Since it moved toward-and tried to apply-intensive production patterns, cacao cultivation in Sub-Saharan Africa represents a major driver of deforestation. In Cameroon, most cacao is still cultivated in low-input traditional agroforests (C AFS). Such systems are still criticised for their presumed low cocoa production and seemingly economic and ecological inefficiency of their associated tree community (ATC). Yet, these household systems proved to be sustainable on the long run and marginally threaten forest land when compared to other producing regions or agricultural systems. We studied a cAFS' 100-year chronosequence and checked for three ecosystem services they provide: (i) cacao production; (ii) carbon (C) storage in tree biomass and (iii) tree species conservation. Within this chronosequence we also studied a large array of associated trees densities (ATD) to better appreciate the role of competition on the services studied. We used, among other variables, basal area (BA) of the different components of the systems to gauge interspecific competition, functional group dynamics and cacao trees productive abilities. Yields were highly depending on the age of the plot, the BA of the ATC and the structure of the cacao stand. Very long-term production seemed achievable if the BA of the cacao stand remained under 40% of CAFS' total BA. High accessible yields underlined a good production potential which was mitigated by interspecific competition. Yet, for a given level of competition some associated functional groups of the ATC were consistently related to higher cacao yields. Furthermore, CAFS were able to combine high levels of tree species richness with long-term conservation abilities and C storage. However, tree species conservation potential depended on ATD and remained difficult to appraise. C storage was highly dependent on large trees and not systematically mitigated by ATD - underlining the possible "uncoupling" of tree species conservation and C sequestration in those systems. ATD reduction emphasised consistent shifts of functional traits / groups that are to alter CAFS functioning and ATC diversity of uses. Thus, a "rough simplification" - as regularly advocated to alleviate the competition between cacao stands and ATC – is mos t likely to impair traditional CAFS ecosystem sustainability. We argue that cacao productivity in these systems can be raised combining consistent rejuvenation and densification practices with site-specific intensification in terms of inputs and/or manpower. Such intensification would not compulsorily include ATD reduction and therefore would, at least partly, facilitate the preservation of some of the ecosystem services supported. (Resume d'auteur)


Abstract Recent studies demonstrate that several polyphenolic compounds produced from beyond the canonical monolignol biosynthetic pathways can behave as lignin monomers, participating in radical coupling reactions and being incorporated into lignin polymers. Here, we show various classes of flavonoids, the chalconoid naringenin chalcone, the flavanones naringenin and dihydrotricin, and the flavone tricin, incorporated into the lignin polymer of papyrus (Cyperus papyrus L.) rind. These flavonoids were released from the rind lignin by Derivatization Followed by Reductive Cleavage (DFRC), a chemical degradative method that cleaves the β-ether linkages, indicating that at least a fraction of each was integrated into the lignin as β-ether-linked structures. Due to the particular structure of tricin and dihydrotricin, whose C-3ʹ and C-5ʹ positions at their B-rings are occupied by methoxy groups, these compounds can only be incorporated into the lignin through 4ʹ–O–β bonds. However, naringenin chalcone and naringenin have no substituents at these positions and can therefore form additional carbon–carbon linkages, including 3ʹ– or 5ʹ–β linkages that form phenylcoumaran structures not susceptible to cleavage by DFRC. Furthermore, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance analysis indicated that naringenin chalcone can also form additional linkages through its conjugated double bond. The discovery expands the range of flavonoids incorporated into natural lignins, further broadens the traditional definition of lignin, and enhances the premise that any phenolic compound present at the cell wall during lignification could be oxidized and potentially integrated into the lignin structure, depending only on its chemical compatibility. This study indicates that papyrus lignin has a unique structure, as it is the only lignin known to date that integrates such a diversity of phenolic compounds from different classes of flavonoids. This discovery will open up new ways to engineer and design lignins with specific properties and for enhanced value.


Vertical open display cases are widely used in shopping malls, supermarkets, or retail stores to sell frozen and refrigerated products. Open display cases use air curtains to maintain a reasonable temperature within the storage space, prevent insects from breaking in, and reduce energy usage. In this research, computational fluid dynamics was used to find the optimal condition for reducing energy by considering various conditions such as discharge speed or temperature of air curtains. Results of the study showed that the amount of energy consumed in the display cabinet is influenced by the discharge speed and temperature of the slots installed on the upper area and the amount of air supplied to the storage area inside the shelf. This shows that the amount of discharged air supplied from the storage area influences the formation of air curtain and also the amount of energy consumption. As a result of this study, we learned that the amount of energy used can be reduced by increasing the amount of discharged air within the storage area and enhancing back pressure.


Mitochondrial DNA is an important tool for human identification and is used to differentiate between human and animal blood at the crime scene, because in extreme conditions nuclear DNA is severely destroyed while Mitochondrial DNA contains multiple copies (200–2000) per cell and resists harsh and more stable conditions. Seventy-two blood samples were collected from humans (Homo sapiens), sheep (Ovis aries), goats (Capra hircus), and cows (Bos taurus) (18 blood samples for each). All blood samples were withdrawn by a technician and 5 ml were aspirated using an aseptic technique and transferred to EDTA-Na2 tubes. They were mixed well and stored in a refrigerator. The collection took 2 weeks (May 15, 2019–May 30, 2019). All samples were collected from Al-Diwanyia city. The results of PCR testing revealed that the primer pairs were specific and non-specific products did not appear for all samples. The amplification of Homo sapiens mitochondrial DNA with primer pairs of other (Ovis aries, Capra hircus, and Bos taurus) and amplification of each with primer pairs of another genus gave negative results, and this is primary evidence for primer pair specificity. The amplicon of 16S rRNA gene of Homo sapiens was 1200 bp, Ovis aries was 1060 bp, Capra hircus was 820 bp, and Bos taurus was 1300 bp. The sequencing revealed that no cross-reactivity of designed primer pairs and the PCR assay based on the designed primer pairs will be simple, fast, sensitive, specific, and cost-effective. There is sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in the designed species-specific primer pairs and applicability of the designed primer pairs in forensics to investigate blood spots or evidence belonging for human, sheep, goat, and cow.


Objective: To estimate the prevalence and identify the risk factors of different sleep disorders, in a local sample of children with profound intellectual disability. Methods: The study was conducted in students with profound intellectual disabilities in a special school. Each student was evaluated by the Chinese version of Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire by their parents. Other medical information was collected and analysed with the score of the questionnaire. Results: Data from 67 participants were included in the analysis. 84% of the subjects were considered as having sleep disorders. Children with epilepsy had a significantly higher total sleep score compared to children without epilepsy (49.66±7.53 vs 45.27±6.87, p=0.02). Non-boarding students and those with medical problems also had significantly higher scores. Logistic regression analysis showed that epilepsy was significantly associated with sleep disorder (adjusted odd ratio 7.99, p=0.02). Epilepsy was associated with higher sub-scores for bedtime resistance, sleep onset delay and sleep-disordered breathing. Obesity was associated with higher sub-score for sleepdisordered breathing. Conclusions: Sleep disorders were common among children with profound intellectual disabilities, and epilepsy was significantly associated with sleep disorder in this group of children. Correct identification of the sleep disorders, followed by provision of different sleep interventions are recommended.


The new reality caused by the coronavirus pandemic opens up the possibility of updating the content of professional training of socially mobile educators by means of health-saving and information-communication technologies. The purpose of the study is to analyse the features of the use of health and IC-technologies in the process of forming a socially mobile teacher in a pandemic. The research methodology includes theoretical analysis and generalisation of psychological and pedagogical sources, elaboration of legal documents in the field of education, study and generalisation of experience of scientific and pedagogical workers, disclosure of basic theoretical provisions, identification and substantiation of key concepts. The authors present a detailed analysis of the concepts of "health", "health-saving technologies", "information and communication technologies", "social mobility". The purpose and tasks of health-saving and IC-technologies are clarified. Ways to implement and use health-saving technologies in educational institutions during the pandemic COVID-19 have been identified. Methods of application of information and communication technologies in the conditions of distance learning are offered. A number of advantages and disadvantages of ICT in education are identified. The guidelines of successful realisation of a socially mobile teacher in the modern educational reality are determined. It has been found that social mobility as an integrative ability of an individual to adapt to the changing environment and changes dictated by society is perhaps the most important and relevant feature in our time. It is determined that the readiness to implement, combine and use in professional pedagogical activities of health-saving and IC-technologies indicates the formation of social mobility of the teacher. The experience of using health-saving and information-communication technologies by scientific and pedagogical workers of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv in the process of becoming and formation of socially mobile educators in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic is described. The practical value of scientific work lies in the substantiation and generalisation of pedagogical conditions for updating the content of professional training of future teachers through the prism of their ability to social mobility

https://pp-msu.com.ua/web/uploads/pdf/Scientific Bulletin of MSU. Series Pedagogy and Psychology_2021_Vol. 7, No. 2_70-78.pdf


Programming courses are regarded as for computer science major, good programming skill is key factor to the whole professional learning. We put forward some student-centered novel ideas of teaching reform on programming courses to effectively improve the ability of students via analyzing programming learning problems. Through four years practical teaching, it has been proven that the real student-centered teaching could improve students' ability and confidence.


