This paper presents the best practices of World Vision Uganda (WVU) in integrating GIS with conventional planning and management decision support tools to improve evidence-based planning, reporting and resource acquisition for water service delivery. An online GIS field reporting system was designed to track and monitor the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions within communities. Staff and community members were trained in geo-spatial data collection processes using Global Positioning System (GPS) equipments. The GIS data was analysed in ArcGIS to determine the level of accessibility and functionality of these water sources. The catchment of each water source was identified and the gaps in access to water sources was visually noted and prioritized during subsequent water resource planning and allocation. GIS has streamlined and simplified the traditional process of collecting data by creating a single repository for project data to be recorded, reviewed, approved, updated and analyzed to track progress towards achievement of impacts.


The bottom waters of the mesohaline portion of Chesapeake Bay become depleted in oxygen in summer. We found that copepods and nauplii were in low abundance or absent from bottom waters when oxygen concentrations were <1 mg O2 liter−1. In contrast, when oxygen concentrations were higher in bottom waters in spring or summer due to episodic mixing events, the highest copepod abundances were often found in bottom waters. Laboratory experiments confirmed that oxygen concentrations <1 mg O2 liter−1 resulted in reduced survival of the copepods Acartia tonsa and Oithona colcarva and inhibited the hatching of A. tonsa eggs. The decrease in Chesapeake Bay copepods in May–June parallels the decline of oxygen in bottom waters. Our field and laboratory data suggest that this decline in copepods could result from reduced recruitment as a consequence of egg mortality in the low-oxygen bottom waters. In summer this source of mortality would be reduced because warmer water temperatures would allow the eggs to hatch in the upper water column above the low-oxygen bottom waters.


Be star disks are formed by ejection of stellar matter from the surface of a B star rotating at almost critical velocity. In SPH simulations we find that most of the ejected particles fall back on the stellar surface but those with sufficient angular momentum are able to feed a disk-like structure. Owing to viscous interaction some particles are lifted to larger radii where they carry high angular momentum. Viscous forces also cause a thinning of the initially geometrically thick disk and the final accretion of most of the disk material. Different simulations show how the formation and the extension of the decretion disk depend on the ejection velocity, the viscous parameter α and on how long the source is active. After the outburst the disk thins out more and more, over a timescale much longer than the outburst time. The simulations are compared to H α observations of the Be star µ Cen.


Abstract. Chemical signaling is an important facet of vertebrate communication, and amphibians are no exception. However, very little is known about adult anuran (frog and toad) chemical communication, with the few studies that have investigated chemical sensing in adult anurans documenting species- and sex-biased behavioral responses to chemical cues. Varied life histories and reproductive pressures likely dictate these responses, but to better understand the prevalence and purpose of adult anuran olfaction across species, information on chemical sensing across a large number of species is needed. We investigated sex-biased adult Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens) behavioral responses to familiar and unfamiliar conspecific chemical cues to determine the importance of olfaction in conspecific recognition. Our results indicate that adult females respond to conspecific cues, with females spending significantly more time investigating cue vs. control sides of the testing arena. Results for males were equivocal, with males responding much more variably. Comparisons of familiar vs. unfamiliar cues indicate that both sexes tend to spend more time near familiar cues, although this was not statistically significant. Females also responded to unfamiliar, opposite-sex conspecific cues, indicating chemical cues may be involved in mate identification for female Leopard Frogs. Unfamiliar, same-sex conspecific odors did not appear to influence behavior for either sex. Collectively, our results indicate that adult Northern Leopard Frogs utilize chemical sensing for conspecific recognition and further indicate a sex-bias in that sensing, with adult females exhibiting a stronger response than males. Future research should investigate aquatic vs. terrestrial cues and learned vs. innate odors of significance to Northern Leopard Frog adults.


Content Centric Networking (CCN) is recently gaining attention for its potential to support emerging applications within Internet of Things (IoT). IoT generates huge volumes of data, with millions of nodes frequently requesting or generating different contents. CCN helps in breaking the coupling between a content and its location by addressing data with name rather than its location. This paper supports a CCN based approach in the IoT environment. To address scalability problems associated with CCN-assisted IoTs, we propose a new crumbling walls log quorum system based name resolution routing technique. The proposed system supports scalability, as the intersection property of a quorum system, inevitably minimizes the read/write operations overhead on distributed name resolution servers. Results show that the proposed technique increases the availability of the system along with low lookup overhead, latency, and load on distributed servers.


This study described the traumatic responses and the extent of psychological distress among residents who had been exposed directly or indirectly to an aircraft crash in Coventry, U.K. The direct exposure group consisted of 62 residents who were on the housing estate at the time of the accident and 20 who were not. They were interviewed on their subjective responses to the crash and then asked to fill in two distress measures: the Impact of Event Scale (IES) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). The results showed a contrast between the responses of the two groups at the time of the crash. They also showed that the direct exposure group had a significantly higher score in the IES item of avoidance, the IES total, the GHQ items of somatization, social dysfunction, and the total score than the indirect exposure group had. Associations were then made between subjective responses and distress measures. Stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that for the direct exposure residents, the IES total was predicted by "whether they received professional help" and "whether they were worried about their safety after the crash." The GHQ total of the direct exposure residents was predicted by "anger about what had happened to them." For the indirect exposure residents, the IES total was predicted by "their present feelings when they heard planes flying over." There were no predictions found between responses and the GHQ total.


Two techniques based on integral equation methods are addressed. Firstly, a novel volume integral equation method is proposed to characterize the scattering properties of dielectric objects involving inhomogeneous and anisotropic permittivity and permeability. Two algorithms are available: conventional method of moments and reciprocity preserving method. Both of them are applied to both the permittivity and permeability terms. Curl-conforming edge elements are used to model the electric field distributions. Integration by parts is applied to deal with the singularities at the boundary introduced by the discontinuities of the material properties. Duffy's method formulations are derived for all the surface and volume singular integrations. Moreover, the multilevel fast multipole algorithm (MLFMA) is utilized to accelerate the matrix vector product process for large problems. Representative numerical results are shown to be excellent. Secondly, the present equivalence principle algorithm (EPA) is augmented by introducing charge densities as extra unknowns. This helps to separate the vector potential term and scalar potential term and avoid the imbalance at low frequencies. The current continuity constraint is enforced in both the scattering operator and translation operator. These further form a new augmented EPA equation system. With this technique, the low-frequency breakdown of EPA is removed. The augmented system serves not only as a stable low-frequency method, but also as a substitute over the whole frequency band. The new scheme is verified by numerical examples.


Given the occurrence frequency of any term within any set of articles within MEDLINE, we define "characteristic" terms as words and phrases that occur in that literature more frequently than expected by chance (at p < 0.001 or better). In this report, we studied how the cut-off criterion varied as a function of literature size and term frequency in MEDLINE as a whole, and have compared the distribution of characteristic terms within a number of journal-defined, affiliation-defined and random literatures. We also investigated how the characteristic terms were distributed among MEDLINE titles, abstracts, and last sentence of abstracts, including "regularized" terms that appear both in the title and abstract of the same paper for at least one paper in the literature. For a set of 10 disciplinary journals, the characteristic terms comprised 18% of the total terms on average. Characteristic terms are utilized in several of our web-based services (Anne O'Tate and Arrowsmith), and should be useful for a variety of other information-processing tasks designed to improve text mining in MEDLINE.


ABSTRACT The use of inspection for the governance of human service organisations has increased. However, this type of organisations are hard to control since the tasks they have to perform are often complex and the results are hard to predict. This can be expected to have negative implications for the legitimacy and impact of inspection. The aim of this study is to contribute to an increased knowledge and understanding as to what legitimacy inspection has in social service organisations. In this case study the legitimacy of and adaption to the inspectorate's demands in two types of inspected social service organisations are investigated: organisations where individuals' needs for and rights to personal social services are investigated, assessed and decided (IAD), and organisations where treatment interventions are provided (TI). Altogether, 24 politicians, managers and social workers are interviewed. The study shows that the propriety of the inspectors' descriptions and judgements about the inspected service are questioned less in the IAD than the TI-organisations. Despite this, the results suggest that the social workers in the IAD-organisations are less involved in the development and implementation of the action plans intended to come to terms with the deficiencies identified than do their colleagues in the TI-organisations. The social workers and managers in the IAD-organisations also have less faith in the plans to solve the causes of the deficiencies identified and their mode of adaption is more ritualistic. Abbreviation PSS: Personal social services, IAD: Investigation, assesment and decision making, TI: Treatment interventions, SSA: Social Services Act, NBHW: the National Board of Health and Welfare


Hodgsonia heteroclita is a traditional oil plant used in former times as a Non Timber Forest Product (NTFP) by the mountain tribes of Southwest China. In the 1960s it was identified by Chinese scientists as promising a commercial oil plant because of its oil content of up to 77 % in its large seeds. Many experiments for cultivation were conducted but interest in the plant faded due to difficulties in cultivation and management. Juvenile plants obviously do not stand full exposure to sunlight which makes the species problematic for mono-cropping systems. Additionally, the species is dioecious and, so far, it is not possible to distinguish between the young male and female plants. The management is further challenged by the drupaceous fruit characteristic, which is unique in Cucurbitaceae and makes extraction of the seed laborious. The huge loss of rainforest due to rubber cultivation in Southwest China creates a need for biodiversity protection. Hodgsonia heteroclita provides a good example of how protection can be promoted by 'rediscovering' traditional useful plants which are endangered due to habitat loss. As a liana the species is well-suited to be integrated in a diverse forest garden system. Additionally, it shows a distinct ant-plant association with the Asian weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina, which is well-known for its outstanding predatory power and can be used for natural pest control. Hodgsonia heteroclita provides glands for the ants containing nutritional fluid as well as suitable habitat to build nests. Furthermore, the liana builds natural bridges for the ants to distribute between the trees they should protect, but this does not affect the trees by overgrowing or strangling them. In a forest garden system with fruit trees, the 'tree-liana combination' can therefore contribute to sustainable harvests of oil-seeds as well as of fruits without the application of insecticides, which makes the species especially interesting for organic farming schemes. Currently, propagation and large scale integration into orchards and secondary forests are conducted in Xishuangbanna to protect Hodgsonia heteroclita and to prepare it for potential future markets.


