Habitat preference is driven by a complex interaction among behavioural patterns, biological requirements, and environmental conditions. These variables are difficult to determine for any species but are further complicated for migratory marine mammals, such as humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae . Patterns of habitat use in relation to social organization potentially exist for this species on their wintering grounds. Using an integrated GIS approach, we examined the degree to which spatial patterns of habitat stratification are correlated within different humpback whale group types from 6 years of sighting data (1996–2001) collected on the Antongil Bay, Madagascar, wintering ground. Stratification of humpback whale sightings by behavioural classification showed significant variation in depth and distance from shore. Distribution by depth could not be described as a function of group size but could be described as a function of social organization, with mother–calf pairs showing a strong preference for shallower water compared to all other group types. Group size and social organization seem to be factors in distribution by distance from shore. Significant diurnal patterns in distribution by depth and distance from shore also exist, where mother–calf groups maintain a relatively stable distribution and pairs and competitive groups are the most variable. Patterns of habitat preference on this wintering ground appear to be guided by social organization, where distribution by depth and distance from shore highlight areas critical to conservation.


Multi-threshold CMOS (MTCMOS) power gating is a design technique in which a power gating transistor is connected between the logic transistors and either power or ground, thus creating a virtual supply rail or virtual ground rail, respectively. Power gating transistor sizing, transition (sleep mode to active mode) current, short circuit current and transition time are design issues for power gating design. The use of power gating design results in the delay overhead in the active mode. If both nMOS and pMOS sleep transistor are used in power gating, delay overhead will increase. This paper proposes the design methodology for reducing the delay of the logic circuits during active mode. This methodology limits the maximum value of transition current to a specified value and eliminates short circuit current. Experiment results show 16.83% reduction in the delay.


A limitation of the Ramadge and Wonham (RW) framework for the supervisory control theory is the explicit state representation using finite automata, often resulting in complex and unintelligible models. Extended finite automata (EFAs), i.e., deterministic finite automata extended with variables, provide compact state representation and then make the control logic transparent through logic expressions of the variables. A challenge with this new control framework is to exploit the rich control structure established in RW's framework. This paper studies the decentralized control structure with EFAs. To reduce the computational complexity, the controller is synthesized based on model abstraction of subsystems, which means that the global model of the entire system is unnecessary. Sufficient conditions are presented to that guarantee the decentralized supervisors result in maximally permissive and nonblocking control to the entire system.


An attempt has been made to carry out an overall calculation of the various damping rates of phonons in order to highlight the dynamic picture of non-equilibrium phonons arising in a metal film excited by laser. The calculations are compared with the experimental results and found to be consistent.


BackgroundImpulse oscillometry (IOS) can be used to evaluateairway impedance in patients with obstructive airway diseases. Previous studies have demonstrated that IOS parameters differ betweenbronchiectasis patients and healthy controls. This study aims to explore the usefulness of IOS in assessing disease severity and airway reversibility in bronchiectasis.MethodSeventy-four patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis who visited our Respiratory Medicine outpatient clinic were consecutively recruited. Spirometry, plethysmography and IOS tests were performed. Patients were stratified into mild, moderate and severe disease according to Reiff, Bhalla, BSI, FACED, and BRICS scores. Airway reversibility was measured by bronchodilation test (BDT) and the result was classified as positive or negative.. ROC curves of IOS parameters was used to assess the usefulness of IOS parameters in predicting airway reversibility. Correlations between the IOS, spirometric lung function and bronchiectasis severity parameters were analysed.ResultsMany IOS parameters, such as airway resistance at 5Hz (R5), small airways resistance (R5–R20), total airway reactance (X5), resonance frequency (Fres), total airway impedance at 5Hz (Z5), and peripheral resistance (Rp) increased with increased bronchiectasis severity according to the FACED, BSI and Reiff scores. Large airway resistance (R20) and central resistance (Rc) were not significantly different among groups with differentbronchiectasis severity. The difference between R5 and R20 (R5-R20) showed 81.0% sensitivity, and 69.8%specificity in predicting the airway reversibility in bronchiectasis with AUC of 0.794 (95%CI, 0.672-0.915).ConclusionIOS measurements are useful indicators of bronchiectasis severity and may be useful for predicting the airway reversibility.


This study involves an investigation to ascertain the effect of sintering temperature on the particle
size distribution of Co0.5 Zn0.5 Fe2O4 nano-particle. The effect of the sintering temperature towards
diffusion of CoO and ZnO into the tetrahedral and octahedral sites was also reported. In this study,
CoO, ZnO and Fe2O3 powders were mechanically alloyed to synthesize fine powders of Co0.5 Zn0.5 Fe2O4 nano-particles. The synthesized powder was then sintered at various temperatures which
were employed to study the effect of sintering temperature on the materials. Further analysis was
done using XRD to investigate the phases of the powder and the crystallite size using Scherrer
equation, SEM and EDX for the morphology and elemental composition of samples. The XRD spectra
indicated that Both ZnO and CoO powder reacted well during sintering, however, ZnO was first
to diffuse into its crystallographic sites before CoO. While the particle size distribution increases
as the sintering temperature increases. Amongst other findings, it was confirmed that sintering
temperature affects the particle size distribution of samples and samples begin to agglomerate at
temperature above 700°C.


A process for adhering polyethylene to aluminum was developed which involves treating the aluminium substrate successively with chromic acid and then a selected organic acid. Certain organic acids utilized in this process appeared to produce a synergistic effect on the adhesion. This process, which required no modification or treatment of the polymer, resulted in peel strengths forty times greater than that obtained on untreated aluminum. Tensile shear values for the polyethylene–aluminum bond were greater than 2800 psi. The materials used for treating the metal in this system produced a maximum in the obtainable peel strength. Furthermore, minor changes in the etching acids resulted in drastic changes in the adhesion values.


We investigated the timing of the disappearance and reappearance of serum hepatitis C viral (HCV) RNA in patients with chronic hepatitis C during interferon treatment and follow-up. Serum samples were tested for HCV RNA by polymerase chain reaction in 62 patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with interferon-alpha for 24 weeks. We found that 17 patients obtained complete response, with absence of serum HCV RNA for 6 months after the treatment. Twenty-nine patients had a partial response, with reappearance of serum HCV RNA within 6 months of follow-up, and 16 patients were nonresponders who were positive for serum HCV RNA throughout the observation period. HCV RNA disappeared within 2 weeks of treatment in 31 patients, including all 17 (100%) complete responders and 14 (48.3%) of the 29 partial responders. The patients remaining positive for HCV RNA at the second week were 15 (51.7%) of the 29 partial responders and the 16 nonresponders. In all of the 29 partial responders, viremia recurred within 1 month after the treatment. These results indicate that the status of HCV RNA at the second week of treatment is a useful predictor of effective treatment, whereas status at the first month after cessation of treatment is useful for assessing the effectiveness of interferon itself.


Theoretical investigation through quantum-mechanical calculations of far-infrared (FIR) laser oscillation in p-Ge is presented and compared with the experimental results. Analysis on the basis of energy spectra of germanium driven from the Luttinger Hamiltonian under crossed fields is performed for both cyclotron-resonance (CR) and intervalence band (IVB) laser oscillations. The numerical estimations of the population inversion and amplification coefficient for CR-type show that the transition between n=0 and n=1 light-hole (LH) Landau levels yields net amplification in the field region that substantially matches the observations. In these calculations, it is clarified that the valence-band mixture and nonequidistant energy spacing of LH-Landau levels play an essential role. As for the IVB-type, it is suggested that the transitions from n=2-3 LH-Landau levels to the heavy-hole band take part in laser emissions in the shorter-wavelength region. However, the observed gap in the emission wavelength between the shorter- and longer-wavelength regions cannot be explained by the calculations and further investigation based on quantum-mechanical treatments is needed.


The preparation of a highly purified antifertility factor from human seminal plasma is described, and some of its biochemical properties have been determined. Purification was achieved by ultracentrifugation of particle-free human seminal plasma, followed by chromatography of the precipitate using carboxymethyl cellulose, concanavalin A, and Sepharose 6B columns. An occasional contaminant was further removed by preparative isoelectric focusing. During the purification procedures, the activity of the fractions was monitored by mixing them with capacitated mouse spermatozoa for 20 min before adding an aliquot to intact mouse oocytes, and determining fertilization after 24 h. The I50 (amount causing a 50% reduction in fertilization as compared to the control) of the final purified factor was 45 micrograms protein. Purity was established by standard and sodium dodecyl sulfate disc gel electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing, high-pressure liquid chromatography, and sedimentation analysis. These methods, as well as Sepharose gel filtration, were also used for the molecular weight estimations; good agreement was obtained between the various techniques. The factor appears to be a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of about 200,000. It consists of two subunits with molecular weights of about 125,000 and 72,000 and s-20,w of 6.2 s and 4.3 s. The factor contains relatively high amounts of aspartic acid and glutamic acid residues as well as leucine and serine, but only small amounts of tryptophan and no methionine was detected. The carbohydrate fraction is particularly rich in galactose and N-acetylgalactosamine but also contains mannose and N-acetylglucosamine and small amounts of fucose and sialic acid.


Organizations are increasingly dependent upon information systems to increase productivity, minimize cost, and maximize profit. This dependency results in exposure to new threats and vulnerabilities that dramatically increase operational risk. Executive management is ultimately responsible for insuring that this risk is properly managed to assure organizational health, profitability, and compliance with all laws and regulations. Challenges in discharging this responsibility include difficulty in understanding undesirable events on organizational objectives, lack of modeling controls across multiple interdependent domains, and the tendency to allocate resources for security with a tactical view, rather than a strategic view, of the organization. In this paper, a conceptual model and its validation are presented. The model is canonical, comprehensive, flexible, scalable, and provides a means to document, communicate, and track security related expenditures.


