The proliferation of computational capabilities of mobile handheld devices has made them a viable medium for carrying out a wide range of activities, involving information exchange. One new area where mobile technology is gaining great usefulness in society is crime detection and reporting. One major problem hindering crime detection and reporting is lack of efficient communication platform between the police and the general public: the general public and the police lack a common platform for exchanging real time information about criminal activities, crime suspects and those under investigation for various crimes in the society. Lack of readily accessible information of crime trends in major towns and cities is also a key setback to public security needs. In this paper, a mobile infrastructure for detecting, reporting and tracking down criminal perpetrators using a mobile device is proposed. This is based on the client-server architecture; allowing users (the general public) to exchange various categories of crime/criminal related information with law enforcement agencies in real time.


We report an atmospheric multichannel data transmission system with channel separation by vortex beams of various orders, including half-integer values. For the demultiplexing of the communication channels, a multichannel diffractive optical element (DOE) is proposed, being matched with the used vortex beams. The considered approach may be realized without digital processing of the output images, but only based on the numbers of informative diffraction orders, similar to sorting. The system is implemented based on two spatial light modulators (SLMs), one of which forms a multiplexed signal on the transmitting side, and the other implements a multichannel DOE for separating the vortex beams on the receiving side. The stability of the communication channel to atmospheric interference and the crosstalk between the channels are investigated.


Some of this past year's key papers or abstracts on psoriatic arthritis (PsA) assessment and treatment are reviewed in this paper. Treatment begins with identification of the PsA patient. Several screening questionnaires have been developed to be used in dermatology and primary care settings to identify which patients with psoriasis have developed PsA as opposed to other common musculoskeletal problems, such as osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia, thus increasing case-finding and targeting referral. PsA can present in a heterogeneous manner, involving arthritis, enthesitis, dactylitis, spondylitis, and skin and nail disease. Measures of these individual domains have been developed for use in clinical trials and improved PsA-specific composite measures of these domains are being evaluated as well. A quantitative therapy target, Minimal Disease Activity criteria, has been developed by the GRAPPA group. Treatment recommendations have been published by EULAR and GRAPPA. Obesity is a risk factor for the development of PsA and may adversely influence treatment outcomes. Although pharmacologic treatment often begins with methotrexate, a recent study does not provide clear evidence of its effectiveness. Anti-TNF therapies remain the gold standard of effectiveness. New therapeutic options are potentially emerging including ustekinumab, abatacept, several IL-17 inhibitors, apremilast, JAK inhibitors, and possibly IL-6 inhibitors.


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  Rather than generating savings as expected, the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) has created losses for the Medicare program for four years in a row.  Calculations by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) appear to show that ACOs with downside risk produce higher savings than the "upside-only" ACOs. However, Medicare actually spends more per beneficiary in the downside risk ACOs than in other ACOs, with no difference in quality. Moreover, ACOs that have moved to the downside risk tracks have saved less after doing so.  The risk adjustment and benchmarking formulas used by CMS can penalize ACOs that serve higher-need patients and patients living in rural areas. The greater savings attributed to downsiderisk ACOs may have more to do with differences in the types of patients they see than differences in the way they deliver care.  Concerns about the problems with the risk adjustment and benchmarking methodologies in the MSSP have made many ACOs unwilling to enter the downside risk tracks. Requiring all ACOs to move to downside risk could force successful ACOs to leave the program, thereby reducing Medicare savings and harming the quality of care for millions of beneficiaries.  There are other options for modifying the Medicare Shared Savings Program in order to increase Medicare savings, including dropping ACOs from the program if they fail to achieve savings after two consecutive years, reducing shared savings payments for ACOs that incur losses before achieving savings, reducing the shared savings rate below 50% for Track 1 ACOs, and/or enabling ACOs to take accountability for the specific types of services they can control rather than placing them at risk for total Medicare spending.  Neither shared savings nor shared risk payment models solve the fundamental problems in the fee-for-service payment system. As a result, it is unlikely the MSSP will ever result in significant savings or improvements in quality, and it has the potential to harm patients by rewarding providers that withhold necessary services.  Instead of continuing to modify the Medicare Shared Savings Program, CMS should focus on implementing Patient-Centered Alternative Payment Models that provide the resources physicians, hospitals, and other providers need to successfully address their patients' healthcare needs while holding the providers accountable for those aspects of spending and quality they can control. June 2018