OBJECTIVES
Hepatitis C virus recurrence is frequent after orthotopic liver transplantation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical, biological, and histological characteristics of recurrence.

METHODS
One hundred and ten patients (91 males, mean age 49 years) with liver transplantation were followed up for more than 1 year (mean: 26 months, range: 12-71). Hepatitis C virus serologic 2nd generation tests were performed before and every 3 months after transplantation in all patients. Serum RNA was detected every 6 months after transplantation by polymerase chain reaction. A percutaneous liver biopsy was performed every year in all patients and in case of abnormal biological liver tests.

RESULTS
In 44 patients (40%), hepatitis C virus serology was positive before transplantation, and was unchanged after transplantation. In this group histologic chronic hepatitis was observed in 35 patients (79.5%). The mean Knodell score was 8.4 +/- 2.3, associated with an increase in serum aminotransferases (> twice the upper limit of normal) in 26 cases (74.3%) and with serum RNA in 33 cases (94.3%). The Knodell score was not significantly higher 2 years or more after transplantation than before (9.5 +/- 3.9 vs 7.2 +/- 3.5). In 66 patients with negative hepatitis C virus serology before transplantation, no changes were noted after transplantation. In this group, histologic chronic hepatitis was found in 14 cases (21.2%) associated with serum hepatitis C virus RNA in 7 cases. Actuarial survival rates of the two groups were 97.1% and 91.2% at 2 years, and 93.5% and 86.7% at 5 years, respectively. No death clearly related to hepatitis C virus recurrence was observed.

CONCLUSION
Hepatitis C virus recurrence after liver transplantation is frequently associated with chronic hepatitis, and a progressive increase in liver lesions. Nevertheless, the 5-year survival rates was not different in these patients compared to patients with negative hepatitis C virus serology before transplantation.


In order to realize the on-machine verification of CNC, both the uploading of the verification programs generated in user's computer to CNC and the downloading of the verification results from CNC to user's computer are badly needed for the subsequent modules in on-machine verification system. In light of serial port RS232's universal application, the author would do in-depth research on the serial port file transfer between PC and CNC. Moreover, a user-defined serial port transfer protocol is proposed on the basis of serial port communication protocol. In order to guarantee the reliable of file transmission, file is transferred as packet and cyclic redundancy check is introduced as the coding mode of channels. With Windows API and multithread technology, serial port file transfer software is realized at VC++ platform.


This paper summarizes the use of regional (Δ ≦ 30°) seismic data in a test ban context for detecting, locating, identifying, and determining the yield of underground nuclear explosions. In many areas of the world (Eastern North America, Africa, Eastern USSR), Lg is the largest amplitude wave recorded on standard seismograph systems and thus is the most appropriate phase for monitoring small magnitude events. Excellent location capability for near-regional events has been demonstrated at the Norwegian small aperture array (NORESS) using Lg and P waves. Lg and other regional phases may contain information on source depth, but such information has not been exploited to date. Fifteen classes of regional discriminants have been identified including

1. 1. First Motion

2. 2. Ms : mb

3. 3. P2 / P1 Ratio

4. 4. Excitation of Short-Period SH Waves

5. 5. Lg/Rg Amplitude Ratios

6. 6. Pn/Lg, Pg/Lg , and Pmax/Lg Amplitude Ratios

7. 7. Lg Group Velocity and Energy Ratios in Lg

8. 8. Excitation of Sn

9. 9. Third Moment of Frequency

10. 10. Generation of Higher Mode Surface Waves

11. 11. Peak Amplitudes of Love and Rayleigh Waves and Long-Period Surface Wave Energy Density

12. 12. Prevailing Period of Long-Period Love Waves

13. 13. Spectral Ratio—Long-Period S Waves to Rayleigh Waves

14. 14. Spectral Ratio—Long-Period Love Waves to Rayleigh Waves

15. 15. Frequency of the Peak Spectral Amplitudes and Spectral Ratios in Pn, Pg, S , and Lg .

Each of these proposed discriminants has, with differing degrees of success, separated some explosions from some earthquakes. However, most have been tested only on limited data, usually from one geographic region and only one or two recording stations. No systematic analyses have been done to determine the best individual discriminant or combination of them.

Preliminary evaluation of the use of Lg for yield determination suggests that regional waves hold promise in this application. Theoretical studies have contributed significantly to the understanding of propagation characteristics of regional waves but further studies are required emphasizing modeling for realistic anisotropic sources.

The major conclusion of this study is that a systematic and comparative evaluation of all the proposed regional discriminants is now required, utilizing a common data base derived from all present-day test sites. This evaluation would suggest the optimal discrimination procedure using regional waves, and would also define areas of needed research. Without such an integrated evaluation, it is still possible to speculate, using existing results, on the most promising regional discriminants.


Long-term durability is a concern for Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures. Instances of premature deterioration of concrete structures due to corrosion of steel reinforcement are increasing. The use of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) bars as an alternative to traditional steel reinforcement in RC structures may resist premature deterioration. Although RC building and bridge columns in coastal areas are susceptible to significant deterioration, studies on concrete columns reinforced with GFRP bars and helices are limited. Also, design codes do not recommend the use of GFRP bars in compression members. This study investigates the use of GFRP bars and helices as longitudinal and lateral reinforcement, respectively, in concrete columns. Five circular normal strength RC columns with 205 mm in diameter and 800 mm in height were cast and tested under concentric loads. The influence of the longitudinal GFRP reinforcement and the spacing of the GFRP helices on the strength and ductility capacity of the columns were investigated. The experimental results showed that the contribution of the longitudinal GFRP bars was lower than the contribution of longitudinal steel bars to the load carrying capacity of the columns. Also, the load carrying capacity of the GFRP-RC columns was smaller than that of steel-RC columns. However, the ductility capacity of the columns was not affected by the use of GFRP helix instead of steel helix.


The literature suggests a growing interest in hypnosis training. With this growing interest, there has been an increase in training opportunities for the interested clinician. However, much of that training is in the form of a single course or workshop, or a series of single workshops. Many programs only offer hypnosis courses when the appropriate faculty is interested in offering such a course. Other programs offer a minimal exposure to hypnosis, less than a minimal degree of training as suggested by ASCH. This paper describes a formal, integrated curriculum in clinical hypnosis that is offered through a psychology graduate school. An integrated program offers students and practicing professionals the opportunity to learn hypnosis in an environment that offers ongoing supervision and support of their long term development.


Memories of the images that we have seen are thought to be reflected in the reduction of neural responses in high-level visual areas such as inferotemporal (IT) cortex, a phenomenon known as repetition suppression (RS). We challenged this hypothesis with a task that required rhesus monkeys to report image familiarity while ignoring variations in contrast, a stimulus attribute that is also known to modulate the overall IT response. The monkeys' behavior was largely contrast-invariant, contrary to the predictions of the RS encoding scheme, which could not distinguish response familiarity from changes in contrast. However, the monkeys' behavioral patterns were well predicted by a linearly decodable variant in which the total spike count is corrected for contrast modulation. These results suggest that the IT neural activity pattern that best aligns with single-exposure visual familiarity behavior is not RS but rather "sensory referenced suppression (SRS)": reductions in IT population response magnitude, corrected for sensory modulation.


Is there something that lies beneath the surface of our ordinary ways of speaking? Philosophy sometimes encourages the all-too-human thought that reality lies just outside our ordinary grasp, hidden beneath the surface of our experience and language. The present discussion concentrates initially on a few connected paragraphs of Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations (particularly ##431–435). Wittgenstein leads the reader to the view that meaning is there in the surface of the expression. Yet how adequate is Wittgenstein's treatment of the sounds and ink-marks, the materiality of the sign? With some reference to Emerson, Stanley Cavell, and Jacques Derrida, my discussion explores how far a more adequate account of the sign can coincide with the claim that nothing is hidden. It exposes phony obsessions with transparency, which in a culture of accountability have had a distorting effect on education and the wider social field. It endorses confidence in the reality of ordinary words.


ABSTRACT Screening for HIV infection has improved since the first immunoassays. Today, diagnosis of HIV infection can be performed with fourth-generation tests that track both the patient's antibodies and HIV antigen. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical sensitivity and specificity of the new DiaSorin Liaison XL Murex HIV Ab/Ag assay compared to another fourth-generation assay, the Abbott Architect HIV Ag/Ab Combo kit. This work was performed on a large panel of 900 samples, including negative samples (n = 493) and HIV-positive (n = 407) representatives of HIV-1 group M subtypes and circulating recombinant forms (CRFs), HIV-1 group O, and HIV-2 variants. The results highlight the high specificity (98.9%) and sensitivity (100%) of this new fourth-generation assay, which are consistent with its use for the screening and diagnosis of HIV infections with the current circulating strains.


Teamwork demands agreement among teammembers to collaborate and coordinate effectively. When a disagreement between teammates occurs (due to failures), team-members should ideally diagnose its causes, to resolve the disagreement. Such diagnosis of social failures can be expensive in communication and computation overhead, which previous work did not address. We present a novel design space of diagnosis algorithms, distinguishing several phases in the diagnosis process, and providing alternative algorithms for each phase. We then combine these algorithms in different ways to empirically explore specific design choices in a complex domain, on thousands of failure cases. The results show that centralizing the diagnosis disambiguation process is a key factor in reducing communications, while run-time is affected mainly by the amount of reasoning about other agents. These results contrast sharply with previous work in disagreement detection, in which distributed algorithms reduce communications.