Background Development of the burgeoning number of photothermal therapy (PTT) agents has drawn a huge amount of interest, since PTT treatment is a powerful and effective alternative to traditional treatments. Optimal PTT agents should integrate some essential preconditions including negligible systemic toxicity, deep penetration into tumor tissues, and maximum laser energy absorbance. Unfortunately, only few of the PTT agents reported could meet all of the above mentioned conditions. Methods Here, we report a brand new PTT agent through the encapsulation of NaGdF4:Yb,Tm@ NaGdF4:Yb (UCNPs) and an organic compound (C3) into poly-e-caprolactone-polyethylene-polyglycol (PCL-PEG) (PL-UC-C3 NPs). Results UCNPs as an up-conversion material and C3 as a PTT agent both feature low cytotoxicity, and most importantly, UCNPs with superior conversion efficiency could efficiently absorb the energy of a 980 nm laser, transform the near-infrared laser light into visible light, and translate the palingenetic visible light to C3. The usage of a 980 nm laser ensures a deeper penetration and lower energy, while the highly efficient absorption and transformation process confers a cascade amplified hyperthermia for tumor treatment. Conclusion In this regard, our research provides a powerful and robust breakthrough for florescence/computed tomography imaging-guided PTT treatment, lighting up the clinical application in cancer treatment.


Objective:The main objective of this project was to studyhow to secure the wandering of elderly persons diagnosed with dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease by using healthcare technologies. Methods:The study was carried out during a three-year period (2008-2011) in the region of South Ostrobothnia, Finland. Thirty-two elderly persons living at home and diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease participated in the study. The ages of the intervention group ranged from 66 to 90 years; the average age was 81 years. A total of 63 different home care devices including 24 location based technologies were tested during the intervention.The choice of technology used was based on the individual needs of the elderly person. Results:Participants with mild stage memory impairment were able to use and benefit from the technology installed during the intervention to live more independently.The most useful devices were those that operated within the home. Nine of ten users of door alarm systems, five of nine users of GPS systems and all users of GSM systems were satisfied with the technologies. Conclusions:Location based alarm and access control technology can have a positive impact on the lives of elderly persons suffering from dementia. When chosen appropriately, technology can help to reduce or eliminate the wandering often associated with dementia.Regardless of the technology used, it should be installed when the elderly person is at the early stages of dementia; at later stages of the disease it is usually impossible for the elderly to adequately adopt the device.


Recent African political philosophers do not imagine that traditional African societies were highly individualistic. Basing themselves on the oral tradition regarding traditional societies they maintain that private property was not concentrated in the hands of a few privileged people. As opposed to radical communitarianism, Gyekye characterizes traditional African societies as having been moderately communitarian. Reflecting on my own traditional Basotho society, I contend that it was socialist by character. I further argue that socialism entails the use of markets. I also make a case for incorporating market socialism in Lesotho, depending on whether Lesotho can successfully retain social values lost because of the imposition of capitalism by colonizers.


In this paper we employ a particular analysis of the continuity between the "Theory of Moral Sentiments" and the "Wealth of Nations", to show that the smithian concept of economic equilibrium displays its "gravitating" and normative role, operating not as an objective reference, pointing out the social consequences of the interactions among perfectly rational agents, but as a weaker reference of reasonableness and common sense. The impossibility to derive a perfectly virtuous (rational) equilibrium depends on the dichotomy between natural and real price. This dichotomy originates from the peculiar conformation of the human nature, and from the basic principles supervising human actions. Therefore, we shifted the analysis to those parts of the "Theory of Moral Sentiments", where Smith works out a general theory of human action, aiming at realizing in what sense the "aurea medietas" character of the competitive market equilibrium might be desirable, i.e. "virtuous", from the point of view of a hypothetical social planner. To address this question we had first to make clear which virtue characterizes human actions as long as they are consistent with the concept of "aurea medietas". It appeared that it is the virtue of prudence this basic principle of conduct, which influences individual choices through a complex mechanism, of which rationality is just one of the working parts, and that cannot exists without the active support of moral judgments delivered by the principles of sympathy and of the impartial spectator.


In medical practice, critical care ventilation provides a vital life support function for patients that have difficulty or are unable to breath for themselves. For the machines that provide this function, control engineering plays a key role in providing safe and accurate delivery of gas to the patient. This tutorial presents an overview of the modeling and control techniques practiced by engineers in critical care ventilation. The lung and the ventilator system are modeled. Flow control, mix control, volume based ventilation controls, pressure based ventilation, adaptive PBV control solution, exhalation pressure control, triggering, disconnect and occlusion, higher level controls, volume assured pressure support, flow regulated CPAP, proportional assist ventilation and oxygen saturation (SpO/sub 2/) controls in the flow ventilator control system are discussed.


The relationship between leaders and followers is the most common in an organisation. The degree of interaction between leaders and employees, widely known as leader-member exchange (LMX), significantly impacts employees' attitudes and behaviours. Thus, through a systematic review of the literature on LMX, this study summarised the research hotspots, inconsistencies in current research, and trends for future studies. In addition to providing a reference for the development of theories, this study also helps enterprise managers better understand the positive role of LMX quality in the organisation. This study used bibliometrics to review 1,883 articles from the field of LMX based on the Scopus database. Excel and VOSviewer were used for linear regression, statistical analysis, and cluster analysis of the documents that met the requirements. Firstly, the temporal trends and sources of LMX were summarised, and it was found that publications grow exponentially. Secondly, out of 3,617 authors, 127 are core authors. Thirdly, the United States, China, Australia, the United Kingdom, and South Korea are the countries with the most study on the LMX theory. Fourthly, LMX has a wide range of applications. Finally, the clustering analysis of keywords shows five clusters.


In examining the relationship between the number of points over $\mathbb{F}_p$ on certain Calabi-Yau manifolds and hypergeometric series which correspond to a particular period of the manifold, Rodriguez-Villegas identified numerically 22 possible supercongruences. We prove one of the outstanding supercongruence conjectures between a special value of a truncated generalized hypergeometric series and the $p$-th Fourier coefficient of a modular form.


Twenty-two flocks of pheasants were reared from day-old to approximately six weeks of age without the use of beak trimming or other measures against feather pecking. The pheasants were housed in aviaries in groups of 80 or 240 chicks at stocking densities of 0.7, 1.3 or 4.0 birds per m2. The quality of the pheasants' plumage was poorer at the highest stocking density than at the two lower densities. Higher stocking densities resulted in higher proportions of birds with injuries to their skin (7.2 per cent, 13 per cent and 34 per cent). The group size had no significant effect on the quality of the birds' plumage, but at the largest group size there were significantly more beak-inflicted skin injuries (21 per cent v 12 per cent). In the period between 35 and 42 days of age, the quality of the birds' plumage decreased significantly.


Background While advances have been made in HIV prevention and treatment, new HIV infections continue to occur. The introduction of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as an additional HIV prevention option for those at high risk of HIV may change the landscape of the HIV epidemic, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, which bears the greatest HIV burden.

METHODS
This paper details Kenya's experience of PrEP rollout as a national public sector program. The process of a national rollout of PrEP guidance, partnerships, challenges, lessons learnt and progress related to national scale up of PrEP in Kenya, as of 2018, is described. National rollout of PrEP was strongly lead by the government, and work was executed through a multidisciplinary, multi-organisation dedicated team. This required reviewing available evidence, providing guidance to health providers, integration into existing logistic and health information systems, robust communication and community engagement. Mapping of the response showed that subnational levels had existing infrastructure but required targeted resources to catalyse PrEP provision. Rollout scenarios were developed and adopted, with prioritisation of 19 counties focusing on high incidence area and high potential PrEP users to maximise impact and minimise costs.

RESULTS
PrEP is now offered in over 900 facilities countrywide. There are currently over 14000 PrEP users 1 year after launching PrEP.

CONCLUSIONS
Kenya becomes the first African country to rollout PrEP as a national program, in the public sector. This case study will provide guidance for low- and middle-income countries planning the rollout of PrEP in response to both generalised and concentrated epidemics.


BACKGROUND
With decreasing Infant Mortality Rate, Perinatal Mortality is gaining importance as it takes into consideration most of the factors influencing child birth and its survival, mortality during this period is a better indicator of quality of Maternal and Child Health services.

OBJECTIVES
To estimate the Prevalence of perinatal mortality and its associated risk factors.

METHODOLOGY
Cross sectional community based study was carried out in rural field practice area catering 26,700 population. All births during 2010 among permanent residents of this area were included. House to house survey was conducted to collect details regarding Antenatal, intra-natal and post-natal history by interviewing mother using a pre-tested questionnaire. Hospital records were also referred when available.

RESULTS
Nine perinatal deaths had occurred out of 314 births in a span of one year with a perinatal, early neonatal mortality rates of 28.93, 19.29 per 1000 live births respectively and still birth rate of 9.55 per 100 total births. Higher Perinatal Mortality Rate(PNMR) was observed in mothers who got married before 18 years, conceived during teenage, having anaemia, delivered at home, normal vaginal deliveries and having suffered by intra-partal and placental complications. Male babies, babies fed with prelacteal feeds, born out of intra-uterine complications, having low birth weight, had delayed first cry, premature births and twin births showed higher risk for mortality.

CONCLUSION
The prevalence of perinatal mortality in the present study was 28.93 per 1000 live births. Even though this was well below the national and state values indicating improved quality of Maternal and Child Health care, it also gives way for relooking into strategies for further bringing down the perinatal deaths.


