration rate was <0.5 mL/min/kg body weight in most non-diagnostic studies. Diuretic renal scintigraphy appears to be a useful adjunct modality to rule out or confirm ureteral obstruction in dogs. Additional diagnostic procedures may be necessary to achieve a definitive diagnosis in cases of severely impaired renal function.


Purpose: Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is used to determine human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER-2) status and patient eligibility for trastuzumab therapy. We analysed whether the level of HER-2 amplification significantly influenced pathological complete response (pCR), disease-free survival and overall survival in patients with a locally advanced breast cancer treated with trastuzumab-based neoadjuvant therapy.Patients and methods: Breast biopsies from 116 HER-2-positive (3+ in immunohistochemistry, or 2+ and amplified by FISH) patients treated with trastuzumab-based neoadjuvant therapy were retrospectively analysed for HER-2 amplification using FISH. Tumors were classified as no ( 10/nuclei). According to ASCO guidelines, in case of low amplification, the ratio of HER2 copies on centromeric region chromosome 17 (CEP17) was analyzed and the tumor was confirmed as amplified if the ratio was > to 2.2. Pathologic response was assessed according to Chevallier9s classification. Pathologic complete response was considered if no invasive carcinoma was found either in the breast or in the lymph nodes. Median follow-up lasted 46.3 [43.9-49.6] months. Response rates were compared using Chi2-tests. Survivals were calculated according to Kaplan-Meier and compared using log-rank tests.Results: The distribution of the 116 patients according to the level of amplification in FISH was the following: 17 (15%) no amplification, 33 (28%) low amplification and 66 (57%) high amplification. In the group of tumors with 6-10 copies of HER2 genes, they were no cases with a ratio HER2/CEP17 between 1.8 and 2.2 (borderline cases). Trastuzumab-based neoadjuvant therapy achieved pCR in 45 of 116 (38.8%) tumors. Pathologic complete response rate in low- and high- amplification tumors was significantly higher compared with no-amplification tumors (44% versus 6%; p=0.003). In the subgroup of amplified tumors (low and high), pCR rate in high-amplification tumors was significantly higher than in low-amplification tumors (54% versus 24%; p=0.004).In this subgroup of patients with amplification (low and high), there was no significant difference in disease-free survival (p=0.17) and in overall survival (p=0.22) according to the degree of HER2-amplification. However, among the 55 patients with a partial response in this subgroup (low- and high-amplification), disease-free survival and overall survival tend to be better in patients with low amplification tumor (p=0.08 and p=0.05 respectively).Conclusion: This study confirms a positive correlation between the level of HER-2 amplification assessed by FISH and the rate of pCR after trastuzumab-based neoadjuvant therapy. However, this benefit in term of pCR was not associated with a benefit in term of disease-free survival or overall survival. Indeed, as it was reported in metastatic or adjuvant settings, the level of HER-2 amplification assessed by FISH does not seem to influence survival for patients treated with trastuzumab-based therapy. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 1089.


The aim of this contribution is to confirm or dispute the hypothesis that the new system of charges for municipal waste management in the Czech Republic is suitable for both taxpayers and municipalities. To achieve this aim, the article critically describes the old and new methods of communal waste charging, compares the two, and highlights their weaknesses and strengths. In addition, it summarizes the opportunities and threats of new options so that municipalities receive more valuable information when deciding whether to tax communal waste and what charge is most effective in their territories.


When the Space Shuttle Columbia was lost in 2003, the investigation presented many unique challenges, including numerous findings that had never been observed by forensic pathologists. The previous two major space shuttle fatality incidents also presented unique and complex issues. The causes of these incidents are now identified and the environmental impacts on the astronauts were a major contributor to the tragedies. Even with the improvements learned from the losses of Apollo 1 (1967), the Challenger (1986), and the Columbia (2003), space flight continues to be one of the most dangerous professions and environmental factors are significant contributors to this threat. While many have now been explained, the myriad of environmental insults to the crew continues to be a source of interest for those involved in space flight. Most forensic pathologists will never be involved in a death investigation of astronauts at the edge of outer space, on a mission, or during training, yet the findings are nevertheless of interest in the field of environmental death.