BACKGROUND
Errors can have dangerous consequences, resulting in a preventive strategy in most company-based technical vocational education and training (TVET). On the contrary, errors provide a useful opportunity for learning due to mismatches of mental models and reality and especially to improve occupational safety and health (OSH).

OBJECTIVE
This article presents a didactic concept for developing a learning system based on learning from errors. Learners shall directly experience the consequences of erroneous actions through presenting error consequences in augmented reality to avoid negative, dangerous, or cost-intensive outcomes.

METHODS
Empirical data prove errors to be particularly effective in TVET. A formal description of a work system is systematically adopted to outline a connection between work, errors concerning OSH, and a didactic concept. A proof-of-concept systematically performs a use case for the developed learning system. It supports critical reflections from a technical, safety, and didactical perspective, naming implications and limitations.

RESULTS
By learning from errors, a work-based didactic concept supports OSH competencies relying on a learning system. The latter integrates digital twins of the work system to simulate and visualise dangerous error consequences for identified erroneous actions in a technical proof-of-concept. Results demonstrate the ability to detect action errors in work processes and simulations of error consequences in augmented reality.

CONCLUSION
The technical learning system for OSH education extends existing learning approaches by showcasing virtual consequences. However, capabilities are limited regarding prepared learning scenarios with predefined critical errors. Future studies should assess learning effectiveness in an industrial scenario and investigate its usability.


Delay Tolerant Networks have been (DTN) have been developed to support the irregular connectivity often separate networks. The main routing problem in this type of network is embarrassed by time that is extremely long, since connections are intermittent and opportunistic. Routing protocols must take into account the maximum constraint encountered in this type of environment , use effective strategies regarding the choice of relay nodes and buffer management nodes to improve the delivery of messages and the time of their delivery . This article proposes a new strategy that optimizes the routing Spray and wait. The proposed method uses the information contained in the messages delivered mostly paths traversed by the messages before arriving at their destination and the time when nodes have receive these messages. Simulation results show that the proposed strategy can increase the probability of delivery and minimizing overhead unlike FIFO technology used with the default routing ' sprat and wait'


Backgrounds: Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), which produces high levels of nitric oxide (NO), is overexpressed in activated macrophages and some cancer cells. Although iNOS was thought to be involved in promoting colorectal cancer, contradictory reports supporting its tumoricidal effect exist. Methods: We first examined the iNOS enzyme activity in colorectal cancer tissue and immunohistochemical expression of iNOS in cancer cells and tumor-infiltrating macrophages. Then, association of iNOS activity or its protein expression was analyzed in relation to various clinicopathological covariates.
Results: Four groups of patients were classified based on their iNOS expression status. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that group 1 patients (low iNOS in both types of cells) and group 4 patients (high iNOS in both types of cells) had a shorter disease-free survival. Patients with extremely high or low iNOS enzyme activity tended to have a lower disease-free survival rate (p = 0.059).
Conclusion: Macrophage/stroma-derived NO negatively regulates colorectal cancer development when cancer cells express low levels of iNOS, but might synergistically contribute to tumor progression in the presence of high levels of cancer-cell derived NO. The dual effects of NO should be considered in the design of anti-iNOS/NO therapy for colorectal cancer patients.


Controversy surrounds the use of posted restaurant inspection scores and grades. There is much debate about how well a score or grade conveys risks to potential diners, and questions remain about how the public interprets posted scores and grades, regardless of how they are derived. To determine how such scores and grades are perceived, the authors surveyed a sample of Maryland college students and food safety professionals about what a posted inspection score of 86 means and what a letter grade of C means. There was no clear consensus about the meaning of the scores and grades described in the surveys. The majority of respondents felt that a restaurant should be either open or closed, and that the public should not have to decipher the meaning of a posted sign. The response of the sample is especially significant given that many respondents claimed that they would not eat at a restaurant with either a posted letter grade of C or a posted score of 86. Although these results do not come from a random sample, they nevertheless suggest that the public has a limited understanding of such signs and, at the same time, bases dining decisions on them. Thus, environmental health professionals must carefully consider how the public can be better educated about signs, how the signs can be less ambiguous, and whether posted restaurant inspection results are even advisable in their current form.


Abstract This paper offers an account of aspect in imperative verb forms and in certain infinitive verb forms of Russian. 1 Although the paper is concerned chiefly with Russian, it is of general theoretical interest on two counts. Firstly, it shows how aspect and mood may be interconnected, as opposed to the much discussed intertwining of tense and aspect. Secondly, it provides evidence that the distribution of some forms of Russian cannot be adequately explained without recourse to semantics.


Actin was studied in Xenopus unfertilized eggs and early developmental stages. Immunochemical proof is given of structural differences between Xenopus laevis muscle actin and nonmuscle cell actin. Actin localization and changes of actin aggregation during Xenopus development were observed using indirect immunofluorescence. We have also tried to explain the presence of an actin shell around the yolk platelets that appeared in our experiments.


Lulu is an indigenous breed of cattle (Bos taurus) found in high altitude regions of western Nepal. Population of Lulu cattle has been declining due to introgression with other exotic breeds to increase milk productivity. Here we aimed at finding potential approach for conserving Lulu cattle and its assets by studying the milk contents and investigating which variant of beta-casein protein is present in this breed. Beta caseins are an abundant protein in cow milk with A1 and A2 being the most common genetic variants of this protein. Consumption of A1 type of milk has numerous health-related complications whereas A2 type of milk has numerous human health promoting factors. We used restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) for determining the A1 and A2 variant of beta casein in Lulu cattle. For performing DNA extraction, we collected (n = 18) blood samples of Lulu from Mustang and (n=17) Nepal Agriculture research council farm. The amplified fragments in 3% agarose at 251bp and 213bp respectively confirmed the presence of both A1 and A2 gene in Lulu; however, A2 was of greater abundance. Our study indicated that Lulu has A2 variant of beta-casein predominantly. The gene frequency of A1A1 is 0, A1A2 is 0.06 and A2A2 is 0.94. We further found that the allele frequency of A1 and A2 is 0.03 and 0.97 respectively. We designed special primer for sequencing CSN2 genes since A2 type beta casein gene was predominantly seen on Lulu. The sequencing result further supports our RFLP result as most of our samples have "C" nucleotide SNP in amplified CSN2 gene sequence. The Chi-square value of the current study is 0.04 which supports Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium inferring that Lulu cattle are still in the pure state, where there is no genetic introgression with the exotic breed for the sake of improvement of productivity.


This paper describes a method for separation, identification, and quantification of selected withanolides in Withania somnifera plant extracts by HPLC-UV(DAD)-Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Withaferin-A (WS-3), 12-deoxywithastramonolide (WS-12DS), Withanolide A (WS-1), and Withanone (WS-2) were used as external standards. The compounds were isolated from Withania somnifera by repeated column chromatography of the root extract and their identity was established by 1H- and 13C-NMR and mass spectral data. The compounds were chromatographed on a Merck (250 x 4.6 mm ID, 5 microm) column and analyzed by Electrospray Ionization on a mass spectrometer in Selected Ion Mode (SIM). For quantification, [M + Na]+ ions were monitored. Linear calibration curves were obtained in the concentration range of 1.50 microg/mL to 6.5 microg/mL. The method was applied successfully to the detection and quantification of the said withanolides in a number of samples.


In this communication five WIN 18446 analogs and p-nitrophenylglycerol were prepared. None of these compounds showed the desired antispermatogenic activity.


Abstract Ground state phases of a generalized XY model with magnetic and generalized nematic couplings on a non-bipartite triangular lattice are investigated in the exchange interactions parameter space. We demonstrate that the model displays a number of ordered and quasi-ordered phases as a result of geometrical frustration and/or competition between the magnetic and generalized nematic interactions. The nature and the extent of the respective phases depend on the parameter q, characterizing the higher-order harmonics term in the Hamiltonian. Motivated by the recent discovery of the experimental realization of the model with q = 2 in the seemingly unrelated field of the systems chemistry [A.B. Cairns et al., Nature Chemistry 8, 442 (2016)], the model for q > 2 is discussed in the context of the prediction of structural phases of a class of bimetalic cyanides based on a mapping between the two systems.


