The Charales (stoneworts) are an ancient monophyletic group with conserved features same in ancesters as well as in present representatives. They are considered to be closely related to the ancestors of land plants. The taxonomy of Charales was delimitated on the basis of morphology and later by fossil characters as well. Nowadays, the higher taxa are relatively well defined and their delimitation is supported by molecular analyses. However, the situation is more problematic at subgeneric levels. The appearance often depends on the environmental conditions that can produce broad morphological variation. The last report on Charales in Bohemia was a checklist of taxa and their distribution along with ecological requirements (vilhelm 1914). Although about the research history and the species diversity in Bohemia from the 19th century are well recorded, there is little information from the 18th and 20th centuries. We have compiled here all historical and current data about the distribution of all members of Charales in the Czech Republic along with information on their ecological preferences. This paper presents a list of 26 species of the four genera of charophytes found in waters of the Czech Republic. The species have been distributed in over 1000 localities.


This paper deals with the effect of accelerated aging on the scratch behavior of carbon/epoxy composites. Carbon/epoxy composite is one the most important type used in aircraft structural parts and exposed to drastic service conditions under various temperatures resulted with scratch damage. Four different type of accelerated aging procedure applied and scratch behavior of carbon/epoxy composites were evaluated using coefficient of friction and penetration depth. Scratch damage morphologies of both original and accelerated aged samples were determined by optical and scanning electron microscope. POLYM. COMPOS., 2015. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers


BACKGROUND
The accuracy of estimation of kidney function with the use of routine metabolic tests, such as measurement of the serum creatinine level, has been controversial. The European Kidney Function Consortium (EKFC) developed a creatinine-based equation (EKFC eGFRcr) to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) with a rescaled serum creatinine level (i.e., the serum creatinine level is divided by the median serum creatinine level among healthy persons to control for variation related to differences in age, sex, or race). Whether a cystatin C-based EKFC equation would increase the accuracy of estimated GFR is unknown.

METHODS
We used data from patients in Sweden to estimate the rescaling factor for the cystatin C level in adults. We then replaced rescaled serum creatinine in the EKFC eGFRcr equation with rescaled cystatin C, and we validated the resulting EKFC eGFRcys equation in cohorts of White patients and Black patients in Europe, the United States, and Africa, according to measured GFR, levels of serum creatinine and cystatin C, age, and sex.

RESULTS
On the basis of data from 227,643 patients in Sweden, the rescaling factor for cystatin C was estimated at 0.83 for men and women younger than 50 years of age and 0.83 + 0.005 × (age - 50) for those 50 years of age or older. The EKFC eGFRcys equation was unbiased, had accuracy that was similar to that of the EKFC eGFRcr equation in both White patients and Black patients (11,231 patients from Europe, 1093 from the United States, and 508 from Africa), and was more accurate than the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration eGFRcys equation recommended by Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes. The arithmetic mean of EKFC eGFRcr and EKFC eGFRcys further improved the accuracy of estimated GFR over estimates from either biomarker equation alone.

CONCLUSIONS
The EKFC eGFRcys equation had the same mathematical form as the EKFC eGFRcr equation, but it had a scaling factor for cystatin C that did not differ according to race or sex. In cohorts from Europe, the United States, and Africa, this equation improved the accuracy of GFR assessment over that of commonly used equations. (Funded by the Swedish Research Council.).


A 3-year-old English Setter dog was presented for an acute onset of coughing. Tracheobronchoscopic examination allowed localization and removal of one grass awn foreign body. A second migrated grass awn was suspected to be present in the left caudal lung lobe. Transesophageal ultrasound revealed an area of pulmonary consolidation in the dorsomedial portion of left caudal lobe and a linear hyperechoic structure consistent with a grass awn foreign body within the area of consolidation. Transesophageal ultrasonography was also used to provide anatomical landmarks that facilitated successful thoracoscopic removal of the foreign body.


The paper examines aspects of the relationship between teaching and research in higher education in social science research methods, with particular reference to the subject area of Education. There are three main themes: reflections on how social science research methods should be (or are) taught; a review of current debates about the relationship between teaching and research, both in higher education and for school teachers; and finally, reporting how a group of educational practitioners (mainly school teachers) studying at Masters level experience learned about research methods. The paper is illustrated by qualitative data from a case study of student experiences of research methods teaching on a Masters degree in Education in a research-intensive UK university. It is suggested that studying the journey embarked upon by taught postgraduate students inexperienced in research is helpful in understanding how learning about research methods takes place, which in turn can assist future research methods teaching.


This paper presents an augmented reality application framework which does not require specialized hardware or pre-calibration. Features extracted, using SURF, are matched between consecutive frames in order to determine the motion of the detected known object with respect to the camera. Next, a bi-directional optical flow algorithm is used to maintain the performance of the system to real-time. The system has been tested on two case studies, a children's book and advertisement, and the results are reported.


In order to find out the various restrictions and difficulties of financial poverty alleviation in rural areas, taking Hubei Province as an example, this paper firstly introduced current situations of financial poverty alleviation in rural areas of Hubei Province. Then, it analyzed problems confronted by financial poverty alleviation in rural areas of Hubei Province: (i) subjects of financial poverty alleviation not mature and poverty alleviation risks increased, (ii) backward agricultural insurance system, (iii) rural credit system not perfect, and (iv) weak guiding policies of financial poverty alleviation. Finally, it came up with pertinent recommendations: improving rural financial environment, actively developing the innovation mode of financial poverty alleviation, and strengthening relevant supervision efforts.


Twenty-six patients submitted to surgery using BAR in intestinal anastomosis have been studied. The results were compared with data of the literature concerning this device of anastomosis and about mechanical staplers and manual suture. The following data were taken into consideration: type of operation, type of anastomosis, average time of execution, complications, days of postoperative canalization and feeding, costs of three anastomosis types. Postoperative complications rate were 23% with a postoperative death rate of 7.6%. There was only one intraoperative complication during a colorectal anastomosis. The average time, to package an intestinal anastomosis using BAR, was 69.9 minutes. The average type of postoperative canalization was 3.7 days and average period in hospital was 10.3 days. The costs of manual suture, of mechanical staplers and of BAR are respectively L. 50,000, 1,340,000 and 583,000. BAR complications are similar to the other techniques; this study shows a reduction of operative time, postoperative canalization and period in hospital, with a consequent decreasing of global costs. The execution of intestinal anastomosis using BAR is easier then the other techniques, the learning time is least and the procedure is uniform. The introduction of this technique in the common operative practice together with manual suture and stapler is stressed.


Due to existence of the facility ducts, such as elevators, heating, and cooling systems in buildings, creating of the openings in the reinforced concrete slabs is inevitable. Usually, small openings have negligible effects on the slab performance whereas the large openings can affect significantly on the slab behavior and can cause the stress concentration adjacent to the openings. In some cases, ignoring this issue can cause serious problems in the integrity, stiffness and even stability of structures. One of the rehabilitation and strengthening methods of such slabs is the use of Fiber Reinforce Polymers sheets (FRPs). In this research, the influence of the lateral and corner openings as well as the impact of using a kind of FRPs known as CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforce Polymer sheets) for strengthening of two-way slabs were investigated. The obtained results indicate that this method can be successfully employed in remedy operations for mentioned slabs. CFRP sheets can recover the lost flexural rigidity of the slab considerably and even in some cases can improve it in comparison to that of homogeneous slab (slab with no opening). The results also show that by implementing this method the flexural rigidity of the slab can be increased between 12 to 30 percent in the case of slabs with lateral opening and between 1 to 10 percent in the case of slabs with the corner opening relative to the original weakened slab (slab with opening without strengthening).


This thesis explores the role of dress and appearance in
the construction of lesbian identities by means of a detailed documentation and analysis of the sexual identities, and styles of self-presentation, of eight self-identified lesbians living in Britain during the inter-war period. The study is concerned both to emphasise the specificity of these women's experiences, and to identify factors common to each subjective narrative, and it is suggested that these over-arching issues were potentially central to the experience of many lesbians living in Britain during the inter-war period.

The source material for the investigation is intentionally
diverse, and the thesis employs a methodology derived from
a number of different areas of academic investigation - in
particular fashion history, subcultural theory, lesbian history and lesbian theory since none of these in isolation adequately addresses the role of self-presentationin the construction of sexual identity. The investigation focuses upon the inter-war period in Britain because although it has been widely characterised as a time of unrivalled significance in relation to the development of a 'modern' lesbian identity and subculture, this period in British lesbian history remains conspicuously underresearched and, in addition, because the proximity of the
1920s and 1930s to the present enables the use of oral
history as a counterbalance to written and visual sources, which invariably favour the famous, aristocratic and/or
'creative' subject' . Therefore this investigation formulates a new approach to the documentation and analysis of the role of self -presentation in the construction of subjective identity, whilst also challenging many existing assumptions surrounding the development of a lesbian identity and subculture in Britain during the inter-war period.


This paper reviews existing and new applications of single crystal diamond, both natural and synthetic, in optical science. The traditional application is as transmissive components, making use of the very wide spectral transmission range, high thermal conductivity, and chemical inertness of diamond. Diamond windows for corrosive environments are well known; diamond surgical endoscope components are under development; and the use of sharpened diamonds as combined surgical cutting instruments and light pipes for internal illumination of the edge is commercial reality. The superb ability of diamond to conduct heat, combined with its very low thermal expansion coefficient makes it suitable for the transmission of high power laser energy, though there is a problem currently being addressed of a high surface reflection coefficient. It is very probable that CVD diamond-like films will form good anti-reflection coatings for diamond. In new applications, the technology of making diamond lenses is being developed. The use of diamond as a detector of ionising radiation is well known, but recent work shows its possibilities in thermoluminescent as well as conduction and pulse counting modes. There are further possibilities of using diamond for the detection and measurement of optical radiation. Examples are low, medium, and high intensity far ultraviolet (< 225 nm) and very high intensity near ultraviolet and visible light from excimer, dye, or argon lasers. Diamond is very radiation resistant! Sensitivities, response times and impurity trap levels have been measured and appropriate diamonds can be synthesised. The use of diamond as fast opto-electronic switches has been reported in the literature and the mechanical and thermal design of diamond "heat sink" substrates for semiconductor laser diodes is advancing rapidly.


