OBJECTIVE
To analyze the relationship between food intake and chronic disease of Nu nationality residents living in Gongshan County in Yunnan Province.

METHODS
A total of 368 Nu nationality residents aged above 6 years old among 342 families( male 172, female 196) in Gongshan County in Yunnan Province were selected with stratified multistage random cluster sampling method. The condition of dietary structure and anemia, overweight or obesity, diabetes and dyslipidemia among Nu nationality were obtained with food frequency questionnaire and questionnaire survey. Non-conditional Logistic regression analysis was utilized to analyze the correlation between food intake and chronic diseases.

RESULTS
The prevalence of anemia, overweight or obesity, hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia were 16. 0%, 18. 5%, 18. 5%, 41. 3%and 53. 8% in 2016, respectively. Marital status and consumption of sugar( biscuits) in the past 12 months were related to the anemia in the Nu residents. Sex, occupation, marital status, education level and consumption of dried beans and products( soybeans)in the past 12 months were associated with hypertension among the Nu nationality population. For the Nu nationality residents, marital status, eaten cereals and products( cereals and other products) in the past 12 months, meat and meat products( fresh or frozen poultry) and sugar( bread, biscuits) food had something to do with diabetes. Sex, occupation and consumption of vegetables and products( solanaceous vegetables) over the past 12 months were linked to the prevalence of overweight or obesity. Marital status, consumption of livestock meat and products( fresh or frozen poultry) and fish( grass carp) in the past 12 months were associated with dyslipidemia among the Nu nationality residents.

CONCLUSION
The prevalence of chronic diseases residents can not be ignored. The main influencing factors of anemia in Nu nationality are marital status and eating sugar. Sex, occupation, marital status, education level, consumption of dried beans and products are the main influencing hypertension factors. Factors causing diabetes are marital status, cereals and products, animal meat and products and carbohydrates. The influence factors of overweight or obesity are gender, occupation, eating vegetables and products. Marital status, eating animal meat and products and fish are the factors leading to dyslipidemia.


In semiarid sandy soil environments there is a dual challenge of carbon and nitrogen (N) limitation that needs to be managed to ensure timely supply of N to crops. Management of N inputs to soil using combinations of legume stubble addition and fertiliser N in cereal systems is essential to meet crop demand and maintain N in soil organic matter. The aim of this study was to assess soil mineral and biological N pools that influence N supply and N uptake of wheat at early growth stages. The recovery of 15N-labelled fertiliser by wheat was evaluated using a factorial combination of either wheat, lupin or no stubble incorporated with or without 15N fertiliser in a sandy soil system. Soil and plant samples were collected at sowing, tillering, first node and booting to monitor changes in N pools and 15N uptake by the wheat. Crop stubble incorporation one week before sowing increased biological N pools in the surface soil (0–10 cm). Early N immobilisation (sowing–tillering) in all the treatments without 15N fertiliser may have limited N availability for wheat uptake in the subsequent period (tillering–first node), when fertiliser N appeared critical to maximise N supply for plant requirements. Up to 38% of the 15N fertiliser applied at sowing was incorporated into the soil microbial biomass pool, so that fertiliser N was critical to relieve short-term inherent N limitations for both plant and microbial growth, and to supply the longer-term biological pools (microbial biomass) to support subsequent mineralisation potential. Reducing the energy limitation to the microbial pool through inputs of carbon from stubble was also critical to ensure fertiliser N supplied sufficient N to satisfy plant demand later in the growing period. These results have implications for management decisions on semiarid sandy soil systems that aim to synchronise N from inputs of legume stubbles and fertiliser with crop N demand during early growth stages of wheat.


INTRODUCTION
Mortality after hip fracture remains high in spite of the progress of medicine. Due to the trend toward longer life, the problem of hip fracture is getting more significant. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of surgical treatment in patients with high risk of hip fracture on mortality reduction.

METHODS
In the retrospective-prospective study, 66 patients aged 65-92 with a hip fracture and a high cardiac risk have been analyzed. The risk estimation was based on the Lee index. The patients with three or more risk factors were considered high-risk. The first group consisted of surgically treated patients with a hip fracture and at high cardiac risk, and in the second group were conservatively treated patients with a hip fracture and high cardiac risk.

RESULTS
In the group of conservatively treated patients, 75% were women and in operatively treated group 67.6%. Patient in both group are similar in relation to the participation of risk factor. A difference has been noticed in terms of renal insufficiency (RI). There was 18.8% conservatively treated patient with RI and 2.9% in operatively treated group.

CONCLUSION
Patients with hip fracture and at high cardiac risk have lower mortality when treated surgically.


The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes of Jordanian nurses and midwives working in primary care settings regarding health promotion. Views of health promotion were examined using a descriptive survey design to measure nurses' perceptions of constraints, responsibilities for health promotion, and client's response to health education. All nurses and midwives (n = 104) working in the Irbid Governorate primary health care (PHC) and maternal and child health care (MCH) centers were surveyed and 95% responded. The data revealed that respondents acknowledged their responsibility to provide health activities and that nurses believed that they were better suited than physicians to do so. Fifty percent of respondents did not believe that lack of time was a barrier to carry out health promotion effectively. However, more midwives than nurses were pessimistic about patient teaching, patient acceptance, and the ability of the provider to make a difference in the patient's health behaviors.


To measure benefits of e-services is difficult, because of the variety of information and communications technology and the rapid transformation. In the health care, as in the context, contributes more confusion, because is it specific area, which includes all groups of people. Therefore, the provision of public health services is more and more consumer oriented. No less important is their knowledge about such services and the will and the ability to use them. This article presents research of electronic regostration service stakeholders in 2016. Patients and employees participated in the quantitative research, which aimed to reveal their approach to electronic registration service content and its various aspects. Electronic registration service application users must be a continuous process, during which need to experiment with content and analyze the results. This process depends directly on the users, their needs and on the specifics of electronic services. The will to use electronic services caused by many factors such as usage patterns and user behavior.


Background: The Routes for Learning (RfL) assessment is intended to enable accurate assessment of the cognitive and communication skills of pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD). A literature search revealed that there is little published research regarding the implementation or effectiveness of RfL. This study aimed to begin to address this lack of research by investigating some of the ways in which the RfL materials are used in practice, why they have been used in these ways and how this relates to the RfL guidance.Participants: Two special school settings were identified while working for an Educational Psychology Service. For each setting a practitioner using RfL and a staff member with leadership responsibility for assessment/RfL was identified.Methods: A multiple embedded case study was conducted in two special school settings in a North West local authority. A running record was kept of observations made of school staff using RfL in practice. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with practitioners using RfL and staff members with leadership responsibility for RfL. All interviewees also completed a background questionnaire to provide context for the research and to support data from interviews. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. An examination of the RfL materials and resources was undertaken.Analysis/ Findings: All interview data were analysed using thematic analysis and the findings presented as thematic maps.Conclusion/ Implications: This study found that RfL is being used in different ways in special schools and identified a number of issues which relate to its use and implementation.


Ventricular peritoneal cerebrospinal fluid shunting has become a common pediatric neurosurgical procedure over the last 40 years. While invaluable for these patients, shunts are prone to complications, especially in children. Abdominal complications are often secondary to infection and its complications, and may be difficult to recognize in these medically complex children. Imaging is often required, but the findings may be subtle and require an appreciation of the spectrum of possible abnormalities. This article reviews the imaging findings present with abdominal shunt complications.


Nitric oxide (NO) increases cutaneous blood flow; however, the underpinning mechanism(s) remains to be elucidated. We hypothesized that the cutaneous blood flow response during intradermal administration of sodium nitroprusside (SNP, a NO donor) is regulated by calcium-activated potassium (KCa) channels and cyclooxygenase (COX) in young adults. We also hypothesized that these contributions are diminished in older adults given that aging can downregulate KCa channels and reduce COX-derived vasodilator prostanoids. In 10 young (23 ± 5 yr) and 10 older (54 ± 4 yr) adults, cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC) was measured at four forearm skin sites infused with 1) Ringer (Control), 2) 50 mM tetraethylammonium (TEA), a nonspecific KCa channel blocker, 3) 10 mM ketorolac, a nonspecific COX inhibitor, or 4) 50 mM TEA + 10 mM ketorolac via intradermal microdialysis. All skin sites were coinfused with incremental doses of SNP (0.005, 0.05, 0.5, 5, and 50 mM each for 25 min). During SNP administration, CVC was similar at the ketorolac site (0.005-50 mM, all P > 0.05) relative to Control, but lower at the TEA and TEA + ketorolac sites (0.005-0.05 mM, all P < 0.05) in young adults. In older adults, ketorolac increased CVC relative to Control during 0.005-0.05 mM SNP administration (all P < 0.05), but this increase was not observed when TEA was coadministered (all P > 0.05). Furthermore, TEA alone did not modulate CVC during any concentration of SNP administration in older adults (all P > 0.05). We show that during low-dose NO administration (e.g., 0.005-0.05 mM), KCa channels contribute to cutaneous blood flow regulation in young adults; however, in older adults, COX inhibition increases cutaneous blood flow through a KCa channel-dependent mechanism.


The authors of this book are among the leaders in comprehensive language-testing in aphasics, an approach forming the basis for much of the current literature. The data obtained from the application of their own test are presented, together with a valuable historical review and survey of current research. Two important principles have been confirmed, firstly, that in a given aphasic patient, patterns of error are consistent, and secondly, that in any aphasic all modalities of language are impaired. Statistical analysis of recurring patterns of language impairment has resulted in yet another classification of aphasia, with categories differing in specific perceptual, sensorimotor, and dysarthric components. The authors recognize that statistical evaluations of human illness, with their connotation of precision, cannot always be applied to the individual patient, but they present data which appear consistent and reproducible. Although the imprecise classical terminology is abandoned, that of the authors is perhaps equally unwieldy.