The smile detection approach is quite prominent with the face detection and thereby the enormous implementations are prevalent so that the higher degree of accuracy can be achieved. The face smile detection is widely associated to have the forensic of faces of human beings so that the future predictions can be done. In chaos theory, the main strategy is to have the cavernous analytics on the single change and then to predict the actual faces in the analysis. In addition, the integration of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is integrated to have the predictions with more accuracy. This work proposes to use the analytics on the parallel integration of PCA and chaos theory to enable the face smile and fake identifications to be made possible. The projected work is analyzed using assorted parameters and it has been found that the deep learning integration approach for chaos and PCA is quite important and performance aware in the multiple parameters with the different datasets in evaluations.


The proposed study investigated the applicability of the finite volume method (FVM) based on the Godunov scheme to transient water hammer with shock front simulation, in which intermediate fluxes were computed using either first-order or second-order Riemann solvers. Finite volume (FV) schemes are known to conserve mass and momentum and produce the efficient and accurate realization of shock waves. The second-order solution of the Godunov scheme requires an efficient slope or a flux limiter for error minimization and time optimization. The study examined a range of limiters and found that the MINMOD limiter is the best for modeling water hammer in terms of computational time and accuracy. The first- and second-order FVMs were compared with the method of characteristics (MOCs) and experimental water hammer measurements available in the literature. Both the FV methods accurately predicted the numerical and experimental results. Parallelization of the second-order FVM reduced the computational time similar to that of first-order. Thus, the study presented a faster and more accurate FVM which is comparable to that of MOC in terms of computational time and precision, therefore it is a good substitute for the MOC. The proposed study also investigated the implementation of a more complex convolution-based unsteady friction model in the FVM to capture real pressure dissipation. The comparison with experimental data proved that the first-order FV scheme with the convolution integral method is highly accurate for computing unsteady friction for sudden valve closures.


This study examines cultural patterning in situational variability in mother-infant interactions among middle-class Anglo and Puerto Rican mothers and their 12 to 15-month-old firstborn children. Forty mothers were interviewed regarding their long-term socialization goals and childrearing strategies, and videotaped interacting with their infants in four everyday settings: feeding, social play, teaching, and free play. Results suggest that: (1) Anglo mothers place greater emphasis on socialization goals and childrearing strategies consonant with a more individualistic orientation, whereas Puerto Rican mothers place greater focus on goals and strategies consistent with a more sociocentric orientation; (2) coherence was found between mothers' childrearing beliefs and practices, with Puerto Rican mothers more likely to directly structure their infants' behaviors; and (3) situational variability arose in mother-infant interactions, but this variability showed a cultural patterning consistent with mothers' long-term socialization goals and childrearing beliefs.


Treatment failure for lung adenocarcinoma is frequently due to lymph node metastasis and invasion to neighboring organs. The aim of the present study was to investigate the invasion- and metastasis-related gene, neural precursor cell expressed, developmentally downregulated 9 (NEDD9), in lung adenocarcinoma tissues and cell lines. The expression of NEDD9 was analyzed by the SP method of immunohistochemistry for 60 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) lung adenocarcinoma tissues in which 32 cases were metastastic and 28 were without metastases. NEDD9 mRNA expression and protein levels were quantified by fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (FQ-PCR) and western blotting in the highly invasive lung adenocarcinoma cell lines A549 and 95D as well as in SPC-A-1 cells with low invasive potential. The immunostaining scores revealed a statistically significant difference between metastatic and non-metastatic lung adenocarcinomas (p<0.001). FQ-PCR and western blotting demonstrated that NEDD9 expression was higher in A549 and 95D compared to SPC-A-1 cells (P=0.003). Our results provide evidence that NEDD9 is upregulated in metastatic lung adenocarcinoma and in highly invasive lung adenocarcinoma cell lines, suggesting its potential involvement in regulating cell migration and invasion.


Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and evaluate the effectiveness of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Behavior Tool (ABOSBT) for measuring professionalism. Methods: Through collaboration between the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and American Orthopaedic Association's Council of Residency Directors, 18 residency programs piloted the use of the ABOSBT. Residents requested assessments from faculty at the end of their clinical rotations, and a 360° request was performed near the end of the academic year. Program Directors (PDs) rated individual resident professionalism (based on historical observation) at the outset of the study, for comparison to the ABOSBT results. Results: Nine thousand eight hundred ninety-two evaluations were completed using the ABOSBT for 449 different residents by 1,012 evaluators. 97.6% of all evaluations were scored level 4 or 5 (high levels of professional behavior) across all of the 5 domains. In total, 2.4% of all evaluations scored level 3 or below reflecting poorer performance. Of 431 residents, the ABOSBT identified 26 of 32 residents who were low performers (2 or more < level 3 scores in a domain) and who also scored "below expectations" by the PD at the start of the pilot project (81% sensitivity and 57% specificity), including 13 of these residents scoring poorly in all 5 domains. Evaluators found the ABOSBT was easy to use (96%) and that it was an effective tool to assess resident professional behavior (81%). Conclusions: The ABOSBT was able to identify 2.4% low score evaluations (<level 3) for all residents. The tool was concordant with the PD for 81% of the residents considered low performers or "outliers" for professional behavior. The 5-domain construct makes it an effective actionable tool that can be used to help develop performance improvement plans for residents. Level of Evidence: Level II


Research on "the widowhood effect" shows that mortality rates are greater among people who have recently lost a spouse. There are several medical and psychological explanations for this (e.g., "broken heart syndrome") and sociological explanations that focus on spouses' shared social-environmental exposures. We expand on sociological perspectives by arguing that couples' social connections to others play a role in this phenomenon. Using panel data on 1,169 older adults from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, we find that mortality is associated with how well embedded one's spouse is in one's own social network. The widowhood effect is greater among those whose spouses were not well connected to one's other network members. We speculate that the loss of a less highly embedded spouse signals the loss of unique, valuable, nonredundant social resources from one's network. We discuss theoretical interpretations, alternative explanations, limitations, and directions for future research.


Gaucher's disease is a hereditary disease that can be diagnosed by determination of acid beta glucosidase enzyme activity on leucocytes but it's diagnosis is mostly delayed due to limited availability of test. The aim of the study was to determine prevalence of Gaucher's disease in patients of unexplained spleenomegaly and/or thrombocytopenia using dried blood spot filter test. This prospective cross sectional study was conducted after approval from Institutional ethical committee in 222 subjects, assuming 3.6% prevalence of the disease among unexplained cases of splenomegaly with 95% confidence interval, 0.05 α error, 80% power and with an absolute allowable error of 2.5%. After implementation of the diagnostic algorithm, samples from the patients were collected on dried blood pot filter paper and sent for analysis. Patients who tested positive by screening test were confirmed through mutational analysis done from the same sample. Data was expressed as mean, proportions and percentages. Mann Whitney test, Chi square test and Fisher's exact test were used for analysis. The prevalence of Gaucher's disease in our study population was 2.7% (CI 0.54 to 4.86) with the odds ratio for gender calculated as 3(95% CI 0.344 to 26.134). The results of this study show that the use of an appropriate diagnostic algorithm and DBS filter test facilitate early diagnosis and management of a rare disease, thereby saving a lot of medical resources while simultaneously improving the quality of life in patients.


The morbidity and mortality associated with malaria have spurred efforts to find novel antimalarial agents with improved potency and selectivity. Leads for agents continue to be obtained from natural sources (plants and microorganisms) and chemical syntheses. Screening of commercial or specialized databases have also yielded promising leads. The structural diversity of compounds with good (micromolar and lower) activity point to the considerable tolerance for different structural elements in the "antimalarial pharmacophore." It may also be a reflection of the varied targets present in the plasmodia. The challenge in malaria chemotherapy is to find safe and selective agents whose potencies will not be compromised by plasmodial resistance. Modification of potential leads should also aim at improving "drug‐like" character, viz. to ensure acceptable oral bioavailability. A review of the literature shows that there is a growing trend towards the development of target‐specific antimalarial agents (for example, agents inhibiting plasmodial farnesyl transferase, cyclin dependent kinases, proteases, choline transport). An increasing number of reports focus on the development of chemosensitizers, agents that are capable of reversing plasmodial resistance. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Med Res Rev, 23, No. 4, 456–487, 2003


