ABSTRACT This paper critically analyses Africa's 'Ports Race', the massive increase in port infrastructure investment taking place across the continent since the mid-2000s. It argues that the phenomenon shapes, and is shaped by, three interconnected trends: (1) an emerging material–political–institutional lock-in to a new extractivist paradigm of capital accumulation; (2) continental governments' growing embrace of state-led development strategies; and (3) the repackaging of globalized discourses of connectivity and idealized visions of modernity by elites to legitimize both their own political positions and what are often exploitative and environmentally destructive practices/processes. Taken together, these developments point to novel configurations of engagement playing out across the continent between transnational capital and political elites.


Abstract We use supervisory loan-level data to document that small firms (SMEs) obtain shorter maturity credit lines than large firms, post more collateral, have higher utilization rates, and pay higher spreads. We rationalize these facts as the equilibrium outcome of a trade-off between lender commitment and discretion. Using the COVID recession, we test the prediction that SMEs are subject to greater lender discretion. Consistent with this hypothesis, SMEs did not draw down whereas large firms did, even in response to similar demand shocks. PPP recipients reduced non-PPP loan balances, indicating the program bolstered their liquidity and alleviated the shortfall.


The present research work discusses the development of a UV spectrophotometric method for Voriconazole. Simple, accurate and cost efficient spectrophotometric method has been developed for the estimation of Voriconazole in pharmaceutical dosage form. The optimum conditions for the analysis of the drug were established. The maximum wavelength (λ max) was found to be 255nm. The percentage recovery of Voriconazole was in the 99.61-101.63%. Beers law was obeyed in the concentration range of 10-25μg/ml. Calibration curves shows a linear relationship between the absorbance and concentration. The line equation y=0.026x-0.0036 with correlation coefficient of 0.99953 was obtained. Validation was performed as ICH guidelines for Specificity,linearity, accuracy, precision.


There is contrast to the belief that all energy and matter came into existence after the Big Bang. If we wish to understand the way the Greeks and other philosophers view our environment, we need to study the data that was collected by them. Living systems sees our portrayal of reality as having its departure point in concrete systems by which means of conceptual systems result in abstracted systems. This data must be sorted and information must now be surveyed, structured, and analyzed to find qualities and connections between the different aspects systems thinking. This has led to the theory for Living Systems. It gives examples of applications which a basis for further studies of systems can be formed. The Internet now provides a major advantage to the retrieval of statistical information and opens a means for the future exploration and verification of how systems work.


A series of previous taper equations with variable parameters were compared in this study. The model with better fitting results (smaller residual sum of squares and higher correlation index) for Larix gmelinii taper was selected in terms of model fitting statistics (residual sum of squares and correlation index), and five indices for describing the taper were proposed, according to the meanings of variable parameters in the model. Among the taper equations compared, the equation provided by Lee et al. had better fitting effect, and could be used to describe the tapers of L. gmelinii plantation. The five indices including taper rate of root, influence point, ranges of parabolic and paraconic, minimum of variable parameters, and relative height at minimum of variable parameters could be taken as the methods and tools for comparing the tapers. Only moderate stand density (487 plant x hm(-2)) provided good quality of larch stem form, compared to both high (870 plant x hm(-2)) and low (275 plant x hm(-2)) stand density providing poor quality.


This study investigates the development of prospective secondary mathematics teachers' (PSMTs') noticing skills in a course conducted at the last year of their teacher education program. PSMTs watched and analysed different instructional videos, including an unknown teacher's, their mentor teacher's, and their own teaching videos. The data were collected from five PSMTs through reflection papers and group discussions about what and how they noticed in the videos. The results showed that the PSMTs had different levels of noticing at the beginning of the course and developed their noticing skills over time through the research. It was found that PSMTs' noticing skills differed across different video types. This study revealed the importance of experience in real classroom environment for the development of PSMTs' noticing skills. Based on the results reached in the research, some suggestions were included.


The failure of the key parts, such as gears, in cutter head driving system of tunneling boring machine has not been properly solved under the interaction of driving motors asynchronously and wave tunneling torque load. A dynamic model of multi-gear driving system is established considering the inertia effects of driving mechanism and cutter head as well as the bending-torsional coupling. By taking into account the nonlinear coupling factors between ring gear and multiple pinions, the influence for meshing angle by bending-torsional coupling and the dynamic load-sharing characteristic of multiple pinions driving are analyzed. Load-sharing coefficients at different rotating cutter head speeds and input torques are presented. Numerical results indicate that the load-sharing coefficients can reach up to 1.2–1.3. A simulated experimental platform of the multiple pinions driving is carried out and the torque distributions under the step load in driving shaft of pinions are measured. The imbalance of torque distribution of pinions is verified and the load-sharing coefficients in each pinion can reach 1.262. The results of simulation and test are similar, which shows the correctness of theoretical model. A loop coupling control method is put forward based on current torque master slave control method. The imbalance of the multiple pinions driving in cutter head driving system of tunneling boring machine can be greatly decreased and the load-sharing coefficients can be reduced to 1.051 by using the loop coupling control method. The proposed research provides an effective solution to the imbalance of torque distribution and synchronous control method for multiple pinions driving of TBM.


I provide a systematic construction of points, defined over finite radical extensions, on any Legendre curve over any field of characteristic not equal two. This includes as special case Douglas Ulmer's construction of rational points over a rational function field in characteristic $p>0$. In particular I show that if $n\geq 4$ is any even integer and not divisible by the characteristic of the field then any elliptic curve $E$ over this field has at least $2n$ rational points over a finite solvable field extension. Under additional hypothesis, when the ground field is a number field, I show that these are of infinite order. I also show that Ulmer's points lift to characteristic zero and in particular to the canonical lifting.


Concrete is generally seen as a material that has obliterated local differences, and made everywhere seem the same. In Latin America, and particularly Brazil, though, a regionally distinctive architecture was developed using the medium of concrete. This essay explores how, in the Brazilian context, concrete was used to signify modernity, and yet in such a way as to resist the processes of globalisation through which modernity was known and manifested. The essay contains a detailed discussion of the cultural implications of concrete in one building in particular, the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Sao Paulo, designed by Vilanova Artigas.


This paper outlines a series of experiments looking at the annotation and subsequent analysis of skills-based learning and teaching in the domain of Nursing. The experiments used Semantic Web technologies to create and store annotations of the student's activities. A number of techniques were used to create these annotations ranging from manual textual annotations by observers through to automatic spatial annotations from a location tracking system. Combining these annotations sets points towards new methods for analysis of both student learning and educational viewpoints on such skills-based labs. Initial observations from these proof of concept studies will be presented along with future directions the work may take.


Abstract A large amount of cooling water is used in a D-T fusion reactor. The cooling water will contain tritium with high concentration because tritium can permeate metal walls at high temperature easily. A development of tritium handling technology for confining tritiated water in the fusion facility is an important issue. In addition, it is also important to understand tritium behavior in environment assuming severe accidents. In this study, percolation experiments of tritiated water in soil packed bed were carried out and tritium behavior in soil was discussed. Six soil samples were collected in Hakozaki campus of Kyushu University. These particle densities were same degree as that of general soils and moisture contents were related to BET surface area. For two soil samples used in the percolation experiment of tritiated water, saturated hydraulic conductivity agreed well with the estimating value by Creager. Tritium retention ratio in the soil packed bed was larger than water retention. This is considered to be due to an effect of tritium sorption on the surface of soil particles. The isotope exchange capacity estimated by assuming that H/T ratio of supplied tritiated water and H/T ratio of surface water of soil particle was equal was comparable to that on cement paste and mortar which were obtained by exposure of tritiated water vapor.


Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and the Economic Viability of States in Nigeria using State Government Debt Stock. Specifically, the study seeks to determine the effect of IGR on State government expenditure.
Methods: Secondary data were used for this study. It used an annual panel data set spanning from 1986 to 2021 for six states each from Nigeria's six geopolitical zones. A Panel Vector Error Correction Model (PVECM) was used as the method of analysis.
Results: Results showed that the IGR of States in Nigeria had a positive effect on State government expenditure. The Impulse Response Function of expenditure to shocks from IGR indicates that IGR for the periods under analysis positively affected State government expenditure, increasing their expenditure profile for the majority of the period under analysis. The result of the variance decomposition test of State government total debt stock (TDS) shows that IGR had the greatest shock on the total debt stock of State governments in the country after its own shock. The findings also revealed a mixed and varied outcome, demonstrating both a positive and negative influence of IGR on the overall debt stock of the state government.
Implications: The study is expected to contribute to good economic management, such as managing the debt load at reasonable levels, as well as adequate economic planning backed by cost-effective expenditure. It will also contribute to the economic sustainability of Nigerian states. The uniqueness of this research is obvious in its ability to address the statewide problem of over-dependence on the federal government's allocation.


Background: The emergence of a nutrition transition in developing countries might lead to higher prevalence of obesity and related adverse health effects. In Cameroon, urbanization growth rate is one of the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. Such dramatic demographic change favours important modifications, notably in nutritional patterns. Aim: In this paper we examine the current prevalence of overweight and obesity in Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon and search for possible causal factors. Detrimental consequences of overweight are also discussed. Material and methods: Samples of adults (519 women, 252 men) of all ages in all districts of Yaoundé were subjected to anthropometric and body composition measurements, blood pressure and resting heart rate determination, and interviewer-administered questionnaires on socio-demography, smoking habits, physical activity, self-perception of body weight and health status. Results: In both sexes body mass index (BMI) increases with age and peaks in the years of maturity. These changes are related to changes in adiposity. Prevalence rates of overweight (BMI ≥ 25) and obesity (BMI ≥ 30) increase from 20 to 29 years and peak at 40-49 years in men and at 50-59 years in women before starting to decline. One woman in two is overweight and one woman in five is obese, whereas one-third of men are overweight and only 5% are obese. Obese subjects have a larger age-adjusted waist to hip ratio (WHR) than their non-overweight counterparts, attesting that fat gain is oriented towards a more abdominal fat mass distribution. The length of residence in Yaoundé, increasing education level, occupation, ethnicity, physical inactivity and smoking practices appear to influence early overweight and/or obesity. No parity effect is observed in women. From the present study, it appears that obesity, and especially obesity in women, could be less benign than that described in other studies in Africa. Conclusion: Research is needed in Cameroon, including aetiological and cohort studies aimed at the quantification of morbidity and mortality risks associated with overweight and obesity.