In this paper, a novel improved Stochastic Fractal Search optimization algorithm (ISFSOA) is proposed for finding effective solutions of a complex optimal reactive power dispatch (ORPD) problem with consideration of all constraints in transmission power network. Three different objectives consisting of total power loss (TPL), total voltage deviation (TVD) and voltage stabilization enhancement index are independently optimized by running the proposed ISFSOA and standard Stochastic Fractal Search optimization algorithm (SFSOA). The potential search of the proposed ISFSOA can be highly improved since diffusion process of SFSOA is modified. Compared to SFSOA, the proposed method can explore large search zones and exploit local search zones effectively based on the comparison of solution quality. One standard IEEE 30-bus system with three study cases is employed for testing the proposed method and compared to other so far applied methods. For each study case, the proposed method together with SFSOA are run fifty run and three main results consisting of the best, mean and standard deviation fitness function are compared. The indication is that the proposed method can find more promising solutions for the three cases and its search ability is always more stable than those of SFSOA. The comparison with other methods also give the same evaluation that the proposed method can be superior to almost all compared methods. As a result, it can conclude that the proposed modification is really appropriate for SFSOA in dealing with ORPD problem and the method can be used for other engineering optimization problems.


The combination of severe hypothermia and noncardiogenic pulmonary edema secondary to an opiate overdose is presented. This case emphasizes the importance of ventilatory support and rewarming techniques available in the emergency department setting.


Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the major causes of death globally. The treatment of CVD by using modern medicines is very expensive. The present article mainly focuses the ethnomedicinal plants used by the local people for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in Bangladesh. Information on the ethnomedicinal uses of plants was collected using semi-structured interviews with key informants during the year of 2017 and 2018. Group discussion with local people was also conducted for the promotion of data collection. A total of 41 medicinal plant species was recorded for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. These species belong to 30 families. The most frequently used medicinal plant species for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases were Terminalia arjuna (Roxb. ex DC.) Wight & Arn., Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb., Terminalia chebula Retz., Allium sativum L., Tamarindus indica L. and Alternanthera sessilis (L.) R. Br. ex Roem. Informant consensus factor (Fic) has been calculated to determine the agreement of local people in the use of medicinal plants for the CVD. Among the ailments categories high Fic value was found in case of antioxidant followed by heartache, high blood pressure and blood purifier. Comparing with previous research Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) Briton and Rose, Alternanthera paronychioides Klotzsch ex Koch and Lactuca sativa L. were seem to be newly reported medicinal plants for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in Bangladesh. The plant species with high citation, Fic and Fl values can be subjected to phytochemical investigation to active compounds the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The findings of the present study are very preliminary. Further long term studies are needed to validate the ethnomedicinal plants used by the local people for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in Bangladesh.


Recreation benefits for Psychological and social health. Study tour recreation is organized by private junior high school X purpose to expand knowledge culture, social and tradition. Private junior high school X applies full day school system. Duration of studying is cause the student felt bored. The purpose of this research is to know the differencence between benefits of pshycology and social health at study tour from the perspective of students, the parents and teachers. Dependent variable is pschycology and social health, independent variable is  perspective of students, the parents and teachers. Kind of this research descriptive comparative to cross sectional desaign. This research is done on September 2018. The sample includes 63 person.in purposive sampling. The analyse data is univariat and bivariat (one way annova). The result is univariat, is got from the total of low category is 32 person and high category 31 person. The result of the test  one way annova is got p value (0,536 and 0,568)>0,05. There is no difference between student, parents and teacher in this research but still has low benefit psychological and social health. Suggested for teacher to add outbound and game in study tour, the teachers divest the students to do anything but they are controlled, adapt the place of recreation with interest students. For health and social department collaborated to socialize important of outdoor recreation.


We propose Bit-Cost Scalable (BiCS) technology which realizes a multi-stacked memory array with a few constant critical lithography steps regardless of number of stacked layer to keep a continuous reduction of bit cost. In this technology, whole stack of electrode plate is punched through and plugged by another electrode material. SONOS type flash technology is successfully applied to achieve BiCS flash memory. Its cell array concept, fabrication process and characteristics of key features are presented.


We present the preparation of 11 nm polyacrylamide-stabilized polystyrene latex particles for conjugation to a microRNA model by surfactant-free RAFT emulsion polymerization. Our synthetic strategy involved the preparation of amphiphilic polyacrylamide-block-polystyrene copolymers, which were able to self-assemble into polymeric micelles and "grow" into polystyrene latex particles. The surface of these sterically stabilized particles was postmodified with a disulfide-bearing linker for the attachment of the microRNA model, which can be released from the latex particles under reducing conditions. These nanoparticles offer the advantage of ease of preparation via a scaleable process, and the versatility of their synthesis makes them adaptable to a range of applications.


Isotopic data obtained by means of gas-source mass spectrometric analyses of tetramethyllead are reported for rock and ore leads from Balmat, New York. On the basis of these new precise analyses (an uncertainty in measured isotope ratios of approximately ± 0.10% at the 95% confidence level), the Balmat ores were formed from lead isotopically of the type observed by Ostic et al. (1967) in certain conformable deposits. In a case where there is a low concentration of lead in the ore, contamination of the ore lead by lead from a rock system is apparent. The rock leads (from potassium feldspars and from marbles) form a short-period anomalous suite apparently derived from source material with a μ-value of about 8.75. This short-term development took place approximately 1100 m.y. ago. It is clear that the primary system postulated for the rock leads (μ = 8.75) is distinctly different from the one associated with the ores (μ = 9.0); hence the ore lead is not genetically related to the lead in the rock system. The...


In this article, we aimed to investigate the dynamics of higher education texts from 2002 to 2011 by identifying the most frequently cited references, the highest cited authors, and the correlations among the co-citations. Citation and Co-Citation analyses were used to examine 1,941 cited journal articles from 41,001 publications published in SCI and SSCI databases. We juxtaposed the status of citations between two periods of 2002-2006 and 2007-2011. Results showed research trends changed significantly. Some generative reflections, methodological limitations, future research recommendations were discussed as well.


The aim of present study was to investigate myostatin gene polymorphism and its association with weaning weight and body weight in Batur sheep, 30 heads of Batur all lambs were fed by concentrated feed. Body weight measured monthly after weaning to the six months of age. DNA Extraction used 200 ul of whole blood samples. To amplify exon 3 region of MSTN gene a specific primer designed using the Primer3 software. The 25 μl volume contained 25 ng of genomic DNA, 12.5 μl 2x Reaction mix of each primer. The cycling protocol was 5 minutes at 95°C as initial denaturation, 35 cycles of denaturing at 94°C for 45 seconds, annealing at 73.9 for 45 seconds, extending at 72°C for 40 s, with final extension at 72°C for 10 minutes. Eleven polymorphic sites were observed in the in 3rd exon region transversions at c.*121 G instead of A, del-T at c.*129, one individual at c.*139 and one individual at c.*158 positions however, one individual sequence disrupted reading frame in whole MSTN sequenced, also weaning weight and 6-month weight of Batur lambs were 21.13±5.70 and 31.64±7.06 to the homozygous whilst 19.99±4.33 and 30.50±5.44 for heterozygote respectively but there is no significe differences seen above all the studied parameters. Homozygous AA lambs had fairly low weaning weight and body weight compared to the heterozygous AB lambs but might have a higher carcass weight, further investigation is needed into the interaction of MSTN with other genes involved in muscle growth.


Middle East had a unique social, cultural, economic and political structure throughout history. Middle East maintained its original structure largely within a broad time frame when it was under Ottoman Empire rule. The influence of the western world and modernization has resulted in a significant change in the Middle East as well as all over the world. The emergence of nationalism in the Middle East as a design of collective identity and modern state formations has revealed a new view at the social and political sense. Recently, however, the functioning of these mechanisms began to clogging, and the existing structures faced with the challenge of demand from society. The rebuilding of social and political systems in the Middle East on the line of peace requires a whole new outlook and approach.


Introduction: Suicide is a health phenomenon that is currently increasing, especially in young adults aged 15-29 years. The spiritual aspect in the form of belief in God is one way to prevent suicide. This study was conducted to determine the effect of web-based spiritual problem solving on the prevention of suicide risk in college students.Methods: The research design used a pre-experimental one-group pre-post-test. The sample was 59 respondents using the purposive sampling technique. The independent variable was web-based spiritual problem solving, and the dependent variable was suicide risk prevention. The intervention was delivered via the web using PowerPoint media, inspirational videos, and counseling for approximately one month with four sessions. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using the Wilcoxon sign rank test.Results: Web-Based Spiritual Problem Solving significantly decreases suicide risk with a p-value of 0.000 (p <0.05).Conclusion: Web-Based Spiritual Problem Solving has been shown to be effective in reducing students' suicide risk. This web intervention can be used for 24 hours and specifically for counseling and two-way communication on the web; privacy is maintained because of a hidden identity, which is seen in code when interacting with counselors so as to minimize stigma