ABSTRACT Dysfunction of adipose tissue could lead to insulin resistance, obesity and type 2 diabetes. Thus, our present study aimed to investigate metabolites alterations in white adipose tissue (WAT) of diabetic GK rats after IT surgery. Ten-week-old male diabetic GK rats were randomly subjected to IT and Sham-IT surgery. Six weeks later, the untargeted metabolomics in WAT of diabetic GK rats was performed. Differential metabolites were selected according to the coefficient of variation (CV) of quality control (QC) sample <30%, variable importance in the projection (VIP) >1 and P < 0.05. Then, the hierarchical clustering of differential metabolites was conducted and the KEGG database was used for metabolic pathway analysis. A total of 50 (in positive ion mode) and 68 (in negative ion mode) metabolites were identified as differential metabolites in WAT of diabetic GK rats between IT group and Sham-IT group, respectively. These differential metabolites were well clustered, which in descending order of the number of involved differential metabolites is ubiquinone and other terpenoid-quinone biosynthesis, AMPK signalling pathway, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, ferroptosis, vitamin digestion and absorption, glycerophospholipid metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism and bile secretion, and correlated with the parameters of body weight, food intake, WAT mass and glucose metabolism, which were significantly improved after IT surgery. The differential metabolites in WAT of diabetic GK rats were mainly related to the pathway of energy metabolism, and correlated with the improved phenotypes of diabetic GK rats after IT surgery.


| Of the total casualties from the two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, almost ten percent were ethnic Koreans who had migrated or been mobilized to Japan under colonial rule. Following the General Headquarters of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers' (GHQ/SCAP) repatriation policy vis-à-vis the non-Japanese, tens of thousands of Korean atomic bomb survivors hastily returned to Korea. In the divided peninsula, one of the key sites of Cold War politics in the Far East, their voices were intentionally and unintentionally silenced by the military dictatorships, as well as by social ignorance. Nevertheless, their desperate struggles continued with the support from Japanese civic groups. After several decades of legal proceedings in Japan, they became eligible for financial and medical support from the Japanese government in 2003, once they successfully obtained a Hibakusha Techō—a certificate that recognizes a person as having been exposed to the atomic bombs. Acquiring of a Japanese Hibakusha Techō involves complicated paperwork, including the assembling of verified testimonies and official documents that can confirm the applicant's presence in the bombed area at the time of bombing. Unlike in Japan, where public memories and knowledge of the atomic bombings are widely acknowledged, in Korea, records, memories, and information regarding the atomic bombings are stored exclusively within family networks and the organizations of the survivors. By emphasizing the socio-cultural embeddedness, particularly within the interpersonal networks of family and local communities, this study indicates that Korean survivors' exclusion from Japan's relief policies is due to both bureaucratic red tape and sociocultural practices. In particular, these bureaucratic procedures are structured to exclude the socio-culturally weak and alienated, such as orphans, former forced draftees, and women isolated from family networks.


To carry out the Integrated Fruit Production(IFP), researches on cover crops as well the Integrated Pest Management(IPM) and the Integrated Nutrition Management(INM) should be very important. These concepts are neither clear nor connective till now. The researches on cover crops in Europe and USA are being kept within the category of IFP. Main researches on fruit trees for sustainable agriculture in Italy are new variety creation, development of growing techniques, pest and disease control, and cover crops management, etc. It is necessary of fruit industry in Korea to maintain good quality and eco??friendly fruit production. For this goal, we need international cooperation with highly developed countries in Europe. In first step, we should enlarge research areas and analyze results obtained to get farmers understood the concept of cover crop growing. Furthermore, we make researches more profoundly on cover crops growing considering tree age, mixing rates among cover crops, seeding and cutting time for cover crops, and so on. Researchers, specialists of agricultural extensions, and farmers should concentrate their opinions and conduct IFP together. The IFP should go on systematically and reach finally to get certificates internationally by the International Organization for Biological and integrated Control of Noxious Animals and Plants(IOBC) to enhance selling and exporting fruits.


COVID-19 infection and hereditary haemochromatosis (HH) have something in common; the disease course can be monitored with ferritin levels. Throughout the pandemic, physicians have looked for markers to help predict disease severity. Ferritin levels are commonly used to predict and monitor disease severity in hospitalised patients with COVID-19. While ferritin is elevated as part of the acute-phase reaction in response to infection, it can also be elevated due to iron overload. We report a case of undiagnosed, asymptomatic HH that was unveiled after COVID-19 infection via monitoring for resolution of ferritin levels that were found to be extremely elevated during a moderate COVID-19 infection. This diagnosis allowed the patient to initiate phlebotomy treatment before symptoms of HH arose.


Xenopus laevis were exposed to 0-855 microg cadmium (Cd)/l (measured concentrations) in FETAX medium from fertilization to 47 days postfertilization. Measurements included embryonic survival and, at 47 days, tadpole survival, snout-vent length, tail length, total length, hindlimb length, weight, Nieuwkoop-Faber (NF) stage of development, initiation of metamorphic climax (> or = NF 58), and thyroid follicle cell height. Embryonic and larval survival were unaffected by Cd. Relative to control tadpoles, reduced tail and total length were observed at 0.1- 8 and at 855 microg Cd/l; and reduced snout-vent length, hindlimb length, and weight were observed at 0.1-1 and at 855 microg Cd/l. Mean stage of development and rate of initiation of climax were unaffected by Cd at 0-84 microg/l; however, none of the tadpoles exposed to 855 microg Cd/l progressed beyond mid-premetamorphosis (NF 51). Thyroid glands with fully formed follicles were observed in all tadpoles > or = NF 49 examined. Follicle cell height was unaffected by Cd at 0-84 microg/l but it was reduced at 855 microg/l; in the latter, cell height was reduced even when compared with NF 49-51 tadpoles pooled from the 0 to 84 microg Cd/l groups. In conclusion, (1) Cd affected tadpole growth in a bimodal pattern with the first and second inhibitory modes at concentrations below and above 84 microg Cd/l, respectively; (2) exposure to high Cd concentrations (855 microg/l) reduced thyroid activity and arrested tadpole development at mid-premetamorphosis; and (3) unlike its effect on growth, Cd inhibited tadpole development and thyroid function in a seemingly monotonic pattern.


A state-dependent policy for call admission and routing in a multi-service circuit-switched network is synthesized. To meet different requirements the objective function is defined as the mean value of reward from the network. Policy iteration is applied to find the optimal control. Assuming link independence the network reward process is decomposed into the set of link reward processes thereby significantly reducing complexity. The approach is implementable for large systems if certain approximations are used. A simulation study shows that the algorithm converges in two iterations, exhibits good traffic efficiency, and provides a flexible tool for performance allocation among services. The approach also constitutes a framework for studying, synthesizing and optimizing other call admission and routing strategies. In particular the results of sensitivity analysis are used to compare the proposed decomposition approach with that developed by F. P. Kelly (1988) for optimization of a load sharing policy in telephone networks. >


On rare occasions benzocaine has produced methemoglobinemia from oral, rectal and dermal exposures. There is disagreement whether this is an idiosyncratic event or a dose-related event. To gain a better perspective on this problem we retrospectively reviewed cases at 4 large regional poison centers of children <18-y of age from 1993-1996. One hundred and eighty-eight benzocaine exposures were reported. Mean and median ingested dosage were 86.8 (+/- 89.5) mg/kg and 50 mg/kg, respectively. Fifty-eight patients (30%) were managed in the emergency department; 8 patients had methemoglobin levels determined. One child had a methemoglobin level of 19%; all others were <1%. One hundred and seventy-three patients (92%) remained asymptomatic. Other symptoms were minor: oral numbness (8), vomiting (3), and 1 each of oral irritation, dizziness and nausea. In this series of accidental ingestions of benzocaine-containing products cyanosis was rare and apparently not dose related. These cases may be safely managed at home with telephone follow up for at least 2 h. If there is evidence of cyanosis, dusky pallor, shortness of breath, or change in mental status direct medical evaluation should be recommended.


Aerobic exercise training and weight loss (AEX+WL) improves insulin sensitivity in overweight adults; however, the underlying pathways are incompletely understood. Fetuin-A, a hepatokine that inhibits insulin signaling, may be involved in the salutary effects of AEX+WL. Therefore, we examined the effects of 6-month AEX+WL on plasma fetuin-A levels (36–48 hours after the last bout of exercise), aerobic capacity (VO2max), body composition, glucose tolerance, and insulin sensitivity (M) in 16 sedentary, overweight-obese older men (age = 60 ± 2 years, BMI = 31 ± 1 kg/m2) with no history of cardiovascular disease or diabetes. At baseline, fetuin-A levels correlated directly with adiposity and had a borderline inverse correlation with M. After AEX+WL, body weight decreased by ~10 kg, while both VO2max and M increased by 16% (P < 0.005 for all). Contrary to our hypothesis, plasma fetuin-A levels increased after AEX+WL (1.16 ± 0.10 g/L versus 1.70 ± 0.19 g/L, P = 0.006). This increase was unrelated to changes in body composition or glucose metabolism, but directly correlated with changes in VO2max (r = 0.57, P < 0.05). Thus, in overweight-to-obese older men, AEX+WL appears to increase plasma fetuin-A levels. Although not associated with improvements in insulin sensitivity, this increase in fetuin-A was related to improvements in aerobic capacity and could be representative of the cardioprotective effects of AEX+WL in older men.


Three natural-track selected germplasms of Searls' prairie clover (Dalea searlsiae (A. Gray) Barneby [Fabaceae]) have been released by the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) for use in revegetation and restoration of semiarid rangelands in the western US. Searls' prairie clover is a perennial leguminous forb that is native to Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California. Data from common-garden and DNA-marker studies were used to develop and document these releases. The ARS Forage and Range Research Laboratory was asked by the USDI Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Colorado Plateau land managers to identify genetically similar collections within geographical regions and to subsequently release germplasms of Searls' prairie clover for the Great Basin (Fanny germplasm) and Colorado Plateau (Carmel germplasm). In addition, several collections originating from near the Great Salt Lake in northwestern Utah were genetically distinct from Fanny and Carmel germplasms. Thus, Bonneville germplasm was identified to represent this distinct genetic group. This species is new to the commercial seed trade, and these are the first releases of this species for rangeland improvement.


During galaxy mergers, gas and dust are driven toward the centers of merging galaxies, triggering enhanced star formation and supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth. Theory predicts that this heightened activity peaks at SMBH separations <20 kpc; if sufficient material accretes onto one or both of the SMBHs for them to become observable as active galactic nuclei (AGNs) during this phase, they are known as offset and dual AGNs, respectively. To better study these systems, we have built the ACS-AGN Merger Catalog, a large catalog (N = 204) of uniformly selected offset and dual AGN observed by the Hubble Space Telescope at 0.2 < z < 2.5 with separations <20 kpc. Using this catalog, we answer many questions regarding SMBH−galaxy coevolution during mergers. First, we confirm predictions that the AGN fraction peaks at SMBH pair separations <10 kpc; specifically, we find that the fraction increases significantly at pair separations of <4 kpc. Second, we find that AGNs in mergers are preferentially found in major mergers and that the fraction of AGNs found in mergers follows a logarithmic relation, decreasing as merger mass ratio increases. Third, we do not find that mergers (nor the major or minor merger subpopulations) trigger the most luminous AGNs. Finally, we find that nuclear column density, AGN luminosity, and host galaxy star formation rate have no dependence on SMBH pair separation or merger mass ratio in these systems, nor do the distributions of these values differ significantly from that of the overall AGN population.