OBJECTIVES
 We compared the efficacy of the Cypher Select (Cordis Corporation, Bridgewater, NJ, USA) sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) versus balloon angioplasty (BA) in in-stent restenosis (ISR) of Taxus or Taxus Liberté paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES; Boston Scientific, Natick, MA, USA) or Cypher/Cypher Select SES.

BACKGROUND
Optimal treatment strategies have not been identified for drug-eluting stent (DES) ISR.

METHODS
Patients with a native coronary artery SES or PES ISR were randomized to SES or BA. In addition, a control group included BMS ISR treated with SES. Angiographic control was performed at 12 months.

RESULTS
281 patients were enrolled. Significant differences favoring SES over BA were noted in immediate and net gain (1.39 ± 0.51 vs. 0.97 ± 0.54 mm, P < 0.0001 and 1.07 ± 0.69 vs. 0.49 ± 0.67 mm, P < 0.0001), 12-month mean luminal diameter (MLD; 2.14 ± 0.62 vs. 1.71 ± 0.55 mm, P < 0.0001) and percent diameter stenosis (%DS; 21 ± 19.24 vs. 29.82 ± 18.47, P = 0.001). There was no significant difference at 12 months between SES and BA in the primary end-point late lumen loss (LLL; 0.37 ± 0.57 vs.0.41 ± 0.63, P = 0.73) and in in-stent binary restenosis (11.1% vs. 14%, P = 0.59). Target-lesion revascularization (TLR) was numerically lower in patients treated with SES (5.9% vs. 13.1%, P = 0.097). There was no difference according to the initial DES. In contrast, significantly higher immediate and net gains and MLD were noted in the BMS control group treated by SES.

CONCLUSIONS
In this angiographic randomized trial comparing SES and BA in SES or PES restenosis, 12 month MLD, immediate and net gain, and %DS favored SES whereas no difference was noted in LLL. Condensed abstract optimal treatment strategies have not been identified for sirolimus-(SES) or paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) in-stent restenosis (ISR). We randomized patients with a native coronary artery SES or PES ISR to SES or BA. In addition, a control group included BMS ISR treated with SES. There was no difference in the primary end-point, late lumen loss (LLL) at 12 months between the SES and BA groups. However, follow-up MLD and immediate and net gain favored SES.


There are good theoretical reasons to consider seriously the possibility that gravity is not described precisely by Einstein's General Relativity but rather by some alternative theory. First, attempts to renormalize General Relativity in the 1960s and 1970s showed clearly that counterterms must be introduced which alter the theory significantly and make its field equations of fourth order instead of second. From the physical point of view, this fact implies that extra degrees of freedom, in addition to the usual spin two graviton, need to be introduced. Unfortunately, the corrected theory is not free of ghosts, which makes it non-unitary. The corrections introduced by renormalization are quadratic in the algebraic invariants of the curvature tensor and were successfully employed in R-inflation in the early universe. By retaining only corrections quadratic in the Ricci scalar R or, by extension, corrections which are general non-linear functions ofR (and no longer motivated by renormalization), one obtains the so-called class of f .R/ theories of gravity. Second, when one tries to approach gravity (and the other interactions) from the high energy side and then obtain low-energy physics, one does not recover Einstein's theory. Adopting, at least as a temporary model, string theory as a full theory of quantum gravity which also unifies the known interactions, one can take a lowenergy limit which, again, does not reproduce General Relativity but gives instead a Brans-Dicke theory. Scalar-tensor theories of gravity have been known for a long time and were developed following initial suggestions by Dirac, Jordan, Fierz, and Thiery, culminating in the 1961 paper by Brans and Dicke introducing what is now known as Brans-Dicke theory. The original motivations for Brans-Dicke theory were rooted in the need to implement Mach's principle, which is not fully incorporated in General Relativity, in a relativistic theory of gravity. After Brans-Dicke theory (the prototype of scalar-tensor theories of gravity) was born, research on Mach's principle went its own way and, without doubt, the interest of modern physicists in scalar-tensor gravity arises more from string theories than from Mach's principle. Dilaton fields and their non-minimal couplings to the spacetime curvature are unavoidable features of string theories, shared with scalar-tensor gravity. It seems, therefore, that first loop corrections or attempts to fully quantize gravity necessarily introduce significant deviations from General Relativity and extra degrees of freedom. The recent thermodynamics of spacetime approach to emergent gravity pictures General Relativity as a thermodynamical state of equilibrium