TO THE EDITOR: Several cases of ketoconazole-induced testicular' and adrenal' hypofunction have been reported. These reactions may be due to inhibited hydroxylation of II-deoxycortisol, which results in diminished production of cortisol and a blunted cortisol response to corticotropin (ACTH).3 This impaired cortisol response may predispose some patients to hypoglycemia. We report a possible case of ketoconazole-induced hypoglycemia. A 22-year-old man with a two-day history of fever, sinusitis, and possible seizureswas admitted to the intensivecare unit after lumbar puncture and clinical signs indicated pneumococcal meningitis. Vital signs were BP 120/80 mm Hg, T 37.5°C, P 100 bpm, and R 4O/min. Temperatureand respirations returned to normal over the course of hospitalization. Pertinent laboratory test results were: blood glucose233mg/dL (normal 60110),serum potassium 2.9 mEq/L (3.5-4.7), serum phosphate 1.5 mg/dL (2.54.5), and albumin 3.9 gm/dL (3.4-5.2). A drug screen revealedserum salicylate concentrations of 7.8 mg/dL (therapeutic 2-29). Drug therapy included penicillinG K 3 million units iv q4h, phenytoin I g iv followed by 300 rng po qd, propoxyphene napsylate 100mg q4h prn pain, and oxazepam 10mg q6h prn agitation. Tho doses of oxazepam were given on the day of admission. Ketoconazole 200 mg po hs was ordered for a fungal infection in the groin area; clotrimazole 1.0070 and fluocinonide 0.05% cream were applied to the affected area tid. A bolus of potassium chloride 20mEq wasgiven iv, followed by an infusion of dextrose 5% in sodium chloride 0.45% with KCI 40mEq at 125ml/h. The infusion wasstopped on day 3, as the serum potassium was 4.4 mEq/L. Dextrostix determinations were performed qid in order to monitor the hyperglycemiaseen on admission. On day 2 the penicillindose was changed to 2 million U q2h. Three doses of both propoxyphene and oxazepam weregiven. Further dosesof oxazepam were not administered. Serum phenytoin on this day was 12.3I"g/ml (normal 10-20). Dextrostix determinations werewithin normal limits. On day 3propoxyphene wasgivenat 8 pm. The patient refused dinner due to lack of appetite. Dextrostix measurements were normal. On day 4 the Dextrostix determinations were: 62at 7:00 am, 90 at 11:00am, 45at 5:30pm, and 85at 10:00pm. The patient complained of headache and was diaphoretic at 7:00 am. At 5:30 pm he complained of dizzinessand shakiness, was given orange juice and reported relief. He refused dinner again on this evening. Propoxyphene was givenat 3:40am and again at 12:30pm. On day 5 propoxyphene was given at 3:30 am. No more propoxyphene was needed during hospitalization. Blood glucose levels by Dextrostix were: 72 at 7:00 am, 79 at 11:00am, 43 at 5:30 pm, and 89 at 10:00 pm. Serum phosphate was 2.0 mg/dL the day before; replacement consisted of sodium phosphate 20 mEq iv piggybackat midnight and 6:00 am on hospital day 6. On day 6, ketoconazole was discontinued before the scheduled dose was given. Blood glucose was 127mg/dL as determined by laboratory at 7:00 am. Subsequent Dextrostixdeterminations were normal. Phosphate was 5.5 mg/dL but returned to normal the next day. Serum phenytoin was 1.4 I"g/ml. Days 6 through 10 consisted of uneventful recovery and completion of the ten-day penicillintherapy. The patient was discharged on day 10. Since the patient's complaints of headache, diaphoresis, dizziness, and shakiness occurred concurrently with low normal and below normal blood glucose measurements, and the symptoms appeared to improve with administration of orange juice, it seems reasonable to attribute the patient's symptoms to hypoglycemia rather than to a low serum phosphorus concentration. The patient may have been predisposed to symptomatic hypoglycemia by the severity of his illness and inadequate nutritional intake. The drug therapy may also have predisposed him to hypoglycemia. Although penicillin, phenytoin, propoxyphene, and ketoconazole were all temporally associated with the reaction, only propoxyphene has been reported to cause hypoglycernia.v' These isolated cases involved renal insufficiency, but renal insufficiency itself is a known cause of hypoglycemia.· The possibility exists that a drug-drug interaction between propoxyphene and ketoconazole produced clinical hypoglycemia in this patient. Both drugs may inhibit cortisol secrerion,"-" However, we feel that ketoconazole is a more likely cause because ketoconazole has been shown to interfere with the ACTH-stimulated secretion of cortisol both in vitro and in vivo. It is this property by which ketoconazole has been used successfully in patients with Cushing's disease and steroid-dependent cancers.' In a patient predisposed to hypoglycemia by the factors already discussed, a blunted cortisol response to stress mediated by ketoconazole may have precipitated symptomatic hypoglycemia. We think this side effect may be seen especially in debilitated patients or patients otherwise predisposed to hypoglycemia.


For autonomous vehicles integrating onto road-ways with human traffic participants, it requires understanding and adapting to the participants' intention by responding in predictable ways. This paper proposes a reinforcement learning based negotiation-aware motion planning framework, which adopts RL to adjust the driving style of the planner by dynamically modifying the prediction horizon length of the motion planner in real time adaptively. The framework models the interaction between the autonomous vehicle and other traffic participants as a Markov Decision Process. A temporal sequence of occupancy grid maps are taken as inputs for RL module to embed an implicit intention reasoning. Curriculum learning is employed to enhance the training efficiency and the robustness of the algorithm. We applied our method to narrow lane navigation in both simulation and real world to demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the common alternative due to its advantage in alleviating the social dilemma problem with proper negotiation skills.


The development of the microbial community involved in the production process of Italian dry sausage was investigated using physiological analysis and molecular techniques for strain typing and taxonomical identification. A cycle of sausage production was followed collecting samples during the 2 months of ripening process. Microbiological analysis allowed the identification of the main bacterial groups responsible for the fermentation process as lactobacilli and coagulase‐negative staphylococci. The use of a polymerase chain reaction‐based technique of strain typing, RAPD fingerprinting, demonstrated that the environmental parameters interact to select a limited number of strains that dominate the fermentation process. The staphylococcal populations were characterized for their physiological properties and the two dominant strains were identified as Staphylococcus xylosus and Staph. sciuri. The use of 16S rDNA sequencing allowed the definition of the taxonomical position of the two dominant strains of lactic acid bacteria, as belonging to Lactobacillus sake and Lact. plantarum.


A Wireless Sensor Network is a network of sensors that, senses specified parameter(s) related to environment; processes data locally or in a distributed manner and wirelessly communicates information to central Base Station. The Base Station analyzes information and initiates suitable response if required. Wireless Sensor Network research as a whole suffers a lack of practical application scenarios for which such networks are the best solution. Researchers generally do not emphasize on the application domains they are trying to address. Therefore they cannot accurately assess the efficiency of their proposal because for different application areas there are different technical issues. This paper discusses role of application in research and fleshes out from the literature applications of sensor networks ranging from billion dollar satellites to tiny RF tags. To aid in application led research we demonstrate that different applications take different directions in the design goals. Based on this observation the sensor network design goals and its various directions are characterized. Such explicit design direction works as a framework for discussing and structuring coordinated research (e.g., scrutinizing mutual dependencies between applications, software, hardware and hence avoiding duplicate work). It also provides a conceptual basis for the development of flexible software and hardware frameworks that can be adapted to meet different application needs.


Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor in adults. The search for new effective chemotherapeutic agents to treat GBM has proven challenging throughout the last few decades. As a result, very limited pharmacological treatment is currently available. GBM aggressiveness is associated with its glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) component, which is responsible for resistance to therapy. Therefore, new specific pharmacological approaches directed to eradicate GSCs are endowed with a great therapeutic potential.
GSCs have been shown to rely on mitochondrial respiration for their high energy demand. In order to have a functional mitochondrial respiration process, the five complexes forming the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) chain have to be built by the coordinate assembly of proteins translated by either the cytosolic or the mitochondrial ribosomes.
Given their endosymbiotic origin and despite the evolutionary changes occurred the mitochondrial ribosomes (mitoribosomes) still share structural and functional similarities with the bacterial ones, particularly considering the functional ribosomal core. In the light of these similarities, we hypothesized that antibiotics targeting bacterial ribosomes could be exploited to inhibit mitoribosomes, affecting mitochondrial translation and OXPHOS assembly, and hence leading to detrimental effect on GSCs viability. We performed a high-content imaging driven screening of several bacterial ribosome targeting antibiotics and identified Drug A as the most promising compound due to its cytotoxic and mitotoxic effects on GSCs.
We demonstrated that Drug A effectively prevents GSCs expansion, resulting to be over an order of magnitude more effective in GSCs growth inhibition than temozolomide, the only drug used in first line GBM therapy. We then investigated the mechanism of action of Drug A, proving that it inhibits mitochondrial translation and, as a consequence, it decreases the functionality of the OXPHOS complexes reducing mitochondrial respiration capacity. Moreover, we obtained the structure of this compound bound to the human mitoribosome using cryo-electron microscopy, which provides the basis for further development of more potent analogs.
Finally we proved the efficacy of Drug A in vivo using a xenograft mouse model of GBM.
Our results suggest that mitochondrial translation represents a therapeutic target for GBM and show that Drug A, acting via inhibition of mitochondrial translation, is extremely effective against GSCs. Given the urgent medical need for novel therapeutic approaches in GBM treatment, Drug A represents a promising therapeutic solution that is worth further preclinical and clinical investigations.


: Introduction: Diabetes is a major cause of mortality globally, and it has been estimated that 400 million people worldwide will suffer from it by 2030. Despite the fact that hereditary qualities seems to assume an essential part in the advancement of diabetes, examine recommends that dietary decisions driven by natural and financial components are of critical significance. Objectives of the study: Our main objective is to find the relations among obesity, diabetes mellitus and periodontitis in common people of Pakistan. Methodology of the study: This cross sectional study was conducted in Rehmat Memorial Post Graduate Dental Hospital, Abbottabad KPK during 2018 to 2019. This area of Pakistan is considered to be the less aware area regarding awareness of diabetes. There was 100 patients which was visit the health center during this time period. Result: Results shows that values of glucose become high diabetic patients as compared to normal values. IFG factor shows that diabetic people suffer more from oral health problems as compared to others. Conclusion: Obesity for many is a sensitive subject and may not be easy to bring up. Hence the need for more education. The demand for dental hygienists who specialize in treating patients with obesity may increase as the condition itself is increasing and the link with inflammatory diseases is relevant.