About the Editors. About Landon IP, Inc. Acknowledgments. Preface. Chapter 1: Patent Law and Examination as Context for Patent Searching. The U.S. Patent System. Look before You Leap: Considerations before Filing. Patent Examination Process. Backlog of Patent Applications. Chapter 2: Types of Patent Searches. Patentability. Validity. Infringement. Clearance. State of the Art. Patent Landscape. Benefits of Prior Art Searching. Chapter 3: The Mechanics of Searching. Introduction. Properly Scoping the Search. Conducting the Search. Issues Peculiar to Certain Technical Disciplines. Estimating Search Time. Chapter 4: Patent Analysis. The Precursor to Patent Analysis. Searches versus Analyses: What's the Difference? Features of Patent Analyses and Reporting. Sample Patent Analysis Report. Chapter 5: Approaches to Reporting Search Results. Purpose of the Search Report. Anatomy of a Search Report. Writing a Summary. Presenting the Subject Matter. Discussing References. Writing Discussions. Indicating Claims. Prioritizing References. Central References. Peripheral References. Central and Peripheral References. Search History. Classification Areas. Databases Accessed. Examiners Contacted. Conclusion. Chapter 6: Search Tools. The Availability of Patent Information. Criteria for Selecting Search Tools. When to Select a Search Tool. Data Sources for Chemical Searches. Data Sources for Mechanical Searches. Data Sources For Electrical/Computer Searches. Data Sources for Business Methods Searches. Methods of Access. Text Search Syntax. Discussion of Specific Search Tools. Access to Nonpatent Literature. Value-Added Capabilities of Search Tools. Conclusion. Index.


Measurement of monoamine metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has been one of the few methods available to study monoamine transmitter function in the human central nervous system (CNS). It has steadily proved to be of much use in clinical research of neurological and psychiatric diseases, in which altered functions of central monoamine neurotransmitters have been identified. In this work 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethylglycol (MHPG), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were quantified in normal CSF and in patients with untreated Parkinson's disease (PD) and olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA). Normal CSF was obtained from 162 patients at the time of spinal anesthesia for surgery. Reference values for monoamine metabolites were established for normal adult lumbar CSF. Up to the age of 70 years no relation of monoamine metabolite concentration with age or sex were encountered. In individuals above 70 years of age higher levels of MHPG, HVA, and 5-HIAA were present in women, while in men only higher levels of MHPG could be detected. A strong correlation between 5-HIAA and HVA concentrations were observed in all groups. PD patients exhibited normal CSF metabolite levels, but an altered 5-HIAA/HVA ratio, favoring 5-HIAA. Dominant and recessive OPCA differed essentially in HVA concentration-diminished in the first group and elevated in the last. Comparing the results obtained in PD and dominant OPCA, we suggest that the decrease of CSF HVA in the latter group might not reflect nigrostriatal degeneration as we previously thought. Possibly another factor influencing dopamine function in the CNS is involved.


In the Far West Texas region in the USA, long‐term irrigation of fine‐textured valley soils with saline Rio Grande River water has led to soil salinity and sodicity problems. Soil salinity [measured by saturated paste electrical conductivity (ECe)] and sodicity [measured by sodium adsorption ratio (SAR)] in the irrigated areas have resulted in poor growing conditions, reduced crop yields, and declining farm profitability. Understanding the spatial distribution of ECe and SAR within the affected areas is necessary for developing management practices. Conventional methods of assessing ECe and SAR distribution at a high spatial resolution are expensive and time consuming. This study evaluated the accuracy of electromagnetic induction (EMI), which measures apparent electrical conductivity (ECa), to delineate ECe and SAR distribution in two cotton fields located in the Hudspeth and El Paso Counties of Texas, USA. Calibration equations for converting ECa into ECe and SAR were derived using the multiple linear regression (MLR) model included in the ECe Sampling Assessment and Prediction program package developed by the US Salinity Laboratory. Correlations between ECa and soil variables (clay content, ECe, SAR) were highly significant (p ≤ 0·05). This was further confirmed by significant (p ≤ 0·05) MLRs used for estimating ECe and SAR. The ECe and SAR determined by ECa closely matched the measured ECe and SAR values of the study site soils, which ranged from 0·47 to 9·87 dS m−1 and 2·27 to 27·4 mmol1/2 L−1/2, respectively. High R2 values between estimated and measured soil ECe and SAR values validated the MLR model results. Results of this study indicated that the EMI method can be used for rapid and accurate delineation of salinity and sodicity distribution within the affected area. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


All US stock market sectors and industries perform better during winter than during summer in our sample from 1926-2005. In more than two-third of all sectors and industries this difference in summer and winter returns, known as the Halloween effect, is statistically significant and in half of all sectors and industries risk premia are negative during summer. However, while all sectors and industries show this effect, there are large differences across sectors and industries. The effect is almost absent in sectors related to consumer consumption but strong in production sectors. We illustrate how these differences between sectors might be used to improve the risk return trade off using sector rotation based on Fidelity sector funds and show how an investor might have benefited from such a trading strategy.


Introduction: Salivary gland tumors are uncommon neoplasms encountered in the head and neck region. Salivary gland neoplasms have varied histopathological findings with dual cell differentiation with some of the tumors showing morphologic overlap. Detailed histomorphologic analysis along with judicious application of immunohistochemistry are required to identify dual cell differentiation and to make a proper diagnosis. p63 is a selective immunohistochemical marker of basal stem cells of stratified epithelium and of myoepithelial cells which aid in the diagnosis of salivary gland tumors.
Objective: To study the role of p63 in the diagnosis of salivary gland tumours.
Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in the Pathology department of M.S Ramaiah Hospital on the surgically resected salivary gland tumor specimens received for routine histopathological evaluation, from January 2010 to December 2014. A total of 66 cases of salivary gland neoplasms were included in the study.
Results: Most tumors studied had myoepithelial cells with mixed cytomorphology and had mixed architectural pattern. 66 salivary gland tumors were immunostained for p63 antibody using standard procedures. Pleomorphic adenoma, Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma and Warthin tumor were positive for p63 immunostain with variable intensities. Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma showed positivity in clear, intermediate and squamous cells. Acinic Cell Carcinoma was negative for p63.
Conclusion: Proper diagnosis of salivary gland tumor is very important in the treatment and management of the patient. p63 is an important immunohistochemical marker which aid in the diagnosis of salivary gland tumors. The differential localization of p63 in these neoplasms has shed light on the myoepithelial cellular localizations in the salivary gland tumors.

Keywords: Histopathology, Salivary gland tumors, dual cell differentiation, immunohistochemistry.


After the fall of Srebrenica in summer of 1995, the Scorpions unit, dispatched to support the Bosnian Serb Army as it took over the enclave, shot six men in Trnovo. The men, three of whom were underage, were some of thousands of Bosnian Muslims that fell into the hands of Bosnian Serb troops, and that were executed in the days and weeks following July 11th. A member of the unit filmed the execution. Fragments of the video were first shown during the Slobodan Milosevic trial, and multiple times in the years after, in the courtrooms in The Hague and Belgrade. The video provides unique insights into the nature of the crime, as well as the behavior of the perpetrators, and this article will discuss them in detail, contributing to what we know about Srebrenica, and how individuals are held accountable for mass atrocity crimes. This article is part of a special issue of the journal, titled 'Images and Collective Violence: Function, Use and Memory'.


One of the challenges in designing recycled asphalt mixtures with a high amount of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is estimating the blending degree between RAP binder and added virgin bitumen. The extent of blending is crucial because asphalt concrete response is influenced by the final binder properties. This paper focuses on the evaluation of interaction and extent of blending between RAP binder and virgin bitumen by studying the microstructures of the blending zone with atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM is used to probe the change of microstructural properties from a RAP binder and virgin bitumen to the blending zone of these two. Averaged microstructural properties have been observed in thin-film blends of RAP binder and pure bitumen. The morphology of the blending zone (spatial extent of about 50 μm) exhibits domains of a wide range of microstructure sizes (160 nm to 2.07 μm) and can be considered to be a completely blended new material that has been observed directly for the first time. The fully blended binder properties are found to be between those of the two individual binders, as could be inferred from the averaged microstructural properties derived from AFM images of the blending zone. This finding is also consistent with the results of mechanical tests by dynamic shear rheometer on the same materials. Finally, a design formula is proposed that relates the spatial dimensions of the blending zone to temperature and mixing time, which will eventually allow the results of this study to be extended from small-length scales up to the engineering level.


ABSTRACT Background Exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) at work can have a negative impact on the psychological health and work life of child protection workers (CPWs). The most common form of work-related PTE experienced by CPWs consists of aggressive behaviours from the youths or their parents. Objective This study aims to identify modifiable work-related variables that might influence the probability of experiencing impaired mental health and professional adjustment following a PTE. Method The participants were CPWs from two youth social services organizations in Canada. A survey was administered to CPWs within one month of a work-related PTE (Time 1; n = 176), two months after the PTE (Time 2; n = 168), six months after the PTE (Time 3; n = 162), and 12 months after the PTE (Time 4; n = 161). Lagged linear mixed models allowed for the independent variables measured at Time 1, Time 2, and Time 3 to predict the outcome variables as measured on the next assessment (Time 2, Time 3, and Time 4, respectively). The outcomes of interest were insomnia symptoms, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and post-traumatic stress symptoms, as well as presenteeism (inadequate work performance) and professional quality of life. Results Confidence in one's own ability to cope with service user aggression negatively predicted depressive, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress symptoms as well as presenteeism, and positively predicted professional quality of life. The perception of job safety negatively predicted depressive, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress symptoms, and positively predicted professional quality of life. Finally, psychological demands from work positively predicted all mental health outcomes as well as presenteeism, and negatively predicted professional quality of life. Conclusions This study identified work-related variables that could be modified in an attempt to prevent the negative impacts of exposure to work-related PTEs, especially, aggressive behaviours from the service users. HIGHLIGHTS Modifiable work-related variables – self-efficacy, the perception of job safety, and psychological demands from work – predict mental health variables and professional adjustment following exposure to a potentially traumatic event in child protection workers.