Article history: The need for drop simulations for board-leveled flip chips in micro-system packaging has been increasing. There have been many studies on flip chips with various solder ball compositions. However, studies on flip chips with Sn-1.0Ag-0.5Cu and Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu have rarely been attempted because of the unknown material properties. According to recent studies, drop simulations with these solder ball compositions have proven feasible. In this study, predictions of the impact lifetime by drop simulations are performed considering Cu and Cu/Ni UBMs using LS-DYNA to alter the design parameters of the flip chips, such as thickness of the flip chip and size of the solder ball. It was found that a smaller chip thickness, larger solder ball diameter, and using the Cu/Ni UBM can improve the drop lifetime of solder balls.


The Millimeter Wave Atmospheric Sounder (MAS) will be launched in the spring of 1992 as part of the ATLAS 1 (Atmospheric Laboratory for Application and Science) mission. Using passive limb-scanning millimeter-wave radiometry, it will sense the thermal emission produced by ozone at 184 GHz, water vapor at 183 GHz, chlorine monoxide at 204 GHz, and oxygen (for retrieval of temperature and pressure) at 60 GHz. From these observations, concentration profiles of these gases throughout the middle atmosphere will be made. The fundamentals of the measurements, the design of the radiometers, and the approaches used for the data analysis are described. >


Neuroeconomics has found no definitive role in the explanation of consumer choice and its undeveloped philosophical basis limits its attempt to explain economic behaviour. The nature of neuroeconomics is explored, especially with respect to what it reveals about the valuation of alternatives, choice and emotion. The tendency of human consumers to discount future rewards illustrates how behavioural and neuroscientific accounts of choice contribute to psychological explanations of choice and the issues this raises for both routine everyday choices and more extreme compulsions. Central to this is the phenomenon of matching in which consumers tend to select the immediately larger or largest reward and the neurophysiological and behavioural bases of this choice. Recognition that rewards are evoked by reinforcement contingencies and that the rewards themselves engender emotional responses via classical conditioning enhances understanding the contribution of neurological activity to the explanation of consumer behaviour. It is argued that neuroeconomics can play a vital explanatory role by providing an evolutionarily consistent warrant for the ascription of intentionality. The Behavioural Perspective Model is used as a template for investigations of consumer choice that lead to iterative theoretical development, forming the basis of a neurophilosophy in which neuroeconomics can find a decisive role.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Background: In India, most patients maintain a personal copy of their medical record in paper form which is hard to manage and collate. Newly diagnosed cancer patients and their doctors have an insurmountable task of consuming and using that information let alone centralizing the diagnosis, testing, and treatment information throughout the cancer care journey. Making this information available in an easy to consume format as well as recording a patient's cancer experience is a technical challenge. We piloted an innovative mobile application to address this pain point for medical teams, patients and caregivers. Method: Pilot engagement was performed with 100+ patients of which 30 were female breast cancer patients seen for active treatment in 2019 at a non-profit oncology center in the suburb of New Delhi, India. Systematic medical information was captured on stage, TNM, hormone receptors, HER2 status, tumor size, tests, and treatments. We assessed the utility of the mobile application for the purpose of comprehensive cancer information management and ease of use by medical team, patient and their caregivers. Results: Data for a total of 30 female patients was captured. Patients were between the ages of 23 and 68, mean age 46. Of these patients, the cases were primarily late stage (III and IV) invasive ductal carcinoma. 26% of the women were Stage IV, 20% were Stage III, 26% were Stage II and 26% had not finished staging work-ups. One woman had inflammatory breast cancer and one woman was BRCA positive. Of the cases, 47% were HR+/HER2- cases, 20% were triple negative, and 13% of cases were HR+/HER2+. 20% had not yet received final pathologic assessment. The chemotherapy treatments included were doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, carboplatin, paclitaxel, adriamycin, and epirubicin. Some of the women also were given radiotherapy. Clinic staff reported that the application was easy to use and helpful. We continue to enhance the application with staff feedback. Conclusion: We demonstrate feasibility and value of moving to a next generation digitized mobile platform circumventing the need for a traditional EMR system at a busy oncology clinic within a non-profit medical center in the suburb of New Delhi, India. Using the pilot, we make a case that this type of technology has the ability to transform cancer care for rural and low-resource health centers that are practicing on the frontlines of cancer care. We also demonstrate that it is easy to capture rich patient longitudinal data using this innovative platform. Citation Format: Rishi Gupta, Rohit Mahatma, Nayan Sonawane, Shilpa Mahatma, Tarun Kumar, Sharon Hensley Alford. An innovative approach to breast cancer patient engagement through frontline data capture and management using a mobile application for cancer diagnosis, test, and treatment at a non-profit tertiary cancer center in India [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-12-02.


recorded baseline demographics, sleep study results, CPAP set-up and first follow-up information. This aimed to elicit QoL values (utilities) from a societal perspective for patients with OSA with residual EDS of varying severity and, for the first time, for the partners of these patients, using a novel time trade-off (TTO) approach. Methods Utility values for health states of varying severities of residual EDS in OSA were elicited using the TTO method in a study conducted with a United Kingdom general public sam-ple (N=110). Four EDS severity health state descriptions were developed from both patient and partner perspectives (no EDS, mild EDS, moderate EDS, severe EDS). During face-to-face interviews, participants were asked to ' trade off ' time for each EDS health state for a shorter period in full health (0 – 10 years), first for the patient health states and then for the partner health states. TTO responses were converted to utility values (scale of 0 – 1, where 0 represents QoL equivalent to death and 1 represents the highest QoL).


The geometries of PH3, PF3 and their ground ionic states have been calculated using ab initio SCFMO wavefunctions. All four species are found to be pyramidal, the calculated barriers to inversion being sensitive to the inclusion of d functions in the basis. The calculated potential energy diagrams are found to offer a satisfactory interpretation of the high resolution low energy photoelectron spectra of these molecules.


We present a data-driven method for designing parallel compliance. Designing such compliance helps the system to improve energy efficiency, mainly by reducing negative work. The core idea is to design a controller first and then find springs working in parallel with each actuator such that force-displacement graph is lined up around displacement axis. By doing so, we simply shape the natural dynamics for performing the task efficiently. Maximum torque reduction for actuators is a byproduct of this design method. The method can be used in different cyclic robotic application, especially in legged locomotion systems. In this paper, we design a spinal compliance for a bounding quadruped robot in Webots. The results show that the power consumption and the maximum torque are reduced significantly.


The purpose of the present study was to report the development of a new instrument to measure students' attitudes in pre-service teacher education towards an Educational Measurement and Evaluation course. The scale was applied to 242 undergraduate teacher education students from Ankara University and Hacettepe University, Ankara in Turkey. Results of factor analysis addressed the three dimensional constructs of the scale. The subscales showed high internal consistency: .92, .90, and .82. The internal consistency correlation of the total scale was .95.


This article analyzes current U.S. pension law and policy in light of the Enron implosion and considers the implications of this analysis for privatizing Social Security. The article begins by addressing the major shift in retirement funding risk from professionally managed plans to ordinary workers, beginning with the substitution of defined contributions plans for defined benefit plans, and continuing with the growing predominance of 401(k) plans. The article then examines the central problem of the Enron catastrophe: the heavy concentration of 401(k) plans in employer stock. From this context, the article then considers the essential premise of Social Security privatization - namely, that individuals should control their own retirement assets. The article concludes with policy recommendations based on this analysis to prevent the sort of financial devastation that Enron (and others) has brought.


Currently, the robotic assistants, as well as the intelligent ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) tools, play an important role in different stages of evaluation, therapy, or education of People With Communication Disorders (PWCD). However, not all of these tools can easily incorporate new functionalities, exercises, or activities for therapy sessions. Likewise, in developing countries, a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) is in charge to perform several activities related with design and planning of therapies, patient's monitoring, counseling services, among many others. On those grounds, in this paper we present a robotic assistant that has multiple costumes, is able to provide support during therapy, can manage the information, among others functionalities. This robotic assistant is a part of a complete intelligent-system for supporting the Speech-Language Therapy (SLT) process from a viewpoint of domain knowledge modelling. With the aim of analyzing the feasibility of our approach, we have carried out two tests, one to determine the robot's response on controlled environments, and another to analyze the children's response to the robot.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to discover the effect of emotional intelligence on organizational performance in clinical nurses regarding anger expression, job satisfaction, job commitment, and turnover intention. Methods: Data were collected by self-administered questionnaires from 162 clinical nurses in three university hospitals in 2008, and analyzed by the SPSS 14.0 Window program, using descriptive statistics, pearson correlation, and stepwise multiple regression. Results: Emotional intelligence showed a statistically significant association with each of anger expression-in, anger expression-control, job satisfaction, job commitment, turnover intention, and organizational performance. The multiple regression analysis also showed that organizational performance was statistically significant with job satisfaction, job commitment, and emotional intelligence respectively. 38.0% of the variation of organizational performance was explained by these variables. Conclusion: Emotional intelligence significantly affected organizational performance together with job satisfaction and job commitment. From this result, it could be concluded that nursing interventions for emotional intelligence have a positive effect on improving organizational performance. Further studies are needed to develop nursing intervention programs for emotional intelligence and test its effects on organizational performance.


A 60 GHz micro-radar in 90 nm CMOS for non-contact vital sign and small vibration detections was designed and tested. A quadrature receiver embedded in the indirect up- and down-conversion architechture solves the null detection point issue and increases the robustness of the millimeter wave system. In the 60 GHz core, lumped-element-modeled passive components are extensively used to achieve a compact layout (0.73 mm2), and a 36 dB down-conversion gain at 55 GHz. Using low-cost single-patch PCB antennas, flip-chip packaging of the CMOS chip demonstrates high level of system integration. First pass success is achieved as the human heartbeat and a small mechanical vibration with a displacement of 20 μm can be detected at 0.3 m away. With a roughly one-tenth patch antenna size compared to previously reported works, the 60 GHz CMOS integrated micro-radar can be readily embedded in various portable devices to detect vary small vibrations and used for many applications.