This study investigates the often claimed linkage between board of directors' attributes and corporate performance in the construction and technology sectors between financial year 2000 and 2001. More specifically, this study examines the impact of board of directors'composition and control function on firm performance. The researchers further explore the differences in board diversity ratio and category of auditing firms within each sector with regards to company financial performance. Correlation and paired sample t-test statistic is employed to test the mean differences of variables between the two sectors. To further explore the differences in board diversity ratio and the categories of auditing firms within each sector with regards to the company's financial performance, the study employs multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). In conclusion, there are certain aspects of board attributes and control functions that differ between the two sectors, and these significantly influence firm performance. This finding thus confirms the differences in business nature and environment between the two sectors.


We propose an iterative method of 3D localization of 2D or 3D polygonal shapes by monocular vision from a sngle image. The method assumes that the size of the polygonal object is known and that the camera is calibrated. Essentially, the 3D localization is obtained by the resolution of a non-linear system using the parametric equations of the polygonal object (contour) projection in the image plan. Then we show that it is possible with this approach to implement a simple and robust 3D localization process in real time. One interesting application we are currently working on, is the 3D real-time localization of road signs from a mobile vehicle with a monocular vision system.


Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Mounting evidence suggests the emerging important role of circadian rhythms in many diseases. Circadian rhythm disruption is considered to contribute to both T2DM and AD. Here, we review the relationship among circadian rhythm disruption, T2DM and AD, and suggest that the occurrence and progression of T2DM and AD may in part be associated with circadian disruption. Then, we summarize the promising therapeutic strategies targeting circadian dysfunction for T2DM and AD, including pharmacological treatment such as melatonin, orexin, and circadian molecules, as well as non-pharmacological treatments like light therapy, feeding behavior, and exercise.


During the last few years, the technical and scientific advances in the Geomatics research field have led to the validation of new mapping and surveying strategies, without neglecting already consolidated practices. The use of remote sensing data for damage assessment in post-disaster scenarios underlined, in several contexts and situations, the importance of the Geomatics applied techniques for disaster management operations, and nowadays their reliability and suitability in environmental emergencies is globally recognized. In this paper, the authors present their experiences in the framework of the 2016 earthquake in Central Italy and the 2019 Cyclone Idai in Mozambique. Thanks to the use of image-based survey techniques as the main acquisition methods (UAV photogrammetry), damage assessment analysis has been carried out to assess and map the damages that occurred in Pescara del Tronto village, using DEEP (Digital Engine for Emergency Photo-analysis) a deep learning tool for automatic building footprint segmentation and building damage classification, functional to the rapid production of cartography to be used in emergency response operations. The performed analyses have been presented, and the strengths and weaknesses of the employed methods and techniques have been outlined. In conclusion and based on the authors' experience, some operational suggestions and best practices are provided and future research perspectives within the same research topic are introduced.


Electronic System Level (ESL) tools are becoming more and more important in order to bridge the well-known productivity design gap. This panel brings together specialists from industry and ESL tool houses to discuss whether current ESL tools available are usable and meeting the requirements of the industry. In particular, we would like to know to what degree currently available tools from major ESL tool houses are used for designing what kind of systems in industry, and for what purpose such as analysis, design space exploration, or synthesis, etc. these tools are currently used. Also, we would like to discuss to what degree existing tools can help in reducing design time, and finally, what the industry sees the most challenging features of tools currently not yet available. On the other side, we would like to know the opinion of the ESL tool houses what they see the most important offerings of ESL tools currently available as well as the most challenging points and problems why ESL hasn't really taken off so far. Could this either be an industry issue, a methodology issue, a design issue or a tool issue?


ABSTRACT Starting from readily available ethyl(Z)-N-(2-amino-1,2-dicyanovinyl)formimidate (1), the N-aryl (or benzyl)-N′(-(2-amino-1,2-dicyanovinyl)formamidines (2) can be prepared in good yields by reaction with aromatic amines at room temperature in the presence of a catalytic amount of aniline hydrochloride.


Abstract A physical description of the flow mechanisms that govern the distribution of the wall-pressure fluctuations over the surface of a serrated trailing edge is proposed. Three main mechanisms that define the variation of turbulent pressure fluctuations across the serrated edge are discussed and semi-empirical models are formulated accordingly. It is shown that the intensity of the wall-pressure fluctuations increases at the tips under the effect of an increased convective velocity as a result of sidewise momentum diffusion. Furthermore, the change of impedance across the edge causes a local reduction of the pressure fluctuations in the vicinity of the trailing edge. Finally, aerodynamic loading over the serrations due to the non-symmetric flow created at different angles of attack establishes secondary flow patterns that induce higher wall-pressure fluctuations over the serration edges. The latter effect is present only for serrations under high aerodynamic loading, while the former ones are observed under any conditions. Semi-empirical models are formulated for predicting the variation of the wall-pressure fluctuations over the serration surface based on the three physical mechanisms described. These models are calibrated and compared against experiments conducted on a symmetric airfoil model at high Reynolds numbers.


In this article, we aim to sensitise the information systems community about the dispossession of choice that the extended reliance on Internet technology creates for individuals. The overemphasis of digital inclusion as a solution to the digital divide problem frames Internet use as desirable in a progressive society but labels non‐use as problematic or a deficiency that needs to be remedied. This situation, we argue, creates a new modality of inequality that we term digital enforcement, defined as the process of dispossession that reduces choices for individuals who prefer to minimise their reliance on the Internet if given the opportunity or those who want to live their lives offline altogether. We present digital enforcement as an ethical problem and draw on the concepts of governmentality and technologies of power to explain how practices around Internet use in society result in digital enforcement. We conclude with a hopeful perspective to call for an ethical agenda to develop desirable futures.


The newly discovered Xingwen porphyry Mo deposit is located in the most southern segment of the Xiaoxing'an Range–Zhangguangcai Range metallogenic belt (XZMB), NE China. The Mo deposit occurs with a granitic complex consisting of monzogranite, porphyritic granite and felsite porphyry. The Zircon U–Pb ages of monzogranite, porphyritic granite and felsite porphyry are 170.3 ± 2.1, 168.5 ± 2.5, and 166.7 ± 1.6 Ma, respectively. The inherited zircons from the monzogranite and porphyritic granite yield U–Pb ages of 239.8 ± 5.8 and 249.4 ± 6.2 Ma, respectively. These ages reveal that the Mo mineralization in the most southern segment of the XZMB took place in the Middle Jurassic, and is consistent with the epoch of the largest Daheishan Mo district in the XZMB. In contrast, Triassic ages of the inherited zircons are consistent with the ages of the Triassic magmatic activities along the E–W trending tectono‐magmatic belt in the northern margin of the North China Craton. The εHf(t) of the monzogranite, porphyritic granite and felsite porphyry change from −17.1 to +6.7 , −16.9 to +2.9, −5.94 to −0.90, respectively. The Hf isotopic compositions indicate that old crustal source, juvenile crustal source or depleted mantle contributed to their origin. When compared with the granite in Daheishan Mo district in XZMB, the εHf(t) probably indicates that the granitic complex in the margin of the Central Asia Orogenic Belt may have more old crustal materials than the granitic complex in the inner region of the Central Asia Orogenic Belt. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The past two decades have seen a proliferation of studies investigating, complicating, and reimagining the relationship between second language learning and identity. Yet, with only a handful of exceptions, these studies are limited to adolescent and adult second language learners. In this article, the author proposes that identity research with very young second language learners has been limited both by a tendency to see early second language learning as less problematic than that of older learners and by the conceptualization of identity itself. The author argues that a post-structuralist perspective on identity—or, rather, subjectivity—opens possibilities for research with the youngest students. In order to explore this theoretical potential, the author examines four major studies of identity and young second language learners (kindergarten and Grade 1) to analyze how their authors conceive of identity and what each affords for analysis. These studies support the idea that a post-structural analysis, through its interrogation of the concept of identity, offers possibilities for studies of subjectivity in young children. Yet they also highlight a need to interrogate traditional views of language and of language learning.


An improvement of efficiency of new methods applied in
reconstructive operations of the brachial plexus requires
knowledge of motor and somatosensory axon fasciculation in the
proximal parts of peripheral nerves protruding from the
brachial plexus. In the present paper we have described a
fasciculation of the motor axons in the human musculocutaneous
nerve. The human musculocutaneous nerves of both sides were
removed from 2 cadavers 10 hours post mortem. The nerves were
divided into five 1 cm long segments in the proximal-to distal
direction (segments A-E) after fixation in Zamboni's fixative
solution. The motor axon detection was based on their high
acetylcholinesterase activity content determined by
histochemical method. The motor axon distribution was
photographed in a light microscope and evalualed by means of an
image analysis system equipped with DIPS 4.0 software. The
human musculocutaneous nerve is a polyfascicular nerve with a
monofascicular segment located about 2 to 3 cm from its
beginning at the lateral brachial fasciculus. The motor axons
were dispersed regularly in all fascicles of the proximal
segments (A-C), i.e., to the distance of 3 cm. The
monofascicular segment containing dispersed molor nerve fibres
is a very suitable point for connections related with nerve
grafts during microsurgical reconstruction of the brachial
plexus. The fascicles with abundant motor axons were observed
in more distal segments (D, E) located more laterally, but
medial fascicles always contained a small portion of motor
axons. Our present findings suggest that histochemical
detection of acelylcholinestrase activity in combination with
the image analysis system is suitable method for the study of
the motor axon fasciculation in human nerves.