Background/Aim: Diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in localized prostate cancer (PC) are insufficient. Treatment stratification relies on prostate-specific antigen, clinical tumor staging and International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grading, whereas molecular profiling remains unused. Integrins (ITG) have an important function in bidirectional signaling and are associated with progression, proliferation, perineural invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis, neuroendocrine differentiation, and a more aggressive disease phenotype in PC. However, ITG subunit expression in localized PC and their utility as prognostic biomarkers has not yet been analyzed. This study aimed to fill this gap and provide a comprehensive overview of ITG expression as well as ITG utility as biomarkers. Patients and Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) prostate adenocarcinoma cohorts were analyzed regarding ITG expression in correlation to ISUP, N- and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage and were correlated with disease-free survival (DFS). Statistical tests used included the Mann-Whitney U-test, logrank test and uni- and multivariable cox regression analyses. Results: After grouping for ISUP (1 and 2 vs. 3-5), N0 vs. N1 and AJCC stage (≤2 vs. ≥3), multiple ITGs showed significant expression differences. The most consistent results were observed for ITGα4, ITGαX, ITGα11, ITGβ2 and ITGα2. In multivariable cox regression, ITGα2, ITGα10, ITGαD, ITGαB2 (TCGA), ITGα11 and ITGβ4 (MSKCC) were independent predictors of DFS. Conclusion: The utility of ITGs as PC biomarkers was herein shown.


A comparison of essential oils from leaves of Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehn. obtained by hydrodistillation (HD) and supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extraction is presented. Selected major components of the oils showed a predominance of higher molecular weight components in the SC-CO2 extracts than in those obtained by HD. Physico chemical properties such as molecular weight, vapour pressure of the components, steric factor as well as in oil composition. Discussions on environmental effects on the quality of the essential oils obtained on the same eucalyptus genotype treated by the same techniques are also presented. The monoterpenes 1,8-cineole, limonene and a-pinene, present in considerable amounts in eucalyptus leaf oils, as well as their mixtures and three eucalyptus oils from different genotypes, namely E. dives, E. polybractea and E. radiata, were also studied with regard to their solubility in dense CO2 (SC-CO2 and LCO2). In general, pure compounds showed a higher solubility in SC-CO2. The composition SC-CO2 at the highest pressure and temperature. Since polar lipids are always present in eucalyptus leaves from which the oil is extracted, the interaction between such lipids, water, SC-CO2 and essential oils is important to study. First, liquid crystalline properties and the extractability of monoolein/water systems by supercritical carbon dioxide are discussed. The most remarkable observation in this study was the loss of the native mesomorphic structure at high temperatures and the low recovery of monoolein in monoolein/water systems within the highest (18wt%) water content at temperatures between 35 and 65°C. These effects are explained by the SC-CO2, water and monoolein interactions which lead to different water and monoolein activities in the phase present. Further, two model systems composed of monoolein/water or soybean lecithin/water, cineole and SC-CO2 are presented for studying the phase behaviour. Generally, it is observed that the liquid crystalline structure remain also in presence of surplus of SC-CO2. Hence, it can be assumed that lipid structures in the plant tissues may remain also during SC-CO2 extraction and contribute to the matrix effects observed in extraction trials.


The aim of the study was to examine the usefulness of targeted musculoskeletal ultrasonography (MSUS) in assessing the disease activity of patients with early inflammatory arthritis (EIA). Twenty-eight patients with EIA were enrolled. The MSUS examination of joints with arthritic signs (tenderness or swelling), measurement of 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28), and its components were performed at four-week interval visits until power doppler (PD) US remission was achieved. Various MSUS parameters of grey scale (GS) and PD synovitis were measured. Pearson or Spearman correlation coefficients were determined for the purpose of the study. Data were gathered from a total of 85 visits. The Sum of GS grade correlated better with physical examination findings, while the Sum of PD grade correlated better with serum inflammatory markers and patient global health. However, Global OMERACT-EULAR Synovitis Score (GLOESS), which reflected both PD and GS grades, correlated evenly well with each clinical parameter. In addition, GLOESS correlated best with DAS28 in the overall study population (p < 0.01). Conclusively, our targeted MSUS parameters of arthritic joints, especially sums of semi-quantitative grades of synovitis, could be useful in monitoring patients with EIA.


PREMISE OF THE STUDY
To capture molecular markers that are applicable to environmental risk assessment of genetically modified oilseed rape, and to streamline their development, we screened variations in nucleotide sequences of three Brassica species by DNA microarray analysis.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Using the Affymetrix GeneChip Arabidopsis ATH1 Genome Array, we monitored gene expression at 22810 loci among the Brassica species and picked out 192 putative polymorphic loci. We sequenced 25 of these and successfully aligned them among all three species. All 25 loci possessed some interspecific and at times intraspecific nucleotide variation.

CONCLUSIONS
DNA microarray analysis effectively detected a large number of nucleotide sequence variations among closely related Brassica species. The polymorphic regions will allow the subsequent development of functional gene markers.


This research work investigates the root causes of wear on the tribo surface of mechanically alloyed Aluminum/CNT composite through a simulated in situ analysis. The wear maps are developed using the second-order polynomial regression equation for the Aluminum/CNT composite to discriminate the wear mechanisms at different levels of their influencing factors and milling parameters. As a result, the predominant wear mechanism is identified as surface fatigue for Aluminum/CNT composite under high loading dry sliding condition. This study also reveals the modes for eliminating the severe wear at the tribo-surfaces. Aluminum/CNT1 wt% composite fabricated with the mechanical alloying parameters above 6 h of milling time and above 5 rps of milling speed eliminates the delamination under low level of tribological parameters, and it achieves the minimal wear-rate of 30.5 × 10−6 g/m and coefficient of friction (CoF) of 0.346.


Purpose

Despite being a common term in the literature, there is little agreement about what the word "adaptability" means in the context of the built environment and very little evidence regarding practitioners' understanding of adaptability. This paper aims to examine what practitioners in the building industry mean when they talk about "adaptability".

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted a qualitative approach, involving 82 unstructured face-to-face interviews with practitioners from a range of professional disciplines in the construction industry, including architects, engineers, facilities managers, property agents and planners. The interview transcripts were coded inductively to identify themes in the qualitative data.

Findings

The interview data revealed a wide range of perspectives on adaptability, particularly regarding terminology, the meanings practitioners associate with adaptability and the way in which these meanings are communicated to others in the industry. The applied meaning of adaptability varied depending on context.

Practical implications

Conflicting language, and different interpretations of adaptability, is a potential barrier to the development of adaptable buildings. A clearer articulation of the meaning of adaptability (particularly by clients) during briefing and design could give rise to a more appropriate level of adaptability in the built environment.

Originality/value

This study has addressed a gap in the existing literature by foregrounding the voices of industry practitioners and exploring their (sometimes very different) interpretations of adaptability in buildings.


We investigated the microstructures of carbon nanotube (CNT) films and the effect of CNT length on their mechanical performance. 230 μm-, 300 μm-, and 360 μm- long CNTs were grown and used to fabricate CNT films by a winding process. Opposite from the length effect on CNT fibers, it has been found that the mechanical properties of the CNT films decrease with increasing CNT length. Without fiber twisting, short CNTs tend to bundle together tightly by themselves in the film structure, resulting in an enhanced packing density; meanwhile, they also provide a high degree of CNT alignment, which prominently contributes to high mechanical properties of the CNT films. When CNTs are long, they tend to be bent and entangled, which significantly reduce their packing density, impairing the film mechanical behaviors severely. It has also been unveiled that the determinant effect of the CNT alignment on the film mechanical properties is more significant than that of the film packing density. These findings provide guidance on the optimal CNT length when attempting to fabricate high-performance macroscopic CNT assemblies.


BACKGROUND
In people with SLE and in the MRL-Faslpr lupus mouse model, macrophages and autoantibodies are central to lupus nephritis. IL-34 mediates macrophage survival and proliferation, is expressed by tubular epithelial cells (TECs), and binds to the cFMS receptor on macrophages and to a newly identified second receptor, PTPRZ.

METHODS
To investigate whether IL-34-dependent intrarenal and systemic mechanisms promote lupus nephritis, we compared lupus nephritis and systemic illness in MRL-Faslpr mice expressing IL-34 and IL-34 knockout (KO) MRL-Faslpr mice. We also assessed expression of IL-34 and the cFMS and PTPRZ receptors in patients with lupus nephritis.

RESULTS
Intrarenal IL-34 and its two receptors increase during lupus nephritis in MRL-Faslpr mice. In knockout mice lacking IL-34, nephritis and systemic illness are suppressed. IL-34 fosters intrarenal macrophage accumulation via monocyte proliferation in bone marrow (which increases circulating monocytes that are recruited by chemokines into the kidney) and via intrarenal macrophage proliferation. This accumulation leads to macrophage-mediated TEC apoptosis. We also found suppression of circulating autoantibodies and glomerular antibody deposits in the knockout mice. This is consistent with fewer activated and proliferating intrarenal and splenic B cells in mice lacking IL-34, and with our novel discovery that PTPRZ is expressed by macrophages, B and T cells. These findings appear translatable to human patients with lupus nephritis, whose expression of IL-34, cFMS, and PTPRZ is similar to that seen in the MRL-Faslpr lupus mouse model. Moreover, expression of IL-34 in TECs correlates with disease activity.

CONCLUSIONS
IL-34 is a promising novel therapeutic target for patients with lupus nephritis.


A directed polymer is allowed to branch, with configurations determined by global energy optimization and disorder. A finite-size scaling analysis in 2D shows that, if disorder makes branching more and more favorable, a critical transition occurs from the linear scaling regime first studied by Huse and Henley (Phys. Rev. Lett., 54, (1985) 2708) to a fully branched, compact one. At criticality clear evidence is obtained that the polymer branches at all scales with dimension d̄c and roughness exponent ζc satisfying (d̄c − 1)/ζc = 0.13 ± 0.01, and energy fluctuation exponent ωc = 0.26 ± 0.02, in terms of longitudinal distance.