This chapter presents the design, fabrication, numerical simulations and experimental investigations of a polymeric microgripper designed using the cascaded V-shaped electrothermal actuators. The microgripper has a total length around 1 mm and a total thickness of only 20 μ m. The microgripper was simulated using electro-thermo-mechanical finite element method (FEM) in order to check the performance of the gripper. As structural material of the microgripper, the SU-8 biocompatible polymer was used during the fabrication process. A fabrication process was implemented to realize the microgripper using a symmetrically sandwich structure. The metallic micro-heaters were encapsulated in the polymeric actuation structure of the microgrippers to reduce the undesirable out-of-plane displacement of the gripper tips and the mechanical stress, to improve the thermal efficiency, and for obtaining the electrical isolation of the structure. Experimental testing has been performed to determine the openings and the temperatures of the microgripper tips as function of electrical current. A displacement of the tips of more than 50 μ m can be obtained at an electrical current of around 26 – 28 mA. A comparison between the simulation results and the measurements were also presented.


The notion of SL2-tiling is a generalization of that of classical Coxeter-Conway frieze pattern. We classify doubly antiperiodic SL2-tilings that contain a rectangular domain of positive integers. Every such SL2-tiling corresponds to a pair of frieze patterns and a unimodular 2 × 2-matrix with positive integer coefficients. We relate this notion to triangulated n-gons in the Farey graph.


The concept of sustainable development has been introduced to the global stage by the United Nations. To achieve sustainable development, education is an essential tool. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is becoming increasingly important at all levels of the educational system including Higher Education Institutions (HEI). Many HEI have taken the initiative to integrate the concept of sustainable development into their curriculum and educational activities. Thus, the integration of teaching and research is becoming a key issue in higher education. There is no exact pedagogy for sustainable development education, but there is a broad consensus that it requires a shift toward active, participative, and experiential learning methods that engage learners and make a difference to their understanding, thinking and ability to act. The main objective of this study is to explore the application of the constructivist approach as the instructional design in sustainable development education. This research employs both quantitative and qualitative methods. The sample consists of Civil Engineering Diploma students. A set of survey questionnaire has been administered among them. Eleven respondents underwent semi-structured interview. The respondents were also given the pretest and posttest at the beginning and the end of the semester as well as an open-ended questionnaire in the classroom. They also did field trip report and group work assignment. Generally, this study contributes to the pool of knowledge in teaching and learning pedagogy which eventually will help to educate students on sustainable development more effectively.