The early Christian work "The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity" consists of different parts combined into a single book. Three parts are generally accepted: 1) Perpetua's Notes, 2) Saturus's Vision, 3) the Eyewitness story and the Prologue and Epilogue written by the same author. We argue that the Prologue plus Epilogue and the Eyewitness story had different authors and there was one more person, who was neither a participant nor a contemporary of the Carthaginian martyrdom. The results of his activity can be found in short sentences connecting the parts, as well as in violations of the structure of the narrative and a serious mistake made in the enumeration of the arrested catechumens. The authors claim also that this kind of collection as in The Passion had no analogues in ancient classical literature and followed the model of the New Testament.


In an outcross between a diabetic BB/H rat and a healthy Long Evans Hooded rat, the segregation of the RT6 gene was studied in the 207 F2 animals to look for linkage with diabetes or lymphopenia. The recessive gene, albino (c), was used as a marker for the RT6 gene because of the close proximity of these two genes on chromosome 1. Though most of the albino F2 rats should have been homozygous for the BB RT6 gene, we found no increase in the incidence of diabetes or lymphopenia among them when compared to their hooded littermates. Therefore, the RT6 gene was not linked to diabetes or lymphopenia in the BB rat. Moreover, the non‐lymphopenic albino rats displayed normal RT6 expression when compared to the normal hooded rats showing that the RT6 gene from the BB/H grandfather was not defective. Any alteration in lymphocyte composition which could be specifically related to diabetes was studied by measuring all F2 rats for the major lymphocyte subsets including the RT6+ subset. We found that the typical pattern of lymphopenia described in diabetic BB rats was displayed by both diabetic and non‐diabetic lymphopenic rats in the F2 generation. Thus, all these lymphocyte abnormalities including the depletion in RT6+ T lymphocytes appeared as a consequence of lymphopenia alone and could not be specifically related to diabetes.


The first part of this paper establishes some new pieces of evidence on the dynamics of prices and volumes in wholesale electricity day-ahead markets (NordPool, APX, Powernext). The growth of prices is more strongly autocorrelated than the growth of volumes; it is more more heavy-tailed; and its conditional standard deviation decays like the reciprocal of the price level (1/P scaling). In the second part of the paper, it is shown that a linear supply function with stochastic intercept and constant slope suffices to explain the 1/P scaling. Furthermore, this model allows to decompose price fluctuations in an exogenous demand effect and a strategically-driven supply effect. In light of this model, the heavier tails of price growth and its stronger autocorrelation structure are due to persistent and intermittent strategic moves by suppliers, related to expected demand growth.


This study examined the relationship between paternal alcoholism and toddler behavior problems from 18 to 36 months of age, as well as the potential moderating effects of 12-month infant–mother attachment security on this relationship. Children with alcoholic fathers had higher levels of internalizing and externalizing behavior than children of nonalcoholic fathers. Simple effects testing of an interaction effect of child age, group, and attachment security with mothers on externalizing behavior suggested that at 24 and 36 months of age mother–infant attachment security moderated the relationship between alcohol group status and externalizing behavior. Namely, within the alcohol group, those children with secure relationships with their mothers had significantly lower externalizing than insecure children of alcoholics. A similar pattern was noted for internalizing behavior at 36 months of age. Implications for intervention are discussed.The authors thank the parents and infants who participated in this study and the research staff who were responsible for conducting numerous assessments with these families. This study was made possible by grants from NIAAA (1RO1 AA-10042-01A1) and NIDA (1K21DA00231-01A1).