Dissolution and Repassivation during and after passivity breakdown of four kinds of metallic biomaterials in simulated body fluid were examined using rapid straining electrode test. The materials were pure titanium, Ti-6Al-4V alloy, Type 316L stainless steel and Co-Cr alloy. Rapid straining was applied for electrodes of these materials that were immersed in a simulated body fluid containing proteins for 1 day, 1 week or 1 week with cell culturing prior to the test, then changes in strain, stress and anodic current were observed simultaneously. The maximum anodic current density during rapid straining was observed for pure titanium. However, maximum charge density generated after rapid straining until 100 s from the termination of rapid elongation was observed for Type 316L stainless steel. These results suggest that the amount of dissolution of metallic biomaterials with passivity breakdown depends on the equilibrium potential of metal substrates and repassivation rate. The charge densities generated on the samples immersed for 1 week in the simulated body fluid prior to the rapid elongation and covered with cells was larger than that generated on the sample immersed for 1 day in pure Ti, Ti-6Al-4V alloy and Type 316L stainless steel. The highest increase rate of the charge density was confirmed in the sample covered with cells of Type 316L stainless steel.


Background. Assessment of capacity plays a pivotal role in determining when decisions need to be made on behalf of an individual. It therefore has major clinical management implications for health care professionals and civil liberties implications for the person concerned. In many countries, there is a presumption that adults have the capacity to make health care decisions. However, in persons with a mental disability, capacity may be temporarily or permanently impaired. Methods. A selective review is presented which considers : (i) the broad approaches taken to determining capacity; (ii) the abilities commonly assessed in determining capacity; and (iii) the principles underlying health care decision-making for adults who are without capacity. Results. Capacity is a functional concept, determined by the person's ability to understand, retain, and weigh up information relevant to the decision in order to arrive at a choice, and then to communicate that choice. We have reviewed the studies that examined decision-making abilities in people with dementia, chronic mental illness or intellectual disabilities. Approaches to decisionmaking in adults who lack capacity include: anticipatory decisions made through advance health care statements or decisions by proxy based on 'best interests ' or 'substituted judgement'. Conclusions. The understanding of clinical and legal aspects of capacity is still developing. This paper examines current concepts of capacity and decision-making on behalf of those without capacity. We propose a framework, in line with current ethical and legal guidelines, as an aid to clinicians when they are seeking consent for a health care intervention.


The Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI 2012) presented multi-ethnic spirometry reference values that are recommended to be used instead previous Zapletals' reference values. The study aimed to compare the values of the pulmonary parameters calculated according to the Zapletals' versus the GLI 2012 reference values in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. Preoperative pulmonary testing and radiographic evaluation were performed in 39 adolescents (29 females, 10 males) aged 12-17 years. The thoracic Cobb angle ranged 50°-104°. Forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) were measured. The percentages of predicted values of FVC (%FVC) and the FEV1 (%FEV1) were calculated according to the Zapletals' reference values and to the GLI 2012 reference values. The subgroup analysis was performed for the subjects with Cobb curve 50°-74° (N=26) versus the subjects with Cobb curve 75°-104° (N=13). Mean %FVC was significantly higher using the Zapletals' reference values 86.1%±16.4 versus 84.6%±15.6 using the GLI 2012 reference values, p=0.0116. Mean %FEV1 was significantly higher using the Zapletals' reference values 84.5%±18.2 versus 80.0%±16.3 using GLI 2012 reference values, p=0.000001. The subgroup analysis revealed significant difference of %FVC in moderate (p=0.033974) and no difference in severe curves (p=0.1993). The %FEV1 differences were significant in both moderate (p=0.000011) and severe curves (p=0.0334). The study demonstrated that a significant difference might be observed in the spirometry parameters due to the applied reference values. These differences might be taken into account during the spirometry examination interpretation.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the visualization of mediastinal lymph nodes during thoracic CT employing a multiphasic contrast media (CM) protocol.

METHODS
Institutional review board approved retrospective study consisting of 300 patients with known chest malignancy. Patients were allocated to one of two CM protocols: Protocol A, consisted of dual bolus (Phase 1:100 ml CM followed by 100 ml saline chaser) i.v. injected at 2.5 ml s-1; Protocol B employed 100 ml of CM using a multiphasic injection protocol (Phase 1 and 2:60 ml contrast and saline, followed by Phase 3 and 4:40 ml contrast and saline injected at 2.5 ml s-1) with a fixed scan delay of 70 s for each acquisition. Attenuation profiles of the thoracic arteries and veins were calculated as well as the arterio-venous contrast ratios (AVCR). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC), visual grading characteristic (VGC), and Cohen's kappa analysis were assessed.

RESULTS
Arterial opacification was up to 24% (p < 0.032) higher in protocol B than A, whereas, in the veins it was significantly lower in protocol B than A, with a maximum reduction of up to 84% (p < 0.0001). There was no statistical significance between the central and peripheral pulmonary arteries [>263 Hounsfield units (HU)] in each protocol. Protocol B, demonstrated significant improvement in AVCR at various anatomical sites (p < 0.002). Radiation dose was significantly reduced in protocol B compared to A (p < 0.004). Both ROC and VGC demonstrated significantly higher Az score for protocol B compared to A (p < 0.0001) with an increased inter reader agreement from poor to excellent.

CONCLUSION
Employing a multiphasic CM protocol significantly improves opacification of the thoracic vasculature and visualization of mediastinal lymph nodes during thoracic CT.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE
Uniform opacification between thoracic arteries and veins increases the delineation between vasculature and lymph nodes, reduces radiation dose when employing a multiphase contrast media injection protocol.


The purpose of this study is to examine why students in senior High School choice as they do when it comes to the individual selection. A filed investigation (survey) was made with 10 students in age18 in a senior High School at a middle size city in Sweden. After the field investigation the answers was analysed and the result showed that there was clear tendencies, that causes lie behind the student's choice. The result showed that we could categorise the student choices under four different themes. These are interest, grade, profession and career. These themes were so general that they were mentioned by all the students during the field investigation.


There exists an increasing need in power electronics for efficient three-phase inverters. They can find application in power control of AC motors or as an intermediate stage in DC-DC converters. It seems that employing three-phase oscillators for such inverters can be an appropriate solution. However, for the sake of efficiency and also simplicity, it should be beneficial that the three-phase oscillators will consist of high-Q three-phase resonators. The present paper describes several circuits that can be entitled three-phase resonators. The discussion is mainly related to the topological structures of the systems. A numerical simulation of their dynamics is also given. The three-phase resonators consist of six reactors (three inductors and three capacitors), and not merely of three as might have been expected. This is probably due to the duality existing in electromagnetics. Active elements are added mainly for sustaining the oscillations. However, a further task for them is to assist in balancing the three-phase system. Some of the models are advantageous since they have in inherent property to constrain the DC bias in the three-phase variables, both in the currents and in the voltages, to zero.


Within the framework of the method of variation of constants, time-dependent perturbation theory is presented in a form that naturally eliminates the undesirable 'secular ' terms for a time-independent perturbation, permits an order-by-order calculation of the exact wavefunction for a 'resonant' harmonic perturbation and offers a simple route to establish the adiabatic hypothesis in quantum mechanics. The formulation rests on the introduction of a flexibility in the choice of the phase factors associated with the varying amplitudes, together with development of a perturbation procedure that closely resembles the Brillouin-Wigner formalism in the static case, and which exploits the flexibility of the phase factors at each order of the theory.


The grassland ecosystem of Mongolia and adjacent areas of Russia and northeastern China is an important component of the natural ecosystems of Eastern Asia. This grassland ecosystem is unique in that it has been utilized for grazing for a long period of time without deterioration. The Mongolian gazelle, Procapra gutturosa, an important species occurring in this ecosystem, used to be abundant and widely distributed, however, populations have decreased in recent decades and the distribution of the species has become greatly reduced. The contraction of its range began in the early years of the 20th century in China, during the 1970s in Russia, where they completely disappeared, and after the 1950s in Mongolia where the majority of the population now remains. The total population has decreased from about 1.5 million heads in the 1940s to 300,000-500,000 at present. In Mongolia, their range spanned about 780,000 km2 in the 1950s, but this has contracted to only 170,000 km2 at present. Mongolian gazelles inhabit grasslands and eat mainly grasses such as Stipa spp. and Aneurolepidium chinense. During summer they occur in small groups of 20-30 individuals, and in winter usually of 100-120 individuals, although they sometimes gather into herds of several thousands during periods of snow. They migrate seasonally, but their routes and the distances travelled are unclear. Their reproductive capacity is high with very high pregnancy rates ranging from 80% to 100% among females older than 1.5 years. The present problems facing the population and the future needs for conservation are discussed with the main conclusion being that international cooperation for the establishment of reserves is urgently required.