The 4SPRR-SPR parallel robot, which has considerable potential for application in the field of machining, is a novel closed-loop mechanism with a high rigid-weight ratio. Kinematics and workspace analyses of the 4SPRR-SPR parallel robot are key requirements for its application in machining. In this study, the inverse kinematics of the 4SPRR-SPR parallel robot is analyzed using a geometric method based on the mechanism arrangement of the robot. The forward kinematics model is derived by training the vector-quantified temporal associative memory (VQTAM) network, which originates from a self-organizing map (SOM). Furthermore, an improved algorithm is obtained by combining the locally linear embedding (LLE) and VQTAM methods. A boundary extraction algorithm for the workspace analysis of the parallel robot is proposed. The performance of the boundary extraction algorithm is analyzed and compared with that of a global search algorithm; the result indicates that the novel algorithm has the same computational accuracy in addition to higher efficiency. The workspace of the 4SPRR-SPR parallel robot is analyzed using the boundary extraction algorithm. Finally, the 3D model of the 4SPRR-SPR parallel robot is simulated using the ADAMS software to verify the reliability of the proposed algorithms. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the methods proposed in this study. In addition, the robot kinematics and workspace analysis methods described herein can be extended to other serial and parallel robots. This research provides a theoretical framework for trajectory planning of mechanisms, workspace optimization of robots, and robotic control.


To date, many of the methods reported for the surgical treatment of the inverted nipple include insertion of autologous or heterologous material to provide volume and projection to the nipple, thereby avoiding recurrence. In cases of severely inverted nipple with severe fibrosis and shortening of the lactiferous ducts, the authors' technique combines the pulling out of the nipple and the release of the fibrosis and retracting ducts with the introduction of a stitch of polyglactin as filling material, performing an internal star suture in only one surgical intervention, without the need for using graft material, or local flaps that introduce scars around the nipple. The technique is simple, with excellent and long-lasting results.


Author(s): Erde, Jonathan | Advisor(s): Loo, Joseph A | Abstract: Proteomics has flourished as a result of major advances in computational power, data storage technologies, and network architecture, all of which enable the acquisition, handling, and processing of enormous data sets. As mass spectrometers continue to break resolution and sensitivity barriers, the limitations of qualitative and quantitative proteomic experiments will no longer result from instrumentation constraints, but rather from the quality and availability of robust sample preparation methods and post-processing algorithms. My dissertation focuses on the development of technologies in experimental proteomic workflows that precede and that follow mass spectrometric analysis - areas that are integral to the future of proteomics. Enhanced Filter Aided Sample Preparation (eFASP) incorporates Tween-20 for plastic passivation, and n-octylglucoside and deoxycholic acid for digestion enhancement. In E. coli, eFASP reduces sample losses associated with normal FASP by almost 300%, and significantly increases hydrophobic protein representation when compared to normal FASP and to a routine precipitation-based sample preparation. eFASP is validated in the analysis of the ultra-stable proteinaceous sheath of Methanospirillum hungatei. eFASP and label-free quantitative analysis revealed a 40.7 kDa polypeptide (Q2FRN9) encoded by Mhun_2271 as the predominant sheath component by 10-fold. eFASP is combined with sample fractionation methods and software tools for the quantitative analysis of bacterial and human samples. Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) enables small-scale fractionation for less complex samples: Syntrophus aciditrophicus, Anaerobaculum hydrogeniformans, and melanoma-derived exosomes. S. aciditrophicus and A. hydrogeniformans are profiled for proteome shifts resulting changes in carbon source. Treatment of melanoma cells with B-Raf inhibitor, PLX-4720, results in the packaging of two tyrosine kinases, VEGFR and PDGFR-B, into secreted exosomes. Upregulation of these receptor tyrosine kinases has been found to be a result of the release of feedback inhibition following treatment with MAPK targeted therapeutics. Complex whole-cell proteome analysis is effected by high-resolution electrostatic-repulsion hydrophilic interaction chromatography (ERLIC) fractionation of eFASP-processed samples. eFASP-ERLIC facilitated the quantitative analysis of normal and ATM-deficient human lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) exposed to ionizing radiation (IR) and to YEL2, a potent radiomitigator. Exposure to IR resulted in the durable upregulation of NRF2-oxidative stress response components in Normal LCLs, while thrombin signaling and pro-survival proteins were upregulated in ATM-deficient LCLs. YEL2 treatment upregulated DNA repair components and enriched pro-survival pathways, which implicate the involvement of multiple processes in YEL2-mediated radioresistance.


The cavity consists of a half-wavelength or wavelength of strip-line, short-circuited at both ends, and open along the sides. For measurements of dielectric and magnetic properties of samples, it has two apparent advantages over the more usual coaxial line method: the sample is simpler in shape, and it can be inserted without dismantling the cavity. Perturbation formulas are obtained for the frequency shift and change of "Q" on inserting a sample into a position of zero electric or zero magnetic field. The "Q" of the cavity in the absence of a sample is calculated by a perturbation method. The limiting sample size for a given accuracy to be obtained is also discussed.


Local public health departments face unprecedented challenges in today's changing health care market: movement toward Medicaid managed care, privatization of public health services, and resource shortages. Internal weaknesses include divergence from the core public health mission, an unfavorable public image, inefficiency in work processes, and inadequate data management. Quality management offers health departments a strategy for addressing these challenges through heightened service effectiveness and improved resource utilization.


Below the Potamos extensional detachment fault exposed in northern Kythera, the phyllite-quartzite unit (PQU) shows very consistent zircon FT cooling ages of c.11 Ma reflecting the time just after the rapid exhumation through the brittle-ductile transition. In contrast, a wide range of Mesozoic and some Paleozoic zircon FT cooling ages from Eocene-Oligocene Tripolis and Pindos flysch sandstones from above the detachment reflect sedimentary source ages. Early Miocene apatite fissiontrack cooling ages characterize the flysch sandstones, and show that early Miocene exhumation affected rocks above the detachment. The thermotectonic evolution of the flysch of Tripolis and Pindos units within the rocks above the Potamos detachment on Kythera is reconstructed using zircon and apatite fission-track (FT) thermochronology. The apatite FT data provide evidence for a burial depth of at least 6km for the samples, which were reset. Burial was not deeper than 11km, since the zircon fission-track system in the same rocks was not reset. The exposed rocks of Tripolis and Pindos flysch on Kythera represent part of an accretionary wedge with a burial shortly after deposition in or near the subduction trench, and a cooling history due to exhumation of the flysch in the early Miocene. The subsequent Mid-Late Miocene exhumation of the PQU unit follows from beneath the (mostly carbonate) Tripolis and Pindos sedimentary rocks.


In the past decade, bariatric surgery has garnered attention as a treatment for obesity in older adults. Its increased popularity is a direct response to growing obesity rates in this segment of the population. Bariatric surgery among older adults has emerged as a contentious issue debated by federal and state governments, health care providers, and patients. It is important for geriatric nurses to comprehend the policy and health implications of bariatric surgery for older adults. The purpose of this paper is to (a) discuss the burden of growing obesity rates on the health of older adults, (b) present the results of a literature review of bariatric surgery outcomes in older adults, and (c) evaluate the policy implications of insurance coverage of bariatric procedures.


Infectious diseases due to resistant pathogenic strains are rampant and the burden is worsened by the emergence and spread of microorganisms resistant to cheap and effective first-choice drugs. Medicinal plants could be an alternative solution to this and the aim of the present review is to summarize available evidence and knowledge concerning African medicinal plants used to treat multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria, fungi and protozoa infectious agents. A literature search using the keywords: Africa, medicinal plants and multi-resistant microorganisms on google scholar, African Index Medicus, PubMed, Medline and EMBASE was conducted. We also scanned reference lists for important citations. Key pharmaceutical journals, workshop and conference proceedings were reviewed. Common medicinal plants found are Brucea javanica, Prunus Africana, Mangifera indica, Picralima nitida, Aloe arborescence, Aloe striata, Vernonia adoensis, Markhamia tomentosa, Garcinia lucida, Garcinia kola, Phyllanthus muellerianus, Gladiolus gregasius, Sida alba, Trichila heudelotti, Piptadeniastrum africana and Dorstenia picta. Most researches on the use of medicinal plants to treat multidrug resistant agents were conducted in South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso and Uganda. African medicinal plants possess important therapeutic agents that can be used as new phyto-medicines against MDR microorganisms.

 Key words: Africa, medicinal plants, therapeutic products and multidrug resistant microorganisms.


A group of 123 individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA-group) and 28 individuals with osteoarthrosis (OA-group) with previous or current symptoms from the stomatognathic system were compared with 52 individuals without general joint symptoms (C-group). The individuals in the RA- and OA-group attended the Rheumatism Hospital in Strängnäs, Sweden. They constituted 35 and 14%, respectively, of all individuals with RA and OA at the Hospital during the period of investigation. The individuals in the C-group attended the Public Dental Clinic in Strängnäs for regular dental care. All individuals were given a questionnaire concerning subjective symptoms from the stomatognathic system, general joint symptoms, dental condition and need of dental care. It was found that the individuals in the RA and OA-group generally had more frequent and more severe subjective symptoms of longer duration from the stomatognathic system than the individuals in the C-group. The subjective symptoms, especially in the RA-group, were correlated to the extension of the general joint symptoms. Reports of swelling of the TMJ and a sudden debut of symptoms were more frequent in the RA-group than in the OA- and C-group. Loss of contact between anterior teeth was reported in both diseases and was correlated to extension and duration of RA and extension of OA. The TMJ symptoms started frequently in the early phase of RA and chewing ability deteriorated with extension and duration.


Estrogen-specific endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are potent modulators of neural and visual development and common environmental contaminants. Using zebrafish, we examined the long-term impact of abnormal estrogenic signaling by testing the effects of acute, early exposure to bisphenol-A (BPA), a weak estrogen agonist, on later visually guided behaviors. Zebrafish aged 24 h postfertilization (hpf), 72 hpf, and 7 days postfertilization (dpf) were exposed to 0.001 μM or 0.1 μM BPA for 24 h, and then allowed to recover for 1 or 2 weeks. Morphology and optomotor responses (OMRs) were assessed after 1 and 2 weeks of recovery for 24 hpf and 72 hpf exposure groups; 7 dpf exposure groups were additionally assessed immediately after exposure. Increased notochord length was seen in 0.001 μM exposed larvae and decreased in 0.1 μM exposed larvae across all age groups. Positive OMR was significantly increased at 1 and 2 weeks post-exposure in larvae exposed to 0.1 μM BPA when they were 72 hpf or 7 dpf, while positive OMR was increased after 2 weeks of recovery in larvae exposed to 0.001 μM BPA at 72 hpf. A time-delayed increase in eye diameter occurred in both BPA treatment groups at 72 hpf exposure; while a transient increase occurred in 7 dpf larvae exposed to 0.1 μM BPA. Overall, short-term developmental exposure to environmentally relevant BPA levels caused concentration- and age-dependent effects on zebrafish visual anatomy and function.