The Ghana Police Service is constantly criticised by the Ghanaian public for poor performance and an inability to deal effectively with rising crime rates. Media reports and scholarly research have corroborated these criticisms, citing instances of police brutality, corruption, negligence, ineffectiveness and complicity in crimes. However, with few exceptions, the same police are widely applauded in United Nations peacekeeping operations for their professionalism, outstanding performance, and contributions to restoring peace and the rule of law. This raises the question of why the police's performance at home differs from its performance in peacekeeping contexts. This article analyses the factors that underpin the perceived variations in police performance at home and internationally. Based on in-depth interviews conducted with relevant stakeholders and the application of assemblage theory to the empirical evidence gathered, it argues that perceived variations in performance have nothing to do with the technical competencies and knowledge of police personnel. Rather, this discrepancy can be explained by factors including: the effects of the colonial legacy on the police; different mandates/tasks in mission and in Ghana; distinct socio-cultural and political dynamics that influence policing; different legal frameworks and principles that govern domestic and international policing; limited availability of human and logistical resources and funding for domestic policing; and different methods for dealing with indiscipline and corruption.


Black athletes were barred from playing baseball in the major and minor leagues prior to 1946 with few exceptions. The implementation of the color line in organized baseball during the nineteenth century has been the focus of thorough research. Less studied is integrated baseball among independent town teams, and this research has focused on particular players or circumstances rather than an entire state or region across a broad span of baseball history. Integrated teams in Kansas provide a unique opportunity to examine their history at these larger scales. Prior to 1946, major league baseball was essentially concentrated east of the Mississippi River, which placed Kansas on the sport's broad western frontier. Also, the role of Kansas in the prelude to the Civil War placed the state on the boundary separating North from South. In addition to the geographical context, most newspapers published in the state prior to 1923 and several published after that year have been digitized. Collectively, these circumstances make Kansas well suited to serve as a case study of the broader history of integrated baseball from 1865 to 1945. This book begins with biographies of more than 80 Black baseballists who played or umpired games with white or predominantly white town teams and minor league clubs, as well as predominantly Black teams that had white players. With the foundation provided by these experiences, the questions of why, when, and where integrated town teams took the field are examined and placed within the context of segregation and exclusion across the broader community.


ABSTRACT Multi-module images registration is a challenging task in image processing, and more especially in the field of remote sensing. In this letter, we strive to present a novel mutual information scheme for image registration in remote sensing scenario based on feature map technique. We firstly take saliency detection advantages to extract geographic pattern, and then utilize the efficient Laplacian of Gaussian(LOG) and Guided Filter methods to construct a new feature map based on different characteristic of multi-channel images. To avoid practical traps of sub-optimization, we propose an novel mutual information(MI) algorithm based on an adapted weight strategy. The proposed model divides an image into patches and assigns weighted values according to patch similarities in order to solve the optimization problem, improve accuracy and enhance performance. Note that, our proposed method incorporates the LOG and Guided Filter methods into image registration for the first time to construct a new feature map based on differences and similarities strategy. Experiments are conducted over island and coastline scenes, and reveal that our hybrid model has a significant performance and outperforms the state-of-the-art methods in remote sensing image registration.


BACKGROUND
Water-in-oil-in-water (W1 /O/W2 ) emulsions stabilized by protein-carbohydrate complexes were prepared from an inner water phase (W1 ), an oil phase (O), and an outer water phase (W2 ). The complexes consisted of heat-induced aggregates (HIAs) of isomalto-oligosaccharide/egg white protein Maillard conjugates. The effects of Polyglycerol ester of polyricinoleic acid (PGPR) concentration, HIA concentration, W1 -to-O volume ratio, and W1 /O-to-W2 volume ratio on the properties of the W1 /O/W2 emulsions were systematically investigated.

RESULTS
At sufficiently high PGPR concentrations (> 2%), the emulsions possess a high negative charge (≈ -44 mV). The encapsulation efficiency of the emulsions, which was determined by incorporating a hydrophilic yellow dye in the inner water phase prior to homogenization, was relatively high (up to 93%) and did not change significantly during 14-days storage at 4 °C. All emulsions were fluids that exhibited shear thinning behavior.