The study provides an overview of Mozambique timber sector, descriptive and comparative wood anatomy, drying experiments and interrelationships between mechanics, density and anatomical features of lesser used species from Mozambique. Exhaustive literature review described the timber sector as dominated by few hardwood species selectively harvested from a forest containing 118 potential wood species. The survey discussed the need to revert the current situation by proposing studies on lesser used timbers to enlarge the resource base and ensure sustainable logging practices. Afterwards, based on growing stock reported in the forest inventory, three lesser used timbers namely ntholo (Pseudolachnostylis maprounaefolia Pax), metil (Sterculia appendiculata K. Schum) and muanga (Pericopsis angolensis Meeuwen) were selected and subjected to descriptive and comparative wood anatomical studies aiming to understand their structure with regard to prospective end uses. Classical methods of wood sectioning and both light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used. The results showed that ntholo and muanga are characterized by diffuse porosity, indistinct growth rings, 18 vessel/mm2, extractives in heartwood vessels, ray width (1-3 cells), % fibre proportion (ntholo 57%; muanga 58%). This set of anatomical features typifies dense timbers with recognized strength and good natural durability. Metil has shown wood structure characterized by very wide vessels without extractives recorded in low density (< 5 vessels/mm2), ground tissues dominated by thin-walled axial parenchyma (50-61%) and fibre proportion (17-27%). Metil wood anatomy is typical for light timbers with poor natural durability. Nevertheless, metil timber seems easy to impregnate with wood preservatives as demonstrated by the high uptake of 463 kg/m3. In addition, the study carried out drying experiments on ntholo boards aimed to assign adequate drying schedule. The experiment was conducted in two stages, i.e. non-symmetrical drying tests (NSD) and laboratory batch kiln drying (LBK). NSD was intended to select provisional schedule and LBK to test the performance of the selected schedule based on European standards. The results from NSD assigned provisional schedule (T6-D2) corresponding to other tropical timbers with similar drying behaviour. The LBK lasted 266 h and ensured standard quality drying described by 8.9% final moisture content, a gradient of 1.2% and 1.2 mm of casehardening. Minor deformations were recorded and twist was the largest with an average of 3.4 mm. However, in general, the drying experiment can be regarded as successful since it provided background for industrial drying. Finally, the study determined ntholo timber mechanics and thereafter examined interrelationships with density and anatomical features of ntholo through correlation and regression analysis. The results show that ntholo is a very dense timber with high mechanical strength in comparison to well known timbers. Correlation analysis revealed fibre length as the only anatomical feature significantly correlated to density and all tested mechanical properties of ntholo. The number of vessels/mm2 and %vessels were not significantly correlated to any of the measured properties but appeared to be key anatomical features for predictions under regression analysis. All tested properties of ntholo sapwood seemed to be influenced mainly by ground tissue proportions, while heartwood properties were described by more leveled anatomical predictors. The regression analyses show that both ntholo sapwood and heartwood densities are poor predictors for the tested mechanical properties, although may provide rough indication of tested properties given the observed correlations. The integrated analysis of results from the timber sector review, wood anatomy, drying behaviour and mechanical properties are expected to form a reliable background for a successful utilization of the relatively lesser explored timbers from Mozambique.


Two subjects diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related disabilities underwent a functional analysis to ensure hand-clapping was maintained by automatic reinforcement. A secondary analysis (sensory analysis) was conducted to assess the effect of different sensorystimulating items on responding. Finally, a function-based noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) procedure using sensory stimuli was applied to reduce the target behavior, and the schedule of reinforcement was thinned. Results showed a decrease in hand-clapping when the function-based treatment was implemented, and hand-clapping remained at low levels when the schedule of reinforcement was thinned. This research further elucidates how NCR can impact behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement.


The paper provides brief history of workhouses from the 1500s to the early 1900s with a particular focus on workhouses in both England and Kansas City, Missouri. Through a historical review of various scholarly sources and newspaper archives, the oppression of impoverished people in the English workhouses is explored. The series of Elizabethan laws concerning the operation of workhouses and treatment of destitute citizens are discussed in order to demonstrate how these changes impacted the workhouse paradigm and the lives of paupers. Selected accounts from former workhouse residents are also provided in order to further contextualize what life was like within a workhouse. In addition, two workhouses in Kansas City are discussed in comparison to the English models, with the second of the two workhouses serving as a more compassionate and humane example of how the government should treat indigent citizens.

Faculty Mentor: Neal McNabb


This paper presents a field survey of urban pollution load and the related load estimation method. The promotion of point source control has increased the relative importance of nonpoint source control, however urban nonpoint pollutant load through separate sanitary sewers is not yet fully addressed, while drastic measures on combined sewer overflows alleviation were initiated in Japan. In this study, a field survey was conducted targeting on conventional water qualities, heavy metals, endocrine disrupting chemicals, and so forth. Then, simplified estimation method of urban nonpoint pollution load was also investigated as a use of prior dry weather days as an independent variable.


This paper describes the advantages and challenges of applying microelectromechanical accelerometer systems (MEMS accelerometers) in order to attain precise, accurate, and stateless positioning of telescope mounts. This provides a completely independent method from other forms of electronic, optical, mechanical or magnetic feedback or real-time astrometry. Our goal is to reach the subarcminute range which is considerably smaller than the field-of-view of conventional imaging telescope systems. Here we present how this subarcminute accuracy can be achieved with very cheap MEMS sensors and we also detail how our procedures can be extended in order to attain even finer measurements. In addition, our paper discusses how can a complete system design be implemented in order to be a part of a telescope control system.


This paper addresses the difficulty of forecasting multiple financial time series (TS) conjointly using deep neural networks (DNN). We investigate whether DNN-based models could forecast these TS more efficiently by learning their representation directly. To this end, we make use of the dynamic factor graph (DFG) from that we enhance by proposing a novel variable-length attention-based mechanism to render it memory-augmented. Using this mechanism, we propose an unsupervised DNN architecture for multivariate TS forecasting that allows to learn and take advantage of the relationships between these TS. We test our model on two datasets covering 19 years of investment funds activities. Our experimental results show that our proposed approach outperforms significantly typical DNN-based and statistical models at forecasting their 21-day price trajectory.


Abstract Pesticide-induced DNA damage is primarily repaired by base excision repair (BER) pathway. However, polymorphism in DNA repair genes may modulate individual's DNA repair capacity (DRC) leading to increased genotoxicity and adverse health effects. Our first study in North-West Indian population aimed to evaluate the impact of OGG1 rs1052133 (Ser326Cys; C1245G), XRCC1 rs1799782 (Arg194Trp; C26304T) and XRCC1 rs25487 (Arg399Gln; G28152A) polymorphisms on the modulation of pesticide-induced DNA damage in a total of 450 subjects (225 pesticide-exposed agricultural workers and 225 age- and sex-matched controls). DNA damage was estimated by alkaline comet assay using silver-staining method. Genotyping was carried out by PCR-RFLP using site-specific restriction enzymes. Mann-Whitney U-test revealed elevation in DNA damage parameters (p < 0.01) in pesticide-exposed agricultural workers than controls. Chi-square test showed significant (p < 0.05) differences in the XRCC1 Arg194Trp (C26304T) and Arg399Gln (G28152A) genotypes among two groups. Multivariate logistic-regression analysis revealed that heterozygous genotypes of OGG1 rs1052133 (326Ser/Cys; 1245CA), XRCC1 rs1799782 (194Arg/Trp; 26304CT) and XRCC1 rs25487 (399Arg/Gln; 2815GA) were positively associated (p < 0.05) with elevated DNA damage parameters in pesticide-exposed agricultural workers. Our results strongly indicate significant positive association of variant OGG1 and XRCC1 genotypes with reduced DRC and higher pesticide-induced DNA damage in North-West Indian agricultural workers.


The removal of arsenic from drinking water with copolymer coagulant was investigated. The effect of the component, additive substance of the coagulant and filtration were tested by employing a orthogonal analysis. The results showed that the arsenic removal with ferric sulfate was better than that with ferric-aluminum copolymer and polysilicon metal salt. Adding active carbon powder or kaoline could not enhance the efficacy of arsenic removal. However, the removal rate was improved by filtration after using coagulates, and sand filtration was feasible. The efficacy of arsenic removal could be affected by the column height filled with sand and the diameter of sand. After arsenic adsorption model fitted, the Lang-muire isotherm was matched. The main mechanism of arsenic removal by coagulation should be adsorption.


In a survey of 304 chief executives, three-quarters felt the Shifting the Balance reorganisation would delay the delivery of the NHS plan over the next year. A quarter felt the delay would be severe. 55 per cent expressed negative views about the reorganisation. On average, chief executives were spending a quarter of their time implementing the reforms. Almost half were concerned about PCTs' ability to cope with an enlarged set of responsibilities. More than half (59 per cent) of chief executives thought their job would change as the result of the reorganisation. A quarter thought they were less likely to be working in the NHS.


Aim We aimed to analyze the influence of preoperative piroxicam, diclofenac, paracetamol, tramadol, and placebo tablets as measured in the time required for rescue analgesia for postoperative pain relief after the extraction of impacted mandibular third molar. Materials & methods Forty-four patients who needed extraction of impacted mandibular third molar were arbitrarily categorized into four groups namely, piroxicam, diclofenac, paracetamol with tramadol, and placebo. The test medicine was given one hour preoperatively before the surgical removal. The pain was assessed using visual analog scale (VAS) and verbal rating scale (VRS) scores preoperatively and at the third and 24th hours. The time required for escape analgesia was measured. Results The mean VAS and VRS scores showed significant differences across the groups after 24 hours. The mean score was lowest for the patients taking piroxicam (1.30+1.95) and highest for patients taking tramadol + paracetamol (4.50+2.59). As far as escape analgesia is concerned piroxicam group was by far superior. Conclusion The pain scores and the rescue analgesic requirement suggested that piroxicam analgesic significantly reduced pain; moreover, it is a safe as well as an efficacious substitute to the conventional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for mandibular third molar impactions.