Within the scope of a DIN INS project, a flash thermography round robin test that evaluates reliability, comparability, and efficiency of different testing situations was organized. The results give information about the detectability of defects, e.g. depending on their size and depth, the evaluation methods and the materials used. Besides, the influences of equipment and parameters used by the participants on the results were analysed. All of the quantitative results as well as the feedback given by the participants will be presented in a DIN committee in order to contribute to a flash thermography standard.


In this paper, we attempt to contribute to the growing environmental justice debate by exploring environmental equity in the forty-nine counties of Ontario, Canada. We use multiple regression analysis to address a central research question: what variables predict the location of pollution emissions? Data were extracted from the 1993 National Pollutant Release Inventory and the 1991 Census of Canada to assess relationships among socioeconomic class variables, industrial and land-use variables, and pollution emissions. The results agree with the findings of recent US studies. Manufacturing employment, urbanization variables, dwelling value, and household income were all significantly related to pollution emissions. These relationships took the same direction as in most of the US studies. In total, the four variables account for about 63% of the variation in pollution emissions (adjusted R2 = 0.626, p< 0.0001). Contrary to a hypothesis of environmental inequity, the household income variable displayed a positive relationship with pollution emissions. A conceptual model of the development process is formulated to explain the positive relationship between pollution emissions and income levels. We conclude the paper with suggestions for future research.


Multimedia data (text, audio, image, animation and video) have been widely used in the past few years for advanced digital content transmission. With the network technology focusing on Internet of Things (IoT) nowadays, the security of the multimedia content has raised researchers' concerns. The exchange of digital data over a network has exposed the multimedia data to various kinds of abuse such as Brute-Force attacks, unauthorized access, and network hacking. Therefore, the system must be safeguarded with an efficient media-aware security framework such as encryption methods that make use of standard symmetric encryption algorithms, which will be responsible for ensuring the security of the multimedia data. For the encryption of electronic data, one of the most prominent cryptographic algorithms is the Advanced Encryption Standard algorithm: A symmetric block cipher that was established by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). However, some of the challenges arising from the use of this algorithm are computational overhead, use of a fixed S-Box (which is a point of weakness) and pattern problems, which occur when handling more complex multimedia data such as text, image and video. Many researchers have carried out research aiming at improving the algorithm's performance. This paper summarizes the modifications and benchmarks the performance results of the modified AES algorithms proposed by researchers in the previous studies.


Radiation therapy is often associated with normal tissue injury as an undesired side effect. This is promoted by the depletion of normal stem cells and a decreased regenerative capacity of the affected organs. To reduce normal tissue injury during radiotherapy protective treatments have to be developed that improve stem cell survival without protecting tumor cells. In this study we investigate the acetylation and methylation of histone 3 at lysine 9 (H3K9), that is responsive to DNA damage and uniquely regulated in stem cells, as potential target for the development of radioprotective therapeutics. We analyzed stem cells in mouse tissue niches in vivo, murine embryonic stem cells in culture and neural stem cells freshly isolated from newborn mouse pups. We investigate repair factors, histone modifications and apoptosis pathways by immunofluorescence staining, western blotting and flow cytometry after X-ray irradiation or micro-irradiation of individual cells. H3K9 modifying enzymes are targeted with inhibitors, activators, RNA interference or overexpression by plasmid transfection and the effect on stem cells' radiosensitivity evaluated. We show that stem cells are highly radio-sensitive and have reduced DNA repair with low activation of DNA damage factors like ATM. We screened for stem cell specific levels of histone modifications that are responsive to DNA damage and discovered that stem cells of adult tissue niches like brain and testis as well as murine embryonic and neuronal stem cells show very high levels of H3K9ac, while H3K9me3 levels are decreased. In tumor cells H3K9 acetylation (H3K9ac) was shown to be reduced after damage induction, while H3K9 tri-methylation (H3K9me3) is increased to fully activate the repair factor ATM. We hypothesize that in stem cells, an inept transition between H3K9 acetylation and tri-methylation prevents robust activation of ATM leading to high radiosensitivity. In agreement with this hypothesis, we find reduced down-regulation of H3K9ac in stem cells at the DNA damage sites. To transiently improve the H3K9ac/me3 switch in stem cells in order to enhance activation of DNA repair factors and stem cell survival after irradiation, we aim to transiently reduce H3K9 acetylation by targeting the responsible acetyltransferases and deacetylases. We show expression levels of H3K9 modifying enzymes in stem cells before and after irradiation as well as preliminary results of the effect of down- or up-regulation of H3K9 modifying enzymes on stem cell radiosensitivity. We conclude that elevated H3K9 acetylation and reduced H3K9 tri-methylation levels in stem cells and their responsible H3K9 modifying enzymes are potential targets to improve ATM activation and stem cell survival after irradiation. Citation Format: Barbara Meyer, Keith M. Jacobs, Suyash Raj, Cheri L. Zobel, Dennis E. Hallahan, Girdhar G. Sharma. The role of H3K9 acetylation and tri-methylation in stem cell radiosensitivity. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3299. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3299


Author(s): Polychronopoulos, Vasileios | Advisor(s): de Alfaro, Luca | Abstract: Crowdsourcing is the use of human workers, usually through the Internet, for obtaining useful services and performing computation tasks for which automated computation is inefficient or inapplicable. Crowdsourced input usually has a monetary cost and is obtained through the use of a crowdsourcing marketplace.Applications with crowdsourced input have to address several challenges: obtaining worker input has high latency; workers may disagree on the same tasks and some workers mayprovide wrong input on purpose. We introduce novel methods that provide state-of-the-art solutions to the quality control problem of crowdsourcing in the context of different applications.Some of the most basic and common applications of crowdsourcing concern ranking and labeling problems. In ranking problems, the input of the crowd is used to sort elements in ranked order; whereas in labeling, the input of the crowd is used to assign each element a label. We study here two of the most common instances of these problems, providing algorithms that advance the state of the art: the top-k ranking problem, and the boolean labeling problem. For crowdsourced top-k lists the goal is, for some number k, to obtain the top-k items out of larger itemsets, using human workers to perform comparisons among items. An example application of the top-k problem is to short-list a large set of college applications using advanced students as workers. We evaluate our proposed techniques for the top-k problem against prior art using simulations as well as real crowds in Amazon Mechanical Turk. A randomized variant of the proposed algorithms achieves significant budget saves, especially for very large itemsets and large top-k lists, with negligible risk of lowering the quality of the output. The boolean labeling problem consists in aggregating boolean (yes/no) answers by the crowd reliably; such tasks are widely used, for instance, to label input as spam or to judge the appropriateness of web content. We introduce two unsupervised algorithms for this problem: one derived heuristically which is simple to implement, and one based on iterated bayesian parameter estimation of user reputation models. We provide mathematical insight into the benefits of the proposed algorithms over existing approaches, and we validate these insights by showing that both algorithms offer improved performance on several occasions on both synthetic datasets and real-world datasets obtained via Amazon Mechanical Turk. In some applications, there may be access to a set of informative features on workers, on their tasks and on how workers complete tasks (e.g., the time a worker took to complete a task).Our third contribution consists in techniques for enhancing the precision of any crowdsourcing task. At the core of each crowdsourcing task is the consideration of user input on items of work: fundamentally, this constitutes a bipartite graph between users and items, on which some inference must be performed. We introduce a machine-learning approach that works directly on the graph of workers, tasks and the associated features, utilizing a multi-level architecture of Long Short-Term Memory neural nets (LSTMs), without the need for resorting to a-priori models of user behavior or item dynamics. We show that when such informative features are present, the machine-learning approach can provide enhanced quality compared to model-based inference approaches.


Gastric cancer at the first clinical presentation and diagnosis is often in advanced and uncurable stage. This underscores the need for effective means of early diagnosis and prevention. Although being the most effective technique for early diagnosis of gastric cancer, endoscopy is not recommended in Europe for a general mass-screening due to a poor cost-effectiveness. Cheap and easy applicable techniques are needed, e.g. serological tests, to preselect patients at high risk who would be candidates for a targeted endoscopic screening. Helicobacter pylori infection is the most relevant risk factor for the development of gastric cancer, which is underscored by a clear causal relationship. H. pylori eradication as strategy for an effective prevention has so far only be applied selectively for defined risk groups. COX-inhibitors and modulators of gastrin-dependent pathways are under evaluation of their potential to inhibit gastric carcinogenesis. Moreover, dietary and – more than that – host factors like mutations of the e-cadherin-gene have to be considered to generate an individual risk profile for each patient.


A large proportion of parenchymal lung is composed of cells with an abundance of actin-containing cytoplasmic microfilaments. This may explain the substantial contractile capability of the tissue, which it appears cannot be ascribed totally to vascular or airway smooth muscle. Parenchymal contractility is increased in bleomycin-induced fibrosis, together with an increase in microfilaments and actin- and myosin-directed immunofluorescence. The present biochemical studies indicate that at least 10% of detergent-extractable protein from peripheral lung is actin. Approximately 71% of this actin is polymerized and 29% is monomeric, on the basis of differential ultracentrifugation. Isoelectric focusing and tryptic peptide analysis show that nonmuscle actin types predominate in the parenchyma, of which approximately 78% is beta-nonmuscle actin and 19% is gamma-nonmuscle actin, together with approximately 3% gamma-smooth muscle actin. Total actin as a percentage of extractable protein was not increased significantly in lungs of rats 4 or 8 wk after bleomycin instillation. Thus, actin per total lung is increased only in proportion to increased total lung weight. There is, in addition, no detectable shift in the beta/gamma actin ratio in the fibrotic lung or increase in percentage of smooth muscle actin. There is, however, a significant 16% decrease in monomeric G-actin and a commensurate significant increase in the percentage of polymerized or F-actin. Therefore, increased contractility and actin-specific immunofluorescence characteristic of fibrotic lung does not appear to be due to increases in total actin but rather to increases in its degree of polymerization, as is found in a variety of remodeling tissues. The consequence of these changes in contractile protein organization to lung function requires further investigation.