In the face of the threats posed by climate change, initiatives for the conservation of natural resources are now being prioritized globally, particularly the conservation of watersheds and forests to reduce carbon emissions. REDD+ (Reducing Emissions, Deforestation, and Forest Degradation and the Conservation of Existing Carbon Stocks) is now gaining ground as a sound mechanism to address climate change. However, countries need to mainstream and adequately implement the social, governance, and environmental safeguards of REDD+ for the mechanism to succeed. Likewise, the issue of carbon property rights needs to be clarified to ensure that the rights of the primary duty bearers of forest and watershed management are recognized.


Wang and Knowles (WK) [Phys. Rev. A 92, 012520 (2015)PLRAAN1050-294710.1103/PhysRevA.92.012520] have given a counterexample to the conventional in reduced density-matrix functional theory representation of the second-order reduced density matrix (2RDM) Γij,kl in the basis of the natural orbitals as a function Γij,kl(n) of the orbital occupation numbers (ONs) ni. The observed nonuniqueness of Γij,kl for prototype systems of different symmetry has been interpreted as the inherent inability of ON functions to reproduce the 2RDM, due to the insufficient information contained in the 1RDM spectrum. In this Comment, it is argued that, rather than totally invalidating Γij,kl(n), the WK example exposes its symmetry dependence which, as well as the previously established analogous dependence in density functional theory, is demonstrated with a general formulation based on the Levy constrained search.


Thanks to the diffusion of the clinico-mammographic screening, in the last ten years a considerable increase of breast carcinomas diagnosed in a subclinical stage has been registered. The authors report the preliminary results of their experience in nonpalpable lesions of the breast and confirm the validity of conservative surgery for their treatment. Nonpalpable breast carcinomas must be considered as an early stage of palpable T1 tumors, for which validity of conservative surgery is largely demonstrated. Moreover, results are not compromised by possible multicentricity and/or positivity of axillary lymph nodes.


BACKGROUND
This survey was undertaken to establish baseline measurements in regards to the oral health beliefs and practices of the general public throughout West Virginia as a starting point to create an effective educational initiative fostering oral health as an integral component of health.

METHODS
A population based 37 item telephonic opinion survey on a representative sample of WV state wide residents was conducted to understand practices, habits and experiences with oral health, to identify barriers to oral health, and determine the perception of its importance to other health conditions.

RESULTS
West Virginians rank obesity as the most serious health problem and dental health a significantly less serious concern. Half admitted to less than good dental health. Cost was most commonly cited for not accessing oral care.

CONCLUSIONS
A unified health promotion message among all health care providers is vital if general health of West Virginia citizens is to be improved. The links between oral health, coronary artery disease, diabetes, and pulmonary conditions can be used as a common starting point to embrace health advancement in general with the ultimate goal of changing current attitudes and practices and develop sustainable health programs that result in positive oral health/overall health in individuals and communities.


Background: There has been increasing interest in transnasal pulmonary aerosol administration, but the dose-response relationship has not been reported. Objectives: To determine the accumulative bronchodilator dose at which patients with stable mild-to-moderate asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) achieve similar spirometry responses before and after bronchodilator tests using albuterol via a metered dose inhaler with a valved holding chamber (MDI + VHC). Method: Adult patients who met ATS/ERS criteria for bronchodilator responses in pulmonary function laboratory were recruited and consented to participate. After a washout period, patients received escalating doubling dosages (0.5, 1, 2, and 4 mg) of albuterol in a total volume of 2 mL delivered by vibrating mesh nebulizer via a nasal cannula at 37°C with a flow rate of 15–20 L/min using a Venturi air entrainment device. Spirometry was measured at baseline and after each dose. Titration was stopped when an additional forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) improvement was <5%. Results: 42 patients (16 males) with stable mild-to-moderate asthma (n = 29) and COPD (n = 13) were enrolled. FEV1 increment after a cumulative dose of 1.5 mg of albuterol via nasal cannula at 15–20 L/min was similar to 4 actuations of MDI + VHC (0.34 ± 0.18 vs. 0.34 ± 0.12 L, p = 0.878). Using ATS/ERS criteria of the bronchodilator test, 33.3% (14/42) and 69% (29/42) of patients responded to 0.5 and 1.5 mg of albuterol, respectively. Conclusions: With a nasal cannula at 15–20 L/min, transnasal pulmonary delivery of 1.5 mg albuterol resulted in similar bronchodilator response as 4 actuations of MDI + VHC.


Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC

Lung cancer is the leading cause of the cancer related death in the world. Non-small cell lung cancer is the major lung cancer type, of which more than 1.4 million new cases were diagnosed each year. Overexpression of wild type EGFR is common in NSCLC. However, it is not clear whether or not overexpression of wt EGFR is tumorigenic. We recently showed that overexpression of wt-hEGFR is capable of transforming cell lines. More importantly, inducible double transgenic mice overexpressing wt-hEGFR in lung epithelial compartment developed poorly differentiated lung adenocarcinoma and that the maintenance of the tumor is dependent on continuous functioning of wt-hEGFR. The tumor driven by overexpression of wt-hEGFR responds to cetuximab and erlotinib treatment.

These data suggest that a subpopulation of the lung cancer may be caused by overexpression of wt-hEGFR and that these lung cancers can be treated with anti-EGFR antibodies and EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1574.


There has been a gradual change and paradigm shift in the multilateral trade sphere
regarding the links between trade, sustainable development and the environment.
Sustainable environment is no longer outside the realm of the WTO. The preamble to
the Agreement Establishing the WTO has been expanded to include a specific
commitment to sustainable development. The WTO approach to sustainable
development seeks to balance economic development and environmental protection
concerns. This approach is notable particularly in GATT Article XX, and in several of
GATT's associated agreements. The decisions of the WTO dispute resolution bodies
also had some ramifications for the trade-environment link debate by stating that
trade interests do not exist in clinical isolation to non-trade interests such as the
environment. Nevertheless, there are several challenges to the trade-environment
interface, which require reforms to achieve a more coherent and balanced approach
to multilateral trade policy, environmental protection and sustainable development.


The problem of the scattering of electromagnetic waves by a rotating perfectly conducting cylinder of arbitrary geometrical cross section is solved relativistically by the point-matching method. Since the formulation contains the relativistic Doppler effect due to the rotational motion of the cylinder, it can be applied to the case where the angular velocity of the cylinder is of arbitrary values. The general relativistic field-transformation formulas under the arbitrary coordinate transformations are employed to solve the problem. Numerical calculations are performed for the case of the rotating elliptic cylinder. The numerical illustrations of the angular distribution of the power density of various frequency components of the scattered waves are shown. The relativistic effect which is the Doppler effect due to the rotational motion of the cylindrical surface are discussed and compared with the results obtained by the quasistationary approximation method.


We present a high-accuracy digital-to-analog (DA) actuator using a linear load spring capable of compensating the output displacement errors caused by fabrication errors. The load spring is designed to modify the modulation line slope in the presence of fabrication errors, thus reducing the output displacement errors. We compare three prototypes including the uncompensated design, the compensated design at the fabrication error of delta=0, and the compensated design in the fabrication error range of -0.3 mum<delta< 0, respectively. The two different compensated linear DA actuators generate the output displacement errors of -0.20plusmn0.23 mum and -0.13plusmn0.18 mum, respectively, thus reducing their output errors by 64.3% and 76.8% of the errors, i.e., 0.56plusmn0.20 mum, produced by the conventional uncompensated linear DA actuator. The dynamic characteristics of the compensated linear DA actuators show the response time below 1.5 ms, the resonant frequency of 3.7 kHz, and the lifetime of 107 cycles. Consequently, we experimentally verify the fabrication error compensation function of the compensated linear DA actuators for applications to high-accuracy actuators insensitive to fabrication errors.


Strong lattice relaxation associated to the diffusion rate of interstitial nitrogen reported in an earlier paper was taken into account in a determination of the excess expansivity of single crystal chromium near the antiferromagnetic to paramagnetic transition. An anomalous positive expansivity peak just below TN is thought of being the result of released magnetomechanical strain. The observations support the pinning model of antiferromagnetic domains.


Minimally invasive esophagectomy has gradually been accepted as an active treatment option for surgery of esophageal cancer. However, there is no consensus about how to perform the procedures in the thoracic and abdominal phase including anastomosis in the neck (McKeown) or chest (Ivor Lewis), VATS, robotic‐assisted or reduced port approaches or various endoscopic abrasion techniques. Further studies to investigate the roles of these novel techniques are required to treat the various patient populations.


ABSTRACT Despite widespread enthusiasm, evidence of the effectiveness of learning analytics remains mixed. One possible explanation for this is that insufficient attention has been paid to the contexts in which it is introduced. We report here on a small-scale study into the prior use of data and communications technologies by tutors, who comprise a key user group in The Open University's tuition model. Tutors interviewed reported using a complex set of data sources and information tools, and creating local/personal tools and methods for keeping track of students and their interactions with them.