This briefing note explains the technical strategies to confront situations of excessive, and unstable groundwater exploitation, but the institutional framework for implementation is dealt with elsewhere (Briefing Notes 4, 5 & 6). In this regard the following fundamental sub-division of resource management options is useful: demand-side management interventions; and, supply-side engineering measures. Groundwater resource use for irrigated agriculture can be reduced assuming primary importance, given that, in most regions, agriculture is the predominant consumer of groundwater resources. Moreover, excess irrigation often forms an important component of aquifer recharge, and a resource in turn normally available to other groundwater users, or as base-flow in downstream rivers. It follows that, while increasing irrigation efficiency represents 'an energy saving', it does not necessarily represent 'a water resource saving' (because the water may anyway have returned to the aquifer). It is important that groundwater resources are properly considered in national strategic planning. Addressing the policy question 'what services are most required from groundwater' is necessary to provide targets for local management action, but it is one which is frequently ignored. Uncontrolled groundwater exploitation, leading to negative side-effects has occurred quite widely, but there is still much scope (although not enough practical experience) in controlled engineering of aquifer storage for water supply.


The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors. No responsibility for them should be attributed to the Bank of Canada.


Organised medicine in a number of advanced industrial countries resisted the post-war trend toward more state involvement in the funding and organisation of medical care. While there were eight doctors' strikes during the peak of reform efforts in the 1960s, two of the most prolonged and bitter struggles took place in Canada and Belgium. This comparative analysis of the two strikes highlights the philosophy, motives, and strategies of organised medicine in resisting state-led reform efforts. Although historical and institutional contexts in the two countries differed, organised medicine in Canada and Belgium thought and responded in very similar ways to the perceived threat of medical insurance reform. While the perception of who won and who lost the respective doctors' strikes differed, the ultimate impact on the trajectory of public healthcare on the medical profession was remarkably similar. In both countries, the strike would have a long-standing impact on future reform efforts, particularly efforts to reform physician remuneration in order to facilitate more effective primary healthcare.


The trend in satellite remote sensing assignments has continuously been concerning using hardware devices with more flexibility, smaller size, and higher computational power. Therefore, field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) technology is often used by the developers of the scientific community and equipment for carrying out different satellite remote sensing algorithms. This article explains hardware implementation of land surface temperature split window (LST-SW) algorithm based on the FPGA. To get a high-speed process and real-time application, VHSIC hardware description language (VHDL) was employed to design the LST-SW algorithm. The paper presents the benefits of the used Virtex-4QV of radiation tolerant series FPGA. The experimental results revealed that the suggested implementation of the algorithm using Virtex4QV achieved higher throughput of 435.392 Mbps, and faster processing time with value of 2.95 ms. Furthermore, a comparison between the proposed implementation and existing work demonstrated that the proposed implementation has better performance in terms of area utilization; 1.17% reduction in number of Slice used and 1.06% reduction in of LUTs. Moreover, the significant advantage of area utilization would be the none use of block RAMs comparing to existing work using three blocks RAMs. Finally, comparison results show improvements using the proposed implementation with rates of 2.28% higher frequency, 3.66 x higher throughput, and 1.19% faster processing time.


Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is the primary DNA repair pathway that removes helix‐distorting DNA strand damage induced by ultraviolet light irradiation or chemical carcinogens to ensure genome integrity. While the core NER proteins that carry out damage recognition, excision, and repair reactions have been identified and extensively characterized, and the NER pathway has been reconstituted in vitro, the regulatory pathways that govern the threshold levels of NER have not been fully elucidated. This mini‐review focuses on recently discovered transcriptional and post‐translational mechanisms that specify the capacity of NER, and suggests the potential implications of modulating NER activity in cancer prevention and therapeutic intervention. J. Cell. Physiol. 224: 585–589, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


In this study, we consider a bicriteria multiresource generalized assignment problem. Our criteria are the total assignment load and maximum assignment load over all agents. We aim to generate all nondominated objective vectors and the corresponding efficient solutions. We propose several lower and upper bounds and use them in our optimization and heuristic algorithms. The computational results have shown the satisfactory behaviors of our approaches. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 61: 621–636, 2014


We investigate the explanatory power of decision, psychometric, and trust theory to describe laypeople's risk perception of personal economic collapse in a bank crisis. The aim of this investigation is to improve the understanding of the effects of national initiatives for crisis fighting taken to prevent systemic risk. Using a stratified sample of 738 Cypriote citizens, we conducted an investigation in Cyprus in the spring of 2013 when the country was facing a bank crisis. At that point in time, the Cypriote Government had imposed capital controls to prevent a bank run. We find that decision theory variables alone have low explanatory value on laypeople's risk perception, and that laypeople's risk perception in this situation is affected primarily by psychometric variables. Further, confidence in one's own bank also explains risk perception. Our findings contribute novel knowledge about risk perceptions in a financial crisis, with practical crisis management implications for regulators.


AbstractThat song is both a concrete musical entity and an abstract metaphor for romantic subjectivity is the central paradox of musical lyricism. This paradox lends the lyric mode in music a self-consciousness that is, I believe, linguistic in character. It invites the listener to hear musical gestures both as signs that participate in the teleology of tonal discourse, and as sounds; and such sounds, in turn, are experienced viscerally at the same time that they serve as an abstract ideal of pure, natural expression. The present article examines, with reference to Schumann's Dichterliebe, the aesthetic and discursive bases for lyricism's engagement with temporality. Two "linguistic moments" from Schumann's Dichterliebe illustrate how the dialectic between sign and sound plays with the various parameters of musical discourse, reflects or comments upon its own artifice, and breaks the illusion that music is a transparent medium of expression. Finally, the semiotic implications of lyricism's engagement with temporality are explored with reference to Nietzsche's conception of the Augenblick.


There is phenomenal growth in the use of electronic resources all over the world. Unfortunately, reports abound in literature that most African students including Nigerians are yet to fully key into its glowing opportunities globally for self and national development. Thus, this paper investigated the availability, awareness and use of electronic information resources in selected academic libraries in Lagos State, Nigeria.The survey design was adopted for the study through a structured questionnaire drawn on 300 registered users of the library (students) that were purposively sampled in three Federal higher institutions in Lagos State. 286 copies of thequestionnaire dulycompleted and returnedwere analysed through SPSS (version 20). Major findings reveal inter-alia that: availability, awareness and use of library electronic resources were at low level as significant positive relationship exists among the variables due to several reasons. These includes: skeletal stages of electronic libraries  development, inadequate funding and technical know-how including lack of awareness of available library electronic resources and poor  interpersonal relationship among library staff  and users . Recommendations were made based on the findings.
Keywords: Electronic Resources, Digital Libraries, Students, Lagos-State, Nigeria


Due to political and social situation which followed local riots and war, in the SW part of Balkan Peninsula, the large existent archaeological and civil treasure, mainly the Orthodox Monasteries, is heavily threatened. So, we need collect, record and make available all information data, which appear representative of this precious heritage. A G.I.S. system has been developed to this aim, in order to save and store elements for historical, cultural, artistic information; this task is obviously made difficult, by present political, social and ethnical situation. At present we have new powerful methods for storage and archiving; in any case behavior of mankind has not greatly improved as long as conservation related, so the danger for heritage is greater than ever 3D topology analysis and management are very important tools for 3D GIS's, like Architectural Information Systems. On the other hand, 3D topology analysis and management can really become complex, if the processing is performed by the selection of feasible realizations among all theoretical combinations. Let recall that factorial numbers, which govern the combinatory calculation, increase strongly very quickly. On the contrary, if the base to analyze and manage the data is the cardinality given by groups of symmetry, 3D topology analysis and management can be quite easily arranged. 3D topology analysis and management is presented as a scientific software, developed with the specific aim to answer positively of the above mentioned tasks, even if the present paper is still at the level of work in progress


We have observed that many polysaccharides can promote the oxidation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) into melanin-like pigments leading to the formation of water-soluble polysaccharide/melanin complexes. These pigments were characterized by size exclusion chromatography and FT-IR spectroscopy. The effect on the secretion of interleukin (IL)-lβ and IL-6 from immune cells by DOPA-based melanin synthesized in the presence or absence of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) was evaluated. We observed that the melanin/CMC complex had a more potent effect on both IL secretions compared to the melanin prepared from DOPA in the absence of any polysaccharide. The study of the effect of melanins on the IL secretion by immune or other cells will help illuminate the potential contributions of this broad class of pigments to pathological conditions like Parkinson's disease or ochronosis.


Abstract: This paper offers an alternative to the view of the routines literature provided by T. Felin and N. J. Foss, 'The Endogenous Origins of Experience, Routines and Organizational Capabilities: The Poverty of Stimulus', published by the Journal of Institutional Economics. The emphasis here is on practice-based theories of organizational routines that are grounded in close, ethnographic observation of real routines. While this literature may be unfamiliar to some readers, it is relevant here because it specifically contradicts the core assertions made by Felin and Foss. Further, this literature provides a clear theoretical foundation for subsequent research on problems such as stability and change in routines, the nature of capabilities and dynamic capabilities, and complex ecologies of routines.