CONCLUSION
Overall, this study shows that nature-derived emulsifiers can be used to create W1 /O/W2 emulsions suitable for application in the food industry. In addition, we provided a viable strategy to encapsulate water-soluble substant. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


This paper emphasizes the suitability of five different strains of yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus for alcoholic fermentation on deproteinized whey. The selection of yeast strains was performed at different cultivation conditions: temperatures were 300 C, 340 C and 37 0C respectively, and the concentration of lactose in the substrate varied from 5 % to 15 %. Cultivations were carried out in aerobic conditions on a rotary shaker, at pH 4, 5-5, 0. During cultivations the kinetics of alcoholic fermentations was analysed. Satisfactory results were achieved almost with all the yeast strains, but the best results were gained with K. marxianus VST 44 and ZIM 75 respectively. On the other hand, 34 0C seemed to be the optimal temperature for both strains. To optimize the process fed-batch cultivations were performed with the chosen strains of K. marxianus at 34 0C in aerobic/anaerobic conditions. The process ended after 12-14 hours. At the end of the process the biomass yield reached 10 g/L and the ethanol concentration was 7, 31 % (v/v). The results achieved in all experiments showed that the selected yeast strains K. marxianus VST 44 and ZIM 75 could be succesfully used in the ethanol and yeast biomass production on whey.


Since the mid-20th century, the Organization of American States (OAS) has been the premier supranational organization governing the affairs of South America. In 2008, however, the sway of the OAS in South America was checked by the creation of a new regional organization – the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). The creation of UNASUR was in reaction to many perceived failures of the OAS. Although the OAS has worked to provide opportunities for South Americans and a point of justice apart from the continent's various nations – some of whom which have visited great suffering on their own people – the OAS's detractors feel, inter alia, that the OAS has not properly mitigated gargantuan income gaps among the citizenry, is too weak to manage South American affairs without intervention by external international organizations, and is too complacent with the over-reach of U.S. influence. The signing of the 2008 Constitutive Treaty which established UNASUR and created a uniform South American government, presidency, and financial system may usher in a new era of South American development and regional patriotism. But UNASUR is far from perfect, and ultimately it is under-equipped to manage a conflict should one arise between it and the OAS - the reigning matriarch in a land of mothers. For the sake of understanding how UNASUR might have to interact with the OAS and how states will have to balance their domestic responsibilities with these new regional priorities, this article will conduct a comparative analysis of the two organizations. It will analyze each bodies' respective histories, purposes, political jurisdictions, policies on interactions with third-parties, and conflict resolution mechanisms while analyzing possible consequences for legal friction and overlap. The article will conclude by stating its position on whether or not, because of the pre-existence of a similarly-situated institution, UNASUR can really benefit the South American people.


Polypropylene (PP) is the second most widespread commodity polyolefin. Even a small quantity of inorganic component is sufficient to achieve significant improvement of stiffness, strength, thermal stability, biodegradability, etc. The major drawback of inorgano-organic composite materials is insufficient compatibility of the PP matrix with inorganic filler. A suitable choice of the layered double hydroxide-modifying anion opens a possibility to obtain PP-inorganic nanocomposites without a need to use compatibilizers like maleic anhydride grafted PP. The nanocomposites were prepared by melt blending in a twin-screw mini-extruder and characterized by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, and electron microscopy. Nonpolar PP matrix mix uniformly with clay organophilized with functionalized surfactant acids, giving rise to composites with improved thermo-mechanical properties. Influences of the anionic modifier and the filler content (2 or 5% w/w) on mechanical properties and nanoscale structure of the composites are discussed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 2429–2438, 2013


Excellent service decides about competition and survival abilities of businesses! Identifying trends and recognizing opportunities in the modern service economy with a view to actively shaping the future: This is what the various chapters of this volume set out to do. Find a collection of factual observation, empirical data and expert opinions on trends and perspectives on the future of services that can inspire strategy development and decision making in research, politics and business. The basis is the second international survey of "MARS" (International Monitoring of Activities and Research in Services). Highlights- Linking-up of economy, science and politics - Connecting to international trends- Forming-up of market and opinion leadership


This paper describes a low-loss tunable dielectric resonator band bandpass filter for the frequency range 1 to 12 GHz. The filters are mechanically and/or magnetically tuned. Mode splitting, due to coupling between dimensional dielectric resonances with ferrimagnetic modes, and heat sinking techniques significantly improve the power-handling capabilities.