Refraction effect of x-ray fluorescence, which can be measured with scattered x-ray fluorescence and take off angle distribution curve, was utilized to study surfaces and interfaces. Informations on island state of films, surface roughness, chemical state of thin films and so forth on optical flat substrate could be obtained.


Mercury in the environment comes from natural processes and industrial activities. The inorganic form associates with the organic matter resulting on methylmercury (MeHg), the most toxic form to man. Mercury occurs in fishes mostly in organic form, the methylmercury. The billfishes appear to have high mercury levels because they are large predators that occupy top levels in the trophic chain. The mercury biomagnificates through the trophic chain and reaches high concentrations in top predators. The present study summarized the information about mercury levels in billfishes available in the literature, with emphasis on swordfish and blue marlin and made an analysis of data from several studies using the multivariate technique Agglomerative Hierarchical Cluster (AHC). The total mercury (THg) ranged from 0.7μg/g to 12.2μg/g in blue marlin and from 0.04μg/g to 5.1μg/g in swordfish, with data from 121 blue marlin specimens and 354 of swordfish. While a large part of the mercury content of the blue marlin was above 0.5μg/g allowed by WHO, the specimens of swordfish summarized on the present study showed generally lower values within or slightly above this limit, but the swordfish is still consumed nowadays, and large amounts consumed oftentimes may represent a risk to human health.


This study is an attempt to investigate the cultural aspects of North Korea by examining the everyday lives of the people, a topic that has been a blind spot in the body of previous research on North Korea. Although there are ample studies on North Korea due to its significance for world peace, they are limited to military and political aspects. To look into the micro-aspects of the social practice of ordinary people in North Korea, the method of post-modern ethnography is adopted. In-depth interviews and participatory observation of North Korean refugees in a special high school for them were conducted by focusing on their experiences of viewing South Korean media, which is absolutely prohibited in North Korea. Watching South Korean media is a fad among young North Koreans these days, although it is seen as delinquent behaviour by the authorities and the young people have to take the risk of being caught and sent to jail. The viewing patterns of media in people's daily lives may be one of the few indicators of social change in such closed societies as North Korea. Due to persistent poverty and pervasive corruption, social minorities exist without social care and control. Young people as a social minority are free to create their own resistant culture in the social underside. With little hope for the future, the visual fantasy of South Korean media allows youth to dream of an alternative way of life. Watching South Korean TV is not simply a means of entertainment or escaping from reality, but also a means of signifying social change. This audience study of young North Koreans is meaningful in the sense that a marginal activity like watching TV in a social minority group could signify major social changes in the most stagnant society in the world.


We present a novel vision-based approach to simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). We discuss it in the context of estimating the 6 DoF pose of a mobile robot from the perception of a monocular camera using a minimum set of three natural landmarks. In contrast to our previously presented V-GPS system, which navigates based on a set of known landmarks, the current approach allows to estimate the required information about the landmarks on-the-fly during the exploration of an unknown environment The method is applicable to indoor and outdoor environments. The calculation is done from the image position of a set of natural landmarks that are tracked in a continuous video stream at frame-rate. An automatic hand-off process allows an update of the set to compensate for occlusions and decreasing reconstruction accuracies with the distance to an imaged landmark. A generic sensor model allows a system configuration with a variety of physical sensors including: monocular perspective cameras, omni-directional cameras and laser range finders.


Te Koronga is a Māori research excellence rōpū that Professor Anne-Marie Jackson and Dr Hauiti Hakopa founded at the University of Otago. The year 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of Te Koronga. Over the past 10 years, Te Koronga has been successfully supporting and producing excellent Māori researchers. A collective of current Te Koronga tauira, many of whom have contributed to other articles in this issue, have written this concluding article of the Te Koronga MAI Special Issue. We are unapologetically proud to be Te Koronga. Why?


As an important zoonotic pathogen, Streptococcus suis (S. suis) can cause a variety of diseases both in human and animals, especially Streptococcal toxic shock-like syndrome (STSLS), which commonly appears in severe S. suis infection. STSLS is often accompanied by excessive production of inflammatory cytokines, which is the main cause of host death. Therefore, it is urgent to find a new strategy to relieve the damage caused by STSLS. In this study, we found, for the first time, that apigenin, as a flavonoid compound, could combine with ampicillin to treat severe S. suis infection. Studies found that apigenin did not affect the growth of S. suis and the secretion of suilysin (SLY), but it could significantly inhibit the hemolytic activity of SLY by directly binding to SLY and destroying its secondary structure. In cell assays, apigenin was found to have no significant toxic effects on effective concentrations, and have a good protective effect on S. suis-infected cells. More importantly, compared with the survival rate of S. suis-infected mice treated with only ampicillin, the survival rate of apigenin combined with an ampicillin-treated group significantly increased to 80%. In conclusion, all results indicate that apigenin in combination with conventional antibiotics can be a potential strategy for treating severe S. suis infection.


Opioid abuse is a significant problem and has been associated in patients presenting with cardiac arrest. We aimed to investigate and compare the contemporary trends of cardiac arrest in patients with and without opioid abuse.

 All hospitalizations for primary diagnosis of Cardiac arrest between 2012 and 2018 identified in the Nationwide Readmissions Database were categorized into those with or without a secondary diagnosis of opioid disease. Cardiac arrest hospitalizations with opioid use using the year of admission, discharge quarter, age, sex, and elixhauser comorbidity index. Primary outcomes were inpatient mortality. Survey techniques were used to do comparative analyses using Stata 16.0.

 Of 1,410,475 cardiac arrest hospitalizations that met inclusion criteria, 43,090 (3.1%) had cardiac arrest with a secondary diagnosis of opioid use. In hospital mortality in cardiac arrest patients with and without opioid use was 56.7% vs 61.2%. Hospitalizations for cardiac arrest with opioid use were associated with higher prevalence of alcohol (16.9% vs. 7.1%; p<0.05), depression (18.8% vs. 9%; p<0.05), and smoking (37.0% vs. 21.8%; p<0.05) as compared with cardiac arrest without opioid use. Hospitalizations for cardiac arrest with opioid use was seen less likely in patients with heart failure (21.2% vs. 40.6%; p<0.05), diabetes mellitus (19.5% vs. 35.4%; p<0.05), hypertension (43.4% vs. 64.9%; p<0.05) and renal failure (14.3% vs. 30.2%; p<0.05). Over the last 7 years, there has been a significant increasing trend in opioid associated cardiac arrest (p for trend <0.05) see figure.

 Opioid remains a significant cause of cardiac arrests in the contemporary US population with an increase in its incidence over last 7 years. Lifestyle choices is most attributing to this increasing trend. Opioid users that presented with cardiac arrest were twice as more likely to have depression.

 Type of funding sources: None. Trends of opioid related cardiac arrest


We measured the net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) in an alpine meadow ecosystem (latitude 37degrees29'-45'N, longitude 101degrees12'-23'E, 3250 m above sea level) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau throughout 2002 by the eddy covariance method to examine the carbon dynamics and budget on this unique plateau. Diurnal changes in gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (R-e) showed that an afternoon increase of NEE was highly associated with an increase of R-e. Seasonal changes in GPP corresponded well to changes in the leaf area index and daily photosynthetic photon flux density. The ratio of GPP/R-e was high and reached about 2.0 during the peak growing season, which indicates that mainly autotrophic respiration controlled the carbon dynamics of the ecosystem. Seasonal changes in mean GPP and R-e showed compensatory behavior as reported for temperate and Mediterranean ecosystems, but those of GPP(max) and R-emax were poorly synchronized. The alpine ecosystem exhibited lower GPP (575 g C m(-2) y(-1)) than, but net ecosystem production (78.5 g C m(-2) y(-1)) similar to, that of subalpine forest ecosystems. The results suggest that the alpine meadow behaved as a CO2 sink during the 1-year measurement period but apparently sequestered a rather small amount of C in comparison with similar alpine ecosystems.


The role of pleiotrophin in fetal lung development was investigated. We found that pleiotrophin and its receptor, protein-tyrosine phosphatase receptor β/ζ, were highly expressed in mesenchymal and epithelial cells of the fetal lungs, respectively. Using isolated fetal alveolar epithelial type II cells, we demonstrated that pleiotrophin promoted fetal type II cell proliferation and arrested type II cell trans-differentiation into alveolar epithelial type I cells. Pleiotrophin also increased wound healing of injured type II cell monolayer. Knockdown of pleiotrophin influenced lung branching morphogenesis in a fetal lung organ culture model. Pleiotrophin increased the tyrosine phosphorylation of β-catenin, promoted β-catenin translocation into the nucleus, and activated T cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor transcription factors. Dlk1, a membrane ligand that initiates the Notch signaling pathway, was identified as a downstream target of the pleiotrophin/β-catenin pathway by endogenous dlk1 expression, promoter assay, and chromatin immunoprecipitation. These results provide evidence that pleiotrophin regulates fetal type II cell proliferation and differentiation via integration of multiple signaling pathways including pleiotrophin, β-catenin, and Notch pathways.