The application of laccase-mediator-based catalysis is limited owing to the high cost of laccases and mediators and the potential toxicity of free mediators. Here, a novel biocatalyst (Im-LMS) was fabricated by immobilizing both laccase and a mediator (2,2'-azino-bis-[3-ethylbenzothiazoline]-6-sulfonic acid) on layered double hydroxide/alginate biohybrid beads. The catalytic activity of Im-LMS was evaluated for dye decolorization using malachite green. The decolorization yields of malachite green by Im-LMS and the free laccase-mediator system were 92% within 120 min and 90% within 90 min. Malachite green solution was detoxified completely after biodegradation by Im-LMS. Following eight reuse cycles of Im-LMS for dye treatment, a decolorization yield of 79% was obtained. The activity of Im-LMS was almost completely stable after being stored for 10 days. The recyclability and stability of Im-LMS will be helpful for reducing the running cost and potential toxicity associated with mediators to facilitate practical applications.


[1] The Catalina Eddy, a small, recurring cyclonic vortex in the ocean off Los Angeles, is of keen interest to local weather forecasters because of the moderating oceanic effect it brings to the city. Its small size and shallow vertical extent have made it difficult to monitor and predict using conventional data. The microwave scatterometer on the QuikSCAT spacecraft has generated high-resolution surface wind vectors that provide the first visualization of the complete cyclonic flow of the eddy. Moreover, the superior performance of the QuikSCAT scatterometer demonstrates the relative inaccuracy and inconsistency of predictions of the eddy based upon numerical weather prediction models.


Abstract The present paper examines the impact of financial and social performance of microfinance institutions (MFIs) on lending interest rate. The paper has covered five-star-rated MFIs in all the six regions of the world individually and collectively for the period of 2006–2012. Data for 382 MFIs belonging to 70 countries around the world have been taken from the Microfinance Information Exchange (Mix Market). Financial performance is captured through return on assets, return on equity, and operational self-sufficiency, whereas social performance is measured through average loan size and number of credit clients. The lending interest rate is a weighted average of the interest rates actually received by the MFIs from their clients. The paper incorporated some control variables to capture variations in size, age, location, and infrastructure of MFIs. Panel data estimation techniques have been applied to find out the empirical association between the selected variables. Most of the results have shown that cost of funding, return on assets (ROA), and the number of credit clients have a significant positive impact on lending interest rate around the world. However, depth outreach as depicted by average loan size has significant inverse relation with lending interest rates. Moreover, results also highlight different factors that affect the productivity of MFIs around the world.


From 1988 to 1997, all French prime ministers launched administrative reform programs with numerous concerns for increasing efficiency, strengthening responsiveness, or redesigning political and administrative roles within the state. However, these initiatives have never led to radical and disruptive changes. The institutional legacy seems to have strongly constrained the politics of administration. What, then, is the meaning of launching administrative reforms within the French political power configuration, and how does it "fit" with the way leaders try to establish their political authority? This article provides two empirical studies of different prime ministers (Michel Rocard under the Mitterrand presidency and Alain Jupp under the Chirac presidency) that can explain the nature of the French governments' commitments to these issues. It argues that understanding administrative reforms requires a mixture of institutional and actor-centered explanations, because these policies are really leadership challenges to the preexisting institutional order. As such, they are reflexively shaped or constrained by what they try to control and define. This paper shows that for a French prime minister to define the administration as a problem while building his own leadership can jeopardize the resources he will get from that same bureaucratic administrative system. This "power-reform dilemma" may explain why administrative reforms have proven more politically effective as an instrument of order-affirming impulses rather than as a disruptive strategy.


Computational fluid dynamics, usually abbreviated CFD, is the subject in which the calculation of solutions to the basic equations of fluid mechanics is achieved using a computer. In this sense, CFD is a subfield of fluid mechanics, but one that relies heavily on developments in fields outside of fluid mechanics proper, in particular numerical analysis and computer science . CFD is sometimes called numerical fluid mechanics. It is a prevailing view that the computer revolution has produced a "third mode" of scientific investigation, often called scientific computing or computational science , that today enters on a par with the more established modes of (theoretical) analysis and (laboratory) experimentation. CFD is this new "third mode" of doing fluid mechanics. The Nature of CFD Our objective is to explore CFD from a basic science perspective. We take as a given the power and elegance of analytical reasoning in fluid mechanics, and the precision and persuasiveness of well-executed experiments and observations. We wish to demonstrate that CFD has ingredients from both these traditional ways of doing fluid mechanics, and, furthermore, injects a set of unique viewpoints, challenges and perspectives. The subject has many very new aspects, due in large part to the rapid and recent development of computer technology. Yet it also has considerable historical and intellectual depth with many contributions of great beauty and profundity that derive directly from cornerstone developments in mathematical analysis and physical theory. There is often a very special flavor to a CFD investigation. Sometimes this arises from the unique combination of trying to describe a continuum using a finite set of states (and, thus, ideas from discrete mathematics). On other occasions one has the challenge to address a question that is still too difficult for conventional analysis and is largely inaccessible to laboratory experiments. An example of this kind is whether the three-dimensional Euler equations for incompressible flow generate singularities in a finite time starting from smooth initial data. In a computation we can often impose a constraint or symmetry that is very difficult to achieve or maintain experimentally, such as exactly two-dimensional flow. In a computation we can increase the nonlinearity in the problem gradually, from a regime conforming to a linearized description, that is usually amenable to analysis, to a weakly nonlinear regime (where analysis typically is much harder), and finally, to a fully nonlinear range (where analytical understanding may be altogether lacking).


Binary Exponential Backoff (BEB) is a key component of the IEEE 802.11 DCF protocol. It has been shown that BEB can achieve the theoretical limit of throughput as long as the initial backoff window size is properly selected. It, however, suffers from significant delay degradation when the network becomes saturated. It is thus of special interest for us to further design backoff schemes for IEEE 802.11 DCF networks that can achieve comparable throughput as BEB, but provide better delay performance. This paper presents a systematic study on the effect of backoff schemes on throughput and delay performance of saturated IEEE 802.11 DCF networks. In particular, a backoff scheme is defined as a sequence of backoff window sizes {Wi}. The analysis shows that a saturated IEEE 802.11 DCF network has a single steady-state operating point as long as {Wi} is a monotonic increasing sequence. The maximum throughput is found to be independent of {Wi}, yet the growth rate of {Wi} determines a fundamental tradeoff between throughput and delay performance. For illustration, Polynomial Backoff is proposed, and the effect of polynomial power x on the network performance is characterized. It is demonstrated that Polynomial Backoff with a larger x is more robust against the fluctuation of the network size, but in the meanwhile suffers from a larger second moment of access delay. Quadratic Backoff (QB), i.e., Polynomial Backoff with x=2, stands out to be a favorable option as it strikes a good balance between throughput and delay performance. The comparative study between QB and BEB confirms that QB well preserves the robust nature of BEB and achieves much better queueing performance than BEB.


Digital transformation has profoundly influenced various socio-economic fields and induced retailing firms to utilize digital innovations to maximize business effectiveness in the digital era. The study aims to pinpoint the motivations for online retailing (ORE) adoption and business performance among Vietnamese businesses in the formative digital transformation stage within an extended technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework. The questionnaire-based data are accumulated for this study. Firm respondents are those who have used and increased their familiarity with ORE in Vietnam. All analysis is performed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results posit that important factors of technological context (i.e., relative advantage, compatibility, and observability), organizational context (i.e., top management support, entrepreneurial orientation, and technological orientation), and the environmental context (i.e., perceived trend, government support, and legal framework) substantially boost ORE adoption. Additionally, firm age is an essential control variable that strongly influences firms' engagement in ORE. Unexpectedly, firm size, competitive pressure, and control variable (i.e., number of employees) do not significantly affect ORE adoption. Besides, ORE adoption serves as an underlying motivation for business performance. Ultimately, theoretical and practical implications are discussed.


CONTEXT
DNA analysis has been used with success in the identification of carbonized corpses and victims of large accidents. The analysis requires relatives of crash victims to donate blood for analysis. The relatives are generally willing contribute to the identification by giving a blood sample.

OBJECTIVE
To describe the use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for genetic characterization of one victim extensively burned by fire.

DESIGN
Case report.

CASE REPORT
DNA was extracted from blood of the cardiac chamber, and 15 different loci (D1S80, ApoB, D17S30, D3S1744, D18S849, D12S1090, FGA, D7S820, D1S533, D9S304, HUMCSF1PO, HUMTPOX, HUMTHO1, amelogenin and HLA-DQA1) were analyzed using the PCR technique. Results from all loci typing of the corpse were then compared to that of his alleged biological parents, revealing a genetic compatibility.


abstract:Among the many subjects of joint interest to Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said in their published conversations, "musical parallels" was one that allowed them to emphasize the multiple shared concerns of their work while revealing a "limit" creating-impasse between some of their assumptions about relationships between music and language, an impasse that would outlast the duration of the conversations published in Parallels and Paradoxes: Explorations in Music and Society. While some potentially-competing assumptions about relationships between music and language appear at various points throughout the collected conversations, it is during discussion of the possible purposes or "uses" to which musical parallels might be put, including the question of whether or not they could provide access to "meanings" in music, that the impasse becomes most evident to readers. In this article, I examine sometimes-conflicting assumptions about language and meaning Said brought to the conversations in which he encountered from Barenboim a position resembling an instrumental or use perspective on language to which Said at earlier times had been attracted, and I argue that Barenboim offers Said a perspective construable as encouraging Said to return to a position he held firmly at the conclusion of Culture and Imperialism.