Irradiation of heptamethylbenzenium ion in a variety of aqueous acids using light of wavelength greater than 350 nm leads to the formation of pentamethylcyclopentadiene and acetone. In 50% HBF4 and 70% HClO4 this photolysis is very clean and can be used as a convenient preparation of pentamethylcyclopentadiene. A mechanism is proposed for the reaction.


BACKGROUND
We conducted a retrospective multi-centre study to determine the characteristics of prostate cancer in renal transplant recipients (RTR) and to analyse the relation with immunosuppressive maintenance therapies.

METHODS
Patients from 19 French transplant centres diagnosed with prostate cancer at least 1 year after kidney transplantation were included in this study. Data regarding demographics, kidney transplantation, prostate cancer and immunosuppressive treatment were analysed.

RESULTS
Sixty-two patients met the eligibility criteria for this study. Thirty-eight patients (61.3%) received calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) and azathioprine (AZA) with or without steroids, twenty received CNI with or without steroids (32.2%) and four received CNI and mycophenolate mofetil (6.5%). Patients with CNI and AZA immunosuppressive therapy presented more high-stage cancer (T3 and T4) when compared to patients receiving CNI alone (47.5% versus 15%, respectively, P = 0.03). A non-significant increase in lymph node invasion was found in patients receiving CNI and AZA compared to patients receiving CNI alone (21% versus 5%, P = 0.16). In the multivariate analysis, the immunosuppressive regimen with CNI and AZA was the only independent risk factor for locally advanced disease (P = 0.007).

CONCLUSION
Our results showed that RTR are at risk for early occurrence and for locally advanced prostate cancer, especially when they received a CNI and AZA maintenance immunosuppressive therapy.


OBJECTIVES
Recent research suggests that older adults have difficulties with aspects of configural face processing. The present study examined whether age-related declines in sensitivity to configural face information are dependent on the face region in which configural changes occur.

METHOD
Younger and older adults completed a face-matching task that required the detection of configural manipulations to either the eye or the mouth regions of target faces.

RESULTS
Age-related declines in the ability to detect configural changes were found when the eye region of the face was modified. Importantly, no age-related differences were evident when perceiving similar changes to the mouth region.

DISCUSSION
Taken together, these findings suggest that age-related differences in sensitivity to configural information are specific to the eye region of the face. The potential implications of these findings for age-related difficulties in interpreting social cues from the eyes are discussed.


Background:Patients with implanted left ventricular assist device (LVAD) have been shown in multiple studies to have significantly increased bleeding rates, and yet independent risk factors for such complications remain poorly characterized.
 Objective:This study sought to assess factors associated with increased bleeding risks after LVAD implantation.
 Methods: The case-control study was represented by a retrospective electronic medical chart review for all adult patients above age 18, who had the LVAD implanted at Maimonides Medical Center from 2013-2018. The study comprised of a follow up period of 24 months after the LVAD implantation.
 84 adult patients with implanted LVADs at Maimonides Medical Center were included in the study. The predictors among patients with any late postoperative bleeding (>7 days post-surgery) within the study period were compared to those without any events of interest. The outcome measure was a composite variable reflecting any bleeding event, such as upper and lower gastrointestinal (GI) bleed, intracranial hemorrhage or hemorrhage in any other organ. Patients were considered to have GI bleed if they had one or more of the following symptoms: guaiac-positive stool with hemoglobin drop >2g/dL, hematemesis, melena, active bleeding or blood within the GI tract at the time of endoscopy or colonoscopy. Intracranial or other organ bleeding was defined as appropriate clinical presentation and findings on imaging with hemoglobin levels reduced by more than or equal to 2 g/dl with no alternative explanation for anemia.
 Logistic regression was used to create a multivariable model to identify predictors associated with an increased risk of all cause bleeding within 24 months after LVAD implantation.
 Results: The study population consisted of 43 cases and 41 controls. Baseline characteristics were similar in both groups. A total of 43 (51%) patients had at least 1 episode of any type of bleed within study period.
 Multivariable analyses showed that blood urea nitrogen (BUN) >20 before LVAD implantation and Creatinine >1.2 at the time of bleeding were significantly associated with all cause bleeding risk within 24 months after surgery with odds ratio (OR): 4.46, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.78 to 11.15 and OR 3.55, 95% CI 1.13 to 11.15 respectively.
 Conclusions: Perioperative BUN >20 (p=0.001) and postoperative Creatinine >1.2 (p=0.03) are associated with higher incidence of all cause bleeding within 24 months after surgery among patients with LVAD. Future studies should evaluate whether there are other factors accurately predicting bleeding events in order to improve outcomes.