Conflicts of interest permeate the Canadian investment fund industry. In response, securities regulators have promulgated National Instrument 81-107 Independent Review Committee for Investment Funds. In the view of securities regulators, NI 81-107 reflects a "principles-based" approach toward the regulation of conflicts of interest. This Article articulates a theoretical conception of principles-based securities regulation, one which transcends the formalism of the traditional "rules" versus "principles" debate to reveal a new regulatory paradigm. Thereafter, the author explores whether and to what extent NI 81-107 truly reflects this principles-based paradigm, manifesting the potential to tap into its inherent wisdom while at the same time minimizing its potential drawbacks. Having reaped the fruits of this exploration, the author concludes with a series of normative proposals respecting how securities regulators should approach both the regulation of conflicts of interest under NI 81-107 and, more broadly, the institutional design and implementation of future principles-based regulatory mechanisms.


Al-Sheikh Abu Bakar al-Ashaari is considered as one of the modern Islamic scholars who are very active in calling for reformations in religious life of Muslim society in Malay Archipelago, in order to create the civilised society as needed. He devotes all his efforts and strengths to achieve this hope through the speechs, books, and public services. The book, 'Intisari Tafsir Juzu' Amma', written by him is the complete exegesis of the last chapter of al-Qur'an and it is one of his contributions to society through writing to correct people understanding and raise their conciousness and spirit to achieve the ambition. He uses an interesting approach and special methodology in his book to reform the religious life of Muslim society in this region. The purpose of this research is to study the methodology implemented by al-Sheikh Abu Bakar Ashaari in his book and present it to readers with the examples. It is also to analyse the relation between his methodology and other scholars methodology in the context of exegesis discipline in the global level. It is a library research which is based on the deep study on the book and related analytical aspects through historical exegesis books. This study resulted that al-Sheikh Abu Bakar Ashaari has combined Salaf methodology and current need of society. The study also found that his methods have strong relation with the development of exegesis discipline and its scholars. Hopefully this research could highlight one of Malaysian exegesis scholars and show the real view about the Qur'anic exegesis movement and its standing in the context of development generally in this region which is located far from knowledge evolution centre and Islamic scholars especially Qur'anic interpretators.


Whether the Colobus angolensis that reside in the fragmented forests in eastern Kenya and Tanzania represent one subspecies or two has been debated for 50 years. Morphological and more recent genetic and ecological studies suggest that these populations represent two subspecies, C. a. palliatus and C. a. sharpei. However, their distribution of mitochondrial variation remains unresolved since the genetic study only characterized four populations at the range ends. Therefore, we characterized five populations in the area of the hypothesized subspecies divide. We identified eight new haplotypes which, combined with those previously identified, provided 26 haplotypes from nine populations for analysis. Haplotypes found south of the Rufiji River cluster together but separately from northern haplotypes. The largest sequence differences within cytochrome b occur between population pairs representing opposite sides of the river; their mean difference (1.5%) is more than that of other primate subspecies. Analysis of molecular variance attributes most of the variation to that north versus south of the river. These results support the previous subspecies distinction between C. a. palliatus (northern) and C. a. sharpei (southern), divided by the Rufiji River. The estimated time of the most recent common ancestor of all haplotypes indicates that the subspecies have been isolated from each other for approximately 550,000 years. The common ancestor of northern and southern haplogroups was 370,000 and 290,000 years ago, respectively. Nevertheless, the correlation between genetic and geographic distances suggests that isolation‐by‐distance contributed to population structuring. Significant variation among populations, with only three haplotypes shared between populations, also indicates that an extended period of isolation drove population distinctiveness. Considering these results, we evaluate hypotheses about the founding and differentiation of these subspecies during Pleistocene climatic fluctuations and propose a novel, more direct migration route from Central Africa to their current range navigating Lake Tanganyika, the central Tanzanian corridor, and the Rufiji River.


We performed numerical simulation for seismic waves propagation from the Mexican Pacific to Mexico basin. We improved the 2-D elastic code developed by a previous study based on the finite difference method including the radiation pattern for a point shear dislocation of arbitrary orientation. The anelastic attenuation effects were incorporated using a time domain attenuation operator and the nonreflecting boundary conditions were included. To approximate the line source solution obtained by the 2-D method to 3-D source solution we mapped the seismograms using a correction filter for the difference in the pulse shape between the line and the point source solution. Finally, we matched synthetic seismograms with the observed data using the convolution of the source function. All this process allowed us to follow the 2.5-D method and obtain a code for a staggered-grid formulation with a few computational requirements for a current personal computer. In order to compare results of our code, we used two scenarios and two models based on gravity and seismic data from previous studies. Both models were similar in the upper mantle and crust and different in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) and basin. The first scenario was taken from the 2014 Papanoa, Guerrero, earthquake. The model for the basin and TMVB was constructed by isostatic compensation for this scenario. The second scenario was taken from the 2007 Guerrero earthquake. For this scenario we used a basin and TMVB structure derived from gravity data. We found that the synthetic seismograms match well with the observed data when the distance between the 2-D model and station location was not large. Second scenario matched better than the first one when we used the velocity model with gravity information and distance between the line structure and a station was not large. This method and code can be applied to other basins and to active volcanos in future works.


Tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) seeds habour unique bacterial community that can be pathogenic or beneficial to their host. Xanthomonas causing bacterial leaf spot (BLSX) on tomato and other yellow-pigmented xanthomonads-like bacteria (XLB) that closely resemble BLSX were obtained from tomato seeds collected from Northern, Central and Southern highland regions of Tanzania. A total of 73 strains were isolated from 52 seed samples of 15 tomato cultivars. Results obtained with Biolog and sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene showed that samples originating from Central Tanzania harbored the most diverse populations of XLB and BLSX as compared to Northern and Southern Tanzania. The predominant bacterial genera in tomato seeds were Stenotrophomonas , Sphingomonas , Chryseobacterium , Xanthomonas , Pantoea and Flavobacterium . All strains identified by Biolog as Xanthomonas with exception of Xanthomonas campestris pv. malvacearum , were pathogenic on tomato and pepper plants. Strains identified by Biolog as Sphingomonas sanguinis and Sphingomonas terrae also incited black rot symptoms on pepper leaves. However, bacterial strains belonging to the genus Stenotrophomonas , Chryseobacterium , Pantoea and Flavobacterium were not pathogenic on tomato and pepper. Phylogenetic analysis showed that strains of the genus Xanthomonas are more closely related to Stenotrophomonas and Pantoea compared to the other bacterial genera found in tomato seeds. Key words: Xanthomonas , yellow-pigmented bacteria, seed, tomato, phylogeny.


Objective: To analyze the effects of a reimbursement reform on somatic hospitals' efficiency and quality, measured as patient experiences. By the reform a capitation-based block grant system was replaced by an activity-based system. Methods: Data on efficiency and patient satisfaction from 213 hospital departments before (1996) and after (1998, 2000 and 2003) the reform were analyzed using a mixed model approach. The efficiency ratings were developed at the level of the hospital using data envelopment analysis, while the patient satisfaction scores were at department level data from recent patient surveys. Results: Both technical efficiency and patient satisfaction increase after the reform. Discussion: We interpret increasing technical efficiency as a direct effect of the reimbursement reform. Higher patient satisfaction is understood as an effect of lower waiting time, which in its turn is an effect of the introduction of activity-based financing.


Embedded electronic systems are playing a very important role in several areas, such as in automotive, aerospace, telecommunications and medical sectors. To properly perform their functions, electronic systems must be reliable [2. So in this paper, we present a new hybrid method of optimization by the heuristics algorithms to evaluate the reliability of the electronic card by simulating its thermo-mechanical behavior. A model of simulation by finite element is developed to consider the maximal deformations due to the temperature; a mechanico-computing coupling is used to find the optimal structure. This powerful and robust algorithm which is based on hybridation of Genetic algorithm with Particle swarm optimization PSO gives performance results.


The Walton Ba-Cu-Pb-Zn-Ag deposit, Nova Scotia (production 4.5 million metric tons (Mt) >90% BaSO 4 and 412,850 t0.52% Cu, 4.28% Pb, 1.29% Zn, and 350 g/t Ag), is hosted by Visean age carbonate rocks of the Macumber Formation and its associated breccia. The Macumber Formation in the Walton area is divided into two units, the lower Macumber, a laminated carbonate unit 9 to 12 m thick and the upper Macumber, a synsedimentary carbonate slump breccia that forms two mounds up to 21 m thick.Outside the immediate mine area the carbonate is either limestone or dolostone; the Macumber Formation surrounding the deposit has been altered to manganiferous siderite. Although three textural types of siderite are recognized, little variation in bulk chemical composition is evident among them.Minerals were deposited in the sequence: barite, pyrite-marcasite, sphalerite, galena, tennantite, chalcopyrite, and (para)rammelsbergite. Each mineral replaces earlier minerals to varying degrees.Based on barite and metal content two main ore types are defined. Type I, with a bulk composition of 0.3 percent Cu, 2.5 percent Pb, 0.2 percent Zn, and 31.2 percent BaSO 4 , comprises barite and variable sulfide contents. Type II, comprised of sulfides only, has a composition of 0.5 percent Cu, 0.5 percent Pb, 0.1 percent Zn, 51 g/t Ag, and no barite. Type I ore forms a roughly conformable sheet which straddles the upper Macumber-lower Macumber contact and contains lenses of Pb- and Cu-rich ore. Type II ore is most commonly associated with the upper Macumber mounds where it forms large pods which cut the type I ore zone. Type II ore also occurs within the underlying Horton Group sandstones but only where the upper Macumber mounds have developed. There is also a stratigraphic zonation in metal content inasmuch as all metals are higher, on average, in the lower Macumber relative to the upper Macumber.The host stratigraphy is steeply dipping and faulted and both features are considered to be postore events. Karsting, which also postdates mineralization and probably folding, has removed portions of the stratigraphic upper parts of the deposit. The cavities produced by this process are now partially filled with sand and limestone breccia.