In Dutch primary schools, pedagogical actions seem to receive much less attention than content knowledge. This is the consequence of several developments and innovations that aimed at enhancing pupils' learning outcomes and at improving teachers' content knowledge and didactic actions. This results in a multitude of tasks and responsibilities for teachers around didactics and seems to constrain time and attention for pedagogical actions. This research explores whether the pedagogical actions of primary school teachers are indeed under pressure in the current educational climate. The goals of this study were threefold; (1) to examine teachers' perceptions regarding their pedagogical actions, (2) to examine how teaching experience, age of the students and the specific school context influence these perceptions, (3) to determine which needs for professionalisation teachers have to increase their pedagogical actions in the classroom. A survey was conducted among a sample of 261 Dutch mainstream primary education teachers in the northern part of the Netherlands. Data were collected with a questionnaire, which consisted of fifteen open and closed questions. Teachers were asked about their perceptions of pedagogical actions in the classroom, the school's vision of pedagogy, their personal vision of pedagogy and background variables of the respondents. Half of the responding teachers (47.5%) indicate that pedagogical actions of primary schools are under pressure. Over 60% of teachers indicated that they would like to pay more attention to this issue. Pedagogical actions of primary school teachers are indeed under pressure in the current educational climate.


Introduction Consistent relief of symptoms is among the most important attributes considered by patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) when selecting a therapy.1 GO-COLITIS (NCT02092285; 2013–004583-56) is a UK phase 4, multicentre, open-label, single-arm trial of golimumab (GLM) for the treatment of moderate to severe UC. Here, we report the results of an analysis of patient-reported quality of life (QoL) at the end of the GLM induction phase. Methods Anti-TNF naive patients (≥18 y) with UC ≥ 3 months and with moderate to severe disease (partial Mayo score 4–9 or full Mayo score 6–12) at baseline, Mayo rectal bleeding subscore ≥1, and endoscopy subscore ≥2 (if full Mayo was used) were included. Patients received subcutaneous GLM on day 0 (200 mg) and day 14 (100 mg) during the 6 week induction phase, followed by GLM 50 or 100 mg every 4 weeks during the 48 week maintenance phase with 12 week follow-up, in line with the Summary of Product Characteristics. Patients completed the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) and EuroQoL Group 5 Dimensions Health Questionnaire (EQ-5D) at baseline and at week 6 during GLM induction. Data were summarised descriptively. Results 205 patients were enrolled (mean [range] age, 39.3 [18–79] years; male, n = 123 [60%]). All patients received one or two doses of induction GLM. Statistically significant improvements from baseline to induction week 6 (mean [SD]) were observed for IBDQ total score (Baseline: 115.9 (32.4); week 6: 161.9 (38.2); change from baseline of 45.2 [37.4] (p < 0.0001), as well as the individual IBDQ domains of bowel symptoms, emotional function, systemic symptoms, and social function (all p < 0.0001). In addition, significant improvements in the EQ-5D index score (0.1 [0.2]; p < 0.0001) and health state visual analogue scale (VAS) (15.6 [26.6]; p < 0.0001) were observed Conclusion During the GLM induction phase of the GO-COLITIS study, patients with moderate to severe UC experienced significant improvements from baseline in disease-specific QoL, including bowel symptoms, emotional function, systemic symptoms, and social function, as well as generic QoL. Reference 1 GreyGray JR, et al. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2009;29:1114–1120. Disclosure of Interest P. Irving Grant/research support from: MSD, Takeda, Consultant for: Abbvie, Warner Chilcott, Takeda, MSD, Vifor Pharma, Pharmacosmos, Topivert, Genentech, Hospira, Speaker bureau with: Abbvie, Falk Pharma, Ferring, MSD, Shire, Takeda, Warner Chilcott, Johnson and Johnson, C. Probert Consultant for: Abbvie, MSD, Napp, Takeda, Speaker bureau with: Abbvie, Ferring, Falk Pharma, MSD, Shire, Takeda, Conflict with: Abbvie, Falk Pharma, MSD, Shire, Takeda, D. Gaya Speaker bureau with: Abbvie, Falk Pharma, Ferring, MSD, Shire, Takeda, Vifor, Conflict with: Abbvie, Falk Pharma, MSD, Shire, Takeda, Vifor, P. Hamlin Speaker bureau with: Abbvie, Ferring, MSD, Takeda, Warner Chilcott, Tillots, Conflict with: Abbvie, Falk Pharma, MSD, Tillotts, S. Sebastian Grant/research support from: Abbvie, Ferring, Warner Chilcott, Johnson and Johnson, Consultant for: Falk Pharma, Ferring, MSD, Takeda, Vifor, Warner Chilcott, Speaker bureau with: Abbvie, Takeda, Warner Chilcott, G. Gillespie Shareholder of: MSD UK, Conflict with: Employment: MSD UK, H. Tate Consultant for: MSD UK, C. Wheeler Shareholder of: MSD UK, Conflict with: Employment: MSD UK


Microdosimetry measures the stochastics of imparted energy at the micrometre scale, and is a reliable experimental technique to monitor complex radiation fields such as those used in hadron therapy. At the Legnaro National Laboratories of INFN, miniaturized gas-based microdosimeters were developed specifically for this kind of applications. However, their use outside research facilities has been hindered by the encumbrance of the gas-flow system which is used to preserve gas purity and of the high-resolution analog electronic chain. To overcome this drawback, a new detector designed to work without gas flow was developed recently. The stability and reproducibility of its response in sealed conditions were studied in two measuring shifts one year apart from each other, both with the analog electronic chain and with a compact digital acquisition system. Preliminary results confirm the possibility to operate the detector with a very compact experimental setup, which could be a major advantage in clinical facilities.


Purpose: This paper attempts to explore the role played by Islamic Studies in the areas of Islamic economical and financial education at Higher Educational Institutions for employability and marketability of the graduates; particularly, in facing the challenges of the issues of globalization. This desirable change of trend in teaching and learning is closely linked with the emergence of Islamic Banking systems and institutions, which are widespread in Islamic Countries and have even entered into the majority non-Muslim countries.
Design/methodology/approach: This conceptual-based paper critically analyzes Marketability of qualified students in terms of attaining employment and their integration in the mainstream society. This paper then shows how much the Islamization project in Malaysia has impact on the development of the study of Islamic Banking and Finance; with increasing the job opportunities in this filed; how much function the government has instilled, if the state policy is not involved in, can there be still a field of interest?
Findings: This paper finds that Islamic studies including Islamic banking and finance have least percentage of unemployed graduates. In another word, the globalization resulted that the graduates of these studies have much chance to be employed than others.
Research limitations/implications: This paper assumes that the outcomes of the paper can be applied to newly established institutions for betterment of Islamic studies in banking and finance graduates. However, this may not be applicable to all Islamic studies individually.
Practical implications: This paper shows that the area of Islamic economics, banking and finance would benefit by introducing soft and hard skills as well as double degree or major programs in Islamic studies.
Originality/value: This paper contributes to the researchers, academicians, Banking and Finance institutions to provide more opportunities to increase the employability and marketability of the graduates in Higher Education. As Malaysia, particularly, has accomplished a remarkable growth in developing Islamic financial institutions besides the conventional banking system, Islamic Banking system and its various institutions required workers and officials with background and competencies in Islamic studies. In fulfilling the demand, Malaysian higher educational institutions spontaneously introduced courses and programs on Islamic banking.


In chasm theory, it is found from field data that many new products have an initial sales peak followed by a decline. In some cases, this decline lasts for a long period of time, which is named a chasm or crack. In this study, we model the phenomenon using innovator scores and agent-based modelling to understand the factors that cause it. We then conduct a sensitivity analysis of the exogenous variables that determine the behavior of the model. Specifically, we use innovator scores to classify users into innovator theory groups, and build an agent-based model. This study evaluates how cluster connectivity, which represents the word-of-mouth effect between each group, and product recognition range, which represents the advertising effect, affect the chasm or crack phenomenon and new product diffusion. Four scenarios are analyzed with different cluster connectivity and product recognition ranges. Additionally, for each scenario, we perform simulations that consider the interactions between agents and add considerations for new product diffusion measures. Evaluating this model using the behavioral and questionnaire data collected from users of an Online-to-Offline site, it is found that the parameters related to communication in the clusters are factors that cause the occurrence of chasms and cracks.


Though the mechanisms of hypoxic-ischemic preconditioning are under investigation, it is considered that nitric oxide can play a critical role in the formation of this phenomenon. Experiments on white rats for study of cerebral hemisphere masses were carried out on 22-nd day after 3-hours hypoxic-ischemic exposure: (a) on 7-day-old rats, (b) on 7-day-old rats but 30 minutes before this exposure animals 3-times underwent short lasting (5 minutes) hypoxic-ischemic impacts (preconditioning), (c) same as previous experimental condition, but 15 minutes before beginning of preconditioning, animals were intraperitoneally injected either by non selective nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor (L-NAME) or (d) inducible NO synthase (iNOS) selective inhibitor--aminoguanidine. Received results showed that 3-times preconditioning efficiently protect brain from three hours hypoxic-ischemic exposure. It is evident that nitric oxide play a critical role in this protection--it completely eliminated morphological manifestation of hypoxic-ischemic preconditioning while aminoguanidine--just partially decreased the volume of brain hypoxic-ischemic ischemic damage.