 No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of laparoscopic surgery on and lipid hyperoxidation in patients with hysteromyoma.

METHODS
Forty patients with hysteromyoma were randomly divided into 2 equal groups: laparoscopy group and laparotomy group. The plasma advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), malondialdehyde (MDA), antioxidant activity (AOA), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity were measured before operation, just after operation (5 minutes after deflation) and 24 hours after operation.

RESULTS
(1) In the laparoscopy group, the levels of AOPP and MDA were (50.20 +/- 9.23) micromol/L and (1.85 +/- 0.19) micromol/L before operation, increased significantly just after operation [(68.75 +/- 12.69) micromol/L and (2.52 +/- 0.55) micromol/L respectively, both P < 0.01], and recovered to the normal level 24 hour postoperatively [(49.70 +/- 9.92) micromol/L and (2.05 +/- 0.68) micromol/L respectively, both P > 0.05]. The levels of GPx and AOA decreased significantly just after operation [(0.29 +/- 0.09) U/ml vs. (0.62 +/- 0.27) U/mL and (0.90 +/- 0.24) mmol/L vs. (1.41 +/- 0.39) mmol/L respectively, both P < 0.01], and the GPx level recovered 24 hours after operation [(0.52 +/- 0.06) U/mL, P > 0.05], however, the AOA level was still lower [(1.00 +/- 0.31) mmol/L, P < 0.01]. In the laparotomy group, the levels of plasma AOPP and MDA level slightly increased just after operation in comparison with those before operation [(53.39 +/- 9.86) micromol/L vs. (52.30 +/- 7.10) micromol/L and (2.09 +/- 0.51) micromol/L vs. (1.83 +/- 0.64) micromol/L respectively, both P > 0.05] and continued to increase 24 hours after operation [(63.40 +/- 15.5) micromol/L, P < 0.05, and (2.42 +/- 0.44) micromol/L, P < 0.01]; the GPx and AOA levels decreased a little just after operation [(0.51 +/- 0.17) U/mL vs. (0.57 +/- 0.21) U/mL and (1.20 +/- 0.46) mmol/L vs. (1.33 +/- 0.37) mmol/L, both P > 0.05] and continued to decrease 24 hours after operation [(0.35 +/- 0.19) U/mL and (0.92 +/- 0.22) mmol/L respectively, both P < 0.01]. Compared with those of the laparotomy group, the plasma AOPP and MDA levels of the laparoscopy group were both significantly lower (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05), and the GPx level was significantly higher (P < 0.01) 24 hours after operation, however, the AOA level was not significantly different (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION
Laparoscopic surgery is better than laparotomy. Protein oxidation and lipid hyperoxidation occur during the laparoscopic surgery, however, disappeared after operation. Free radicals are generated by the end of laparoscopic procedure, possibly as a result of an ischemia-reperfusion phenomenon induced by the inflation and deflation of the pneumoperitoneum. AOPP and MDA are induced during laparoscopic procedure and then return to the normal levels finally.