ABSTRACT This article discusses the (im)possibility of human rights organisations and state judicial actors' success in safeguarding of children's rights in Occupied East Jerusalem (OEJ). Considering Israel's political reality, and consequently, the Israeli justice system's mode of operation and treatment of Palestinian children, we argue that civil society actors, particularly those dealing with children, are unable to challenge violations of Palestinian children's rights. Our analyses of media coverage, key informant interviews, and focus group and round table discussions reveals that formal and informal socio-legal systems are failing in their mandate to protect children's rights, challenge the state's biased juvenile justice system, and prevent the racialised state from breaching local laws and ethical and international standards. Instead of challenging the systems that are embedded within the settler-colonial setting, human rights organisations reinforce the state's control by operating within its systems and according to its rules. In so doing, these entities help the state in keeping Palestinian children under conditions of suffering within their 'otherised' spaces.


Adult male rats were trained to intracranially self-administer cocaine (50-100 pmol/100 nl infusion) into the medial prefrontal cortex and to simultaneously deliver an infusion of vehicle (100 nl of artificial cerebrospinal fluid) to a littermate control. When stable base lines of responding were obtained, each rat was implanted with an indwelling jugular catheter for the administration of radioactive precursors for the biogenic amine neurotransmitters. When stable rates of responding were re-established, the animals were infused with the radiolabeled precursors at the beginning of the behavioral session and were sacrificed 60 or 90 min later. Discrete response-contingent infusions of cocaine into the medial prefrontal cortex resulted in decreases in the turnover of dopamine and serotonin and increases in norepinephrine utilization at the site of self-injection compared to vehicle-infused controls. In contrast, DA turnover was significantly increased in the ipsilateral nucleus accumbens of the self-administering rats. These data demonstrate that discrete response-contingent cocaine infusions into the medial prefrontal cortex activate DA innervations of the nucleus accumbens, likely through descending pathways affecting A10 dopaminergic cell bodies, suggesting that neuronal activity similar to that observed after i.v. self-administration is initiated with the ICSA of the drug.


In the 2006 and 2010 New Brunswick provincial elections, power changed hands as control of the government went from Progressive Conservative to Liberal (2006) and back to Progressive Conservative (2010). The 2014 election found Premier David Alward attempting to return an incumbent party to the government benches for the first time since Bernard Lord in 2003. Alward faced three new party leaders in Liberal Brian Gallant, New Democrat Dominic Cardy and the Green's David Coon. Early polls predicted a Liberal landslide but the margin would close as Election Day approached with the Liberal earning a small 27 to 21 seat majority over the PC Party with Coon winning the first Green seat in the province and Cardy's NDP being shutout. With the results, New Brunswick would find itself with another under-forty premier, Gallant was 32 years old when sworn-in, and a vacancy in the Progressive Conservative leadership as Alward swiftly stepped down after his party's defeat. The election reflected another example of New Brunswick's current turnstile party system with the two major parties differing on few issues and struggling to find electoral momentum in a stubborn provincial economy stymied by structural demographic challenges.


A CHL model is the quotient of $\mathrm{K3} \times E$ by an order $N$ automorphism which acts symplectically on the K3 surface and acts by shifting by an $N$-torsion point on the elliptic curve $E$. We conjecture that the primitive Donaldson-Thomas partition function of elliptic CHL models is a Siegel modular form, namely the Borcherds lift of the corresponding twisted-twined elliptic genera which appear in Mathieu moonshine. The conjecture matches predictions of string theory by David, Jatkar and Sen. We use the topological vertex to prove several base cases of the conjecture. Via a degeneration to $\mathrm{K3} \times \mathbb{P}^1$ we also express the DT partition functions as a twisted trace of an operator on Fock space. This yields further computational evidence. An extension of the conjecture to non-geometric CHL models is discussed.
We consider CHL models of order $N=2$ in detail. We conjecture a formula for the Donaldson-Thomas invariants of all order two CHL models in all curve classes. The conjecture is formulated in terms of two Siegel modular forms. One of them, a Siegel form for the Iwahori subgroup, has to our knowledge not yet appeared in physics. This discrepancy is discussed in an appendix with Sheldon Katz.


A model is proposed to correlate the crack growth rate and stress ratio containing very high cycle fatigue regime. The model is verified by the experimental data in literature. Then a formula is derived for the effect of mean stress on fatigue strength, and it is used to estimate the fatigue strength of a bearing steel in very high cycle fatigue regime at different stress ratios. The estimated results are also compared with those by Goodman formula.


Carob fruit is native to the Mediterranean region and produced mainly in Portugal, Italy, Morocco and Turkey. The production of the carob fruit in Portugal is highly extensive and sustainable. Currently, carob flour (CF) production is mainly achieved after pulp separation, despite it having been demonstrated that the seeds improve the extraction efficiency of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, promoting human health. This study aimed to produce an integral CF through an innovative process and assess its physicochemical and bioactive properties at different particle sizes throughout simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT) digestion. The sugar content profile obtained throughout GIT digestion indicated that sucrose, the sugar present at the highest concentration in undigested CF, was digested and broken down into simple sugars, namely glucose and fructose. The total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity obtained for the ≤100 µm fraction were in accordance and gastric digestion promoted an increase in the TPC value compared to the undigested sample. The >100 µm fractions displayed a distinct profile from the ≤100 µm fraction. This study showed that the particle size affects the sugar, antioxidant and total phenolic content of CFs and also their gastrointestinal tract digestion. The ≤100 µm fraction demonstrated the most suitable profile as a functional food ingredient.


The ability in making meaning of learning through opportunities is seen as a pathway to autonomous learning behaviour. This study is undertaken to explore the behaviours of a group of nine learners at a tertiary institution in Malaysia to see how they utilise both receptive as well as productive vocabulary learning opportunities meaningfully beyond their English language course. The theory of constructivism appertains, as the learning activity is active, constructive, cumulative and goal-directed. The participants' journal entries of one month were perused to enquire the various aspects of their learning experiences and what they did before, during and after English language class. Weekly retrospective in depth interviews were conducted with the participants, as well as their class lecturer. The study found that these learners lacked proactive attitude in seizing learning opportunities and were poor readers of English language materials. The study also found that the extent learners take learning opportunities is not solely dependent on their language proficiency, but more than that on learner confidence and their preferred learning style of non-verbal learning, hence dispelling the widely accepted belief that high proficiency learners are more proactive in their learning pursuits. In seizing learning opportunities at opportune moments, the major stumbling blocks are lack of transfer in learning as well as limited and untapped communication opportunities with the lecturer beyond class hours. This study shows that average and low ability learners can also embrace learning opportunities meaningfully with other moderating variables, such as a confident personality and adequate risk taking initiatives.


ABSTRACT Introduction Performance assessment in professional soccer often focusses on notational assessment like assists or pass accuracy. However, rather than statistics, performance is more about making the best possible tactical decision, in the context of aplayer's positional role and the available options at the time. With the current paper, we aim to construct an improved model for the assessment of pass risk and reward across different positional roles, and validate that model by studying differences in decision-making between players with different positional roles. Methods To achieve our aim, we collected position tracking data from an entire season of Dutch Eredivisie matches, containing 286.151 passes of 336 players. From that data, we derived several features on risk and reward, both for the pass that has been played, as well as for the pass options that were available at the time of passing. Results Our findings indicate that we could adequately model risk and reward, outperforming previously published models, and that there were large differences in decision-making between players with different positional roles. Discussion Our model can be used to assess player performance based on what could have happened, rather than solely based on what did happen in amatch.


Assessing a facility's performance is important for measuring its contribution towards organizational goals. Among many approaches to performance assessment is the holistic key performance indicator (KPI) approach. However, there are numerous KPIs available, and the chosen KPI needs to be relevant to facility goals and must be calculated, analysed and evaluated to allow for the future state of the facility to be acceptable at the lowest cost. The value of several key descriptive analytics in facility performance assessment may be enhanced through the use of simulation. Simulation transforms the descriptive analytics into predictive and prescriptive analytics by allowing for the robust assessment of plans and future outcomes through the creation of multiple scenarios, in this case, for an education facility. The simulation approach quantifies the interrelationship and interdependence of KPIs, and is potentially effective in analysing how maintenance expenditures can be optimized to maintain a desired level of Condition Index as demonstrated by several simulation scenarios.


Background Geriatric 8 (G8) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) are recommended to predict overall survival (OS) or risk of serious adverse events (SAEs) in older cancer patients. However, the clinical utility is relatively unknown in older patients suffering malnutrition with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, including gastric cancer (GC) and pancreatic cancer (PC). Materials and methods We retrospectively included patients aged ≥65 years with GC, PC, and colorectal cancer (CRC) who received a G8 questionnaire at first visit from April 2018 to March 2020. The associations between G8/IADL and safety or OS were assessed in patients with advanced/unresectable tumors. Results Of 207 patients (median age: 75 years), the median G8 score was 10.5 and normal G8 score rate was 6.8%. Both the median G8 score and normal G8 (>14) score rate numerically increased in the order of GC < PC < CRC. There was no clear association between the G8 standard cutoff value of 14 and SAEs or OS. However, OS was significantly longer in patients with G8 >11 than in those with G8 ≤11 (19.3 vs. 10.5 months, p = 0.0017). Furthermore, OS was significantly better in patients with normal IADL than in those with abnormal IADL (17.6 vs. 11.4 months, p = 0.049). Conclusion The G8 cutoff value of 14 would not be clinically useful in patients with GI cancer for predicting OS or SAEs; however, the cutoff value of 11 and IADL may be useful to predict OS for older patients with GI cancers including GC and PC.