PURPOSE. Vascular smooth muscle (SM) cells and pericytes are essential for normal vascular development. SM -actin null mice were used to determine whether vascular SM and pericyte contractile functions, and not merely their presence, are necessary for vascular development, normal blood–retina barrier (BRB) permeability, and retinal function. METHODS. Age-matched SM -actin null and wild-type mice were analyzed. Retinal structure, vascular pattern, and SM cell and pericyte distribution were analyzed histologically. Retinal vascular permeability (RVP) was measured with the Evans blue dye method. Electroretinography (ERG) was performed to evaluate retinal function. RESULTS. Deletion of SM -actin did not result in any alterations in retinal morphology, vascular pattern, or SM cell and pericyte ensheathing of vessels in SM -actin null mice. A significant increase in RVP was observed in SM -actin null mice at both postnatal day (P)50 and P75 (P 0.05 and P 0.001, respectively). ERG analysis demonstrated a significant reduction in both rod and cone function in SM -actin null mice at P22, P45, and P75 (P 0.01 at all ages). CONCLUSIONS. These results demonstrate that SM -actin in SM cells and pericytes is not necessary for the formation of a normal retinal vascular pattern; however, SM -actin is necessary for SM cells and pericytes to interact with endothelial cells to form a fully functional BRB. These results are important in understanding the role of contractile gene expression in the maintenance and function of the BRB and may provide a model for studying pathologic conditions, such as diabetes, that alter the function of this barrier. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2006; 47:2693–2700) DOI:10.1167/iovs.05-1297


A case of early gastric carcinoma with areas of the adenosquamous differentiation is described. The origin of the squamous epithelium in gastric carcinoma is discussed.


The research is aimed to investigate the mechanical behaviors of epoxy-based nanocomposites reinforced with spherical nanoparticles. Five different contents of silica nanoparticles — 5, 10, 15, 20, and 40 wt% — were introduced in the samples. Through a sol—gel technique, the silica particles with a diameter of 25 nm were exfoliated uniformly in the epoxy matrix. Experimental results obtained from tensile tests indicate that the modulus of nanocomposites increases with the increment of particulate inclusions, and the enhancing behavior is coincided with the model predictions obtained from the Mori—Tanaka micromechanical model. In addition, the fracture tests conducted on single-edge-notch bending specimens reveal that the inclusion of nanoparticles can effectively increase the fracture toughness of the nanocomposites. Furthermore, the extent of the enhancement is more appreciable in the brittle matrix system rather than in the ductile matrix system. Subsequently, by inserting the silica epoxy mixture into the unidirectional glass fiber through a vacuum hand lay-up process, the glass fiber/silica/epoxy composite samples were fabricated. Results depicted that the in-plane shear strength increases until the increment of particle loadings are up to 10 wt%. In addition, results obtained from the compression tests revealed that the glass/epoxy specimens with 20 wt% silica loading exhibit superior compressive strengths than those that do not contain any silica particles.


The letter reports the successful achievement of coating silica fibre at a rate of greater than 10 m/s. We draw 125 μm-diameter fibres from silica rods and preforms, and coated in-line with UV-curable material. All fibres were proof-tested at two different stress levels of 0.7 and 1.4 GN/m2 We also checked the transmission properties of the fibre. It is found that the optical properties of the fibre remain the same while the mechanical properties are comparable to those of the fibres coated at a low speed.


We observe superconductivity below a critical temperature TC = 1.8 K in single-crystal Ir3Te8, which also exhibits normal-state diamagnetism and a linear temperature dependence of electrical resistivity for a wide temperature interval, 20 K < T < 700 K. Single-crystal Ir3Te8 also undergoes a structural phase transition at TS = 350 K from a cubic (above TS) to a rhombohedral lattice below TS. Our first-principles electronic structure calculations reveal two bands crossing the Fermi level; despite the three-dimensional lattice, one band is quasi-two-dimensional, and is responsible for the observed diamagnetism and structure transition. The strong non-Fermi-liquid behavior characterized by the observed linearity in resistivity in such a nonmagnetic state suggests novel physics in this newly discovered superconductor.


Urban parks are a valuable habitat for Lepidoptera, which are often neglected despite their potential role as pollinators and important food source for small animals. Lepidoptera in urban parks in Pasir Gudang are still under-studied. Yet, there is no publication on Lepidoptera in these urban parks. The objectives of this study were to determine and to compare the diversity of Lepidoptera in three urban parks (Laman Rekreasi Sungai Buluh, Tasik Dahlia and Taman Bandar) at Pasir Gudang, Johor. Visual Encounter Survey (VES) method was used to capture the Lepidoptera from February 2021 until April 2021. Four sampling sessions were conducted for each study site. A total of nine species from 117 individuals comprised of family Pieridae (43%), Nymphalidae (29%) and Lycaenidae (28%) were recorded from this study. The most abundant species were Zizula hylax and Elymnias hypermnestra, while Leptosia nina was the least abundant. The results from this study showed that the diversity of Lepidoptera have established in these three urban parks. Diversity of Lepidoptera in Tasik Dahlia was significantly lower compared to the other two study sites. The findings from this study could be useful as a baseline data for future research and conservation management of the order Lepidoptera around the urban parks and indirectly can support the sustainable development of the urban parks.