Naturopathy is an old science based on philosophy founded on natural principles of healing. We find mention of health promotive, disease preventive,
curative and rehabilitative values of different Naturopathy practices in ancient Indian texts. Recognizing and realizing the need for developing naturopathy
system on the basis of its own principles, the Government of India established Central Council for Research in Yoga & Naturopathy (CCRYN), New
Delhi and National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN), Pune, Maharashtra. Approximately 500 Naturopathy hospitals are currently functioning in the
country having indoor and outdoor treatment facilities. These hospitals are engaged in the propagation of positive health, treatment and management of
various life style and psychosomatic disease conditions and are serving the suffering masses.
In this paper the author giving the brief history and present status of naturopathy in India throws light on the future challenges for naturopathy to make
its maximal utilization in the national health care.


In recent time, becoming green is not only a matter of compliance with regulations, however it is a matter of responding to the expectations and demands of our world, country, community, stockholders, customers, employees and competitors. These matters create tremendous pressure for companies to carry out their activities in a more environmental friendly. Being green requires the best engineering minds and commitment from the entire organization. Engineering is all about practicality finding solutions to improve the conditions. Excellent understanding of the fundamental engineering is a key to helping industrial activities to become greener and the engineers are in an ideal position to contribute in these activities, in term of development and implementation of technologically sound, as well as costeffective solutions. Green initiatives create big business opportunities in the order of trillions of dollars for innovative companies and engineers, in this decade. These business activities are started from research and development, plant design, plant construction and plant operation stage. This paper presents some ideas on how to implement the green concept in engineering activities. The case studies application of green engineering in refinery crude preheat train and cement plant waste heat recovery generation are also


Abstract The principal objectives of glacial geology over the last 50 years have been to establish and explain the history of ice, and in particular glaciation, on Earth and to understand the origin of the erosional and depositional products of ice. One of its major successes has been to establish the tempo and magnitude of change in the global glacier mass during the late Cenozoic ice age, and to demonstrate Earth orbital forcing of these changes. On the larger time-scale of the whole geological record, there has been steady elucidation of the frequency of ice ages since the first evidence of glaciation in rocks 2700 Ma old. There has also been considerable progress in identifying the processes of glacial erosion and deposition and systematizing their products. It is now important that glacial geologists and glaciologists attempt to establish ways in which glacier behaviour is related to sedimentary processes, and via the geological product of those processes to relate the dynamics of glaciers in the past to processes in the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.


Because the role of the pituitary in the testicular control of gonadotropin secretion remains controversial, we examined the effects of castration on the release of LH and FSH under basal conditions and in response to GnRH stimulation by dispersed pituitary cells in monolayer culture as well as by cells perifused with pulses of GnRH. These effects were compared to changes in LH beta, FHS beta, and alpha-subunit mRNA levels determined by Northern blot analysis. Pituitary cells were prepared from 7-week-old intact rats and rats orchidectomized 2 weeks previously. Castration increased basal FSH secretion from monolayer cultures, interpulse FSH release from perifused pituitary cells, FSH beta mRNA concentrations and serum FSH levels each approximately 2-fold, whereas pituitary FSH contents were similar in cells from intact and castrated rats. Pituitary LH content rose 3-fold, LH beta mRNA rose 5.6-fold, and basal LH secretion increased 6-fold, but serum LH levels increased 22-fold. Thus, the change in FSH synthesis inferred from the increase in FSH beta mRNA was proportional to the increase in FSH secretion both in vitro and in vivo. Whereas the basal release of LH in vitro was also proportional to the change in LH beta mRNA, secretion of LH in vivo exceeded these changes, underscoring the importance of increased GnRH to the serum LH castration response. Castration resulted in an increase in the sum of FSH content and secretion during 10 days in culture in the absence of GnRH, indicating ongoing FSH synthesis. Total LH declined in cells from intact rats, and this decline was prevented by castration; this effect may be due to a castration-related decrease in intracellular LH degradation or increased LH synthesis in the absence of GnRH. Castration also augmented the GnRH-stimulated release of LH and FSH from monolayer cultures 4.5- and 1.8-fold, respectively, and increased the amplitude of GnRH-stimulated LH and FSH pulses 5- and 2-fold in experiments with perifused pituitary cells. The EC50 for GnRH was unaffected by castration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


SEOUL-- When the Korean government decided that most of the Satellite Technology Research Center (SATREC), a university-based institute, should be absorbed by a larger government contractor, employees last month threatened a mass resignation in protest. Now they have started a company that will hire researchers as they are laid off from SATREC over the next 3 years. The new company will market their skills to developing countries and commercialize spin-off technology.


Metalloproteinases (MPs) are proteolytic enzymes involved in extracellular matrix deposition, regulation of cellular signals of inflammation, proliferation, and apoptosis. Metalloproteinases are classified into three families: Matrix-MPs (MMPs), A-Disintegrin-and-Metalloprotease (ADAMs), and the A-Disintegrin-and-Metalloproteinase-with-Thrombospondin-1-like-Domains (ADAMTS). Previous studies showed that MPs are involved in the development of aortic aneurysms (AA) and, concomitantly, in the onset of chronic kidney disease (CKD). CKD has been, per se, associated with an increased risk for AA. The aim of this review is to examine the pathways that may associate MPs with CKD and AA. Several MMPs, such as MMP-2, -8, -9, and TIMP-1 have been shown to damage the AA wall and to have a toxic effect on renal tubular cells, leading to fibrosis. Similarly, ADAM10 and 17 have been shown to degrade collagen in the AA wall and to worsen kidney function via pro-inflammatory stimuli, the impairment of the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System, and the degradation of structural proteins. Moreover, MMP-2 and -9 inhibitors reduced aneurysm growth and albuminuria in experimental and human studies. It would be important, in the future, to expand research on MPs from both a prognostic, namely, to refine risk stratification in CKD patients, and a predictive perspective, likely to improve prognosis in response to targeted treatments.


In his seminal work, The Development of Creole Society in Jamaica , Kamau Brathwaite attempted to expose the essential ""Jamaican"" nature of the identity that developed at the interstices between the cultures of Europe and Africa. He took the concept of Creole society beyond mere description by articulating s clear and poetically engaging intellectual model of the process of cultural change that defines, and distinguishes, Creole societies - a process which he termed ""creolisation"". The publication of this pathbreaking work has given rise to vigorous polemics among scholars who have expanded the debate beyond the Caribbean. Indeed, the creolisation discourse has been widely incorporated into scholarship on both sides of the Atlantic, and resonates in diverse fields of Atlantic World Studies, spreading beyond the confines of the discipline of history. This interdisciplinary trend is demonstrated in this volume, primarily a tribute to Brathwaite, with contributions from Carolyn Allen, Hilary McD. Beckles, O. Nigel Bolland, Carolyn Cooper, Lorna Goodison, Veronica Gregg, Percy C. Hintzen, Verene A. Shepherd, Paul Lovejoy, Patricia Mohammed, Mary Morgan, Lucie Pradel, Rhoda Reddock, Glen Richards, Jean Small, David Trotman, Maureen Warner-Lewis and Swithin Wilmot.


Education policy-makers in the UK have repeatedly stated their central aim as transforming British education into a 'world-class system'. Over the last 20 years, several large-scale education reforms have brought radical changes to the school curriculum, teacher professionalism and educational leadership. Explicit in these reforms, is the deployment of measurable standards of pupil attainment as a lever for achieving school improvement. However, despite this proliferation of policies, the claims to educational improvement made by policy-makers have been contested. Concerns about the unpredicted and damaging long-term effects of these policies can be linked to the limitations of systems thinking which underpins much of this education reform. A significant flaw of systems thinking is the level of simplification at which policy-makers operate on abstract categories such as standards, as if they were reality. Based on case study research conducted in two primary schools, this paper suggests that the systemic approach adopted by policy-makers may be contributing to an erosion of educational quality and placing potentially damaging expectations on children.


This paper presents the extension and optimization of the Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd Dry Low Emission combustion system from the existing SGT-300 Single-Shaft turbine to the new SGT-300 Twin-Shaft engine. The SGT-300 Twin-Shaft combustion development follows the Siemens Product Development Process and the new engine is now validated for introduction to the market.Different designs are tested and optimized at full engine pressure and temperature conditions in Lincoln, UK Siemens combustion high pressure rig facility. Optimized combustion design is installed to the new design SGT-300 Twin-Shaft engine to validate in the Siemens gas turbine test bed in Lincoln, UK.Blocker bars have been designed and applied to the combustion rig to capture the acoustic signature of the nozzle guide vane. Traverse is performed in the high pressure rig to identity the combustor exit hot gas temperature map.Emission turndown to 50% load with NOx < 9 ppm and CO < 10 ppm capability is one of the major Key Performance Indicators. The SGT-300 Twin-Shaft combustion system is optimized for excellent emission behavior in this load range. Additionally, some of the compressor delivery air is bypassed around the combustor to exhaust through the air bleed system at part load.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


Discovery of genes that influence stroke risk might be facilitated if phenotypic heterogeneity of the population studied were reduced by studying individual subtypes of stroke. Standardized systems for classifying stroke are generally mechanistic or syndromic. Mechanistic systems (eg, Trial of ORG10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment) are based on presumed pathophysiologic basis of occlusion. Syndromic systems (eg, Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project) are based on signs and symptoms of neurologic dysfunction. Linkage and candidate gene studies should use such standardized systems in the search for subtype-specific genetic risk factors to increase the validity of interstudy comparisons.