The adenosine 3",5"-monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent ATPase (ATP phosphohydrolase, EC 188.8.131.52) activity of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (ATP:protein phosphotransferase, EC 220.127.116.11) from bovine heart is characterized. That the ATPase activity is intimately associated with the catalytic subunit of the enzyme is suggested by the following: (i) the similar dependences of ATPase and protein kinase activities on cAMP; (ii) the dissociation of ATPase activity from the holoenzyme on addition of cAMP and its co-elution with the catalytic subunit on gel filtration chromatography; (iii) the similarity of the relative effectiveness of divalent metal ions in ATPase and protein kinase catalysis; and (iv) the correspondence of kinetically determined Km(MgATP) and Ki(MgADP) values with thermodynamic dissociation constants determined by equilibrium dialysis. The hydrolysis of ATP is stimulated 10- to 20-fold by cAMP in the holoenzyme. The molar specific activity of the catalytic subunit ATPase is approximately 0.7 min-1 with Km(MgATP) = 5 muM. MgADP is a competitive inhibitor of the reaction with a Ki value of approximately muM. The order of the relative effectiveness of metal ions for both ATPase and peptide kinase activities is Mg2+ greater than Mn2+ greater than Ca2+. A possible interpretation of these observations is that the role that the metal ion plays is more directly manifested in bond-breaking than in bond-forming.


My objective is to provide some background and context for the publication of the two accompanying statements, both of which deal with aspects of the relationships between industry and medicine. The ethical principles that guide clinical investigations are well known and have been codified in numerous statements, including the Nuremberg and Helsinski principles and the National Institutes of Health guideline, "Protection of Human Subjects," as well as in statements published by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association. Investigators performing clinical trials involving humans carry a special ethical burden that involves not only protection of the people participating in the trial but also a heightened requirement for strict adherence to the tenets of scientific investigation. One of the major tenets of science is that experimental results are honestly and promptly reported. The Pajaro Dunes Agreement was reached in 1982 following discussions between representatives of industry and a group of research-oriented universities. The conference


This paper proposes a new optimization methodology for supply chain design, using ant colony optimization. The objective of this methodology is to choose the facilities that will take part in a multi-product closed-loop supply chain, such as factories, warehouses and disassembly centers, in order to minimize the costs related to these facilities and those related to transportation costs, both in the forward and reverse chains. Considering that total production quantities for factories, expected cross-docking stocks for warehouses, and disassembly centers are determined by this methodology, it can be considered that it undertakes both strategic and tactical Supply Chain Management (SCM) problems at once. The developed algorithm, SCant-Design, is sufficiently general to solve any SCM configuration, with linear and nonlinear cost functions and constraints. The algorithm results were compared to a MILP approach for a particular case study and the obtained value for the cost function is very similar, although using less facilities.


imaging (MRI). Our three-year follow up study did not demonstrate any ill effects consequent upon in utero EPI magnetic resonance exposure4 and we are continuing to demonstrate the safety of our technique with a ten year follow up study in progress. The advantage of echo-planar MRI (EPI) is that images are acquired in milliseconds, overcoming previous problems encountered due to fetal motion5. We have reported on the acceptance of the technique in normal pregnancy6 but we concede the procedure would be costly if used routinely. We expect this imaging modality to be used more commonly in the future as echo-planar additions are being made to a large number of MRI scanners. EPI has a definite and complementary application to ultrasound in the assessment of different aspects of fetal growth in both the second and third trimesters and it would be interesting to compare directly the two techniques in the future. In addition EPI allows us to obtain other measurements reflecting the physiological state of the organ, and we are currently looking at relaxation parameters in the fetal lung in relation to lung maturation.


Zizania latifolia is a perennial aquatic vegetable, whose symbiosis with the fungus Ustilago esculenta (member of Basidiomycota, class Ustilaginaceae) results in the establishment of swollen gall formations. Here, we analyzed symbiotic relations of Z. latifolia and U. esculenta, using a triadimefon (TDF) treatment and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq). Specifically, accurately identify the whole growth cycle of Z. latifolia. Microstructure observations showed that the presence of U. esculenta could be clearly observed after gall formation but was absent after the TDF treatment. A total of 17,541 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, based on the transcriptome. According to gene ontology term and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway results, plant hormone signal transduction, and cell wall-loosening factors were all significantly enriched due to U. esculenta infecting Z. latifolia; relative expression levels of hormone-related genes were identified, of which downregulation of indole 3-acetic acid (IAA)-related DEGs was most pronounced in JB_D versus JB_B. The ultra-high performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed that IAA, zeatin+trans zeatin riboside, and gibberellin 3 were increased under U. esculenta infection. Based on our results, we proposed a hormone-cell wall loosening model to study the symbiotic mechanism of gall formation after U. esculenta infects Z. latifolia. Our study thus provides a new perspective for studying the physiological and molecular mechanisms of U. esculenta infection of Z. latifolia causing swollen gall formations as well as a theoretical basis for enhancing future yields of cultivated Z. latifolia.[Formula: see text] The author(s) have dedicated the work to the public domain under the Creative Commons CCO "No Rights Reserved" license by waiving all of his or her rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.


TMI-2 focused attention on Human Engineering deficiencies in all nuclear plant control rooms while overlooking the evolution of their design and the principles of good system design. Reasons for the less than desirable features of the control rooms are explained. Standardization and modularization of board structure and board-mounted components are proposed to help achieve improvement in the designs. Mockups and more extensive use of C.R.T.' s are urged. A method of "Usage" or task analysis is presented and the importance of operator participation is emphasized.


Introduction Carbon monoxide (CO) is a biomarker of certain tobacco exposure, yet high levels appear in airway inflammation, environmental pollution or passive smoking. Aim To evaluate carbon monoxide levels in smokers versus nonsmokers and to correlate it with clinical and biological profile of the two groups, in an everyday pulmonary disease clinical practice. Material and method A group of 57 smokers and a control group of 54 non smokers were assessed age, gender, medical history, smoking status, cigarette consumption (packs-year), Fagerstrom nicotine dependence score and passive smoking, by a standard questionnaire . Lab diagnosis determined serum cholesterol, triglycerides and creatinine and carbon monoxide in exhaled air, in both groups. Statistic analysis and correlations of parameters was done, according to smoking status. Results Age average was lower in smokers (44.72)vs.48.06 in nonsmokers. Smokers were mean 30.33 ±15.07 SD packs-year consumers in men and 13.26 ± 9.56 SD in women, with high Fagerstrom scores in men ( p= 0.018 ), more frequent respiratory co-morbidities (p= 0.001 ) and a p= 0.045 for passive smoking. CO values were higher in male smokers ( p=0.002 ); mean CO in nonsmokers was 0.24 ± 1.37 SD. Smokers with high CO levels had higher serum creatinine( r=0,39 p=0,002). Higher cholesterol ( r= 0.42, p=0.002 ) and trigliceride( r=-0,28 p=0,033 ) were found in smokers with respiratory diseases. Conclusions Women had lower CO levels in both groups. Smokers with respiratory disease had higher levels of: serum creatinine, cholesterol and triglicerides, exhaled CO, passive smoking.


Oral health is important for general health and quality of life. Dental health is important, especially for child development. Dental caries is a dental health disorder. The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for dental caries in preschool children in RA-ALHAKIM kindergarten Siraman village, Kesamben district, Blitar district.
The design of this study is quantitative with a cross sectional approach. The population of this study were students of Ra Al-Hakim Tk A and Tk B. The sample size of 67 respondents was taken using Simple Random Sampling technique. Dependent variable Occurrence of dental caries in children, independent variables of knowledge, role of parents, and behavior of children. The results of the analysis using logistic regression with a value of α 0.05.
The results showed that there was no significant effect between children's knowledge of the occurrence of dental caries in children with p-value of 0.258, there was a significant influence between the role of parents on the occurrence of dental caries in children with p-value of 0.048, there was a very significant influence between children's behavior on the occurrence of dental caries in children with a p-value of 0,000, the most influential factor with the occurrence of dental caries in children with a p-value of 0,000 is the variable of child behavior
In order to reduce the incidence of dental caries in children it is necessary to have an active role from parents, or the school principals, teachers, and the entire school community in carrying out their role in providing actions not only to provide knowledge, but also concrete actions for dental caries in children can be reduced


Information as to the fees at each of the various metropolitan medical schools, and the scholarsllips, prizes, and junior appointments which they offer, will be found in the following pages. The courses they provide are fundamentally the same, and in all of them the arrangements made are such as to meet the requirements of students of every class-of those who are aiming at the diplomas of the English Conjoint Board or the Apothecaries' Society, not less than of those who have London or other university degrees in view. At all, too, special facilities are offered to students who have commenced their professional education at Oxford or Cambridge, and are seeking the medical degrees of those universities.


Point cloud obtained from 3D scanning is often sparse, noisy, and irregular. To cope with these issues, recent studies have been separately conducted to densify, denoise, and complete inaccurate point cloud. In this paper, we advocate that jointly solving these tasks leads to significant improvement for point cloud reconstruction. To this end, we propose a deep point cloud reconstruction network consisting of two stages: 1) a 3D sparse stacked-hourglass network as for the initial densification and denoising, 2) a refinement via transformers converting the discrete voxels into 3D points. In particular, we further improve the performance of transformer by a newly proposed module called amplified positional encoding. This module has been designed to differently amplify the magnitude of positional encoding vectors based on the points' distances for adaptive refinements. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our network achieves state-of-the-art performance among the recent studies in the ScanNet, ICL-NUIM, and ShapeNetPart datasets. Moreover, we underline the ability of our network to generalize toward real-world and unmet scenes.


One of the major disadvantages of natural plant products as a biopesticide is due to its inconsistence pesticide effects. This in-vitro work aimed to observe the best dosage and consistency effect of essential oils of P. aduncum and C. flexuosus to P. palmivora. P. palmivora is a major obstacle of cocoa production in West Sumatra with disease percentage up to 40%. Activities were carried out at the laboratory of microbiology, Biology Department Andalas University in Padang and laboratory of plant protection of Bogor Research Institute for Spices and Medicinal Plants in Solok, both laboratories are in West Sumatra Indonesia. Research used completely randomized design (CRD) in a factorial with 10 treatments included control and three replications. The dosage of essential oils used were control, 250 ppm, 500 ppm and 1000 ppm. The best result was the mixture of these essential oils at the dosage of 1000 ppm due to its ability to control colony growth of P. palmivora to 100% and its fungicide consistency effect.