In recent years, there has been tremendous development in the fabrication of suitable materials for optoelectronic, laser, photovoltaic devices, acousto-optic, sonar and infrared detectors applications. Mastering in synthesis, growth and characterization is an essential requirement for fully realizing the potential applications of the materials technology for the construction of novel devices for Laser, microwave, optoelectronic and other applications. The anisotropy in the crystals gives them enhanced properties as required in the field of non-linear optics. With the advent of laser sources, a nonlinear optical phenomenon has got tremendous interest and nonlinear optical (NLO) materials play a key role in the development of laser technology. Because of the variety and complexity of the material systems involved, several approaches towards synthesis, growth and characterization have been developed during the past decades. Laser materials can be classified into Inorganic, Organic and Semi organic categories. Urea, DAST, mNA, POM, NPP, MAP are examples of organic family crystals where as L-Arginine phosphate (LAP), Zinc tris thiourea sulphate (ZTS), BTCC, ZCTC belongs to semi organic class. Inorganic NLO crystals are Potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP), GdYCOB, KAB, Beta Barium Borate (BBO), LBO, KDP and LiNbO3. Synthesis and characterization of technologically important Borate based materials for NLO applications will be reviewed. The raising demand for UV lasers has led to the development of various NLO materials. A series of borate materials – Rare earth calcium oxy borate (RECOB) with the general chemical formula RECa4O(BO3)3 with RE=Y,Gd, Nd, Sm, etc. are reported to be synthesized from their repective melts. The RECOB crystals are excellent NLO materials and when doped with `laser-active' ions (Nd3+, Yb3+), they become efficient laser-host crystals. The single crystals of YCOB were grown by flux technique using boron-tri-oxide as a flux. This technique enables to grow YCOB crystals below its melting point (1510°C) . Powder XRD studies were carried out on both the polycrystalline and single crystals of YCOB using the CuKα X-rays (λ = 540 Å) at a scan rate of 0.05°/ min. The formation of YCOB was confirmed in both the samples. The powder XRD pattern of the grown crystals reveals the formation pure YCOB single phase. There are no excess peaks due to impurities or flux incorporations. UV-VIS-NIR studies were carried out on the as-grown crystals of YCOB which indicates that YCOB crystals have a sharp cut-off around 220 nm and the crystal is highly transparent (>75%) from 220 – 1100 nm. The high transparent nature of the crystals from the deep UV region enables it to be an excellent NLO material for UV applications. The results obtained suggest that flux technique is an excellent method to grow YCOB crystals. Crystal growth and characterization of novel borate materials like XAl3(BO3)4 where X = Nd, Yb and Er will be reviewed in detail.


Effects in chickens of a low concentration of aflatoxin in the diet were investigated. After eight weeks, heart, pancreas, and liver tissues were examined by electron microscopy. Most damage was to liver; changes were observed both in individual parenchymal cells and in tissue organization. Proliferation of bile duct epithelial cells was extensive. The pancreas showed little change and was, therefore, a good organ for observation of early and/or mild ultrastructural changes associated with aflatoxicosis. The priority of initial nuclear change over cytoplasmic change was indicated in this organ. In the myocardium, the only significant changes were in mitochondria. Mitochondria of liver and pancreas were not altered. Leukoviruses were observed in the tissues of one aflatoxin-treated bird.


Pressures and flows were measured in surface glomerular capillaries, efferent arterioles, and proximal tubules of 22 Wistar rats in the early autologous phase of nephrotoxic serum nephritis (NSN). Linear deposits of rabbit and rat IgG and C3 component of complement were demonstrated in glomerular capillary walls by immunofluorescence microscopy. Light microscopy revealed diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis, and proteinuria was present. Although whole kidney and single nephron glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in NSN (0.8 plus or minus 0.04 SE2 ml/min and 2 plus or minus 2 nl/min, respectively) remained unchanged from values in 16 weight-matched NORMAL HYDROPENIC control rats (0.8 plus or minus 0.08 and 28 plus or minus 2), important alterations in glomerular dynamics were noted. Mean transcapillary hydraulic pressure difference (deltaP) averaged 41 plus or minus 1 mm Hg in NSN versus 32 plus or minus 1 in controls (P LESS THAN 0.005). Oncotic pressures at the afferent (piA) end of the glomerular capillary were similar in both groups ( 16 mm /g) but increased much less by the efferent end (piE) in NSN (to 29 plus or minus 1 mm Hg) than in controls (33 plus or minus 1, P less than 0.025). Hence, equality between deltaP and piE, denoting filtration pressure equilibrium, obtained in control but not in NSN rats. While glomerular plasma flow rate was slightly higher in NSN (88 plus or minus 8 nl/min) than in controls (76 plus or minus 6, P greater than 0.2), the failure to achieve filtration equilibrium in NSN rats was primarily the consequence of a marked fall in the glomerular capillary ultrafiltration coefficient, Kf, to a mean value of 0.03 nl/(s times mm Hg), considerably lower than that found recently for the normal rat, 0.08 nl/(s times mm Hg). Thus, despite extensive glomerular injury, evidenced morphologically and by the low Kf, GFR remained normal. This maintenance of GFR resulted primarily from increases in deltaP, which tended to increase the net driving force for filtration, and thereby compensate for the reduction in Kf.


A new endocrine function has been shown to play a role in insect morphogenesis. The hormone named proctodone is secreted by specialized cells of the hindgut and appears to affect the brain, resulting in the activation of the brain hormone-producing system. Proctodone has been found in two lepidopterous species—Ostrinia nubilalis and Galleria mellonella. In the O. nubilalis, proctodone plays a part in both photoperiodism and diapause.


With the recent explosive growth in online classes and virtual meetings, real-time video communication has quickly become essential to everyday life. Despite its widespread deployment, our investigation revealed that current protocols, ranging from industry standards such as WebRTC to state-of-the-art research such as Salsify, frequently perform sub-optimally in the presence of competing flows at the same bottleneck. For example, WebRTC's throughput can degrade from 73% to a mere 8% of the available bandwidth when competing with just two TCP flows. We tackle this problem in this work by introducing a novel PIBES protocol for real-time video applications to operate in the presence of competing TCP traffic. PIBES employs a new inband bandwidth estimation method that can quickly and accurately measure the bottleneck link bandwidth even with competing flows. Moreover, PIBES can detect the absence or presence of competing flows, which enables it to maximize video quality when there is no competing flow and to maintain acceptable video quality while sharing bandwidth with competing flows. Experiments demonstrate that PIBES achieves throughput and delay comparable to the state-of-art protocols, but outperforms them significantly in the presence of competing TCP flows.


Many different techniques are used today with different objectives to model species geographic distribution. Some of these techniques are based on environmental analysis where algorithms search for environmental conditions similar to those where the species are known to occur, resulting in potential areas where the environmental conditions would be favorable for the growth of these species. The present study is based on predictive modeling of species geographic distribution using genetic algorithm as a tool for plant conservation in modeling the "cerrado" biome of the State of Sao Paulo. The methodology used and the results obtained were considered satisfactory for the generation of geographic distribution models for plant species, based on abiotic data for the regions studied. The accuracy of the model in predicting the occurrence of species in the "cerrado" is greater if only points that occur within the "cerrado" and not in transition areas are used. In order to minimize problems due to the lack of convergence of the genetic algorithm GARP ("Genetic Algorithm for Rule Set Production"), 100 models were generated for each specie. The use of modeling tools can help understand the distribution patterns of a biome or ecosystem in a regional analysis.


An experiment was performed in a recirculatory aquaculture system (RAS) to carry out a comparative study on the growth performance and survival of Indian major carps (Labeo rohita and Gibelion catla) and monosex tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerlings for a period of 90 days. Ten fingerlings each of L. rohita (average weight 30±0.1 g), G. catla(average weight 28±0.1 g) and O. niloticus (average weight 31.5±0.2 g) were distributed randomly into twelve cages, in quadruplicates. L. rohita and G. catla were fed commercial floating feed (30% crude protein and 5% crude lipid) ad libitum while O. niloticus were initially fed at 3% of the body weight upto 100 g size and was changed to 2% of the body weight. There was significant (p<0.05) increase of daily weight gain, percentage weight gain and specific growth rate (SGR) in O. niloticus followed by L. rohita and G. catla. Significantly lower (p<0.05) feed conversion ratio (FCR) and higher (p<0.05) protein efficiency ratio (PER), protein productive value (PPV) and lipid productive value (LPV) were found in O. niloticus followed by L. rohita and G. catla. At the end of the experiment, survival was similar for all three fish species, however total biomass was significantly (p<0.05) higher in O. niloticus followed by L. rohita and G. catla. The findings of this study showed the potential of RAS as an alternative to the pond culture of monosex tilapia and rohu.Keywords: Growth performance, Indian major carps, Monosex tilapia, Survival, Recirculatory aquaculture system


Reduction in serum 1,25 (OH) (2)D level plays an important role in the pathophysiology of altered bone and mineral metabolism among patients with advanced stages of CKD. The use of vitamin D receptor activators (VDRA) has brought great progress in medical management of CKD-MBD. A number of observational studies have shown that the nonuse of VDRA, and low serum concentrations of 1,25 (OH) (2)D or 25 (OH) D are the predictors of poor clinical outcomes in CKD patients including dialysis patients, raising a possibility that the pleiotropic actions of vitamin D may be systemically involved in the poor survival of patients with CKD-MBD. Randomized controlled trials are needed to clarify whether or not VDRA could be beneficial in the protection of the cardiovascular system and good longevity.