Energy dissipators, isolated-resistant and specific structural forms for earthquake resistance are popular topics in the research to improve shock-resistance. In this work, experimental methods were used to investigate the property of low yield strength steel. Carbon content in LYS material is lower than that in other steels; the ultimate stress is three times the yield stress. The ultimate elongation rate is about 62% and the ductility is 2-3 times that of A36 steel. In order to overcome some defects of ordinary use metallic dampers, the mechanical characteristic of low yield strength steel is used to develop added damping and stiffness for rhombic steel plate absorber. Test of the energy dissipation behavior for this newly developed device indicated that LYS could stably dissipate or absorb the input energy of earthquake. Then, the analytical model for the hysteretic behavior of this new device is proposed. Comparison of experimental data and numerical simulation results showed that this analytical model is suitable for simulating the hysteretic energy behavior of this new device.


Wind power has been developed rapidly as a clean energy in recent years. The forecast error of wind power, however, makes it difficult to use wind power effectively. In some former statistical models, the forecast error was usually assumed to be a Gaussian distribution, which had proven to be unreliable after a statistical analysis. In this paper, a more suitable probability density function for wind power forecast error based on kernel density estimation was proposed. The proposed model is a non-parametric statistical algorithm and can directly obtain the probability density function from the error data, which do not need to make any assumptions. This paper also presented an optimal bandwidth algorithm for kernel density estimation by using particle swarm optimization, and employed a Chi-squared test to validate the model. Compared with Gaussian distribution and Beta distribution, the mean squared error and Chi-squared test show that the proposed model is more effective and reliable.


PurposeIn this paper, the authors extend their understanding of the internal dynamics of routines in contexts characterized by increased levels of virtuality. In particular, the authors focus on the role of routine artifacts in the internal dynamics of routines to answer the question: How does extensive reliance on information and communication technologies (ICTs) due to physical distance influence the internal dynamics of the new product development (NPD) routine (i.e. interactions between performative, ostensive and artifacts of routines) enacted by a virtual team?Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on an 18-month ethnographic study of the NPD routine performed by a virtual team. The authors relied predominantly on qualitative, ethnographic data collection and analysis methods, using semi-structured interviews, non-participant observation, and the collection of archival data and company documents (formal procedures, guidelines, application designs etc). Qualitative research offers a valuable means to investigate dynamic processes in organizations due to its sensitivity to the organizational context and potential to focus on activities as they unfold.FindingsThe findings highlight the central role of routine artifacts (ICTs) in the routine dynamics of the NPD routine performed by virtual team. In particular, the authors show that the use of the particular types of ICTs enabled team members to confidently and meaningfully relate to the overall routine activity and coordinate their actions in a context characterized by physical distance and extensive reliance on communication and collaboration technologies.Originality/valueThe paper sheds light into role of routine artifacts in the routine dynamics in a context characterized by a high degree of virtuality. This work contributes to the literature on routine dynamics by theorizing about the processes through which routine artifacts (ICTs) afforded routine participants the ability to act confidently and meaningfully to the present and dynamically coordinate their actions with their fellow routine participants.


Speech act classification remains one of the challenges in natural language processing. This paper evaluates a classification system that assigns one of twelve dialog acts to an utterance from the Map Task Corpus. The dialog act classification system chooses a dialog act based on n-grams from a training set. The system's performance is comparable to other classification systems, like those using support vector machines. Performance is high given the fact that the system only considers an utterance out of context and from written input only. Moreover, the system's performance is on par with human performance.


There are persistent differences in homeownership rates across racial and ethnic groups. Homeownership rates for whites are over 20 percentage points higher than for blacks or Hispanics. This paper uses a model of the housing tenure decision to gain a better understanding of these racial and ethnic differentials in homeownership and employs a decomposition technique that has been applied to labor market discrimination to report the results of the empirical testing of two hypotheses; (1) race (ethnicity) influences the probability of ownership through differences in household endowments (income, education, age, gender, and family type) and market endowments (price and location); and (2) race (ethnicity) directly influences the probability of ownership through racial or ethnic discrimination and other factors that may be correlated with race or ethnicity. We find endowment effects important in explaining the persistent racial and ethnic disparities in homeownership. In brief, logit analysis of 1989 American Housing Survey (AHS) national sample data reveals that 81 percent (78 percent) of the differences between the predicted probability of ownership between black and white households (Hispanic/non-Hispanic) are due to differences in group endowments. Direct effects explain 19 percent of the black-white differentials and 22 percent of the Hispanic/non-Hispanic differentials. Because the direct effects are modeled as residual differences, it must be realized that the residual components could also be capturing the influence of important omitted or harder to measure variables internal to the market process and correlated with race or ethnicity. These include wealth, household location, employment history, credit history, and cultural predisposition toward homeownership.


In the paper, by analyzing the situation of labor forced in the countryside of Shanxi province, the author probes new ways to develop education undertaking in countryside by making full use of modern means of distance education and puts forward new mode of education which adapt to the demand of the countryside and the farmers in Shanxi province in the new situation.


We present a new high quality tessellation method for implicit surfaces in this paper. The approach can handle arbitrary implicit functions and dynamic implicit surfaces based on skeletal primitives. We first samples the implicit surface uniformly using particle fission and floating, then reconstructs a triangular mesh from the sample points using ball pivoting algorithm (BPA). Finally, we subdivide the reconstructed surface using a 1 to 4 subdivision scheme to obtain the high quality implicit surface tessellation.


The problem of changing the sampling rate of a signal by a rational factor of L/M is discussed. It is shown that infinite impulse response (IIR) filters can be efficiently implemented using the polyphase decomposition. The computational cost of the recursive and nonrecursive parts of the interpolation filter are considered separately, and a gain in efficiency of a factor of LM/(L+M-1) is achieved for the recursive part. This gain is only significant when both L and M are larger than one.


Non-emergency calls, namely the 311 calls, capture different complaints of city residents and visitors about a variety of experienced problems in a city. The 311 calls in New York City (NYC) are publicly available and can provide an interesting status of the city. In this paper, we share a summary of an extensive analysis that we are performing in the 311 data of NYC, as well as a data-based prediction of the number of 311 calls. We present information about the 311 data files and content along multiple dimensions, and then proceed to present prediction results, in which we show that several semantic features affect the different types of complaints differently.


Motion estimation and compensation is an essential part of existing video coding systems. The mesh-based motion estimation (MME) produces smoother motion field, better subjective quality (free from blocking artifacts), and higher peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) in many cases, especially at low bitrate video communications, compared to the conventional block matching algorithm (BMA). However, the iterative refinement process of MME is computationally much costly and makes the method impractical in real- (or near real-) time systems. Also, eliminating the iterative refinement step deteriorates the motion estimation result. In this paper, we propose motion adaptive interpolation schemes for non- iterative MME, which use BMA to compute the motion vectors (MVs) of mesh nodes. The proposed algorithm aims at compromising the MME and BMA by modifying the interpolation patterns (IPPs) of the MME in an adaptive manner, based on the MVs of mesh nodes. Experimental results show notable rate-distortion improvement over both BMA and conventional non-iterative MME, with acceptable visual quality and system complexity, especially when applied to sequences with medium to high motion activities.


Using a legal philosophy approach, this article seeks to reflect on individual responsibility as a protection measure implemented in Mexico to address the Covid-19 pandemic. The #StayHome strategy is studied as an imperfect legal norm that structures the government's reaction in the country to protect the human right to health of the inhabitants of Mexican territory in the context of the health crisis. Subsequently, the opportunity is considered for the (in)action of individuals under a scheme of individual responsibility in order to avoid the spread of contagion and to have a beneficial impact on the natural process of the epidemic. The conclusion is that despite having an explicit regulatory framework of an executive nature, the Government of Mexico has decided to address the health crisis in terms of reducing infections with a strategy based on two aspects: the first, the socialized measure of #StayAtHome and the second, the transfer of health protection measures to individuals.


Abstract– We present results of a set of impact experiments designed to examine the effects of impacts onto rocky blocks resting on and embedded within regoliths. The targets were approximately 500 g granodiorite blocks, struck with one‐eighth inch aluminum spheres at nominal speeds of approximately 5 km s−1. The granodiorite blocks were emplaced in 20–30 grade silica sand to simulate an asteroidal or lunar regolith; block burial depths ranged from resting flush on the surface to submerged completely below the surface. We observe a trend for largest remnant mass to increase with block burial depth. Documentary still image and high‐speed video of the resulting block fragments and surrounding regolith reveal new insights into the morphologies of blocks and secondary craters observed on asteroids like 433 Eros.


Instructional leadership is in a separate place from the other forms as it has a key role in the effective teaching and learning processes together with the changing social structure and idea. The roles of the faculty members in the higher education institutions are one of the important factors for the success within the institution. In this study it is aimed to determine the opinions related to the instructional leadership of the faculty members working in higher education institutions. Within the scope of the study, thirteen faculty members were interviewed. The data of the study was obtained through qualitative research method. In addition, the study was carried out with phenomenological method which is one of the qualitative research methods and in the study semi-structured interview technique was utilized. As a result of the study, it was understood that the faculty members' opinions about the instructional leadership are based more generally on some ideas such as attributing importance on using visual materials and method variety in their courses, trying to participate in the national and international activities in order to obtain a professional development, keeping in touch with their colleagues for raising the students' success level and being a role model for students through their behavior and attitudes.