The interdiction to the incest is fundamental in the human being development, at the individual and family levels, as well as in regard to the social aspect. It postulates limits, defines the generations and introduces the possibility of social and mental organization. Parents have a special role in child development. They are the main figures in the child's first sexual fantasies, which configure the Oedipus Complex. The incest action represents the factual realization of such prohibited impulses, which should be repressed. Such fact increases the violence of this kind of sexual abuse. In the incest between father and daughter the emotional consequences depend on several factors and can vary a lot. In spite of such variety of consequences it's possible to associate the occurrence of the incest to a higher difficulty in integrating mental contents by the child. The care in the incest situation must include the intervention of mental health professionals as well as the intervention of the Law.


The use of summer brassica forage crops in dryland dairy systems in southern Victoria is considered a key component of the feed base as they provide home-grown forage with high nutritive characteristics during a period where perennial ryegrass growth is limited due to high summer temperatures and low soil water content. Current knowledge on the use of single-grazing brassica crops such as turnips (Brassica rapa L.) is well defined; however, information on the management of regrowth brassica species that can provide multiple grazings is more limited. The present experiment determined the effect of different grazing regimes (high, medium and low defoliation intensity) at the first grazing on subsequent regrowth capability and nutritive characteristics of Winfred (Brassica napus L.) over the summer growing period across 2 years. We hypothesised that intensive defoliation of a summer regrowth brassica at the first grazing will result in lower total DM yields and harvested estimated metabolisable energy (ME) and crude protein per hectare for the growing season than do more lax grazing options that results in less DM removal at the first grazing. Total DM and estimated ME consumed over the growing period varied between years. In Year 1, more (P < 0.05) DM was consumed at the first grazing and less (P < 0.05) at the subsequent grazing for the high-intensity treatment. However, both total DM and estimated ME consumed were higher (P < 0.05) for the high-intensity treatment than for the low-intensity treatment, while in Year 2, there were no differences between the treatments. Nutritive characteristics and mineral concentrations were relatively unaffected by grazing regimes. The results of the present experiment indicated that the optimum grazing management to maximise total DM yields and consumption of spring-sown Winfred will vary depending on the seasonal growing conditions. In years where moisture stress will be limiting crop growth, a high defoliation-intensity first grazing that consumes a high proportion of DM on offer, including some of the main stem, will maximise the total DM grown and consumed from the crop. Care, however, should be taken not to remove all axillary buds from the remaining stems. In summers where moisture stress is not likely to seriously restrict crop growth, a medium defoliation-intensity grazing where the leaf and petiole, but little of the stem, are removed will maximise DM regrowth, leading to maximum total DM grown for the season. A high defoliation-intensity first grazing that removes at least half the stem is, under these conditions, likely to remove too many axillary buds and reduce water-soluble carbohydrate reserves required for DM regrowth, while a lax first grazing will result in a lower DM regrowth.


The present study was conducted in College of Agriculture, Latur under Marathwada Krushi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani (M.S.) The study was conducted in Latur district. Three tahsils and four villages from each tahsil were selected randomly. Ten respondents from each villages were selected to comprise asample of 120 respondents. The respondents were personally interviewed and the data collected were processed and statistically analyzed by using statistical techniques like frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, coefficient of correlation. For the study independent variables namely age, education, family type, family size, use of sources of information, extension contact, social participation, and achievement motivation were selected. In this study it was observed that majority (70.83%) of the respondents had favourable attitude followed by less favourable attitude 15.00per cent and the remaining 14.17 per cent of the respondents belonged to more favourable attitude in rural development activities.