The study of exoplanets (planets orbiting other stars) is re volutionizing the way we view our universe. High-precision photometric data provided by the Kepler Space Telescope (Kepler) enables not only the detection of such planets, but also thei r c aracterization. This presents a unique opportunity to apply Bayesian methods to better characteri ze the multitude of previously confirmed exoplanets. This paper focuses on applying the EXONEST algo rithm to characterize the transiting short-period-hot-Jupiter, HAT-P-7b. EXONEST evaluates a suite of exoplanet photometric models by applying Bayesian Model Selection, which is implemented with the MultiNest algorithm. These models take into account planetary effects, such as reflecte d light and thermal emissions, as well as the effect of the planetary motion on the host star, such as Doppler beaming, or boosting, of light from the reflex motion of the host star, and photometric variations due to the planet-induced ellipsoidal shape of the host star. By calculating model evi d nces, one can determine which model best describes the observed data, thus identifying which ef fects dominate the planetary system. Presented are parameter estimates and model evidences for H AT-P-7b.


People's language is shaped by the input from the environment. The environment, however, offers a range of linguistic inputs that differ in their reliability. We test whether listeners accordingly weigh input from sources that differ in reliability differently. Using a perceptual learning paradigm, we show that listeners adjust their representations according to linguistic input provided by native but not by non-native speakers. This is despite the fact that listeners are able to learn the characteristics of the speech of both speakers. These results provide evidence for a disassociation between adaptation to the characteristic of specific speakers and adjustment of linguistic representations in general based on these learned characteristics. This study also has implications for theories of language change. In particular, it cast doubts on the hypothesis that a large proportion of non-native speakers in a community can bring about linguistic changes.


Emerging technologies offer the potential to expand the domain of the future workforce to extreme environments, such as outer space and alien terrains. To understand how humans navigate in such environments that lack familiar spatial cues this study examined spatial perception in three types of environments. The environments were simulated using virtual reality. We examined participants' ability to estimate the size and distance of stimuli under conditions of minimal, moderate, or maximum visual cues, corresponding to an environment simulating outer space, an alien terrain, or a typical cityscape, respectively. The findings show underestimation of distance in both the maximum and the minimum visual cue environment but a tendency for overestimation of distance in the moderate environment. We further observed that depth estimation was substantially better in the minimum environment than in the other two environments. However, estimation of height was more accurate in the environment with maximum cues (cityscape) than the environment with minimum cues (outer space). More generally, our results suggest that familiar visual cues facilitated better estimation of size and distance than unfamiliar cues. In fact, the presence of unfamiliar, and perhaps misleading visual cues (characterizing the alien terrain environment), was more disruptive than an environment with a total absence of visual cues for distance and size perception. The findings have implications for training workers to better adapt to extreme environments.


DUNCAN, S. C., T. E. DUNCAN, L. A. STRYCKER, and N. R. CHAUMETON. A multilevel approach to youth physical activity research. Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev., Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 95–99, 2004. Social environment factors are hypothesized to interact with individual-level factors to influence youth physical activity. Multilevel analytic approaches are ideal for examining the influence of the social environment on youth physical activity as they allow examination of research questions across multiple contexts and levels ( e.g. , individual, family, and neighborhood levels).


This paper presents a definition for local linearizations of rational matrices and studies their properties. This definition allows us to introduce matrix pencils associated to a rational matrix that preserve its structure of zeros and poles in subsets of any algebraically closed field and also at infinity. Moreover, such definition includes, as particular cases, other definitions that have been used previously in the literature. In this way, this new theory of local linearizations captures and explains rigorously the properties of all the different pencils that have been used from the 1970's until 2019 for computing zeros, poles and eigenvalues of rational matrices. Particular attention is paid to those pencils that have appeared recently in the numerical solution of nonlinear eigenvalue problems through rational approximation.


This work deals with the Aristotelian ethics showing the defining aspects of the practical proposal of the philosopher from Stagira and clarifying the cultural implications of his postulates about a happy life associated to the virtues and the search of the ultimate good as the metaphysical heritage.  It shows the relationship of the Aristotelian ethics and the topic of the Absolute, whether it be Nothing o God himself, and establishes a distinction between the dominant circumstances in the Aristotelian context which influences his moral conclusions.


Surgery for internal derangement of the knee has been performed for functional disability. Arthroscopic surgery offers improved function sooner than conventional knee surgery. In three groups of patients, no complications occurred, convalescence was markedly decreased, and expedient limb function was achieved. Postoperative morbidity, i.e., increased edema, loss of motion and muscle inhibition, appeared much less than reports indicate with conventional open surgery. Conventional knee surgery was not compared with arthroscopic surgery because the author stopped performing conventional knee surgery. These date confirm the viability of arthroscopic surgery to achieve early restoration of function for a variety of knee disorders.


The role of dietary sodium in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension has stimulated a great deal of interest and investigation in recent years. There are epidemiologic studies in the literature that suggest a link between dietary sodium intake and the prevalence of hypertension. However, not all patients are prone to the development of hypertension in response to dietary sodium. Therefore, a distinction between salt sensitivity and salt-resistant essential hypertension has evolved from this observation. The mechanisms which related dietary sodium to the pathogenesis of essential hypertension are not clearly defined, although it appears that inborn errors of renal sodium handling, along with certain components of the sympathetic nervous system, may be involved. Furthermore, intracellular sodium and its transport mechanisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension associated with dietary sodium. Finally, there appears to be a correlation between dietary sodium, salt sensitivity, and the progression of renal disease. That is to say, patients with salt-sensitive essential hypertension appear to demonstrate a more relentless course to end-stage renal disease. This tendency may be related to deranged hemodynamic adaptation of the renal circulation in response to dietary sodium intake and the resulting rise in systemic blood pressure. The mechanism for this derangement of renal hemodynamic adaptation in salt-sensitive hypertensives remains to be determined.


Image retrieval has been an active research area since the early days of computing. While ensemble, multimodal and hybrid methods coupled with machine learning has seen an upward surge replacing unimodal, heuristic-based methods; a rather new offshoot has been to identify new features associated with images on the web. One such feature is the 'click count' based on the clicks an image or its corresponding text gets in response to a query. Previous state-of-the-art methods have tried to exploit this feature by using its raw count and machine learning. In this paper, we build on this idea and propose a new collaborative filtering based technique to employ the click-log of users from the web to better identify and associate images in response to either a text or an image query. Experiments performed on a large scale publicly available standard dataset having genuine click logs from actual users corroborate the efficacy and significant increase in efficiency of our approach.


Hydrothermal tobelitic phyllosilicates modeled as ISII (R3) ordering with a minimum of 2–3% and a maximum of 6–8% interstratified smectite occur in veins and as replacement of fossils in hydrothermally altered black shale. These heavy metal-rich phyllosilicate veins formed during a Mesozoic-aged, regional-scale hydrothermal event that affected an area which encompasses the Mercur Au district (Wilson and Parry, 1990a, 1990b). Associated minerals include kaolinite, quartz, chlorite, Fe-oxides, I/S (R1, 45% smectite), and pyrite. N and O contents of NH4 phyllosilicates determined by microprobe analysis range from 0.19 to 1.78 and 48.6 to 52.9 elemental wt. %, respectively. Infrared absorption analysis indicates N occurs as NH4+. Very high O analyses are probably caused by contamination with kaolinite. A representative structural formula for the tobelitic material is [(NH4)0.36K0.36Na0.03]-(Al1.91Mg0.13Fe0.03)(Si3.21Al0.79)O10(OH1.88F0.12).Correlation plots of data from microprobe analyses indicate an atypically high correlation between interlayer charge and octahedral layer charge and no correlation between (K+Na) and N. More typical correlations between N and (K+Na) and between interlayer charge and tetrahedral layer charge are obtained if 2–8% of a beidellitic smectite are factored out of the analyses. This amount of smectite is consistent with modeling of X-ray diffraction data using the computer program NEWMOD (Reynolds, 1985).Possible sources of NH4 are from introduction by hydrothermal fluids or from thermal degradation of organic matter prevalent within the host rocks during low-grade metamorphism. The occurrence of NH4 phyllosilicate veins in unoxidized shale and the limited occurrence of NH4 phyllosilicates within the host shales suggests a hydrothermal source for the NH4.


The project, entitled "Integrated Pest Management for Cotton" commenced in September 1994 with scientists from four countries, Israel, Egypt, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe co-operating in a joint project funded by the Common Fund for Commodities through the International Cotton Advisory Committee. It seeks to improve the control of honeydew-producing sucking pests, through the use of novel insecticides, natural enemies, better spraying equipment and proper thresholds. Most of the experimentation, especially during the first two years of the project, was carried out in Israel and Egypt. This paper reports some of the more significant findings, with particular emphasis on the importance of natural enemies.


The relation of different cytostatic regimens and plasmapheresis to survival time was studied in patients with stage III myeloma. The median survival time for 23 melphalan-prednisolone treated patients was 9 months. Nine melphalan-prednisolone treated patients, who were in addition treated with plasmapheresis survived longer (median 23 months), but the difference was not significant. Twenty-five patients, treated with plasmapheresis and cytostatic combination (melphalan, cyclophosphamide, BCNU, vincristine, prednisolone) survived significantly longer, for 61 months (median). Cytostatic combination therapy seems to prolong survival in stage III myeloma. Plasmapheresis may also have a favourable effect.


This paper presents new quadrature rules for functions in a reproducing kernel Hilbert space using nodes drawn by a sampling algorithm known as randomly pivoted Cholesky. The resulting computational procedure compares favorably to previous kernel quadrature methods, which either achieve low accuracy or require solving a computationally challenging sampling problem. Theoretical and numerical results show that randomly pivoted Cholesky is fast and achieves comparable quadrature error rates to more computationally expensive quadrature schemes based on continuous volume sampling, thinning, and recombination. Randomly pivoted Cholesky is easily adapted to complicated geometries with arbitrary kernels, unlocking new potential for kernel quadrature.