A new approach to prepare functional organic nanoparticles (ONPs) from linear polymers is described. The nanoparticles are obtained by ring-opening metathesis polymerisation (ROMP) of functionalised norbornene dicarboximides, side-chain amidation with tri-O-allyl-TRIS, and ring-closing metathesis (RCM). The synthesis is quite flexible and mild, allowing preparation of organic- and aqueous-soluble particles with narrow molecular weight (MW) distributions that are tunable, ranging from MW ≈ 10 to >100 kD with diameters between ca. 5 and 50 nm. The use of functional monomer(s) and/or chain-transfer agents (CTAs) leads to the fully controlled synthesis of nanoparticles containing single or multiple reactive functional groups. This non-toxic ONP scaffold can be readily used as a protective carrier for a broad range of groups using the appropriate monomers, such as a fluorescein-functionalised monomer that affords fluorescent ONPs with significantly enhanced photostability.


Research on language comprehension using event-related potentials (ERPs) reported distinct ERP components reliably related to the processing of semantic (N400) and syntactic information (P600). Recent ERP studies have challenged this well-defined distinction by showing P600 effects for semantic and pragmatic anomalies. So far, it is still unresolved whether the P600 reflects specific or rather common processes. The present study addresses this question by investigating ERPs in response to a syntactic and pragmatic (irony) manipulation, as well as a combined syntactic and pragmatic manipulation. For the syntactic condition, a morphosyntactic violation was applied, whereas for the pragmatic condition, such as "That is rich", either an ironic or literal interpretation was achieved, depending on the prior context. The ERPs at the critical word showed a LAN-P600 pattern for syntactically incorrect sentences relative to correct ones. For ironic compared to literal sentences, ERPs showed a P200 effect followed by a P600 component. In comparison of the syntax-related P600 to the irony-related P600, distributional differences were found. Moreover, for the P600 time window (i.e., 500–900 ms), different changes in theta power between the syntax and pragmatics effects were found, suggesting that different patterns of neural activity contributed to each respective effect. Thus, both late positivities seem to be differently sensitive to these two types of linguistic information, and might reflect distinct neurocognitive processes, such as reanalysis of the sentence structure versus pragmatic reanalysis.


BACKGROUND
Although high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is the commonly used method for the analysis of retinol in biological samples, simple and rapid test kits are available.

OBJECTIVES
This study compared a rapid test kit (ICHECK Fluoro®) to HPLC for the assessment of serum retinol concentrations.

METHODS
For the analysis by HPLC, sample preparation included standard deproteinization and extraction phases. The analysis by ICHECK was performed by injecting serum into IEX reagent vials (n=89) and mixing manually for separation. After precipitation of the proteins, the vial was introduced into the chamber of the ICHECK Fluoro and analysed at 0 min (ICHECK0min) and 15 min later (ICHECK15min). Bland and Altman approach was applied to test the agreement between HPLC and ICHECK.

RESULTS
Mean HPLC, ICHECK0min and ICHECK15min values were 421.2±106.0 µg/L, 423.1±118.3 µg/L and 413.2±107.6 µg/L, respectively. Retinol concentrations significantly decreased in the IEX solution over time (p<0.001). No significant proportional bias was observed between HPLC and ICHECK0min (r-0.038, p=0.73) and ICHECK15min (r=-0.024, p=0.82). Fixed biases (HPLC minus ICHECK) for ICHECK0min and ICHECK15min were respectively -1.9±23.1 µg/l (p=0.45) and 8.0±22.7 µg/l (p=0.002).

CONCLUSION
ICHECK Fluoro may offer a reliable mean for assessing serum retinol for measurements performed with no significant time delay.


Predictions about the impacts of current and projected anthropogenic climate change on tropical forest ecosystems require a better understanding of sensitivity and variability of plant attributes to biotic and abiotic factors. Leaf functional traits are particularly informative because they determine carbon and water fluxes between plants and atmosphere. However, due to the lack of data in the tropics, especially, in Africa, many uncertainties surround the interpretations of trait-environment relationships as well as trait-trait trade-offs and their importance on plant and ecosystem functioning. Therefore, the principal aim of the thesis was to better understand, and test widely held assumptions surrounding the functional significance of key leaf economic, morphological and venation traits in the tropical forest ecosystems. The data was collected for 90 angiosperm adult tree species along a strong environmental gradient (rainfall, fertility, midday temperature and vegetation) in Ghana, West Africa and presented in four data chapters. The first data chapter of the thesis (Chapter 4) focuses on the links between leaf photosynthetic capacity and key nutrients along a vegetation gradient from forest to savanna. This is important because these relationships are employed in the modelling of global primary productivity, with great uncertainties evident across the tropical forest-savanna boundaries. To allow for better interpretation of the results, this chapter includes an additional data set of neotropical forest-savanna boundary in Cerrado, Brazil. Special attention is paid towards patterns of nitrogen allocation between leaf structure and photosynthetic apparatus. In contrary to the expectations, the key findings of this chapter suggest that studied species do not maximise photosynthetic capacity per available foliar nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium due to adaptation to intermittent water availability in these strongly seasonal environments. The two following data chapters explore morphological adaptations of leaves to the extremes of the studied environmental gradient. Chapter 5 examines the drivers and functions of leaf morphology, specifically, leaf shape. Based on the leaf energy budget theory, the findings of this chapter demonstrate the importance of narrow and elongated leaves in thermoregulation and maintenance of photosynthetic rates in the savanna study plot, which is characteristic of high irradiance, midday temperatures and seasonal water deficits. Additionally, this chapter suggests that narrow and elongated leaf blades are also important for optimising canopy light capture in shaded canopies of wet evergreen forests. Including leaf shape metrics in plant performance modelling can improve understanding of ecosystem response to projected increases in and extreme temperatures. The penultimate data chapter of the thesis (Chapter 6) explores the role and diversity of functional traits that describe leaf venation network. The data presented in this chapter test and support the hypothesis that minor vein traits play an important hydraulic function that underlies plants adaptation/acclimation to intermittent water availability. This is seen in denser and more reticulated networks present at the driest end of the gradient and strong links between minor veins and potassium (important nutrient for osmoregulation), leaf size, leaf deciduousness and wood density. These relationships were shown to be affected more significantly by environmental filtering than by phylogenetic relatedness among species. The final data chapter (Chapter 7) joins the recurring themes of the thesis by assessing the relationships between studied leaf economic, morphological and minor venation trait dimensions and plant and community ecological strategies. Leaf functional traits clustered along three significant ecophysiological axes of variability related to gas exchange, structure and water transport. Additionally, the findings highlight the role that leaf functional traits play in the ecosystem functioning as leaf trait dimensions relate to aboveground net primary productivity and biomass. Finally, this chapter emphasises the need for more large-scale studies linking functional traits with plant and ecosystem function at different scales of tropical forests. Such studies would enable the development of a significant mechanistic understanding of what creates and drives functional trait variability across tropical forests and in modelling their effects on water and carbon fluxes in tropical forest ecosystems.


AIM
To examine all skin changes in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients followed up in our unit.

METHODS
Patients on PD program for at least three months without any known chronic skin disease were included in the study. Patients with already diagnosed skin disease, those who have systemic diseases that may cause skin lesions, patients with malignancies and those who did not give informed consent were excluded from the study. All patients were examined by the same predetermined dermatologist with all findings recorded. The demographic, clinical and laboratory data including measures of dialysis adequacy of patients were recorded also. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows 16.0 standard version was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS
Among the patients followed up in our PD unit, those without exclusion criteria who gave informed consent, 38 patients were included in the study with male/female ratio and mean age of 26/12 and 50.3 ± 13.7 years, respectively. The duration of CKD was 7.86 ± 4.16 years and the mean PD duration was 47.1 ± 29.6 mo. Primary kidney disease was diabetic nephropathy in 11, nephrosclerosis in six, uropathologies in four, chronic glomerulonephritis in three, chronic pyelonephritis in three, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease in three patients while cause was unknown in eight patients. All patients except for one patient had at least one skin lesion. Loss of lunula, onychomycosis and tinea pedis are the most frequent skin disorders recorded in the study group. Diabetic patients had tinea pedis more frequently (P = 0.045). No relationship of skin findings was detected with primary renal diseases, comorbidities and medications that the patients were using.

CONCLUSION
Skin abnormalities are common in in PD patients. The most frequent skin pathologies are onychomycosis and tinea pedis which must not be overlooked.


These maps present the results of assessments of peak discharges that can potentially be generated by debris flows issuing from the basins burned by the Missionary Ridge fire of June 9 through July 14, 2002, near Durango, Colorado. The maps are based on a regression model for debris-flow peak discharge normalized by average storm intensity as a function of basin gradient and burned extent, and limited field checking. A range of potential peak discharges that could be produced from each of the burned basins between 1 ft3/s (0.03 m3/s) and 6,446 ft3/s (183 m3/s) is calculated for the 5-year, 1-hour storm of 0.80 inches (20 mm). Potential peak discharges between 1 ft3/s (0.03 m3/s) and >8,000 ft3/s (227 m3/s) are calculated for the 25-year, 1-hour storm of 1.3 inches (33 mm) and for the 100-year, 1-hour storm of 1.8 inches (46 mm). These maps are intended for use by emergency personnel to aid in the preliminary design of mitigation measures, and for the planning of evacuation timing and routes.