Quantifying the appearance of coating products is essential in the automobile and
automobile finishing industries for efficient product development and product/quality
control. There is a specific need to develop techniques to measure the total appearance
of metallic coatings. The present study focuses on two key attributes of visual texture:
coarseness and glint. In order to develop models to capable of measuring these
attributes, it was first necessary to design psychophysical experiments for assessing
coarseness and glint as perceived on metallic-coating panels. The change in the
appearance of the metallic coatings is known as a gonioapparent effect, and is greatly
dependant on the illumination and viewing conditions. Therefore, appropriate
conditions were carefully examined for the independent observation of coarseness and
glint in order to discern those attributes. It was found that diffuse illumination was
appropriate for viewing coarseness and directional illumination was appropriate for
observing glint. Under these appropriately-controlled conditions, the perceptual
coarseness and glint of sets of metallic-coating panels were assessed by human
observers.
A digital camera was used to capture information on the spatial detail of the
metallic-coating panels. An image of each panel was captured under the same viewing
conditions as used for the visual assessments. The information in a single image was
sufficient to represent a metallic-coating panel under identical diffuse illumination
conditions for which observers assessed coarseness. For capturing information on glint,
however, a high dynamic-range (HDR) image was necessary because the dynamic range
of the scene in which the glint was observed exceeded that of the camera used in this
study. Two computational models were developed to predict perceptual coarseness and
perceptual glint by extracting associated features from the captured images. The
performance of these models was verified by comparing predictions made using them
with the perceptual coarseness and glint scaled by observers.
For industrial use, the visualisation of products on computer displays would give
various opportunities, for example, to develop and design products or coatings and also
to communicate appearance information. A digital camera and a suitable display would
enable this to be achieved, but the ability to reproduce the appearance of metallic-coating
products on displays in a satisfactory manner was found to have significant
~
challenges. The coarseness model developed in the present study was able to represent
perceptual coarseness based on the images captured by the digital camera. However,
the resolution of the images was not high enough to resolve the individual aluminium
flakes contained in the coatings, which contribute to the visual texture. Therefore,
verification of the images was carried out for the coarseness attribute by comparing the
coarseness perceived in the images displayed on a liquid-crystal display (LCD) with the
metallic-coating panels themselves. In addition to camera limitations, LCD resolution
also prevented the same conditions used for physical panel assessment from being
replicated. Therefore, two optimal conditions were selected and perceptual coarseness
was scaled using images. Besides the difference in experimental conditions, there was
also a difference in the "absolute" texture appearance between the two media because of
errors in image reproduction of the images. In spite of this, the relatively-scaled
perceptual coarseness for the image samples agreed well with that for the original
physical samples. This implies that it is practicable to assess perceptual coarseness
from an image on a display that simulates a metallic-coating panel


Carbon nanofibers (CaNFs) exhibit promising applications in the fields of environmental science and nanotechnology, and self-assembled peptide nanofibers (PNFs) are useful for the biomimetic synthesis of organic-inorganic hybrid nanomaterials and the fabrication of functional hybrid membranes for the removal of various pollutants from water. In this work, we report the biomimetic synthesis of hybrid nanomaterials by the interweaving of CaNFs and PNFs. Using the biomimetic mineralization properties of PNFs, ZrO2 nanoparticles were synthesized along the nanofiber surface, and then functional nanohybrid porous membranes were prepared by the vacuum filtration technology. For the fabrication of membranes, the amount of PNFs and ZrO2 precursors in the hybrid membrane were optimized. The designed organic-inorganic hybrid membranes exhibited high removal performance for fluorine ion (F−) from water, and the removal efficiency of the fabricated membranes towards F− ion-containing aqueous solution with a concentration of 50–100 mg/L reached more than 80%. In addition, the nanofiltration membranes revealed good adsorption capacity for F− ions. It is expected that the strategies shown in this study will be beneficial for the design, biomimetic synthesis, and fabrication of nanoporous membranes for economic, rapid, and efficient water purification.


The supply of business and management graduates to the labor market has grown significantly. However, these graduates still find themselves without employment for years. This is because employment is lagging behind economic growth. As a result, unemployment rate in South Africa has increased from 22% in 1994 to 25% in 2014. In response, government, employers and managers are striving to create sustainable employment. However, creating sustainable employment is both challenging and difficult. No wonder that there is a constant cry to establish factors that enable sustainable employment. The aim of this research is to establish the impact of experiential learning in administrative management on sustainable employment. The research is quantitative in nature, and a questionnaire is used to collect data from the respondents. The research establishes that experiential learning in administrative management enables sustainable employment.


Antimicrobial activities of flavonoids isolated from the leaves and heartwoods of Artocarpus anisophyllus Miq. and Artocarpus lowii King were evaluated. Gram positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus), Gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida) and fungi (Candida albicans and Candida glabrata) were used in this study. Disc diffusion method was used as the qualitative assay while minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum microbicidal concentration methods were used as the quantitative assays. Artocarpin (8) showed strong antimicrobial activity towards all bacteria with inhibition zone diameter more than 11 mm and minimum microbicidal concentration value of 0.45 mg/mL. Isobavachalcone (3) exhibited strong antibacterial activity towards Gram positive bacteria with minimum microbicidal concentration value of 0.45 mg/mL. The findings of this study revealed that the isolated flavonoids from A. anisophyllus and A. lowii have potential to be developed as antimicrobial agents.


days, fourteen days, eighteen days, " till death occurred," " several days." Another unduly frequent cause of death is from shock, haemorrhage, etc., due to obstructed labour. Taking twenty-nine consecutive cases of death, as reported by the Health Department's nurses attending or inquiring into these cases (they are so often called in too late), I find the following recorded: childbirth incomplete, two days; childbirth, two to three days; childbirth, four days; obstructed labour, three and a half days ; obstructed labour (shoulder presentation), four days; ruptured uterus ; and of the remaining cases nine deaths were from puerperal sepsis. I think it is, safe to conclude that the only means of saving the above cases of obstructed labour was the use of better obstetric methods. It may interest Dr. Vaughan to know that the Maori method of " helping" the woman in such cases is by external pressure. This is usually applied by a powerful man, who may squat in front of the seated woman and, with all his available power, press the abdomen against *his shins and knees. I know of one ruptured uterus occurring in this way. Another method is by winding a thick rope tightly around the woman's body. In the above circumstances one cannot be surprised that the maternal mortality of the Maori is higher than that of the European. Regarding the teeth, the impression one gets from general observation would lead one to suppose that the Maori generally has wonderful teeth, but accurate observation shows that among school children there is now considerable deterioration in the teeth, due to caries, the incidence of which, in the Maori school child in many districts, is higher than in the European. It is an axiom of the health workers among Maoris (school medical officers and -nurses) that the nearer a Maori lives to a store the worse will the children's teeth be. I think it is safe to conclude that this deterioration in the teeth of the Maori is due to adoption of the dietetic habits of the Europeans and abandonment of the native diet customs and the native methods of cooking.-I am, etc.,


Abstract Background: Vasovagal syncope (VVS) greatly impairs quality of life. The therapeutic efficacy of oral rehydration saline (ORS) for unselected VVS patients is not satisfactory due to the diverse mechanisms of the disease. Body mass index (BMI) was demonstrated to reflect blood volume to a certain extent. Therefore, the present study explored the capability of BMI to predict the therapeutic response of children with VVS to ORS treatment. Methods: Seventy-four children with VVS who visited the Syncope Unit of Pediatrics at Peking University First Hospital from November 2010 to June 2019 receiving ORS treatment were enrolled for this retrospective case-control study. A comparison of demographic, clinical, and hemodynamic characteristics was performed between responders and non-responders. The correlation between baseline BMI and response time was analyzed. To determine the value of baseline BMI in predicting the therapeutic efficacy of ORS in children with VVS, a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed. Results: Fifty-two children were identified as responders, and the remaining 22 children were identified as non-responders. The baseline BMI of the responders was much lower than that of the non-responders (16.4 [15.5, 17.8] kg/m2vs. 20.7 ±e6 kg/m2, P < 0.001), and baseline BMI was positively correlated with response time in the head-up tilt test after adjusting for sex (r = 0.256, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.067–0.439, P = 0.029). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of baseline BMI was 0.818 (95% CI: 0.704–0.932, P < 0.001), and an optimal cut-off value of 18.9 kg/m2 yielded a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 73% to predict the efficacy of ORS in VVS. Conclusion: Prior to treatment, baseline BMI is a promising predictor of response to ORS in children with VVS.


The article examines some of the strategies employed by the Mexican health authorities that led to the organization of massive and obligatory smallpox vaccination campaigns from the late 1880s to the 1940s, a period of Mexican history that corresponds to the Porfirio Diaz regime (1877-1911), to the armed phase of the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), and to the first two decades of the Post-revolutionary governments (1920-1940). Attention will be placed of the vaccination programs in the main urban settings, notably in Mexico City, as well as the gradual but decisive organization and regulation of vaccination campaigns in the heterogeneous rural milieu. Furthermore, the importance that hygienic education acquired will be explored, as well as the divergent and contested responses that emerged due to the obligatory vaccination campaigns, responses that included resistance, fear, uncertainty and widespread acceptance.