We present here a technique for the study of the electronic structure of ternary random alloys. The technique is based on the augmented space recursion introduced earlier by us for binary alloys. The method discussed here is a non-trivial extension of the earlier technique for binary alloys.


Ion-beam assisted deposition (IBAD) offers the possibility to prepare thin textured films on amorphous or non-textured substrates. In particular, the textured nucleation of TiN is promising for the development of a conducting buffer layer architecture for YBCO coated conductors based on the IBAD approach. Accordingly, cube textured IBAD-TiN layers have been deposited reactively using pulsed laser deposition on Si/Si 3 N 4 substrates as well as on polished Hastelloy tapes using different amorphous seed layers. Metallic buffer layers such as Au, Pt or Ir were grown epitaxially on top of the TiN layer showing texture values similar to the IBAD layer. Smooth layers were obtained using a double layer of Au/Pt or Au/Ir. Biaxially textured YBCO layers were achieved using SrRuO 3 or Nb-doped SrTiO 3 as a conductive oxide cap layer. Finally, different amorphous conducting seed layers were applied for the IBAD-TiN process. Highly textured TiN films were achieved on amorphous Ta 0.75 Ni 0.25 layers showing a similar in-plane orientation of about 8° as on standard seed layers.


Objectives: The present study is aimed at estimating patient flow dynamic parameters and requirement for hospital beds. Second, the effects of age and gender on parameters were evaluated. Patients and Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, 987 COVID-19 patients were enrolled from SMS Medical College, Jaipur (Rajasthan, India). The survival analysis was carried out from February 29 through May 19, 2020, for two hazards: Hazard 1 was hospital discharge, and Hazard 2 was hospital death. The starting point for survival analysis of the two hazards was considered to be hospital admission. The survival curves were estimated and additional effects of age and gender were evaluated using Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. Results: The Kaplan Meier estimates of lengths of hospital stay (median = 10 days, IQR = 5–15 days) and median survival rate (more than 60 days due to a large amount of censored data) were obtained. The Cox model for Hazard 1 showed no significant effect of age and gender on duration of hospital stay. Similarly, the Cox model 2 showed no significant difference of age and gender on survival rate. The case fatality rate of 8.1%, recovery rate of 78.8%, mortality rate of 0.10 per 100 person-days, and hospital admission rate of 0.35 per 100,000 person-days were estimated. Conclusion: The study estimates hospital bed requirements based on median length of hospital stay and hospital admission rate. Furthermore, the study concludes there are no effects of age and gender on average length of hospital stay and no effects of age and gender on survival time in above-60 age groups.


The Heisenberg group $\mathbb{H}^1$ is known to be conformally equivalent to the CR sphere $\mathbb{S}^3$ minus a point. We use this fact, together with the knowledge of the tangential Cauchy-Riemann operator on the compact CR manifold $\mathbb{S}^3$, to solve the corresponding operator on $\mathbb{H}^1$.


The monsoon is the most important mode of seasonal climate variation in the tropics, responsible for bringing life-giving rainfall to the heavily-populated regions of East Asia, South Asia, and West Africa. Previous paleoproxy and modeling studies have shown that the North Atlantic can exert considerable influence on the strength of the East Asian, South Asian and West African monsoons: colder temperatures over the extratropical North Atlantic lead to their weakening. This dissertation focuses on understanding the mechanisms of the teleconnection from extratropical North Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) to the East Asian, South Asian and West African monsoons, and the spatiotemporal characteristics of the teleconnection in present and future climate.We investigate the atmospheric teleconnection mechanism between extratropical North Atlantic cooling and the West African monsoon weakening in an atmospheric general circulation model (GCM), focusing on the role of atmospheric temperatures as the mediator. We find that the simulated atmospheric cooling readily reaches North Africa and the Sahel, and that the cooling in turn weakens the West African monsoon. We explicitly show the latter connection by imposing atmospheric cooling anomalies on the northern boundary of a regional climate model of the Sahel; it responds with a rainfall reduction over the Sahel that is similar to the GCM. In the GCM simulation, extratropical North Atlantic cooling is augmented by a positive low cloud feedback and advected downstream, cooling Europe and North Africa, where the cooling is further amplified by a reduced greenhouse effect from decreased atmospheric specific humidity. The results suggest a thermodynamic pathway for the extratropics-tropics teleconnection found in paleoclimate studies of the last glacial period.We then investigate whether this teleconnection is relevant in monsoonal changes in present-day and future climates. We focus on the Sahel drought that started during the late 1960's and persisted until the late 1990's. By analyzing 20th century observations and reanalysis, we find a late 1960's climate shift over Eurasia and Africa, characterized by a reduction in summer monsoon rainfall, and surface cooling and pressure increases over the Eurasian and North African continental interiors. The spatial patterns resemble the simulated impact of extratropical North Atlantic cooling in paleoclimate simulations. This late 1960's climate shift is reproduced in GCM simulations with imposed 20th century observed SST and climate forcing. Our analysis of these simulations suggests that the shift originates from an abrupt cooling of extratropical North Atlantic SST over the late 1960's. Idealized GCM simulations with prescribed extratropical North Atlantic cooling also simulate the climate shift. The result herein shows that the observed climate signature of the 1960's abrupt shift in Eurasian and North African climate is consistent with the influence of the abrupt extratropical North Atlantic cooling that occurred in the late 1960's. Lastly, we investigate if the extratropical North Atlantic is relevant for the future monsoon climate evolution, through analyzing climate projections of the 21st century from the Coupled Model Intercomparison project phase 5 (CMIP5). The dominant pattern of climate change in future projections is global warming; there is also an important pattern that is related to the change of extratropical North Atlantic temperature relative to the global mean. This pattern features coherent changes in extratropical North Atlantic temperature, and Eurasian and North African temperature and precipitation, similar to the pattern found for the late 1960's shift or paleoclimate. We show this in two ways: first, by applying a principle component analysis (PCA) to the spatial patterns of temperature and rainfall changes at the end of the 21st century across CMIP5 models; and second, by applying the PCA to the correlation pattern of extratropical North Atlantic temperature with temperature and precipitation for each ensemble member. The results suggest that the extratropical North Atlantic teleconnection to the Eurasian and North African monsoons is also relevant in future climate projections. As such, it suggests for better understanding of the processes controlling extratropical North Atlantic climate in order to constrain estimates of future monsoon activity.


It has been assumed that only seed plants are able to sense far-red light as PHYA, which is essential for far-red light perception, specifically evolved in seed plants. Here, we show that also cryptogams, such as mosses and ferns, respond to far-red light and have phytochromes with PHYA-like properties. This suggests that far-red light sensing is an evolutionarily ancient trait. Phytochromes are plant photoreceptors important for development and adaptation to the environment. Phytochrome A (PHYA) is essential for the far-red (FR) high-irradiance responses (HIRs), which are of particular ecological relevance as they enable plants to establish under shade conditions. PHYA and HIRs have been considered unique to seed plants because the divergence of seed plants and cryptogams (e.g., ferns and mosses) preceded the evolution of PHYA. Seed plant phytochromes translocate into the nucleus and regulate gene expression. By contrast, there has been little evidence of a nuclear localization and function of cryptogam phytochromes. Here, we identified responses to FR light in cryptogams, which are highly reminiscent of PHYA signaling in seed plants. In the moss Physcomitrella patens and the fern Adiantum capillus-veneris, phytochromes accumulate in the nucleus in response to light. Although P. patens phytochromes evolved independently of PHYA, we have found that one clade of P. patens phytochromes exhibits the molecular properties of PHYA. We suggest that HIR-like responses had evolved in the last common ancestor of modern seed plants and cryptogams and that HIR signaling is more ancient than PHYA. Thus, other phytochromes in seed plants may have lost the capacity to mediate HIRs during evolution, rather than that PHYA acquired it.


ABSTRACT The intricate biogenesis of multimeric organellar enzymes of dual genetic origin entails several levels of regulation. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase (COX) assembly is regulated translationally. Synthesis of subunit 1 (Cox1) is contingent on the availability of its assembly partners, thereby acting as a negative feedback loop that coordinates COX1 mRNA translation with Cox1 utilization during COX assembly. The COX1 mRNA-specific translational activator Mss51 plays a fundamental role in this process. Here, we report that Mss51 successively interacts with the COX1 mRNA translational apparatus, newly synthesized Cox1, and other COX assembly factors during Cox1 maturation/assembly. Notably, the mitochondrial Hsp70 chaperone Ssc1 is shown to be an Mss51 partner throughout its metabolic cycle. We conclude that Ssc1, by interacting with Mss51 and Mss51-containing complexes, plays a critical role in Cox1 biogenesis, COX assembly, and the translational regulation of these processes.