The multilayer films were fabricated by layer-by-layer electrostatically coassembling graphene oxide and a ruthenium complex of [Ru(bpy)2L](ClO4)2 {L = 2-(2,6-di(pyridin-2-yl)pyridine-4-yl)-1H-imidazo[4,5-f]-1,10-phenanthroline} and characterized using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. The dependence of redox properties and cathodic photocurrents on the number of layers deposited and the photocurrent generation mechanism and polarity were studied in detail. The homogeneous growth and close packing of the two film-forming components, linear relationships of the dark cyclic voltometry peak currents and photocurrents vs number of layers deposited, and large cathodic photocurrent density of 4.1 μA/cm(2) for a four-layer film make this novel hybrid thin film promising applications ranging from molecular photovoltaic and photocatalytic molecular devices to photoelectrochemical sensing.


The study presented in this abstract focuses its attention on the rehabilitation by the technological point of view of traditional architecture that belongs to historical city nucleus. Which building technology characteristics are considered as constant, and which ones are considered as changeable, in today rehabilitation practice, with respect to the problem of managing the coexistence between conservation of the cultural values and innovation to respond to contemporary exigencies? This study tried to answer this question by applying a comparative case study strategy.


Heavy metals pose a risk of contaminating groundwater and surface water sources due to geogenic activities, industries and agricultural sources. The removal of heavy metals e.g., cadmium, lead, and zinc from drinking, industrial and irrigation water at low concentrations is a recurring challenge, especially in developing countries. Biosorption is a relatively new process that has proved to be very promising for removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions. The removal of contaminants viz., Cd(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II) by rice husk (lignin containing material) was studied in the laboratory. Batch studies were performed to evaluate the influences of various experimental parameters like pH, initial concentration of metal ions, biosorbent dosage and contact time. The selectivity of the process is also studied. The findings show the efficiency of material for the removal these contaminants with a low concentration in the range 1-5 mg/L. The removal efficiency is up to 95%.


Transient magnetic field sensors are used in various electromagnetic environment measurement scenarios. In this paper, a novel magnetic field sensor based on a digital integrator was developed. The antenna was a small B-DOT loop. It was designed optimally for the simulation. The magnetic field signal was digitally integrated with the improved Al-Alaoui algorithm, resulting in less integration error. To compensate for the bandwidth loss of the optical fiber system, we specially designed an FIR (finite impulse response) filter for frequency compensation. The circuit was described, and the transimpedance amplifier was specially designed to ensure the low noise characteristic of the receiver. The sensitivity of the sensor was calibrated at 68.2 A·m−1/mV, the dynamic range was 50 dB (1–300 kA/m), the linear correlation coefficient was 0.96, and the bandwidth was greater than 100 MHz. It was tested and verified under the action of an A-type lightning current. The sensor exhibited high-precision performance and flat amplitude-frequency characteristics. Therefore, it is suitable for lightning positioning, partial discharge testing, electromagnetic compatibility management, and other applications.


The ongoing development of Distriparks, the increase in workers inside the warehouses, and the growth in traffic volume have shifted the attention of the many D.C. operators on how to utilize their warehouse spaces more profitably and economically. A total of 550 cars and trucks are illegally parked at the distribution centers everyday. To meet these challenges, port authorities are looking closely at how they can establish effective countermeasures to solve this problem and satisfy customers of the Distripark. In order to answer these questions, this article sought to identity and analyze the current status of the illegal parking issues and main causes of that phenomena. In addition to summarizing an actual outcomes of the illegal parking problems, the research also examines the legal and practical countermeasures of this issues. Finally this research tries to find future solutions for ports in the Distripark development process, with particular reference to the legal and managerial aspects.


Luteinizing hormone (LH) is physiologically produced by the anterior pituitary gland. Male athletes may use pharmaceutical LH for doping since it increases the production of testosterone by testes. This hormone is thus on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of substances prohibited for males. Anti-doping laboratories perform the assay of this hormone in urine and report abnormally elevated results. We observed a highly significant prevalence of abnormal results in samples taken after a boxing match. Comparison of the descriptive statistics for 426 LH values observed in boxing and other sports showed significant differences. An experimental study comparing urinary LH levels in 17 boxers before and after a match demonstrated a clear increase after the match. The same observation was made for urinary follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) in all of the eight boxers tested for this other pituitary gonadotropin. These observations have consequences for anti-doping controls, as the reference range for urinary LH levels must take into account the specificities of boxers. They also suggest consequences for the health of boxers. Although to our knowledge such observations have never been described, other pituitary disorders have been reported. Our results deserve further investigation from a medical point of view.


Requisites and a surgical technique using autogenous fascia lata femoris to effectively prevent or treat extrusion of orbital implants are described and discussed.


Twelve Nellore cattle fitted with ruminal and duodenal cannulas were used to investigate the effects of increasing dietary crude protein level (7, 10, 13, and 15%) on intake, ruminal and total tract digestibility of nutrients, microbial protein synthesis, degradabilities of corn silage, corn starch, and cottonseed meal, and ruminal metabolism. Animals were blocked by sexual category (heifers, bulls and steers averaging 254.8, 285.1, and 265.6 kg of body weight, respectively) and then assigned to one out of three Latin squares. Samples were incubated in the rumen of one animal of each sexual category to estimate ingredient degradability after determination of DM, CP and NDF in the incubation residues. Ruminal fluid was collected before and after-feeding to determine pH and concentration of ammonia while ruminal samples for bacterial isolation were taken 6 hours post-feeding. Blood (BUN) and urine (UU) were also collected for measurement of urea concentration. The degradation rates of DM and CP were both lower in corn silage than on corn starch and cottonseed meal. The interaction sexual condition x dietary crude protein level was not significant for nutrient intake. With the exception of EE and NFC, no other significant effect of dietary CP level was observed for daily intake of nutrients. Increasing dietary CP level affected total tract digestibilities of DM, OM, CP, NDF, and NFC and also resulted in higher concentrations of BUN and UU. A significant dietary crude protein level x collection time interaction was observed for ruminal NH3 but not for ruminal pH. It was concluded that increasing dietary CP levels affected intake and total tract digestibility of most nutrients.


Access to health is a right under international human rights law. Since access to essential medicine is a core component of health, access to essential medicine should therefore be considered equally as a right. Essential medicine offers a cost-effective solution to many health problems in Africa; however, its access constitutes a major problem plaguing the continent. While many strategies have been unsuccessful over the years to solve this problem, African countries like Kenya and South Africa are increasingly applying a human rights-based approach in increasing access to essential medicine. This approach has increased access of essential medicine to the population, most of whom are poor, increased accountability of states toward their international obligations, and empowered the population to take action to assert this right against the state.


Studies were undertaken to determine the role played by FSH in oestrogen-induced ovulation in 4-day cyclic female rats. About one half of the experimental animals receiving 10 microng oestradiol benzoate (OeB) subcutaneously, on the morning of dioestrus I, displayed luteinization or/and ovulation, when sacrificed on the morning of expected pro-oestrus. Pento-barbitone administered on dioestrus II at 18.00 did not prevent this action of OeB. A simultaneous LH and FSH surge was observed in the serum of half of the OeB-treated females killed by decapitation of dioestrus II at 17.30. The LH surge was decreased in OeB-treated females bled by cardiac puncture under pentobarbitone anaesthesia at dioestrus II at 17.30. This bleeding procedure almost completely suppressed the luteinizing effects of OeB. It was concluded that i) OeB caused a synergistic release of LH and FSH ii) bleeding by cardiac puncture as such may constitute a source of inhibition of OeB-induced luteinization.


Background: Heart failure syndrome is an aspect of primary or secondary heart disease and is associated with decompensation, formation, and activation of pathological interactions between regulation systems. This results in myocardial energy metabolism alteration. This study was carried out to defy some metabolic aspects of myocardial tissue insulin resistance (IRM) development in canine heart failure. Aim: To investigate the myocardial tissue concentration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), glucose transporters 1 and 4, pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), hexokinase 2, insulin receptor (InsR), and adropin (ADR) protein and to screen metabolic changes and IRM in canine myocardium with heart failure. Methods: We studied 28 dogs of different sexes, ages, and breeds. Groups were formed according to primary pathology: apparently healthy dogs (HD, n = 6); dogs with CDVD (CDVDD, n = 8); dogs with DCM (DCMD, n = 6); and dogs with doxorubicin chemotherapy and doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy (DoxCMD, n = 8). Animals in the study were diagnosed for primary disease by standard methods and algorithms. Animals were euthanized due to incurable neurological disease, refractory heart failure, or by owners will. The material was obtained immediately after death, fixed in liquid nitrogen, and stored in −80°C refrigerator. Studied proteins concentrations were analyzed in a specialized research laboratory, using ELISA kits, provided by Cloud-Clone Corp. Results: ATP, GLUT1, and GLUT4 concentrations in myocardial tissue from the valvular disease group did not differ from the HD group. In CDVD, we found depression of PDH, hexokinase II (HX2), and ADR concentrations in comparison to HD. InsR was significantly lower in the CDVD and DoxCMD groups in comparison to the HD group, but in the DCM group, it was twofold higher than in the HD group. In the DCMD and DoxCMD groups, all parameters were lower than in the HD group. ATP, HX2, ADR, GLUT1, and GLUT4 were higher in the CDVD group, than in the DCM and DoxCM groups. PDH in the CDVD and DoxCM groups did not differ. PDH was depleted in the DCM to CDVD and DoxCM groups. InsR did not differ between the CDVD and DoxCM groups, but was upregulated in the DCM to CDVD and DoxCM groups. Conclusion: Development of myocardial tissue IRM is a part of the structural, functional and metabolic remodeling in dogs with heart failure of different etiology. At the late stages, we found significant changes in energy supply availability and production in the myocardium.