Measurements of the differential cross sections for the production of exactly four jets in proton-proton collisions are presented as a function of the transverse momentum pt and pseudorapidity eta, together with the correlations in azimuthal angle and the pt balance among the jets. The data sample was collected in 2010 at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC, with an integrated luminosity of 36 inverse picobarns. The cross section for a final state with a pair of hard jets with pt > 50 GeV and another pair with pt > 20 GeV within abs(eta) < 4.7 is measured to be sigma = 330 +- 5 (stat.) +- 45 (syst.) nb. It is found that fixed-order matrix element calculations including parton showers describe the measured differential cross sections in some regions of phase space only, and that adding contributions from double parton scattering brings the Monte Carlo predictions closer to the data.


Symmetry is revealed when some non-trivial transformation of a system leaves the system unchanged or invariant. Symmetry is a pervasive feature in many sciences from physics to embryology. In physics, for example, symmetry is reflected in fundamental laws. Can this be said of behavioral findings and principles? I explore this question by discussing several examples from behavior analysis including the operational and functional aspects of reinforcement, stimulus and schedule control, the three-term contingency, and putative scale-invariance of behavioral principles—a feature conferring unity to the field of behavior analysis.


A new genus and species of euphaneropid, Ciderius cooperi, is recorded from the Lower Silurian Fish Bed Formation of the Midland Valley of Scotland on the basis of articulated material. Euphaneropids constitute an enigmatic group which is known from Devonian deposits in Scotland and Canada. The new find adds to our understanding of this group, in particular with regard to the morphology of some common anatomical elements. The paired head stains are here shown to contain clefts which can be interpreted as optic fissures, indicating that these are the remains of eyes. The anterior head stain is reconstructed and demonstrated to be a barrel-shaped object of an uncertain nature. Paired mineralisations situated in the posterior part of the cranial region appear to represent remains of the parachordals, while fossilised blood vessels might be preserved in the form of black lines which mark a greatly elongated branchial region, similar to euphaneropids. Serially repetitive rows of short horizontal stripes on the posterior half of the body are unique for the new taxo, but their interpretation is problematic.


The purpose of this paper is to investigate the volatility of both Islamic and conventional stock market in Indonesia with the aim of identifying the most appropriate model for risk management practice. The study considers GARCH as a genre of model to measure the volatility of stock market movement. The results support the view that each model shows specific volatility from both Islamic and conventional stock market in Indonesia. In Islamic stock market, volatility is affected by exchange rate and money supply (M1) but not interest rate as interest is prohibited in Islam. However, interest rate is found as a principal factor that affects volatility of conventional stock market. The outcomes of this paper are of particular significance to policy makers, as it provides guidelines to maintain economic health. Furthermore, the findings may assist practitioners to understand the consequences of macroeconomic factors such as exchange rate, money supply and interest rate, which are very crucial for the market stability of Indonesian stock market. The paper enhances the understanding of stock market volatility and proposes guidelines risk management practices.


Abstract— In this study, a fall detection system based on the
data acquired from a waist-mounted smartphone has been
developed in a real-time environment. The built-in
tri-accelerometer was utilized to collect the information about
body movement. At the same time, the smartphone is able to
classify the data for activity recognition. Body motion can be
classified into five different patterns, i.e. vertical activity, lying,
sitting or static standing, horizontal activity and fall. If a fall is
suspected, an automatic Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)
will be sent to pre-selected people, with information including
the time, GPS coordinate, and Google map of suspected fall
location. The major advantage of the proposed system is the use
of smartphone which is readily available to most people.
Index Terms—Smartphone, tri-accelerometer, fall detection


Studies to detect the presence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection were undertaken in departments of pulmonary medicine, respiratory intensive care, cardiology, between 1973 and 1977. The diagnosis was based upon the complement deviation reaction, with the exclusion or other serological or culture methods. In addition to acute benign pleuropneumonia, 9 cases of severe pulmonary forms were seen: in 4, acute decompensation in the presence of pre-existence chronic insufficiency, and in the other 5 a radiological picture of acute bilateral bronchopneumonia with dyspnoea. Two patients died in a clinical context of progressive coma. Five cardiac forms with a favourable course were diagnosed: one case of acute myocarditis and 4 of acute pericarditis.


ABSTRACT The diet of the Texas map turtle (Graptemys versa) in the Colorado River drainage was studied using 1) stomach flushing and collection of feces in 1998–1999 and 2) dissection of museum specimens collected in 1949 prior to invasion of their habitats by exotic Asian clams (Corbicula spp.). Feces were found to be better indicators of dietary diversity based on log–log comparisons of sample volume with turtle size and the fact that Corbicula were absent in stomach flushes of small female specimens that yielded abundant shell fragments in their feces. Adult males fed most heavily on aquatic insect larvae (primarily trichopterans and ephemeropterans) and showed little change in diet over 5 decades. Small females that overlapped adult males in body size had wider heads and alveolar surfaces of the jaws than did males and fed predominantly on Corbicula, snails, insect larvae, and algae. Females that were larger than males in body size showed a change from a diverse diet in 1949 that included sphaeriid clams, trichopteran larvae, sponges, bryozoans, and algae, to nearly exclusive feeding on the invasive mollusk Corbicula 5 decades later. Based on the present report and previous studies, it appears that 1 result of the invasion of rivers in North America by Corbicula is greatly decreased diversity of diet in adult female Graptemys of moderate head width (mesocephaly).


Unauthorized access from inside or outside an organization has become a social problem in the last few years, making a system that can detect such accesses desirable. We therefore monitor normal activities using inductive logic programming (ILP) which is one of machine learning and detect anomalies. To ensure effective monitoring, we think the following two points must be considered. One point is automation of detection by ILP system, which is a rule generation engine, that always induces and updates effective rules. The other point is providing a visualization tool that reflects induced rules to the detection system. This tool enables an administrator to understand detection situations. For automated detection, we provide the ILP system with an automatic parameter adjustment function. For the visualization tool, we apply the visualization technology of a hyperbolic tree.


We studied the effect of cyclophosphamide (CPM) on development of severe glomerular lesions in a model of murine nephrotoxic nephritis (NTN). CPM treatment (300 mg/kg) before initiation of the first phase on NTN showed no host antibody depositions along the glomerular basement membrane, as revealed by immunofluorescence; however, the histological study revealed no significant difference in the degree of renal damage between the control and the CPM-treated mice. Therefore, the severe glomerular lesions in murine NTN may be induced without antibody response to nephrotoxin, in the glomerulus.


The three dimensional flow around an extensively investigated slot film cooled turbine blade is numerically investigated using a multi block finite volume Navier-Stokes solver.Three blowing rates are simulated including the whole geometry of the interior blade cooling system and slots. Due to the ejection at the blade leading edge and the geometry of the cooling slots a very complex turbulent three dimensional flow field is generated.The size and shape of the flow separation zones depending on the film cooling ejection is systematically investigated using several two-equation models, e.g. the standard and low Reynolds k–e-Model of Lam and Bremhorst (1981) r[4], the extension of Kato/Launder (1993) [3] and the k–ω-Model of Wilcox (1991) [10], whereas the results of the standard k–e-Model are presented. Experimental data obtained by Laser velocimetry, oil-flow pictures and pressure probes are used to understand the complex flow field and to validate the Navier-Stokes solver.The multi-block code applies a traditional Jameson type solver and an implicit solver using several spatial discretization schemes for the convective fluxes. The two-equation models are solved using an RED-BLACK implicit technique with first order spatial upwind discretization to guarantee stability.Copyright © 1996 by ASME


Abstract: AAC Prevail (BW462) is a high-yielding spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) with high protein content and is adapted to the growing conditions in the Canadian prairies. AAC Prevail yielded similar to Unity, the highest yielding check in the Central Bread Wheat Cooperative Registration tests (2010–2012). Over 3 yr of testing in Manitoba (zone 1), AAC Prevail achieved 1.5% higher yield than Unity whereas in Saskatchewan (zone 2), it yielded 98.4% of Unity. AAC Prevail matured 1 d later than Unity and McKenzie, the earliest maturing checks. AAC Prevail was taller than all the checks but had better lodging resistance than Unity, McKenzie, and 5603HR. The test weight and kernel weight of AAC Prevail were similar to the checks. AAC Prevail was rated resistant to leaf rust (Puccinia triticina Erikss.) and moderately resistant to stem rust (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici) but susceptible to bunt [Tilletia caries (DC) Tul. & C. Tul.] and loose smut [Ustilago tritici (Pers.) Rostr.]. The Fusarium head blight (Fusarium graminearum Schwabe) rating was intermediate for visual rating index but the combined incidence, severity, and deoxynivalenol rating was moderately resistant. During 3 yr of evaluation, AAC Prevail was resistant to orange wheat blossom midge (Sitodiplosis mosellana Géhin). AAC Prevail was registered under the Canada Western Red Spring class for its high protein as well as good milling and baking performance.


Learning to program can be very hard. Without an existing background in the subject and without adequate resources, students, especially women, may find themselves experiencing much frustration at their lack of understanding. A ubiquitous usable learning environment, that pictorially depicts run-time information in the form of animated visualisations, could support the learning of some common programming techniques. It would also help provide that previous experience essential to becoming a proficient programmer. This report presents JavanOwl, a Web-based educational programming environment designed to provide all the above.