Introduction : GLPG0187, a small molecule integrin antagonist with nanomolar affinity for the RGD-integrin receptors αvβ1, αvβ3, αvβ5, αvβ6 and α5β1, shows potent anti-angiogenic, anti-metastatic, anti-bone-resorption and anti-tumor activity in vitro and in vivo. Therefore GLPG0187 may offer a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of integrin receptor expressing tumors and/or metastases. Methods: Based on promising preclinical data, a first-in-human study was performed with GLPG0187 to assess the safety and tolerability as well as pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic behavior of single ascending doses of the compound. GLPG0187 was administered subcutaneously in a dose range of 17.5 to 315 mg and orally in a dose range of 50 to 1200 mg. Results: GLPG0187 was systemically well tolerated with no adverse effects on ECG, vital signs or laboratory parameters. GLPG0187 showed a dose proportional pharmacokinetic profile over the dose range tested. Moreover, GLPG0187 dose proportionally decreased osteoclast activity as measured by plasma CTX (carboxy-terminal collagen crosslinks) levels. Conclusions: GLPG0187 was shown to be safe and well tolerated, to have a dose proportional pharmacokinetics and to inhibit osteoclast activity. These results provide further evidence that GLPG0187 could be an effective therapeutic for the treatment of cancer. Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010 because the presenter was unable to attend. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1568.


Abstract The choice to conduct a proving on synthetic rubber was made because patients were expressing symptoms similar to carbon themes accompanied by sensations and references to elastic. A proving had already been conducted on natural rubber and a remedy made from it is available, but none had been conducted on synthetic rubber, which is a product of the petrochemical industry. The proving was conducted in Israel over a period of 2 weeks, which for most of the provers was the maximum time they could tolerate, the maximum they could be 'stretched' and which was compounded by the fact that they were all laymen. Being a carbon-based substance, well-documented carbon themes did emerge, but surprisingly so did war and army themes. However, taking into account the broader picture, that is, the petrochemical industry and the volatile Middle East, perhaps the emergence of such themes was not so surprising. In contrast to the above, images depicting the womb, loving feelings, soul-friends and tranquillity were experienced by the provers. Rubber flexibility, stretchability, contractility, bendability and tensility were the properties that were observed on the physical and mental levels. An essence of the remedy is not formed at present because the emerging proving themes still continue to create through cases its fuller meaning and implications.


The adoption of proven soil management practices by rural women in Imo State was assessed. The objectives of the study included to determine the soil management practices adopted by the women and to analyse the relationship between the adoption and the rural women's socio-economic characteristics. One hypothesis guided the study: The socio-economic variables of the rural women do not have significant relationship with their adoption of the proven soil management practices. Data for the study were generated with the aid of structured questionnaire, interview schedule and transect walk across the farm sites of 344 randomly sampled rural women from the three agricultural zones of the state. These were analysed using simple percentage counts and multiple regression technique using the four functional models at 0.05 level of significance. Results indicated varied rates of adoption of nine soil management practices with erosion control measures ranking 1st, mulching 2nd and application of manure 3rd. The socio-economic variables of age, education, family size, extension contact, income and credit opportunity were significantly related with the adoption of proven soil management practices. It was however recommended that rural women's socio-economic characteristics should be considered alongside the bio –physical factors in technologies design and dissemination. Also, extension education campaign, using multi-media should be mounted to sensitize and ensure adoption of proven soil management practices. Keywords : Soil management; agriculture; erosion control; rural women; Nigeria International Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences Vol. 2 (3) 2006: pp. 262-267


The thermally stimulated current (TSC) rate equations have been solved numerically, taking into consideration the T−2 dependence of the cross section on the temperature T. Values of the trap depth E and the capture cross section have been calculated for fourteen defect levels in the traveling heater method grown CdTe crystal. To solve the TSC rate equations numerically, one needs to know the concentrations of carriers in traps at the initial temperature, the concentrations of trapping states, and the recombination lifetime for the carrier. These quantities have also been measured experimentally. For the first eight peaks, the results are almost the same as those for slow retrapping. For the last six defect levels, the values of E are smaller than those of fast retrapping and differ by 100–150 meV from those calculated in the slow‐retrapping approximation.


Despite the fact that exclusive breastfeeding brings a lot of benefits for infants and mothers, breastfeeding rates in Indonesia remain low, at 42% of all infants aged 0-5 months in 2012. This study aims to apply the positive deviance concept to explore the factors determining the success of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers in a high-risk group in Indonesia. The study used the cross-sectional, DHS 2017 data of 1.178 mothers with 0-5 months old infants in Indonesia. Chi-square and multiple logistic regression tests with 95% confidence intervals are used in identifying the factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding. Maternal working status is shown to be the most significant risk factor in preventing mothers to breastfeed exclusively. Furthermore, the data suggest that, out of 376 working mothers, 45,5% can be identified as positive deviants – those succeeding in implementing exclusive breastfeeding. The study finds ante-natal care (ANC) visits, post-natal care (PNC) visits, and economic status displayed significant association with exclusive breastfeeding among working mothers. In the sample, ANC visit is the dominant factor associated with exclusive breastfeeding (OR: 1,831; 95% CI: 1,075-3,118). Completion of ANC and PNC visits should be taken to consideration in improving exclusive breastfeeding rate among working mothers in Indonesia.


Abstract This paper empirically evaluates a Swedish government subsidy to environmental sustainability, the Local Investment Programme (LIP). During the programme period, 1998 – 2002, more than 670 million was granted to 1814 different municipal projects, making it the largest Swedish subsidization to ecological sustainability to date. For the 682 projects evaluated here, it was found that the projects were rewarded smaller subsidies than granted. To explain the gap between granted and rewarded subsidies, the gap was decomposed into a quantity effect, depending on the quantified environmental and employment outcomes of the projects, and a price effect, depending on the government's valuation of these outcomes. Whereas no statistically significant quantity effect was found, there was a large statistically significant price effect, indicating that the government paid the municipalities less than promised in the granting decision.


Part II Volume 4 A Sketch of Modern France (1798) 'By a Lady', though equally possibly by its putative editor, Christopher Lake Moody, the epistolatory Sketch of Modern France relates travel through that country in the turbulent years of the Directory, where the slogan 'liberty or death' names a real and urgent choice. Volumes 5-7 Anne Plumptre, A Narrative of a Three Years' Residence in France, 1802-5 (1810) Plumptre's Narrative combines a cosmopolitan travel narrative of southern France in the early 1800s with reflections on the 1790s, anecdotes from the Revolution, of the fall of Robespierre and a lengthy defence of Napoleon against the accusations of his English critics, looking back on the revolutionary period before the Terror as a moment of high ideals and now defeated aspirations.


Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral symptoms. Although a variety of interventions for those with ASD are available, Adapted Dance Class (ADC), also called Dance Movement Therapy (DMT), is a relatively understudied intervention that has the potential support social skill development for this population. Method: This is a descriptive, exploratory case study in which researchers aimed to discover whether DMT is effective in promoting social and communication skills in adolescents with ASD. We viewed 16 videos of four students who participated in two DMT classes and procedurally documented social behaviors of attention, motor imitation, verbal imitation, following directions, participation, and turn-taking. Data was described using descriptive statistics and analyzed using Spearman correlation coefficients. Results: Observed social behaviors included attention, motor imitation, following directions, and participation. One participant was found to have Spearman correlation coefficients of r(1.0000), p <.0001 for Attention, r(1.0000), p <.0001 for Motor Imitation, and r(1.0000), p <.0001 for Following Directions. Conclusion: Data was insufficient to draw conclusions on correlation coefficients; however, descriptive exploratory information found will be beneficial to support ongoing research in this emerging intervention area. Occupational therapists are skilled in interventions that can assess and analyze behaviors that provide continued evidence based practice on the use of DMT and its influence on social and communication skills in adolescents with ASD. Researchers suggest continuation of this exploration using larger samples, preferably through field observations, to obtain quantitative data.


1. The Plastic Head.-Any foetal head with a biparietal diameter of 3.7 inches or less will be plastic and will mould easily and safely to conform to moderate degrees of contraction, whereas a head with a diameter of over 3.75 inches may be very rigid. There is positively no clinical means of recognizing this point at which certainty of safe delivery changes to dangerous uncertainty. Nothing has altered my conviction that induction of labour by rupture of membranes should be performed when the biparietal diameter reaches this point (3.65 inches) (a) in all cases of moderate contraction of inlet or outlet and (b) in breech cases when attempts at version have failed. This measurement will ensure (1) a plastic head; (2) a body which is not unduly large; (3) a baby which can be easily and safely reared. 2. The Interischial Diameter.-This measurement, between the tips of the ischial spines, shows at once if there be any contraction of the outlet. It is easily made with sufficient accuracy directly from a film taken for pelvimetry in the standard sitting position. With a focus-film distance of 30 inches, a deduction of half an inch should be made for correction of magnification. This measurement in a normal pelvis is about 4.5 inches, and anything below 4 inches gives warning of serious difficulties ahead, and full consideration should be given to this point when deciding in favour of Caesarean section or induction. All the necessary information can be obtained from two films by the technique described by me, whether the head be in the pelvis or in the fundus.-I am, etc.,


This study carried out to analysis the characteristics of periodic changes of landscape facilities with the apartment sites in Cheongju City. The construction periods were divided into the introduction stage (the 1980s), the development stage (the 1990s), and the maturity stage (after 1999). As for the apartment sites constructed in the introduction stage (the 1980s), their landscape facilities were restricted to play and resting facilities. Some of them even were constructed without rest facilities. Since the focus was on the affluent supply of houses in the 1980s, they put a greater emphasis on quantity than quality. Entering the development stage in the 1990s, they started to pave the sidewalks and driveways separately within the apartment sites and build parking lots underground. After 1999, they entered the maturity stage, where the outside spaces of apartment sites began to reflect environment-friendly designs and the initiatives to improve residential environments. The major causes behind the introduction of high-grade materials in landscape facilities in the open spaces of apartment sites are the upgraded level of living standards and the diversified patterns of activities taking place in the open spaces. The environmental formative works were placed alongside waterscape spaces to create a beautiful and harmonious landscape.