In this study, researchers examine the role of Permade in fostering the understanding of minority Muslim communities in Rambung Baru Village, Deliserdang Regency. Rambung Baru Village is a village located in Deliserdang Regency, North Sumatra Province which still has a small Muslim community in every corner of the area. In this case, several elements of society want the progress of Muslims in the area to form a community organization, namely PERMADE. This researcher refers to how the Muslim community understands Islam and how Permade fosters minority Muslims and how the community responds to the existence of Permade. The purpose of this research is to generate the spirit of understanding Islam in the area. Permade became a forum to equalize the perception among da'I in fostering the Muslim community in this area. Since the formation of Permade, a lot of Islamic knowledge has been seen in the community. With the programs carried out by Permade in the form of a friendship agenda, fardu kifayah, and several other programs. It is hoped that the presence of Permade in Rambung Baru Village will solve the problem of the lack of basic Islamic knowledge that has not been obtained so far and Permade must continue to update the strategies used to attract the public


A new micromachining process for large-scale optical cross-connects is presented. It satisfies the high-accuracy optical alignment required for free-space optics. A self-aligned batch-process allowing the simultaneous fabrication of vertical mirrors and fiber guides is performed with only one-mask. This process is based on bulk micromachining of [100] silicon. A first demonstration is performed on a 2/spl times/2 elementary cell then, it is extended to the fabrication of larger mirror arrays. Promising performances such as insertion loss lower than 0.5 dB, sub-millisecond switching time (0.3 ms) and reliable operation (more than 20 million cycles) are demonstrated on a bypass switch. An improved fabrication process, leading to an increase of integration density is also presented. It is based on the combination of deep dry-etching and anisotropic wet-etching.


We develop a framework to simultaneously compute the unobservable parameters underlying the structural-parametric models for bankruptcy prediction. More specifically, we compute the unobservable parameters such as, asset value and asset volatility, through learning by embedding in the structural models a neural network that maps the neural network's input space (e.g. companies' observable financial and market data) to the unobservable parameter space. Within such a 'neuro-structural' framework, the neural network and the structural model work together as a one unit during the learning phase by providing to each other forward and backward information, respectively, until the weights of the neural network are optimized according to a merit function. Empirical results show that structural models, like the Black-Scholes-Merton and the Down-and-Out option models, with parameters computed with our approach, perform better than alternative specifications of the structural models, out of sample, in terms of discriminatory power, information content and economic impact. Importantly, they also perform better than a standard neural network, suggesting that the co-joint dynamics between the neural network and the structural model are useful during the learning phase and can improve the prediction performance (and the training efficiency) of neural networks. Finally, our approach provides methodological (and empirical) enhancements over logit specifications such as, Campbell et al. [In search of distress risk. J Finance, 2008, 63, 2899–2939]. There, financial and market data are the inputs, and the output is the probability of bankruptcy whereas our approach includes an intermediary step to obtain the unobservable parameters and subsequently the probability of bankruptcy.


Diethyldithiocarbamate (DTC), a biological augmenting agent specific for T cells, was applied to treat patients with incipient oral lichen planus (OLP) who had been refractory to traditional therapy. DTC was administered orally (5 mg.kg-1, twice a week) for at least 3 months. Interleukin 2 (IL-2) production and lymphocyte proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were measured before and after the treatment. The bioactivity of IL-2 was determined by the use of IL-2 dependent cell line CTLL-2 and human recombinant IL-2. The results indicated that both IL-2 production of PBMC and lymphocyte proliferation increased (P less than 0.01). Clinical symptoms were improved significantly. The effective rate in 30 patients was 86.7%. It is suggested that the mechanism involves that DTC improves the cellular immunity of the patients.


The study was conducted from January 2018 to May 2018 with the objective of studying breeding practices,
 reproductive and productive performance of dairy cows in Gimbi district, west Wollega zone. A total of 120 dairy
 producers were randomly selected from four representative kebeles (Chuta Giyorgisi, Lelisa Yesus, Bikiltu Tokuma
 and Enango Dembali) and interviewed. A semi-structured questionnaire was employed to gather the required data
 and the collected data were analyzed by using statistical package for social science (SPSS Version 20). As the study
 result indicated about 89% of the households were used natural mating as method of breeding and only 3% of them
 were utilized AI but they perceived as it had no worth. The mean age at first service (AFS), age at first calving (AFC)
 and calving interval (CI) of local cows was 42.23 ± 7.4; 51.73 ± 6.97 and 15.03 ± 1.04, respectively. And 29.02 ±
 2.65; 38.14 ± 5.43 and 14.48 ± 1.19 was the mean age at first service (AFS), age at first calving (AFC) and calving
 interval (CI) of crossbred cows, respectively in the study area. All the reproduction parameters included in this
 study were significantly different at (P<0.05) between breeds. Moreover, 1.18 ± 0.52 and 5.83 ± 0.28 liters were the
 daily milk yield of local and crossbred dairy cows, respectively. The indigenous dairy cow has 7.15 ± 0.13 months of
 lactation length, whereas 8.87 ± 0.18 months were the lactation length of crossbred dairy cow. Comparing with the
 recommended standard, the dairy cows of the study area were familiarized with poor reproductive and productive
 potential. Thus, the benefits derived from dairy cows were not commensurate with their number. Since genetic
 improvement of livestock has a major impact on animal productivity and reproductively, its effects are permanent,
 cumulative and usually highly cost effective; practicing advanced breeding methods (cross breeding though AI
 and sound estrus detection), upgrading genetic makeup of the animal (crossing local with Holstein Friesian) and
 practicing good management system in the study area is highly needed.


Recent studies have shown that when bilinguals or multilinguals read written words, listen to spoken words, or plan words that they intend to speak in one language alone, information in all of the languages that they know is momentarily active. That activation produces cross-language competition that sometimes converges to facilitate performance and sometimes diverges to create costs to performance. The presence of parallel activation across languages has been documented in comprehension, in studies of word recognition, and also in production, in studies of lexical speech planning. The observation that one of the two or more languages cannot be switched off at will is particularly surprising in production, where the intention to express a thought should be guided by conceptually driven processes. Likewise, in comprehension, recent studies show that placing words in sentence context in one language alone is insufficient to restrict processing to that language. The focus of current research on the multilingual lexicon is therefore to understand the basis of language nonselectivity, to consider how the language in use is ultimately selected, and to identify the cognitive consequences of having a lexical system that is open to influence by the languages not in use. In this article, we review the recent cognitive and neural evidence on each of these issues, with special consideration to the question of how the nature of the evidence itself shapes the conclusions drawn about the organization and access to the lexicon in individuals who speak more than one language.


Following Hasse's example, various authors have been deriving divisibility properties of minus class numbers of cyclotomic fields by carefully examining the analytic class number formula. In this paper we will show how to generalize these results to CM-fields by using class field theory. Although we will only need some special cases, we have also decided to include a few results on Hasse's unit index for CM-fields as well, because it seems that our proofs are more direct than those given by Hasse.


GENERAL PURPOSE
To present a systematic review of the literature conducted to define and extend knowledge of the risk factors, causes, and antecedent conditions of acute skin failure (ASF) in adult intensive care patients.

TARGET AUDIENCE
This continuing education activity is intended for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses with an interest in skin and wound care.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES
After participating in this educational activity, the participant should be better able to:1. Outline the background information helpful for understanding the authors' systematic review of ASF in adult intensive care patients.2. Summarize the results of the authors' review of the risk factors, causes, and antecedent conditions of ASF in adult intensive care patients.

ABSTRACT
To define and extend knowledge of the risk factors, causes, and antecedent conditions of acute skin failure (ASF) in the adult intensive care patient cohort.The Cochrane Library, Joanna Briggs Institute Evidence-Based Practice Database, PubMed, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Google Scholar.Studies were selected if they were qualitative or quantitative research that reported ASF in adult human patients in an ICU setting. The preliminary search yielded 991 records and 22 full texts were assessed for eligibility. A total of three records were included. Studies were appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.Data from the included studies were extracted by one reviewer and summarized in data collection tables that were checked and verified by a second reviewer.Study authors identified five independent predictors of ASF: peripheral vascular disease, mechanical ventilation longer than 72 hours, respiratory failure, liver failure, and sepsis. However, the term ASF was applied to retrospective cohorts of patients who developed severe pressure injuries. This, combined with the absence of evidence surrounding the assessment, clinical criteria, and diagnosis of ASF, could impact these variables' predictability relative to the condition.These results highlight a substantial evidence gap regarding the etiology, diagnostic biomarkers, and predictors of ASF. Further research focused on these gaps may contribute to an accurate and agreed-upon definition for ASF, as well as improved skin integrity outcomes.


The objective of this study was to understand the changes that took place in large multinational industries acting in the physical world that, by adopting e-business, started acting in the virtual world, as well as the needs that led to this adoption. Method: multi-case study with two companies, a national industry ("A") and a subsidiary of a developed country ("B") in Brazil. Results: In terms of motivation, both companies mentioned an increase in revenue, but "B" highlighted its alignment with global strategy, focused on innovation and e-business, as a "showcase" of the company's innovative side. Logistical transformations: "A" hired a logistics operator; "B" developed internally adapted logistics, taking advantage of knowledge from its headquarters.


An assortment of 496 samples of frozen foods consisting of fish or marine products, variety types, and cream pie desserts were subjected to four parallel examinations for the recovery of Escherichia coli. The test procedures consisted of two low-temperature (35 C) and two high-temperature (44 C) presumptive tests, followed by an E C confirmatory test at 45.5 C. Of all the test methods examined, a single Lauryl Sulfate Tryptose (LST) presumptive test at 44 C gave best E. coli recovery (425). This recovery compared favorably with the lengthier Association of Official Analytical Chemists test with which only 420 E. coli cells were recovered. The LST (44 C) test saves much time, since it renders a follow-up 48-hr confirmatory test unnecessary. Moreover, since 96% of all the E. coli are recovered within 24 hr by LST (44 C), it is essentially a 24-hr test. The results of this study also confirmed earlier findings, in that it is possible to describe a specific coliform bacteriological test method by simple reproducible productivity ratios. E. coli recovery dilution data and coliform group behavior were also examined.


Formulated basic principles and directions of creation of priorities of development of airrepairs enterprises in the system of providing of competitive airmarket in Ukraine.