Objectives To explorc the clinical value of uhrasound guided transrectal prostate biopsy When the PSA 〉 10ng/ml. Methods The ultrasound guided transrectal prostate biopsy were performed on 120 patients whose PSA 〉 10ng/ml. Results Prostate carcinoma werc detected in 46 cases; Benign prostatic hyperplasia 44 cases;prostatitis 9 cases;Prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia 19 cases; Prostatic infarction 3 cases. 38 patients had transient gross hematuria; fever was seen in 16 patients; 5 patients got Sepsis; there were no hematospermia, prostate abscess and other complications occurred. Conclusions PSA 〉 10ng/ml can not serve as a reliable indicator for prostate biopsy. We should consider DRE, TRUS, PSA, Only in this way, can we improve the positive rate of prostate biopsy, avoid unnecessary biopsy on patients.

Key words:
Prostatic Neoplasms; Rectum; Biopsy,Needle


Excerpt] The decision for a company to issue shares publicly for the first time is not to be taken lightly. The manager-owner of a private firm must carefully weigh the benefits of an initial public offering (IPO) against the costs. Potential benefits include the ability to raise capital in the public markets on more attractive terms than in private circles; increased liquidity for managers and other insiders who wish to sell ownership stakes; and increased recognition and credibility with customers, employees, and suppliers. These benefits, however, come at considerable direct and indirect costs. For U.S. firms, the direct costs, such as investment banking commissions, average about 11 percent of IPO proceeds.1 Less obvious, but sometimes more painful for issuing firms, is an additional indirect cost commonly referred to as "IPO underpricing."


We have previously shown that experimental infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi is associated with changes in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. Increased glucocorticoid (GC) levels are believed to be protective against the effects of acute stress during infection but result in depletion of CD4+CD8+ thymocytes by apoptosis, driving to thymic atrophy. However, very few data are available concerning prolactin (PRL), another stress-related hormone, which seems to be decreased during T. cruzi infection. Considering the immunomodulatory role of PRL upon the effects caused by GC, we investigated if intrathymic cross-talk between GC and PRL receptors (GR and PRLR, respectively) might influence T. cruzi-induced thymic atrophy. Using an acute experimental model, we observed changes in GR/PRLR cross-activation related with the survival of CD4+CD8+ thymocytes during infection. These alterations were closely related with systemic changes, characterized by a stress hormone imbalance, with progressive GC augmentation simultaneously to PRL reduction. The intrathymic hormone circuitry exhibited an inverse modulation that seemed to counteract the GC-related systemic deleterious effects. During infection, adrenalectomy protected the thymus from the increase in apoptosis ratio without changing PRL levels, whereas an additional inhibition of circulating PRL accelerated the thymic atrophy and led to an increase in corticosterone systemic levels. These results demonstrate that the PRL impairment during infection is not caused by the increase of corticosterone levels, but the opposite seems to occur. Accordingly, metoclopramide (MET)-induced enhancement of PRL secretion protected thymic atrophy in acutely infected animals as well as the abnormal export of immature and potentially autoreactive CD4+CD8+ thymocytes to the periphery. In conclusion, our findings clearly show that Trypanosoma cruzi subverts mouse thymus homeostasis by altering intrathymic and systemic stress-related endocrine circuitries with major consequences upon the normal process of intrathymic T cell development.


Additive manufacturing of ceramic materials is difficult because of high temperature required to sinter or melt refractory oxides. Available energy sources, like e.g., laser or electron beam exert high photonic pressure to the surface and promote evaporation and ablation of ceramic materials rather than densification. A new high energy process with low photonic pressure is presented, based on combination of laser and microwave plasma heating, which enables sintering and melting of the ceramic without drilling and ablation of the surface. This new process is abbreviated as LAMPP, Laser Assisted Microwave Plasma Processing. The paper presents details of the equipment developed for LAMPP and analyses the energy efficiency of LAMPP as compared to laser sintering. The mechanism of plasma ignition and sustainment is discussed.


Objectives  – the in-depth analysis of the informational and legal base for organisation of remote medical care for patients with diabetes mellitus in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methods . Official memoranda of the WHO and the International Labour Organization (ILO), decisions of the Government of the Russian Federation and foreign countries on the use of remote telemedicine counseling in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic were reviewed and analysed. Results.  After reviewing the results of remote telemedicine counseling to provide specialized medical care to patients with diabetes during COVID-19 pandemic on various virtual platforms, we defined the factors limiting the widespread use of this technology. We collected metadata of the results of the original experience of remote consultation of patients with endocrine pathology using the automated workplace of an endocrinologist (AWPE). Conclusion.  In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the development and implementation of new promising forms of outpatient work using digital telecommunication technologies is particularly relevant. The use of remote access telemedicine consulting techniques via Automated endocrinologist's workplace for patients with endocrine pathology during the period of self-isolation showed its effectiveness in a pilot study. Its widespread introduction into outpatient practice will not only significantly increase the availability of medical care for patients with diabetes, but also minimize the risk of infection with a new coronavirus for doctors.


This study used panel data for manufacturing firms from 2006 to 2016 to analyze the patterns and determinants of export survival of exporting firms in Ethiopia. The empirical investigation has two parts: non-parametric and semi-parametric methods. The non-parametric method analyzes the survivor function and the hazard (exit) rate of firms on the whole sample and by groups, while the semi-parametric analyzes a regression outputs based on the discrete-time model of proportional hazard model.The result from the survivor function analysis shows that, at the end of the study period, the number of firms that survive in export market are more than 50%. Moreover, the result of the hazard rate reveals as the duration of time increases, the rate at which firms exit the export market decreases sharply. With regard to our semi-parametric analyses, we examine the factors that affect survival of manufacturing firms in international market and observed the direction of the impacts they have on the survival rates. The findings show that large and medium firms, firms that have higher productivity, export oriented firms, private owned enterprises, firms located in textile and garment industries, firms located outside Addis Ababa and firms categorized as importers have higher probability of staying in export markets than the others. Keywords: Export survival, Cox-model, Ethiopia


For the technology of mechanical elastic energy storage utilizing spiral torsion springs as the energy storage media presented previously, a global multivariable control algorithm based on nonlinear internal model principle under multiclass external disturbances is proposed. The nonlinear external disturbances with nonharmonic periodic characteristics are generated by multiclass nonlinear external systems. New equations of nonlinear internal model are designed to estimate the multiclass external disturbances. On the basis of constructing the control law of nominal system, a state feedback controller is designed to guarantee the closed-loop system globally uniformly bounded, and a Lyapunov function is constructed to theoretically prove the global uniform boundedness of the multivariable closed-loop system signals. The simulation results verify the correctness and effectiveness of the presented algorithm.


Background & Aim: Academic self-efficacy implies a person's belief in his or her abilities in achieving educational goals and activities, the formation of which is influenced by various factors. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between family cohesion and academic self-efficacy in students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences in 2015-2016. Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional study the statistical population was Kurdistan University of medical sciences students, among whom 500 were studied. In this study, random stratified sampling with proportional allocation was used and each faculty was considered as a category, and the final samples were randomly selected from the classrooms from each faculty considering the share of the students of that faculty. Data were collected by Fischer Family Integrity Questionnaire and Educational Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. After completing questionnaires by the students, the data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The mean score of family cohesion among the students was 59.07±11.24 and the mean score of the academic self-efficacy of the students was 103.45±18.88. There was a positive and significant relationship between academic self-efficacy and family cohesion among students (r=0.43, p<0.001). Conclusion: It is recommended to hold educational classes on the importance of families and their togetherness, as well as good and appropriate emotional relationships with each other for parents in health centers in Sanandaj.


In 1998 government and the main representatives of the voluntary sector in each of the four countries in the United Kingdom published "compacts" on relations between government and the voluntary sector. These were joint documents, carrying forward ideas expressed by the Labor Party when in opposition, and directed at developing a new relationship for partnership with those "not-for-profit organizations" that are involved primarily in the areas of policy and service delivery. This article seeks to use an examination of the compacts, and the processes that produced them and that they have now set in train, to explore some of the wider issues about the changing role of government and its developing relationships with civil society. In particular, it argues that the new partnership builds upon a movement from welfarism to economism which is being developed further through the compact process. Drawing upon a governmentality approach, and illustrating the account with interview material obtained from some of those involved in compact issues from within both government and those umbrella groups which represent the voluntary sector, an argument is made that this overall process represents the beginning of a new reconfiguration of the state that is of considerable constitutional significance.


HECD‐1 monoclonal antibody has been used to localize E‐cadherin, a calcium‐dependent cell–cell adhesion molecule, in microwave‐treated, paraffin‐embedded sections from 53 cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) (11 CIN I, 22 CIN II, and 20 CIN III), 16 invasive cervical squamous cell carcinomas, and seven metastases. In normal cervix, E‐cadherin was expressed on the cell membrane of basal and parabasal cells. Cytoplasmic staining was present in occasional basal cells only. In CIN, the presence and localization of cytoplasmic E‐cadherin were found to be significantly correlated with the grade of the CIN lesion. In squamous cell carcinomas, reduced membranous and increased cytoplasmic staining was seen with worsening differentiation. Loss of membranous E‐cadherin expression was also detected in 4/7 metastatic deposits. E‐cadherin expression (120 kD form on Western blotting) was seen in human cervical carcinoma cell lines (HT3, ME180, C41, Caski) that maintained the ability to aggregate in a homotypic adhesion assay and showed a typical epithelial morphology. E‐cadherin‐negative cell lines (Hela, SiHa, C33A) did not show adhesion. HOG‐1 was the only E‐cadherin‐negative cell line which showed a significant degree of cell–cell aggregation. These data indicate that loss of membranous E‐cadherin expression may represent one of the abnormalities underlying loss of cell polarity and differentiation which characterize CIN and invasive cervical cancer.