In Computer Vision, self-supervised contrastive learning enforces similar representations between different views of the same image. The pre-training is most often performed on image classification datasets, like ImageNet, where images mainly contain a single class of objects. However, when dealing with complex scenes with multiple items, it becomes very unlikely for several views of the same image to represent the same object category. In this setting, we propose SAMCLR, an add-on to SimCLR which uses SAM to segment the image into semantic regions, then sample the two views from the same region. Preliminary results show empirically that when pre-training on Cityscapes and ADE20K, then evaluating on classification on CIFAR-10, STL10 and ImageNette, SAMCLR performs at least on par with, and most often significantly outperforms not only SimCLR, but also DINO and MoCo.


The methanolic extract of Musa ABB cv Pisang Awak was investigated for the polyphenolic contents and antioxidant activity. The total phenol and flavonoid contents of the fruit extract were found to be 120 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) and 440 mg quercetin equivalents (QE)/100 g of sample dry weight, respectively. The antioxidant activity of the Pisang Awak methanol extract (PAME) (20-500 microg/ml) was determined using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, reducing capacity, 2-2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiozoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical cation decolourization and hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity (OH*). The EC50 values of DPPH, ABTS and OH* activities of the PAME and butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT) were found to be 65 and 9 microg/ml, 29 and 6 microg/ml, 36 and 42 microg/ml respectively. The reducing capacity increased with increasing concentration (31.5-1000 mg/ml) of the fruit extract and the activity was comparable with the standard BHT. The high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) analysis of the extract revealed the presence of polyphenols. The strong and positive correlations were obtained between total phenol/flavonoid contents (R2 = 0.693-1.0) and free radical scavenging ability was attributed to the polyphenols as the major antioxidants.


DURING a recent polygraphic study of sleep patterns in patients receiving electric convulsive therapy (ECT),1we found a statistically significant reduction in both total amount and percent of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep on nights recorded immediately after the final ECT in the series. On the other hand, nights recorded early in the treatment series showed either no change or minor elevations in the REM fraction. These findings were more or less uniform among all members of the group with the exception of a dramatically aberrant response in one patient, the consideration of which led to the formulation of the present study. The exceptional patient was a paranoid schizophrenic whose sleep patterns were polygraphically monitored over four consecutive baseline nights and showed a total sleep time averaging seven hours, 11 minutes, of which 17.9%, or 77 minutes, were spent in the REM phase. After the eighth ECT in her


-In recent years, preschool educators are engaged with demanding quality teaching and complex administrative work in their environment. The excessive job demands and the insufficient job resources have resulted in preschool educators to encounter greater burnout and influence their work engagement. Hence, the paper aims to investigate the predictors of burnout among preschool educators as well as the potential mediating role of work engagement. This study proposes that job demands have a significant positive relationship with burnout while job resources and work engagement have a significant negative relationship with burnout. In addition, work engagement is demonstrated to possess a significant mediator between job resource and burnout. Therefore, this study is priceless to both scholars and practitioners who wish to monitor and decrease the burnout prevalence among preschool educators. Keywords--Job Demands, Job Resources, Work Engagement, Burnout, Preschool Teachers.


Metro Manila is the most populated region in the country. It is the largest contributor to the economy of the country at around 40 percent. Situated in this metropolis is the Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA), which currently serves an estimated average of 330,000 vehicles daily. This number has greatly increased since the early 2000s. Because of EDSA's significance, many transportation-related studies had focused on it. Among the largest studies is the Metro Manila Urban Transportation Integration Study (MMUTIS) that was completed in 1999 and has recently been updated through the MMUTIS Update and Capacity Enhancement Project (MUCEP). There is also another ongoing project entitled Integrated and Optimal Scheduling of a Public Transport System in Metro Manila (PUBFix), which is funded by the government (DOST-PCIEERD). The project intends to improve the public transportation system in the metropolis, specifically bus operation along EDSA. In this research, the aim is to formulate stated preference (SP) logit choice models in order to predict the mode choices of commuters along EDSA. Such results are important in order to determine the changes in travel behavior of commuters when certain policies and measures are introduced. An EMME model is also prepared for this study in order to quantify the differences between baseline and hypothetical scenarios. Aside from quantifying the difference of these scenarios in terms of environmental effects, other traffic parameters were also calculated in order for transport policymakers to be guided in considering more appropriate measures.


Says the mass and energy conservation law: mass and energy cannot be created nor destroyed they only can be transformed one into another. The way this transformation is made, according to Einstein's Equation determines the state expansive or contractive of the universe.
Thus, a wave nature process, expansive and hot occurs when mass is transformed into light energy, like the one that originated the universe in the Big Bang. Such a process, that propagated in decelerated manner (antigravity), created the space and the time, until that the energy emanated stopped in the position of the stars.
Then, a contractive, implosive and cold nature process occurs, when dark energy is transformed into mass, in the periphery of the stars, like the one that bring the universe back to The Big Bang, with the help of the extreme gravity acceleration of black holes.
The deformation of the space-time-mass caused by relativistic gravitational field corresponds to a hyperboloid of revolution at fifth dimension, lending this shape to the universe. This is the same type of space-time deformation founded by the general relativity theory.
Stars are grouped together forming galaxies by attraction of black holes, which, in turn, the galaxies are grouped together forming the universe by attraction of The Big Hole – the black hole located in the gravitational center of the universe itself.
The Big Hole, at the end of its evolution, reduces to the Hawking point of singularity, storing the whole universal mass in the form of photons, without occuping free spaces and explodes in The Big Bang, cyclically, over and over and over again.


This study investigated the relative importance of psychosocial factors as opposed to menopausal status in relation to so-called 'menopausal symptoms' among a large sample of premenopausal, perimenopausal and (naturally and surgically) postmenopausal women (n = 4308) in The Netherlands. The incidence of psychological, somatic, vasomotor and sexual symptoms was assessed and related to menopausal status and to measures relating to coping behaviors, (body- and self-) esteem and quality of life. Among the findings were that vasomotor symptoms in particular, and loss of interest in sex to a lesser extent, were relatively strongly associated with menopausal status. Psychological and somatic symptoms, however, were found to be more closely associated with psychosocial factors (although perimenopausal women as a group were found to suffer them most). Findings are discussed and interpreted as further evidence that only vasomotor symptoms may rightly be called 'menopausal'.


A growing body of research indicates that low socioeconomic status in early childhood sets the stage for increasing disadvantages in both health and educational capital over the child's life course and can cause low socioeconomic status to persist for generations. The study estimated the effects of poor child health on the labor supply of mothers with one-year-old children using a national longitudinal data set that oversampled unmarried parents in the post welfare reform era. It was found that having a child in poor health reduces the mother's probability of working by eight percentage points and her hours of work by three per week when she is employed. Another important finding is that the father having children with another partner increases the mothers' labor supply, even after controlling for the focal child's health status and numerous other covariates.


It is shown that in asymptotic transition from Fourier series to integrals an error and ambiguity may arise. Ambiguity reduces to a possibility of addition of some distribution to the result. Properties of such distributions are studied and conditions are established under which ambiguity doesn't arise. Method for correction computation is suggested and conditions for correction turning to zero are specified.


"Serves as a kind of cultural-historical road map to Sao Paulo (including alternative routes and detours), one that will be a necessary resource for any subsequent cultural studies of Sao Paulo and Latin American urbanization."--Justin Read, author of"""Modern Poetics and Hemispheric American Cultural Studies""The essays brought together in this volume all focus on the city of Sao Paulo, in the triple dynamic of cultural production: the critical representation of society, the analytical interpretation of the internal dynamic, and the principled imagination of alternative ways of living."--Pedro Meira Monteiro, author of"""A Moralist in the Tropics"David Foster brings an intense curiosity and lifelong familiarity to this unique examination of the cultural tapestry of Sao Paulo, the largest city in South America and the second largest in Latin America.Examining everything from the poetics of Mario de Andrade to the Eisner Award winning graphic novels of Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba, Foster paints a portrait as colorful and multifaceted as the city it reveals. He offers representative examples of poetry, fiction, graphic art, photography, film, and social commentary to introduce readers to some of the most important cultural dimensions of the city as well as some of its most outstanding writers and artists.Foster selects his featured artists and works with care and precision in order to reveal insights into the development of the city throughout the twentieth century. This is a tour-de-force overview of the cultural output of one of the world s great urban centers, one that future researchers on Brazilian culture will ignore at their peril.David William Foster, Regents Professor of Spanish, Humanities, and Women s Studies at Arizona State University, is author of "Buenos Aires: Perspectives on the City and Cultural Production, Urban Photography in Argentina: Nine Artists of the Post-Dictatorship Era," and "Queer Issues in Contemporary Latin American Cinema.""


Within the framework of this study, the relevance and feasibility of implementing project management at enterprises of various types of activities are substantiated, the main goals and objectives, the degree of development of project management in Russian and foreign practice are examined, the conceptual apparatus of various authors in this field is analyzed. The article is relevant for all persons interested in project management and planning to apply it in their company.


Leveraging advances in variational inference, we propose to enhance recurrent neural networks with latent variables, resulting in Stochastic Recurrent Networks (STORNs). The model i) can be trained with stochastic gradient methods, ii) allows structured and multi-modal conditionals at each time step, iii) features a reliable estimator of the marginal likelihood and iv) is a generalisation of deterministic recurrent neural networks. We evaluate the method on four polyphonic musical data sets and motion capture data.


Hepatitis B virus (HBV), one of the well-known DNA oncogenic viruses, is the leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In infected hepatocytes, HBV DNA can be integrated into the host genome through an insertional mutagenesis process inducing tumorigenesis. Dissection of the genomic features surrounding integration sites will deepen our understanding of mechanisms underlying integration. Moreover, the quantity and biological activity of integration sites may reflect the DNA damage within affected cells or the potential survival benefits they may confer. The well-known human genomic features include repeat elements, particular regions (such as telomeres), and frequently interrupted genes (e.g., telomerase reverse transcriptase [i.e. TERT], lysine methyltransferase 2B [i.e. KMT2B], cyclin E1 [CCNE1], and cyclin A2 [CCNA2]). Consequently, distinct genomic features within diverse integrations differentiate their biological functions. Meanwhile, accumulating evidence has shown that viral proteins produced by integrants may cause cell damage even after the suppression of HBV replication. The integration-derived gene products can also serve as tumor markers, promoting the development of novel therapeutic strategies for HCC. Viral integrants can be single copy or multiple copies of different fragments with complicated rearrangement, which warrants elucidation of the whole viral integrant arrangement in future studies. All of these considerations underlie an urgent need to develop novel methodology and technology for sequence characterization and function evaluation of integration events in chronic hepatitis B-associated disease progression by monitoring both host genomic features and viral integrants. This endeavor may also serve as a promising solution for evaluating the risk of tumorigenesis and as a companion diagnostic for designing therapeutic strategies targeting integration-related disease complications.