The experimental section in this thesis was based on the work of Kanan, M.W, et al reported in Science in December of 2008. A catalyst containing cobalt and phosphate was synthesized and used to decompose water into oxygen and hydrogen. This was done at nearly neutral pH. Cyclic voltammetry was performed to analyze the catalyst's efficiency. Some surfaces were analyzed in a scanning electron microscope and the elemental composition was determined using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. A catalytic effect was observed at a potential of about 1,3 V. EDX showed Co at some of the surfaces. Quantum calculations were used to develop a model for the catalyst material. Molecular orbitals, interaction energies and vibrational frequencies were calculated for two different complexes of Co and phosphate. Patrik Larses was responsible for the electrochemical evaluation and synthesis in the experimental section of this thesis and Lina Tegesjo for the computational part.


The corrugated conical horn with elliptical cross section is investigated. Use is made of the analytical solutions of the Lame differential equations. In the investigations we use the anisotropic surface impedance model. The problem of wave propagation in an anisotropic elliptical cone is formulated as an eigenvalue problem. This problem is solved, and plots are given of the separation constant as a function of the opening angle of the cone with the aspect ratio of the elliptical cross section as a parameter. The radiation of an anisotropic elliptical horn excited by a hybrid mode is determined using the spheroconal wave expansion method. Satisfactory agreement between computations and measurements is obtained. It is found that with this type of horn it is theoretically possible to perfectly generate circularly polarized radiation patterns of elliptical cross section.


A series of new complexes belonging to the [Co(4-terpyridone)2]X(p) x nS family (4-terpyridone = 2,6-bis(2-pyridyl)-4(1H)-pyridone) have been synthesized and characterized, using X-ray single crystal determination and magnetic susceptibility studies, to be X = [BF4]- (p = 2) and S = H2O for polymorphs 1 and 2, X = [BF4]- (p = 1) and [SiF6]2- (p = 0.5) and S = CH(3)OH for 3, X = [SiF6]2- (p = 1) and S = 3CH3OH and H2O for 4, X = [Co(NCS)4]2- (p = 1) and S = 0.5CH3OH for 5, X = I- (p = 2) and S = 5H2O for 6, X = [PF6]- (p = 1) for 7, and X = [NO3]- (p = 2) for 8. Compounds 1-7 can be grouped in three sets according to the space group in which they crystallize: (i) P1 triclinic (1, 3), (ii) P2(1) monoclinic (2), and (iii) P2(1)/c monoclinic (4-7). The tridentate 4-terpyridone ligands coordinate the Co(II) ions in a mer fashion defining essentially tetragonally compressed [CoN6] octahedrons. The Co-N axial bonds involving the pyridone rings are markedly shorter than the Co-N equatorial bonds collectively denoted as Co-N(central) and Co-N(distal), respectively. The differences in the average Co-N(central) or Co-N(distal) distances observed for 1-7 reflect the different spin states of Co(II). Complexes 7 and 4' are fully high spin (HS), while 5 and 6 are low spin (LS). However, the counterion [Co(NCS)4]2- in complex 5 is high spin. Complexes 1, 2, 3, and 8 exhibit spin-crossover behavior in the 400-100 K temperature region. Compounds 1 and 2 are polymorphs, and interestingly, 1 irreversibly transforms into 2 above 340 K because of a crystallographic phase transition which involves a drastic modification of the crystal packing. The relevant thermodynamic parameters associated with the spin transition of polymorph 2 have been estimated using the regular solution theory leading to DeltaH = 3.04 kJ mol(-1), DeltaS = 20 J K(-1) mol(-1), and Gamma = 0.95 kJ mol(-1).


Objective: Intubating patients with cervical spine injury is a challenge as the cervical spine is immobilized to prevent neurological damage. Although Fibre optic intubation is gold standard, many anaesthetist's use video laryngoscope or McCoy blade for intubation. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of C-MAC(R) video laryngoscope and direct laryngoscope with McCoy blade in intubating patients with cervical spine immobilization simulating cervical spine injuries.
Materials and Methods: A total of 60 patients undergoing general anaesthesia were randomized into two groups. Intubation was attempted using C-MAC(R) video laryngoscope and McCoy blade after cervical immobilization using hard collar. Time to intubate, hemodynamic parameters and Intubation difficulty score was used to compare the groups.
Result: The laryngoscopic views and success of intubation was comparable in both video laryngoscope and Mc Coy group (30/30; 100% success in both the groups). The time to intubate was found to be less in McCoy group (29.83 ± 1.46 s and 25.67 ± 2.04 s) when compared to C-MAC (R) video laryngoscope. The intubation response was lesser in C-MAC compared to McCoy blade (82.97±7.23 s and 88.30±6 s). Time taken for the hemodynamic to return to baseline was the same in the groups (8.67±1.52 s and 9.13±1.25 s).
Conclusion: Direct laryngoscopy and intubation with McCoy blade is faster when compared to C-MAC(R) video laryngoscope; but with exaggerated intubation response].

Keywords: Laryngoscopy, Intubation, Cervical spine immobilization, Hemodynamics.


In the last several years, computer vision tasks involving visual identification and tracking have seen a rise in the usage of deep learning technologies in recent years. An extremely difficult but rewarding endeavor is identifying and following football players' targets. This may be used to study football tactical visualization. Due to the similar appearance and frequent occlusion of targets in football video, traditional methods often can only segment targets such as players and balls in the image but cannot track them or can only track them for a short time. Based on the related research of computer vision and deep learning, using several cameras, this study develops a system that can properly monitor many targets in a football stadium for a lengthy period of time. The main research contents of this paper are as follows: (1) a CNN for target displacement prediction is proposed, which no longer relies on the previous linear motion model or quadratic motion model, so that the multitarget tracking algorithm can be applied to more scenes. (2) For the first time in a multitarget tracking algorithm, a continuous conditional random field is used to model the asymmetric nature of the target relationship. At the same time, the CNN for target displacement prediction can be cascaded with the continuous conditional random field for end-to-end training, which greatly reduces the training difficulty. The parameters of the experiment in this paper are simple, and comprehensive and systematic experiments verify the validity and correctness of this work from different aspects.


Additive manufacturing (AM) and topology optimization strongly complement each other in that the complex and optimal designs created through the latter can directly be fabricated through AM, leading to reduced design and fabrication time.As AM expands into multi-material fabrication, there is a natural need for efficient multi-material topology optimization methods, where one must simultaneously optimize the topology, and the distribution of various materials within the topology.In this paper we generalize the single-material Pareto tracing method of topology optimization to multiple materials, and discuss its implementation using assembly-free finite element analysis, and first-order element-sensitivity. The effectiveness of the algorithm is demonstrated through illustrative examples.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with long-lasting neurocognitive dysfunctions in addition to impaired socio-communication and restricted, repetitive and stereotypical patterns of behavior, interests, and activities (APA 2013). Long-term follow-up studies show that the developmental outcomes of autistic individuals are highly variable, even for individuals at the more intellectually able end of the autism spectrum. While some individuals go on to live independently and obtain qualifications, the majority fail to achieve independence, to attain full-time employment, or to enjoy friendships.

The concept of 'executive function' refers to the higher order control processes necessary to guide behaviour in a constantly changing environment. The concept includes abilities such as planning, working memory, mental flexibility, response initiation, response inhibition, impulse control and monitoring of action.

The aim of this study was to elaborate an individualized intervention program for children with ASD to develop the executive functions (working memory, selective attention, planning, organizing and inhibition of response). Measures of EF were administered to a sample of 5 pre-schoolers (1 girl and 4 boys with 6–7 years old).

The results show that, the individualized intervention program in this study has a semnificative influence to develop the executive functions [H(2)=10,61; p<0,01 (p=0,005) for working memory; H(2)=11,05; p<0,01 (p=0,004) for attention; H(2)=11,88; p<0,01 (p=0,003) for planification; H(2)= 10,9; p<0,01 (p=0,004) for organization and H(2)=10,4; p<0,01 (p=0,005) for inhibition of response].


SUMMARY Learning and memory provide the flexibility an organism requires to respond to changing social and ecological conditions. Juvenile Lymnaea have previously been shown to have a diminished capacity to form long-term memory (LTM) following operant conditioning of aerial respiratory behavior. Juvenile Lymnaea, however, can form LTM following classical conditioning of appetitive behaviors. Here, we demonstrate that laboratory-reared juvenile Lymnaea have the ability to detect the presence of a sympatric predator (i.e. crayfish) and respond to the predator by altering their aerial respiratory behavior. In addition to increasing their total breathing time, predator detection confers on juvenile Lymnaea an enhanced capability to form LTM following operant conditioning of aerial respiratory behavior. That is, these juveniles now have the ability to form long-lasting memory. These data support the hypothesis that biologically relevant levels of stress associated with predator detection induce behavioral phenotypic alterations (i.e. enhanced LTM formation) in juveniles, which may increase their fitness. These data also support the notion that learning and memory formation in conjunction with predator detection is a form of inducible defense.


In secure multi-party shuffling, multiple parties, each holding an input, want to agree on a random permutation of their inputs while keeping the permutation secret. This problem is important as a primitive in many privacy-preserving applications such as anonymous communication, location-based services, and electronic voting. Known techniques for solving this problem suffer from poor scalability, load-balancing issues, trusted party assumptions, and/or weak security guarantees. In this paper, we propose an unconditionally-secure protocol for multi-party shuffling that scales well with the number of parties and is load-balanced. In particular, we require each party to send only a polylogarithmic number of bits and perform a polylogarithmic number of operations while incurring only a logarithmic round complexity. We show security under universal compos ability against up to about n/3 fully-malicious parties. We also provide simulation results in the full version of this paper showing that our protocol improves significantly over previous work. For example, for one million parties, when compared to the state of the art, our protocol reduces the communication and computation costs by at least three orders of magnitude and slightly decreases the number of communication rounds.