This study examined the relationship between how sex stereotypes are presented in advertisements, and the value women attach to themselves in the society with regards to their self-esteem. Survey method was adopted for the study using questionnaires to sample 200 hundred female students of Benue State University Makurdi. Findings revealed that, like many other studies carried out in the past by scholars, advertisements have set a particular standard for women through the sex roles played out. This results in women objectifying themselves and feeling they are good for nothing except as sex objects to men. This of course hinders their productivity in the society as a result of the low self-esteem which equally manifest with other consequences such as health problems like depression and even suicide. The study therefore recommends among others that there is need for governments of affected societies particularly Nigeria to step up from making promises for women emancipations towards taking action to bring culprits of women unfair representation to serve as deterrent to others.

 Key words: Sex stereotype, objectification, women, mass media, advertisements, portrayal, gender, self-esteem.


Statistical sampling and simulations produced by algorithms require fast random number generators; however, true random number generators are often too slow for the purpose, so pseudorandom number generators are usually more suitable. But choosing and using a pseudorandom number generator is no simple task; most pseudorandom number generators fail statistical tests. Default pseudorandom number generators offered by programming languages usually do not offer sufficient statistical properties. Testing random number generators so as to choose one for a project is essential to know its limitations and decide whether the choice fits the project's objectives. However, this study presents a reproducible experiment that demonstrates that, despite all the contributions it made when it was first published, the popular NIST SP 800-22 statistical test suite as implemented in the software package is inadequate for testing generators.


BACKGROUND
The molecular mechanisms underlying the diaphragmatic defect in congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) are still poorly understood. The transcription factor GATA4 is essential for normal development of the diaphragm. Recently, mutations in the GATA4 gene have been linked to human and rodent CDH. We hypothesized that diaphragmatic GATA4 expression is downregulated in the nitrofen CDH model.

METHODS
Pregnant rats received Nitrofen or vehicle on day 9 of gestation (D9). Fetuses were sacrificed on D13, D18, or D21. Pleuroperitoneal folds (n=20) and fetal diaphragms (n=40) were (micro) dissected and divided into CDH group and controls. RNA and protein were extracted. GATA4 mRNA levels were determined by real-time PCR. Protein levels were determined by ELISA and Immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS
mRNA levels and Protein levels were significantly decreased in the CDH group compared to controls on D13 (mRNA 15.96±6.99 vs. 38.10±5.01, p<0.05), D18 (mRNA 10.45±1.84 vs. 17.68±2.11, Protein 2.59±0.06 vs. 4.58±0.35 p<0.05) and D21 (mRNA 4.31±0.83 vs. 6.87±0.88, Protein 0.16±0.08 vs. 1.26±0.49, p<0.05). Immunoreactivity of GATA4 was markedly decreased in CDH-diaphragms on D13, D18, and D21.

CONCLUSIONS
We provide evidence for the first time that diaphragmatic expression of GATA4 is downregulated in the nitrofen model, suggesting that decreased expression of GATA4 may impair diaphragmatic development in nitrofen-induced CDH.


Central injection of naloxone attenuated the development of hyperglycemia following induction of non-fatal anaphylaxis in mice, but it failed to reverse the hyperglycemia in this model. In contrast, central TRH both blocked as well as reversed the hyperglycemic response. These results suggest a possible role for central endorphin mechanisms in the hyperglycemic response to anaphylactic shock in mice. Further, they demonstrate a novel action of TRH to block shock-induced hyperglycemia. This antihyperglycemic action of TRH is independent of opiate mechanisms.


The literature on the relative contributions of pelagic calcifying taxa to the global ocean export of CaCO3 is divided. Studies based on deep sediment trap data tend to argue that either foraminifers or coccolithophores, both calcite producers, dominate export. However, the compilations of biomass observations for pteropods, coccolithophores, and foraminifers instead show that pteropods dominate the global ocean calcifier biomass and therefore likely also carbonate export. Here we present a new global ocean biogeochemical model that explicitly represents these three groups of pelagic calcifiers. We synthesize databases of the physiology of the three groups to parameterize the model and then tune the unconstrained parameters to reproduce the observations of calcifier biomass and CaCO3 export. The model can reproduce both these observational databases; however, substantial dissolution of aragonite above the aragonite saturation horizon is required to do so. We estimate a contribution of pteropods to shallow (100 m) export of CaCO3 of at least 33% and to pelagic calcification of up to 89%. The high production‐high dissolution configuration that shows closest agreement with all the observations has a CaCO3 production of 4.7 Pg C/year but CaCO3 export at 100 m of only 0.6 Pg C/year.


The drift chambers (DCH's) are an important part of the tracking system of the BM@N experiment designed to study the production of baryonic matter at the Nuclotron energies.The method of particle hit and track reconstruction in the drift chambers has been already proposed and tested on the BM@N deuteron beam data. In this study the DCH's are first locally and globally aligned, and subsequently the consistency of the track reconstruction chain is tested by two methods. The first one is based on the backward extrapolation of the DCH reconstructed deuteron beam to a position where its deflection in the BM@N magnetic field begins. The second method reconstructs the deuteron beam momentum through its deflection angle. Both methods confirm correctness of the track reconstruction algorithm.


Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the mean distance of obturation from the radiographic apex, in maxillary and mandibular teeth, using electronic apex locator for working length measurement. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the Department of Operative Dentistry, at Islamic st th International Dental Hospital, Riphah International University from September 1 , 2016 to March 15 , 2017. Materials and Methods: The mean distance of obturation from radiographic apex was evaluated in 97 canals of 43 patients, between 14 to 55 years of age. Working length was determined by using Dentaport ZX apex locator. Canals were prepared by using step back technique and obturated by cold lateral condensation technique. Postoperative radiographs were taken by using paralleling technique and the results were evaluated in SPSS version 24. Results: The mean distance of obturation from radiographic apex was found to be -0.52mm with standard deviation (SD) of + 0.57.No statistically significant difference was found between the apical limit of canal filling on the basis of tooth vitality and tooth type. (P-value > 0.05). Conclusion: This study suggested that appropriate use of apex locator can decrease the required number of radiographs during endodontic treatment and can be used reliably with no statistically significant difference in mean distance of obturation from radiographic apex when used in maxillary and mandibular teeth.


The impacts of WTO on women's labour rights in the developing countries have been raised to the international agenda by various nongovernmental organizations. On the one hand it is assumed that international trade policies are gender neutral. On the other hand a number of authors hold the view that the negative impacts of WTO policies are more pronounced on female than male workers. This paper takes a critical look at these claims. It argues that the impact of the WTO system, the driving force of trade liberalization, on women's labour rights in the developing countries is a complicated issue, because the effects have been both negative and positive. In support of this claim, this paper first briefly reviews the international framework for the protection of women's labour rights. Next, the WTO agreements and policies are analysed insofar as they are relevant for the protection of women's labour rights. The analysis covers, for example, the use of the trade policy review mechanism and restrictions of trade on grounds of violation of public morals. Finally, a case study is conducted on the situation of female workers in Bangladesh and Pakistan, countries that have recently undergone a liberalization of trade in the textiles and clothing sectors. It is concluded that the increase of international trade in the developing countries has created many work opportunities for women, helped them to become more independent and allowed them to participate in the society more actively. However, it is at the same time posited that in order to comply with its own objectives of raising standards of living and full employment, the WTO should engage itself in active policies to overcome the negative aspects of trade on female workers in the developing countries.


Numerical estimates of three different lower bounds on the D-state percentage in the deuteron are compared under various assumptions about the asymptotic D/S ratio.


Background: According to the World Health Organization, hospitals should assess their internal wards to improve health promotion services using self-assessment tools. To achieve this goal, standards of health promoting hospitals have been developed by the World Health Organization, and measurable elements and indicators have been defined to facilitate the practical application of these standards in planning, implementation, and evaluation of health promotion in hospitals. Moreover, a form has been developed for this self-assessment. Considering linguistic and cultural differences in various countries, standards must be written in equivalent texts and, then, their content and face validity should be examined. Performing this process in a systemic and scientific way can guarantee that the same tools have been used, and thus the results obtained from different hospitals are comparable. Methods: After the preparation phase (considering research aim, obtaining permission from the original designers, and determining the time), the following activities were done: translating the form from its original language to the target language, combining and compiling initial translations to a single translation, reversing the final version of the translation from the target language to the original language, obtaining cognitive information, revising and concluding, and determining the content and face validity of the translated form and final report. After filling in the form, face validity was calculated using impact score formula. Content validity was measured using content validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI). Results: After calculating the impact score, all 40 items showed a high impact score greater than 1.5, representing the fact that all items are important. The minimum value of CVR for each of the 40 items was estimated to be 0.64; CVI of all items was greater than 0.79. Conclusion: Given the input of the standards of health promoting hospitals affiliated to the World Health Organization in National Accreditation of Iranian hospitals, the form was translated and found to be valid according to content and face validity and is available in Persian to be used in Iranian hospitals (Appendix 1).