Abstract Titanites previously reported from high-pressure rocks commonly contain high Al and F contents. This finding has led previous workers to conclude that high Al and F in titanite can expand its stability field to high-pressure and ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) conditions. In this study, a coesite inclusion was identified in titanite of aragonite- and jadeite-bearing gneiss from the Dabieshan UHP metamorphic terrane of eastern China. We also found UHP titanite in carbonate-bearing garnet clinopyroxenite from the Sulu UHP terrane. Interestingly, both types of the UHP titanite mentioned above contain low Al and F contents. Therefore, our data indicate that the high-Al and F contents are not necessary criteria for stabilizing titanite to UHP conditions. It is inferred that the UHP titanite formed via the reaction TiO2 + CaCO3 + SiO2 = CaTiSiO5 + CO2, and that the presence of the UHP assemblage aragonite + rutile + clinopyroxene + coesite in the host rock and a very low XCO₂ value in the coexisting fluid are crucial conditions for the formation of these UHP titanites


Noncompartmental and compartmental analyses of meropenem disposition in patients receiving 1-g intravenous intermittent infusions every 8 h were performed. Twelve patients (one woman and 11 men) participated in the meropenem pharmacokinetic analysis. Operative findings included perforated appendicitis (five patients), gangrenous appendicitis (five patients), peri-appendical abscess (one patient), and gunshot wound to the abdomen (one patient). The most common associated adverse drug reactions to meropenem were diarrhea and increased liver enzymes. The estimated noncompartmental pharmacokinetic parameters, mean +/- standard deviation, are as follows: maximum drug concentration in plasma, 47.58 +/- 17.59 micrograms/ml; half-life, 1.04 +/- 0.19 h; elimination rate constant, 0.68 +/- 0.12 h-1; area under the concentration-time curve from 0 h to infinity, 57.5 +/- 20.12 micrograms x ml/h; total plasma clearance, 315.40 +/- 71.94 ml/min; renal clearance, 136.7 +/- 89.20 ml/min; volume of distribution at steady state, 26.68 +/- 6.88 liters; and mean residence time, 1.47 +/- 0.28 h. The two-compartment model best described meropenem disposition in our patients. Our findings differed from estimates for healthy volunteers possibly because of the physiologic changes as a result of surgery. Our findings suggest that meropenem (1,000 mg) administered intravenously every 8 h provides adequate concentrations for most intra-abdominal infections.


Land degradation in the agricultural domains of South Africa has attained a scale that requires scientific intervention. To devise an appropriate control measure, we investigated the contribution of vegetation condition and soil properties to observed land degradation conditions. Twenty three degraded sites were identified and classified using a land degradation index derived from six physical degradation indicators, using multidimensional analysis techniques. A veldt condition assessment was also con ducted on the sites. Soil samples from the sites were analyzed for soil degradation indicators viz., particle size fractions, aggregate stability, organic C, pH, EC, total and exchangeable Na, Mg, K and Ca. The veldt condition score ranged from 26.3 – 50%, which implied that the veldt condition has diminished by up to 50 - 77% of its standard condition. Most of the degraded sites are poorly covered; the percentage basal cover ranged from 12 – 39% with average distance of 0.8 – 30.7cm between plants. The degraded lands consisted of high (69 - 100%) proportion of increaser's species which was caused by selective grazing of palatable species by wildlife herbivores. The stable soil aggregate size ranged from 0.8 – 1.4 mm across the mechanical disaggregation, fast wetting and slow wetting tests. Soils of the degraded sites (poorly, moderately and highly degraded) have low organic carbon content < 13.0 mgkg-1. Higher quantities of Na and Ca were observed in the highly degraded sites, indicating the effects of increased solidification and calcification on the breakdown and erosion of soil aggregates. Soil erosion was the major end occurrence in land degradation episodes at Tsolwana game reserve, which was a result of the integrated effects of the vegetation and soil variables. It is recommended that land degradation control measures should be focused on the alteration of cause-variables rather than the effects variable (soil erosion).

 Key words: Land degradation, land degradation index, nature game reserve, soil erosion and vegetation.


In the present contribution, the ultrafine fiber membranes of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and organic-soluble chitosan(O-CS) was prepared by electrospinning. The structure and thermal stability were studied by infrared (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TG). The surface properties of ultrafine fibers were estimated by contact angle measurements using water. The morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The cytotoxicity assessment with mouse fibroblast cells (L929) was also investigated. Cell culture results showed that it benefits promoting the cell attachment and proliferation. The results showed it could be as tissue engineering for skin regeneration. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010


It has been demonstrated that synergistic metal-support effects can occur which markedly enhance specific activity and alter selectivity in certain reactions. Because of the presence of such effects in certain reactions conducted under reducing conditions (that is, under H2 pressure), but not others, the creation of unique sites at the metal-support interface seems to be the best model at the present time to explain this behavior. The postulation of these sites, which are specific for a certain reactant such as CO, provides an effective explanation for the higher methanation rates that have been reported over some catalysts. The creation of these sites in the adlineation zone is facilitated by hydrogen spillover from the metal surface, and this same process can also enhance the reduction of many oxide supports. Although oxygen spillover is much less probable due to its higher heat of adsorption, it is much less well understood and the possibility of rate enhancements in CO oxidation caused by special interface sites cannot be discounted at the present time. Consequently, this seems to be an important area of future research.


A framework for positioning, navigation and tracking problems using particle filters (recursive Monte Carlo methods) is developed. Automotive and airborne applications, approached in this framework, have proven a numerical advantage over classical Kalman filter based algorithms. Here the use of non-linear measurement models and non-Gaussian measurement noise is the main explanation for the improvement in accuracy, and models for relevant sensors are surveyed.


Bacterial wilt of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) caused by Ralstonia solanacearum phylotype II sequevar I (race 3 biovar 2), is one of the most serious diseases of potatoes. This study aimed to detect such deteriorations through the remotely sensed data. In this regard, naturally infested potato fields at Abo Alkhawi, Al Tayareya and Om Saber villages at Behera governorate, Egypt, were used for selective isolation of R. solanacearum. On Semi Selective South Africa (SMSA) medium, 30 isolates were randomly screened and tested by immunofluorescence antibody staining (IFAS) and confirmed biologically by tomato plantlets (cv. Pinto) reaction. All isolates showed positive results with Real-time PCR. Based on the phylotype specific multiplex (Pmx) – PCR data, all isolates in concern were R. solanacearum and affiliated to phylotype II as 372- bp amplicon. Spectral indices were applied on the Landsat 8 and RapidEye satellite images acquired in January and April 2019 including Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Salinity Index (NDSI) and Modified Chlorophyll Absorption Ratio Index (MCARI). Results from the remote sensing analyses showed medium to relatively high salinity and moisture content of soils concerened. Moreover, plants chlorophyll levels are in medium levels which is not typical to condition associated with usual circumstances. Further investigation, in a greater academic depth, are needed for pathological field surveys.


Baseline surveys were conducted in Khartoum State, Sudan, during the rainy season (end of July to the beginning of September) in 2008, and female mosquitoes were sampled for arboviruses from November 2008 to January 2009 to predict outbreaks of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in Khartoum State. Aedes vittatus (Bigot) and Ae. vexans (Meigen) vectors were found only at one of the study sites (Soba West). Under laboratory conditions, survival of these mosquitoes exceeded the mean incubation period of the arboviruses in these vectors (15 days). Field-collected blood-fed female mosquitoes were tested for the RVF virus using the real-time PCR technique. The virus was detected in populations of Ae. vexans and Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) for the first time in Sudan.


Background:Use of several antiretrovirals (ARVs) has been shown to be associated with a higher risk of diabetes in HIV-infected adults. We estimated the incidence of new-onset diabetes and assessed the association between individual ARVs and ARV combinations, and diabetes in a large cohort in Thailand. Methods:We selected all HIV-1–infected, nondiabetic, antiretroviral-naive adults enrolled in the Program for HIV Prevention and Treatment cohort (NCT00433030) between January 2000 and December 2011. Diabetes was defined as confirmed fasting plasma glucose ≥126 mg/dL or random plasma glucose ≥200 mg/dL. Incidence was the number of cases divided by the total number of person-years of follow-up. Association between ARVs and ARV combinations, and new-onset diabetes was assessed using Cox proportional hazards models. Results:Overall, 1594 HIV-infected patients (76% female) were included. Median age at antiretroviral therapy initiation was 32.5 years. The incidence rate of diabetes was 5.0 per 1000 person-years of follow-up (95% confidence interval: 3.8 to 6.6) (53 cases). In analyses adjusted for potential confounders, exposure to stavudine + didanosine [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 3.9; P = 0.001] and cumulative exposure ≥1 year to zidovudine (aHR = 2.3 vs. no exposure; P = 0.009) were associated with a higher risk of diabetes. Conversely, cumulative exposure ≥1 year to tenofovir (aHR = 0.4 vs. no exposure; P = 0.02) and emtricitabine (aHR = 0.4 vs. no exposure; P = 0.03) were associated with a lower risk. Conclusions:The incidence of diabetes in this predominantly female, young, lean population was relatively low. Although stavudine and didanosine have now been phased out in most antiretroviral therapy programs, our analysis suggests a higher risk of diabetes with zidovudine, frequently prescribed today in resource-limited settings.