Environmentalists have long warned of a coming shock to the system. COVID-19 exposed fragility in the system and has the potential to result in radical social change. With socioeconomic interruptions cascading through tightly intertwined economic, social, environmental, and political systems, many are not working to find the opportunities for change. Prefigurative politics in communities have demonstrated rapid and successful responses to the pandemic. These successes, and others throughout history, demonstrate that prefigurative politics are important for response to crisis. Given the failure of mainstream environmentalism, we use systemic transformation literature to suggest novel strategies to strengthen cooperative prefigurative politics. In this paper, we look at ways in which COVID-19 shock is leveraged in local and global economic contexts. We also explore how the pandemic has exposed paradoxes of global connectivity and interdependence. While responses shed light on potential lessons for ecological sustainability governance, COVID-19 has also demonstrated the importance of local resilience strategies. We use local manufacturing as an example of a possible localized, yet globally connected, resilience strategy and explore some preliminary data that highlight possible tradeoffs of economic contraction.


The aim of this study was to examine the effects of weight loss induced by pharmacotherapy combined with a hypocaloric diet for a period of 8-weeks on maximal work (Wmax) production capacity and aerobic fitness in obese patients. Twelve obese females were put on an integrated energy restricted diet with orlistat supplement 3 x 120 mg/day. Each patient performed 3 incremental ramp exercise tests using an electromagnetically braked cycle ergometer: one at onset, one at the end of 4-weeks and one at the end of the 8-weeks to determine Wmax production capacity. The first 4-week therapy period resulted in a significant reduction in total body weight (91.4 - 3.1 kg vs. 88.2 - 2.9 kg, P = 0.0001) and body fat mass (38.7 - 1.9 kg vs. 37.5 - 2.0 kg, P = 0.03). However, the weight reduction achieved during first 4-weeks was not associate with increased Wmax production capacity: 90.8 - 5 W vs. 92.9 - 5 W (P = 0.5). During the 8-week therapy period, further reductions in both body weight (86.0 - 2.8 kg, P = 0.0001) and body fat mass (36.2 - 1.8 kg, P = 0.002) were observed. Wmax production capacity increased slightly but was not statistically significant: 100.4 - 6 W (P = 0.08). The impaired aerobic fitness of obese patients did not improve during the short-term obesity therapy despite significant decreases in body weight and fat mass. Thus, it is important to consider an aerobic exercise training program known to increase aerobic fitness and Wmax capacity in addition to short-term dieting and pharmacotherapy.


This article examines the diverse role and work of public relations practitioners in the growing body of international schools. It examines evidence of 'role stress' in the form of the subsets of role overload, role ambiguity, role conflict and role preparedness. Three particular aspects were identified. The role seems prone to change alongside the sudden and unplanned development of the school. An organizational culture of an informal, isolationist and highly individualistic nature seems to exist. The character of personality also seems to be a factor. Possible strategies for managing role stress are then discussed. The overall list of tasks might be cut, and some tasks delegated. A more detailed job description within a planned framework could be produced. A restructuring process within the school might simplify role diversification. These strategies seem to provide a forum for research and partnership for the newly emerging Alliance for International Education


Protoplanetary discs (PPDs) are cold, dense and weakly ionised environments that witness the planetary formation. Among these discs, transition discs (TDs) are characterised by a wide cavity in the dust and gas distribution. Despite this lack of material, many TDs strongly accrete onto their central star, possibly indicating that a mechanism is driving fast accretion in TDs cavities. The presence of radially extended 'dead zones' in PPDs recently revived the interest in magnetised disc winds (MDWs), where accretion is driven by a large magnetic field. We propose that TDs could be subject to similar winds, explaining their fast-accreting and long-lived cavities. We present the results of the first 2.5D global numerical simulations of TDs harbouring MDWs using the PLUTO code. We impose a cavity in the gas distribution and consider a power law distribution for the large-scale magnetic field strength. We assume weakly ionised discs subject to ambipolar diffusion, as expected in this range of densities and temperatures. Our simulated TDs reach a steady state with an inner cavity and an outer 'standard' disc. The accretion rates remain approximately constant through the entire discs, reaching $10^{-7}~M_\odot/\text{yrs}^{-1}$ for typical surface density values. The MDW launched from the cavity is more magnetised with a much larger lever arm than the MDW launched from the outer disc. The material in the cavity is accreted at sonic velocities, and the cavity itself is rotating at 70% of the Keplerian velocity due to the efficient magnetic braking imposed by the MDW. Overall, our cavity matches the dynamical properties of an inner jet emitting disc (JED) and of magnetically arrested discs (MADs) in black hole physics. Finally, kinematic diagnostics (wind speeds, orbital and accretion velocities) could disentangle classical photo-evaporation from MDW models.


Introduction: Significant obesity is an increasing co-morbidity in pulmonary hypertension (PH). We note many patients with echo features of pre-capillary PH (PrePH) who were being classified as post-capillary PH (PostPH), due to elevated pulmonary wedge pressure (PWP). We wished to assess the impact of intrathoracic pressure (ITP) measurements on haemodynamics during artificial alterations of ITP in obese patients and on classification. Methods: Obese individuals underwent invasive cardiac cath and intra-oesophageal pressure (IOP) measurements. Haemodynamics were measured during end-expiration, Valsalva and external compression of the abdomen. Fluid challenge was administered in selected patients. Results: 17 patients underwent investigation between Jan '13 and Dec '16. There was a direct 1:1 linear relationship between ITP, as assessed by IOP, and wedge pressure (PWP) (Fig 1A). There was a tight relationship between IOB and PWP during manoeuvres (Valsalva, 1B; external compression, 1C). Following fluid, PWP rose by 4 mmHg. 14/17 patients were classified as PostPH, but following correction for expected ITP (4mmHg), only 3/17 were classified as PostPH (1D). Conclusions: ITP has a 1:1 relationship on PWP. We show that this may frequently result in misclassification of patients as PostPH who have echo features of PrePH and whose PWP does not change significant with fluid challenge.


Teacher questions are one of the crucial components in developing students' concept maps in project-based learning (PjBL). The study aims to measure the quality of students' concept maps and determine the PjBL stages that accommodate concept map quality using an expanded teacher question. This research was a quasi-experiment with 335 students as participants from five senior high schools. To collect the data, teachers used open questions during the PjBL learning process with three categories: main, standard, and expanded teacher questions. The concept map data were collected from students of Biology. The student's concept map score is calculated based on the achievement of the experts' Concept map. Data were analyzed using Manova. The results showed that teacher questions in the PjBL stage increased the concept map component scores, especially in valid relationships and crosslink, while other components increased, no effect, and decreased. The most influential PjBL stage that accommodates concept map quality improvement is the deciding stage. Hence, our findings supported that the deciding stage of PjBL is the primary stage to improve the quality of students' thinking. The expanded teacher's questions in the study group, the way of collecting data, and the data analysis significantly contributed to the improvement in the quality of students' thinking.


Prior to the x-ray era cases of gastric cancer, with few exceptions, were diagnosed only at an inoperable stage. Clinical methods usually did not permit of early recognition of the disease, and the result was the still existing horrible text-book picture of the hopeless stomach carcinoma. With the advent of roentgenology, and more especially the development of its gastro-intestinal branch, we have obtained a means of recognizing gastric cancer long before its inoperable stage, while, thanks to the cancer campaign, public interest in the importance of early diagnosis has been stirred up to such a degree that patients now, in contrast to former times, are seeking medical advice early in ever increasing numbers. It would be expected, therefore, that early medical consultation together with a prompt roentgen examination would have caused a rapid diminution in the number of inoperable cases and, in conjunction with timely operation, would have furnished a practical solution of the problem of gastric cancer. This hope has not been realized. Even now approximately 80 per cent of the patients, including many who have sought medical advice early, come to operation when it is too late. It is, therefore, self-evident that there must exist certain phases of this problem which still lack a proper understanding on the part of the profession. The writer has found two cases which shed an interesting light upon the problem. These two cases are among those rare instances in which the roentgenologist who has made a diagnosis of early malignancy is again called upon, years later, after the condition has reached an inoperable stage, to reexamine the patient. Fortunately, in both instances a complete history was obtained. The presentation of these two cases will enable us not only to trace the course of the disease from the earliest symptoms, but also to explain why, notwithstanding definite early roentgen diagnosis, the patients were allowed to drag along until the inoperable stage was reached.


Background: Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), a term coined in 1994 by Stone and Schiffman, is a modality by which participants can record their symptoms, triggers and thoughts in real time. This data is recorded electronically through the use of smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches as subjects live their daily lives. EMA can be thought of as an electronic diary by which a subject can respond to alerts by entering their observations several times throughout the day. These assessments involve different discrete methodologies such as interpersonal interaction diaries, ambulatory physiological monitoring, and collection of medication compliance data. EMA was developed to counteract the recall bias and inter-evaluator discrepancies that can occur during regularly scheduled outpatient appointments. Methods: A literature review was done using EMA as the search criteria. Results: Davidson et al discussed the use of EMA in suicidality through the use of paper journals, personal digital assistants and cellphones. The paper outlined two sampling schemes; event-based sampling which asks participants to respond to questions each time they experienced a behavior and time-based sampling which asks for responses at a set period of time. Bell et al, 2017 reviewed the application of EMA in treatment of psychotic disorders and reviewed current literature. Schueller et al, 2017 analyzed the use of EMA for depression and anxiety providing mechanisms, study designs and therapeutic measures that can be incorporated for design of an EMA for depression and anxiety. Smith et al 2019 reviewed EMA in the assessment of eating disorders (ED) by looking at realms of type, frequency and temporal sequencing of ED symptoms in natural environment. The use of EMA for child and adolescent patients using mobile based utilization was researched by Heron et al., 2017. Using these modalities children and adolescents may have improved reporting of pain, treatment adherence, sleep and disease symptoms. Raugh et al 2019 studied EMA for psychophysiological assessments. EMA was used for monitoring of EKG, Blood pressure, EEG, electroculography, electromyography and other variables. Conclusions: There are multiple advantages and disadvantages to EMA. Advantages include participants avoiding recall bias and providing real time assessments. Treatment is not dependent on respondent's bias and immediate interventions can be enacted. EMA also allows a remote alert to providers and can be used for research. Disadvantages of EMA include it being dependent on equipment, technology and network connectivity. There is a risk of attrition as well as possible redundancy. There is a need for detailed study modeling. EMA requires motivation on the part of the participant to respond and participate regularly. Additionally, encryption is necessary to safeguard such sensitive data. More research is required investigating the benefits of this method.