Wall lizards of the genus Podarcis (Sauria, Lacertidae) comprise 17 currently recognized species in southern Europe, where they are the predominant reptile group. The taxonomy of Podarcis is complex and unstable. Based on DNA sequence data the species of Podarcis falls into four main groups that have substantial geographical conherence (western island group, southwestern group, Italian group and Balkan group). The Balkan species are divided in two subgroups: the subgroup of Podarcis taurica (P. taurica, P. milensis, P. gaigeae and perhaps P. melisellensis), and the subgroup of Podarcis erhardii (P. erhardii and P. peloponnesiaca). We addressed the question of phylogenetic relations among the species of the P. taurica subgroup encountered in Greece, as they can be inferred from partial mtDNA (cyt b and 16S) sequences. Our data support the monophyly of P. taurica subgroup and suggest that P. gaigeae, P. milensis and P. melisellensis form a clade, which thereinafter connects to P. taurica. Within the previous clade, P. gaigeae is more closely related to P. milensis than to P. melisellensis. However, the specimens of P. taurica were subdivided in two different groups. The first one includes the specimens from northeastern Greece, and the other group includes the specimens from the rest of continental Greece and Ionian islands. Because the molecular clock of the cyt b and 16 rRNA genes was not rejected in our model test, it is possible to estimate times of speciation events. Based on the splitting of the island of Crete from Peloponnisos [c. 5 million years ago (Ma)], the evolutionary rate for the cyt b is 1.55% per million years (Myr) and for the 16S rRNA is 0.46% per Myr. These results suggest that the evolutionary history of P. taurica in Greece is more complex than a single evolutionary invasion. The data analysed, stress the need for a reconsideration of the evolutionary history of Greek Podarcis species and help overcome difficulties that classical taxonomy has encountered at both the species level.


ABSTRACT The fact of being under terrorist threats, such as death threats or intimidations, has psychosocial effects and impacts on victim's psychosocial functioning. However, little attention has been paid to the study of threatened people through an evidence-based research. This study analyses quantitatively the experience of threatened people within a context of terrorism. Specifically, we want to gain insight into victims' perceptions of their threatening situation, through participants who were under threat by the Euskadi ta Askatasuna (ETA) (Basque Homeland and Freedom) terrorist group in the Basque Country, Spain. Through a cross-sectional study and Principal component analysis, 87 victims of the ETA terrorist group in the Basque Country were surveyed, during the period of violence. The findings suggested six main psychosocial effects on threatened individuals, comprising issues such as (1) Thought processes and risk perception; (2) Emotional reactions; (3) Circles of vulnerability; (4) Suspicion/distrust; (5) Social interactions and (6) Safety and freedom of movement. In addition, victim's perception of control was negatively related to the psychosocial effects, in factors 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively. The article discusses and shows implications of the power of threats, along with their effects, as a psychosocial coercion instrument.


We describe how Darboux transformations and binary Darboux transformations can be constructed for (vector-) constrained KP hierarchies. These transformations are then used to obtain explicit classes of Wronskian and Grammian solutions for these hierarchies. The relationship between these two types of solutions is also discussed.


A large metropolitan teaching hospital in Canada wanted to know if it should continue to use disposable drapes or return to reusables. In order to determine which choice would be more cost-effective, which would be more environmentally friendly and which would best meet the surgical team's needs while meeting infection control guidelines and other pertinent standards a study was conducted of the then present draping practices and costs. The study was done on the operating room, including inpatient and same day surgery drape usage. It included drape types, patterns of usage, volume of usage and draping practices. An analysis was made based on the actual costs and number of cases for 1990 and the estimated needs for the next year. Drape expenses included handling, storage, removal from user areas and disposal. The study resulted in the conclusion that, at that time, reusable surgical drapes were a viable alternative from an environmental perspective, but based on the information available, they were not considered to be financially competitive.


In this paper, the authors propose two cognitive relaying schemes based on overlay and underlay, which exploit the cooperation opportunities inherent in primary retransmission to improve secondary throughput. If a primary signal is not decoded by the primary receiver (PR), a secondary user (SU) can be selected to relay it invisibly along with the primary retransmission. For overlay cognitive relaying, SUs intend to reduce primary retransmission time by relaying primary message, so that more access opportunities are available. While in underlay cognitive relaying, SU allocates part of its power to help primary user (PU) and the remaining power is used to transmit secondary message simultaneously. By controlling the phase of the relay signal, signals retransmitted from primary transmitter (PT) and SU can constructively combine at the PR. In both relaying schemes, we consider the best-relay selection as well. We define some novel metrics to evaluate the performance of PU and SU. For PU, we study the improvements in outage performance and average transmitting time per packet, while for SU, we consider the cooperation gain and cooperation efficiency, respectively. Theoretical analysis and numerical results verify the validity of both schemes, and a comparison is made between them.


This dataset contains polygons representing the areal extent of mineral districts in the state of Arizona. The districts delineated in this report are based on the map by Keith et al. [1983a], which served as a starting point for this database. These districts attempt to delineate areas of uniform by geologic character and age of mineralization. The classification system for the districts is taken from Keith et al. [1983a, AZGS map 18]; the report that accompanies that map discusses definition of the districts, and has a summary of metal production for districts for which data were available as of 1981 [Keith et al., 1983b, AZGS Bull. 194]. This database is an attempt to assign accurate spatial locations to the districts shown on the Keith et al. [1983a] map, and to provide more in depth information on the geology of the districts. The production data included in the table DistrictDataAZMIN are imported from a previous Arizona Geological Survey database [Welty et al., 1989 (AZGS OFR 89-9] that contained the production data from the printed publication [Keith et al., 1983b].


In this paper, our corner-based interest point detector, Robust Local Zernike Moment based Features (R-LZMF), which was proved to be scale, rotation and translation-invariant, is investigated for invariance against affine transformation, lighting and blurring. Furthermore, R-LZMF's corner detection capability with Zernike moments of order 4 is theoretically explained in detail. Experimental results on the Inria Dataset show that R-LZMF outperforms SIFT, CenSurE, ORB, BRISK and competes with SURF in terms of repeatability for images under affine transformation and photometric deformation such as lighting and blurring.


This paper proposes a simulation modeling method for the electrical switching system of hydropower station, which is a sub-topic for Hydropower Station Simulation Training System. The graphics model of commonly used electrical switch equipment is developed with a certain software. As vast and different types of Hydropower station circuit breakers and associated grounding switches, and each specific action of the switch process is not same, so the modular modeling method is described to solve the problem. According to the role and status in power plant, electrical switch system is divided into several sub modules, among which a number of small modules are sorted in. In each sub module, a common model is developed. Besides, the application method that the network topology analysis algorithm used in electrical switching system simulation logic judgment is introduced. With the 'connecting line fusion' technique, logic function expression member information table is automatically generated, thereby enhancing the suitability for the electrical switch simulation model. The methods mentioned above assure the real-time, typicality and flexibility in simulation, and have been successfully used in the development of a large hydropower station simulator. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/telkomnika.v11i8.3135


In comparison to weaving or other techniques that are employed to embed conductive tracks in textile fabric structure, the obvious advantages of printing the desired conductive pattern are the simplicity of the process and the suitability for low volume production runs as well as high volume production runs. However, the generally inferior durability and poorer electrical performance of conductive inks that have been printed onto a textile fabric give rise to challenges.
In this study, electrically conductive grades of carbon black pigment were used to formulate screen printing inks for use on textiles. On an equal weight basis, electrically conductive grades impart higher electrical conductivity compared to the printing ink grades of carbon black pigment. However, the conductive grades of carbon black are difficult to disperse and stabilise in aqueous media. Therefore in this study, a procedure was devised initially to prepare stable, waterborne dispersions of a number of highly conductive grades of carbon black pigment. The stability of pigment dispersions was characterised by conducting rheological, particle size and accelerated gravitational sedimentation analyses on appropriate formulations.
In order to formulate finished inks from the optimised, stable pigment dispersions, various binders were incorporated in the formulations followed by characterisation of the stability and the electrical properties of the finished inks. Films of the formulated inks were deposited onto various textile substrates. This was followed by testing of the washing and creasing performance of these ink films. It was found that the formulated inks performed considerably better than the tested commercial inks. It was shown that following the ink preparation procedure devised in this study, electrically conductive grades of carbon black pigment can be used to formulate textile printing inks which not only possess very high electrical conductivity but are also durable to withstand washing and creasing of textiles.


Three countries on the eastern border of the EU have caused significant political and eco-nomic challenges to the EU's accession policy (Turkey) and to the European Neighbourhood Policy (Belarus and Ukraine). All three have revealed some weaknesses of the intra-EU decision-making processes (especially the lack of flexibility and the unwillingness to apply 'hard' power politics) and the disunity of the EU member states' voices, which reflects their very divergent national interests. Still, the policies adopted by the EU with regard to these countries also represent an opportunity for the EU. The paper focuses on the key attributes that the EU needs to consider when drafting its policies, both bilateral and multilateral, towards these countries. We argue that the EU should form rules-based relationships that take a step-by-step approach. Individual member states could assume more active roles in promoting specific policy recommendations. This approach could bring together the differ-ing interests of the EU member states and the EU institutions.


COSMOLOGYThe times, they are a-changin', and so are the fundamental constants of physics, an international group of physicists reports. After analyzing light from distant quasars, the team has concluded that the fine-structure constant, which is related to the speed of light, has shifted over time. The claim is extremely controversial, but scientists are taking it seriously--if skeptically.


Summary
At Phoenix, Arizona, approximately 147,000 radioactive Musca domestica were liberated at a primary release site. For the 2-day period following, 15 fly traps were operated at 3 secondary sites 0.5 mile from the primary release point; the flies collected at each secondary site were then dusted with a characteristic dye, after which they were again liberated.
Collection stations within one mile of the primary release point indicated that, even though fly dispersion from that site followed a general random design, one sector of the recovery zone yielded a higher rate of recapture of radioactive specimens than the remaining sectors.
A total of 104 radioactive and dyed M. domestica was retrieved. Fly movement from each of the 3 secondary release sites exhibited a random pattern. Reciprocal migration was manifested, certain specimens reversing their initial path of migration and returning to the general area of the primary release site.
The data indicate M. domestica to be essentially an insect of migrating habits. The house fly apparently spends the greater part of its existence in moving from site to site not only in search of breeding and feeding sources but also from an inherent instinct to wander.


BACKGROUND
To explore the protective effect of a flavonoid fractions diosmin + hesperidin (Daflon), against radiation-induced acute proctitis in an experimental rat model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirty four rats were divided into four groups. The rats in Group 1 received Daflon and underwent irradiation. The rats in Group 2 received no Daflon and underwent irradiation. The rats in Group 3 received Daflon and underwent sham irradiation. The rats in Group 4 received no Daflon and underwent sham irradiation. Daflon emulsion (100 mg/kg/day) was administered via an orogastric feeding tube to the rats in groups 1 and 3 starting from 1 day prior to irradiation until the euthanasia day (day 15 following irradiation). Radiation therapy was delivered on a cobalt-60 unit using a single fraction of 17.5 Gy defined at a depth of 1 cm through an anterior portal. Slides were examined by the same pathologist under a light microscope two times in a blinded manner.

RESULTS
When compared to group 2, the rats of Group 1 showed less glandular distortion and less mucosal inflammation with less infiltration of the crypt epithelia by the inflammatory cells (P < 0.001). A statistically significant increase in all parameters but muscular wall thickness was observed for the rats in Group 2 as compared to the group 3 and 4.

CONCLUSIONS
Administration of a dose of 100 mg/kg/day of the diosmin + hesperidin resulted in decreased morphologic inflammatory changes. This drug may have protective effects against radiation-induced acute proctitis.


Abstract Aims We aimed to use optical coherence tomography (OCT) to identify differences in atherosclerotic culprit lesion morphology in women with myocardial infarction (MI) with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) compared with MI with obstructive coronary artery disease (MI-CAD). Methods and results Women with an OCT-determined atherosclerotic aetiology of non-ST segment elevation (NSTE)-MINOCA (angiographic diameter stenosis <50%) who were enrolled in the multicentre Women's Heart Attack Research Program (HARP) study were compared with a consecutive series of women with NSTE-MI-CAD who underwent OCT prior to coronary intervention at a single institution. Atherosclerotic pathologies identified by OCT included plaque rupture, plaque erosion, intraplaque haemorrhage (IPH, a region of low signal intensity with minimum attenuation adjacent to a lipidic plaque without fibrous cap disruption), layered plaque (superficial layer with clear demarcation from the underlying plaque indicating early thrombus healing), or eruptive calcified nodule. We analysed 58 women with NSTE-MINOCA and 52 women with NSTE-MI-CAD. Optical coherence tomography features of underlying vulnerable plaque (thin-cap fibroatheroma) were less common in MINOCA (3 vs. 35%) than in MI-CAD. Intraplaque haemorrhage (47 vs. 2%) and layered plaque (31 vs. 12%) were more common in MINOCA than MI-CAD, whereas plaque rupture (14 vs. 67%), plaque erosion (8 vs. 14%), and calcified nodule (0 vs. 6%) were less common in MINOCA. The angle of ruptured cavity was smaller and thrombus burden was lower in MINOCA. Conclusion The prevalence of atherothrombotic culprit lesion subtype varied substantially between MINOCA and MI-CAD. A majority of culprit lesions in MINOCA had the appearance of IPH or layered plaque. Clinical Trial Registration Information Clinical Trial Name: Heart Attack Research Program- Imaging Study (HARP); ClinicalTrial.gov Identifier: NCT02905357; URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02905357


Mining stream data have recently garnered a great deal of attention for Machine Learning Researcher. The major challenges in stream data mining are drifting concept that deals with data whose nature changes over time. Concept drift is one of the core problems in Stream data mining and machine learning. Classification of Stream data in the presence of drifting concepts is more difficult and one of the core issue. In this paper, A Classifier based on hybrid approach is proposed and implemented that handle concept drifting stream data. The proposed classifier is used Naives Bayes as base learner for classification of concept drifting stream data where as concept drift is detected and handled by using drift detection method. Experiments and results on datasets show that the proposed approach performs well with improvement in accuracy of classification and can detect and adapt to concept drifts. Keywords—concept drift, stream data, classification, drift detection.


Background: Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a recently recognized, immune-mediated chronic fibrotic inflammation that can involve almost all organs, causing tumefaction and dysfunction. Its presence in pulmonary circulation is underestimated and has not yet been investigated. Objectives: We describe a representative IgG4-RD patient with pulmonary artery stenosis and pulmonary embolism, leading to reversible pulmonary hypertension. Literature review of IgG4-RD with pulmonary circulation involvement was conducted. Data sources: References for this review were identified through searches via PubMed, EBSCO, and Web of Science for published articles before November 2016. Results: There were 15 published cases of IgG4-RD with pulmonary vascular involvement, 3 with pulmonary arteritis, 2 with pulmonary artery aneurysm, 3 with pulmonary artery stenosis, 1 with obliterative phlebitis, and 1 with pulmonary embolism. Possible immunity and inflammation mechanisms were summarized. Conclusions: IgG4-RD with pulmonary vascular involvement is rare. Echocardiogram and contrast-enhanced chest CT are helpful to screen the disease. Clinical manifestations were found from asymptomatic to dyspnea or even syncope. And nearly all cases had more than 1 organ affected, with significantly increased serum IgG4 levels. PET/CT aided in identifying affected organs and determining candidate biopsy sites. More awareness is urged to evaluate the pulmonary vascular manifestations of this disease.


The activity around the standardization of an IEEE 802.11 mesh protocol has gained momentum in recent years. The mesh architecture presents a huge potential for multiple device-to-device communication, which will likely be realized through multi-channel access techniques. Prior studies on multi-channel access focus on routing and media access control (MAC) layers and are limited primarily to analysis and simulation. In this paper, we present the application of a novel approach called distributed information sharing (DISH) to provide a simple multi-channel access solution for 802.11 mesh networks. We present a cooperative multi-channel access extension of the 802.11 MAC protocol by incorporating DISH into the IEEE 802.11 DCF design and implement the protocol using commodity 802.11 hardware and open source Linux drivers. The paper also presents protocol design considerations, implementation challenges and experimental results from a mesh testbed. The study clearly demonstrates the performance superiority of the technique under heavy traffic conditions and confirms that cooperative multi-channel access is a promising technology for boosting the performance of 802.11 mesh networks.


South Africa's industries in the agricultural sector spend some of the statutory levy income on export promotion and market development (EPMD) activities. Some industries argue that levy expenditure on EPMD activities generates satisfactory returns on investment but empirical evidence is yet to be presented to support the argument. Hence, this study fills this gap by building a unique dataset based on levy expenditure on EPMD for four industries (citrus, deciduous fruits, table grapes and wine) and using econometric analysis to assess the impact of EPMD on exports, net agricultural income and social welfare over a ten years' period (2006- 2015). Furthermore, we estimate the returns generated on exports, agricultural net income and social welfare per Rand of levy expenditure on exports, net agricultural income and social welfare. In the analysis, we control for unobserved heterogeneity, multi-collinearity and reverse causality. Results suggest that levy expenditure on EPMD has a statistically significant positive impact on exports, net income and social welfare across all industries. On average, a unit increase in levy expenditure on EPMD leads to an increase in exports by 7.3 percent (table grapes and deciduous fruits), 5.6 percent (wine), 5.25 percent (citrus). For agricultural net income, a unit increase in levy expenditure on EPMD is on average associated with a 7.5 percent, 4.9 percent, 4.3 percent and 3.6 percent increase for table grapes, citrus, wine and deciduous fruits, respectively. Across all industries, the range of social welfare improvement lies between 0.2 percent and 0.4 percent per unit increase in levy expenditure on EPMD. Furthermore, results suggest that one Rand spent on EPMD for the four industries in question on average generates a R404 increase in exports, R39 of additional agricultural net income and a US$26 worth of improvement in social welfare. All in all, levy expenditure on EPMD plays a key role in fostering exports, agricultural net income and social welfare improvement. Policy wise, there is need for mobilisation of more resources to facilitate the EPMD initiative into new markets and products for the industries.


This paper addresses the problem of the sea wave energy conversion. The power delivery at low speeds is one of the barriers imposed by the irregular movement of sea waves, requiring the use of electric machines that can produce large amounts of force to compensate the low speeds of that motion. The main concern is the proposal of a new linear switched reluctance generator. The generator has high power density, robustness and easy modeling and construction. Its analytical design and optimization based on Finite Element Method are presented. Results and design challenges are discussed.


Abstract Fresh autologous pericardium is an alternative aortic valve substitute for children; however, the data were scarce and mixing. We presented a case of a 2-year-old boy who underwent right coronary leaflet replacement with fresh autologous pericardium and ventricular septal defect correction. At 17-year follow-up, the valve was in good condition and the patient remained asymptomatic without any medication.