Target-date funds feature asset allocations that become increasingly conservative as investors approach retirement. An important shortcoming of this strategy is that it is suboptimal in terms of capital accumulation, which begs the question of why these funds are so popular. A possible answer is that investors become more risk averse as they age, gradually favoring more downside protection as they approach retirement. The main issue explored in this article is how much more risk averse would investors need to become during their working years to select asset allocations similar to those in target-date funds; the evidence here shows that investors would have to roughly double their risk aversion during the last 25 years of their working period. An intuitive interpretation of this result, based on how much an individual would pay to avoid a gamble, is also discussed. TOPICS: Equity portfolio management, retirement, risk management, wealth management Key Findings • This article explores why target-date funds switch from a goal of capital accumulation early in the accumulation period to the goal of downside protection as individuals approach retirement. • This switch is motivated by the increase in risk aversion observed as individuals age, which leads them to value downside protection more as they approach retirement. • The evidence here shows that if individuals roughly double their risk aversion during the last 25 years of their working period, they would choose asset allocations similar to those featured by the glidepaths of target-date funds.


Given the heavy reliance on bank lending as the main source of financing in most Asian economies, banks could potentially play a pivotal role in monetary policy transmission. However, we find that Asia's bank lending channel or, more broadly, credit channel of domestic monetary policy is not very strong at the aggregate level. Using bank-level data for nine Asian economies during 2000–2013, we show that heterogeneity of bank characteristics (e.g., ownership type, financial position), degree of foreign bank penetration of the domestic banking sector, and global financial conditions all have a bearing on the response of domestic credit to changes in domestic monetary policy, and may account for the apparently weak credit channel at aggregate level. JEL Classification Numbers: E50; E52; E59


Transmission of pathogens via healthcare workers' (HCWs) hands is one of the most frequent means of spreading multi-resistant organisms and occurring healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in hospitals. The role of contaminated hands in pathogen transmission was recognized by Hungarian physician, Ignác Semmelweis. Hand hygiene prevents cross-infections in hospitals, but numerous epidemiological and microbiology-based studies have documented low compliance of HCWs with this simple procedure. Furthermore, hand hygiene perception of HCWs plays an important role in determining hand hygiene compliance. Our aim was to describe the opinion of HCWs about their perception regarding hand hygiene practice. Our further goal was to strengthen a laboratory basis for bacterial backup control of nosocomial pathogens. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between December 2010 and February 2011 in 13 participating hospitals in Hungary. HCWs know that there is correlation between contaminated hands and HAIs (83%), but neither the frequency (62%) nor the implementation (73%) of their hand hygiene performance are satisfying.We recommend that multimodal interventions - highlighted active microbiological surveillance of HCWs' hands - are the most suitable strategies to reduce the occurrence of HAIs and to determine their impact on cross-transmission of microorganisms and to overcome barriers of HCWs.


Native-speakerism has generated much debate in the field of English language teaching, with the general assumption that native English-speaker teachers (NESTs) are better teachers and would be learners' preference over non-native English-speaker teachers (NNESTs) given the choice. Despite challenges against such an assumption in recent decades, it is argued that NESTs are still prioritized over NNESTs. Studies on learners' perceptions of NESTs and NNESTs and the factors behind them have produced inconclusive findings, which prompted the present study in post-colonial Hong Kong, where English is a language of privilege. To gain a better understanding of the reality, 253 students from various academic programmes in a tertiary institution in Hong Kong were invited to complete a questionnaire which aimed to elicit their views and preferences concerning teaching by NESTs and local English teachers (LETs, i.e., NNESTs) after being taught by NESTs. Factors affecting their preferences were also explored using open-ended questions and correlation tests. The findings suggest a minor preference for NESTs, but LETs are favoured in terms of effectiveness. Experience with NESTs and learners' English proficiency may also have notable influences over learner preferences. These findings have practical implications for teacher deployment for English courses or programmes at tertiary institutions.


Threats are one of the most serious threats to the legal order of a democratic state. Their non-linear, asymmetric nature makes them more dangerous than other threats to the legal order. The use of multifaceted measures as a weapon disrupts, above all, the legal order of the state. Hybrid threats rely heavily on non-military domains. Civilian populations are central to the hybrid threat scenarios as sources for potential socio-political vulnerabilities and as targets for non-military threats and attacks, not least disinformation campaigns. A significant part of the hybrid threat phenomena is psychological. Actors targeting communities/societies to exacerbate weaknesses do not necessarily create social vulnerabilities themselves but make use of divisions that already exist in civil society. Using disinformation, populations are targeted and used as potential weapons within the state/society in question. This paper shows a concrete scientific approach to the study to of this issue.


A study was conducted on the influence of single and combined carriers on the dissolution rate of tolbutamide from its coprecipitates. All of the water-soluble carriers investigated enhanced the dissolution rate of tolbutamide, but the combination of 40% polyethylene glycol 6000--60% dextrose as the carrier for a 1:1 coprecipitate yielded the most rapid dissolution of tolbutamide. Other carriers used were polyethylene glycol 6000, polyethylene glycol 4000, dextrose, and mannitol, alone or combined in various proportions.


Objectives Liver disease, especially the chronic diseases, is a serious health problem worldwide. Natural medicines have been used for thousands of years to treat liver problems. Patients with liver problems sometimes try natural medicines, especially medicinal herbs, and some natural agents. This study aims to discuss several aspects of natural medicines for treating liver problems. Methods Electronic databases including Web of Science and PubMed were searched for in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies on the effects of natural medicines on liver problems. Results Nearly half of the natural medicines used in treatment of liver diseasestoday are natural products and their derivatives. Sho-saiko-to is effective on hepatitis, liver fibrosis, and HCC. But long-term consumption of this herb drug may lead to interstitial pneumonia and even acute respiratory failure. Silybum marianum is a hepatoprotective agent and long-term use of this herb was considered to be safe. Some other natural medication, such as long pepper, holy basil, coffee, apple, and citrus, for example, have hepatoprotective effect, but more in-depth studies are required to confirm the dosages of each agent to avoid side effects when using them to treat liver problems. Conclusions Naturopathy is becoming more popular worldwide and provides benefits to many patients with liver diseases such as hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. The integration of conventional and naturopathic medicine will produce a practice style that provides excellent medical care for the liver. Acknowledgements This research was financially supported by Sichuan University (Grant No. 2016SCU11033).


A first year student recently commented that she was scarred during the first few weeks of her first ever placement in a hospital ward,because there were so many people in different uniforms. I had sympathy for what she was saying because when I visited a large nursing home recently, the variety of uniforms also struck me as strange and left me on edge as to who was who. The very definition of a uniform is that it is a distinctive dress worn by members of the same body. The problem with nurses' uniforms these days is that there is no uniformity nationally which identifies one grade from another. In fact, not only is there no uniformity in the nursing profession but it would seem that the colours and designs of uniforms are very common to other occupations.


The phosphors Zn(1-x) Mo(1-y)Si(y)O4 : Eu(x)3+ (0.05 < or = x < or = 0.30, 0 < or = y < or = 0.09) were prepared by solid state reaction technique at 800 degrees C. The powder X-ray diffraction patterns of the samples show that the phosphors are of single phase and the doping Eu ion and Si ion have little influence on the host structure. The effects of flux and calcination temperature on the luminescent properties of the phosphors were investigated. The results showed that flux content has effects on the luminescent properties, and the optimized flux content and the best calcination temperature is 4% and 800 degrees C, respectively. The presence of the Na+ ion strengthens the photoluminescence intensity of the phosphors. The addition of Na+ ions balanced the charge in samples, enhanced the luminescence intensity of samples, and the luminescence intensity reached the maximum when the doping concentration of Na2 CO3 was 4 Wt%. The luminescent properties of Zn0.80 Mo(1-y)Si(y)O4 : Eu(0.20)3+ were studied by the excitation and emission spectra, and the influence of Eu3+ and Si4+ concentrations on the luminescent property was discussed. As the calcination temperature rises from 700 to 800 degrees C, the emission intensity increases due to the improvement of crystallinity. The excitation spectra consist of a broad band and a series of narrow lines, and the narrow lines are attributed to the intrinsic transition from 7FJ (J = 1-4) to 5DJ (J = 0, 1) of Eu3+. It was found that the PL emission intensity was enhanced with the increase in the Eu3+ doping ratio and reached a maximum value at x = 0.20. The result indicated that Zn(1-x)Mo(1-y)Si(y)O4 : Eu(x)3+ phosphors can be excited effectively at 393 and 464 nm light. The presence of the Si4+ ion strengthens the photoluminescence intensity of the phosphors and the strong red emission lines at 616 nm correspond to the forced electric dipole 5D0 --> F2 transitions on Eu3+. Compared with Y2O2S : 0.05 Eu3+, the obtained Zn0.80Mo0.97Si0.03O4 : Eu(0.20)3+ phosphor shows an enhanced red emission under 393 nm excitation and the emission intensity of Y2O2S : 0.05Eu3+ is only 50% of that of Zn0.80Mo0.97Si0.03O4 : Eu(0.20)3+. The optical properties suggest that Zn0.80Mo0.97Si0.03O4 : Eu(0.20)3+ is an efficient red emitting phosphor for light emitting diode (LED) applications.