Cambodia's microcredit sector – the world's largest (in per capita terms) and most profitable – has created a raft of negative economic and social phenomena that are increasingly undermining the functioning of the economy and cohesiveness of society. Three especially damaging trajectories associated with Cambodia's microcredit sector are: (1) a 'no-growth' low productivity economic structure built on an 'extractivist' logic; (2) reckless lending strategies that have created dangerous levels of over-indebtedness in the poorest communities; and (3) the widespread use of land titles as collateral which has inevitably led to the growing loss of land by the poor through coerced informal sales. The COVID-19 pandemic may require the government to bail-out struggling microcredit institutions in Cambodia. A logical, pro-poor way forward would be to make such bail-outs conditional upon an agreed conversion of existing privately/foreign owned microcredit institutions into local community-owned and controlled financial ones. Debt-for-equity swaps would be one way to achieve this goal.<br>


The heterogeneous postal delivery model assumes that each intermediate node in the multicasting tree incurs a constant switching time for each message that is sent. We have proposed a new model where we assume a more generalized switching time at intermediate nodes. In our model, a child node v of a parent u has a switching delay vector, where the ith element of the vector indicates the switching delay incurred by u for sending the message to v after sending the message to i - 1 other children of u. Given a multicast tree and switching delay vectors at each non-root node in the tree, we provide an O(n5/2) optimal algorithm that will decide the order in which the internal (non-leaf) nodes have to send the multicast message to its children in order to minimize the maximum end-to-end delay due to multicasting. We also show an important lower bound result that optimal multicast switching delay problem is as hard as min-max matching problem on weighted bi- partite graphs and hence O(n5/2) running time is tight.


Aldosterone seems to play a role in the regulation of the electrolyte content of sperm and in the motility of spermatozoa. The aim of the study was to evaluate the presence of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) in human ejaculated spermatozoa. We have assayed MR on spermatozoa of freshly ejaculated sperm from healthy donors. The identification of MR was made by using immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence analyses, while MR mRNA expression was evaluated by real-time PCR assay. The immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence analyses showed positive staining both in the midpiece and in the tail of the spermatozoa. Relative quantification of MR by using real-time PCR shows that the mRNA expression of MR in spermatozoa is lower than in mononuclear leukocytes (positive controls). Sequencing showed complete identity between the sequence obtained from spermatozoa and the human MR cDNA sequence. Further studies should be performed in order to elucidate a possible physiological role of aldosterone in regulating electrolyte concentration, and the pro-oxidant effect of excess aldosterone in this new target tissue.


Transparency is a significant political virtue to ensure efficient and effective public service delivery. This study examined the impact of political transparency on public service delivery in Uganda, using Agago district as a case study. A cross-sectional, correlation study was conducted. Questionnaires data of 110 public officials and interview data of 40 local community members in Agago district were analyzed using multiple regression and correlations. Results show that political transparency has a strong and positive impact on public service delivery with a 50 per cent variance among the variables. The insights gained from this study demonstrated the important role that political transparency plays in promoting quality public service delivery. But future research should enhance the sample size and consider a larger study area. Suggestions on how to expand on and refine the current study are addressed.


Although per capita cigarette consumption has fallen by ten percent in developed countries since 1970, in developing countries it has risen by sixty-seven percent.(1) Globally, lung cancer is skyrocketing,(2) and ninety percent of this increase is attributable to cigarette smoking.(3) In a developing country like India, for example, where deaths would be expected to result from infectious diseases, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 800,000 deaths would result in 1990 from tobacco use.(4) In 1990, the WHO gauged that the number of deaths per year in the world due to smoking had reached three million, the equivalent of eight thousand deaths per day.(5) The WHO expects this figure to at least triple by the time today's teenage smokers reach middle age.(6) By the year 2025, ten million people are expected to die each year from tobacco use.(7) Seven million of these deaths will occur in developing countries, with two million deaths per year in China alone.(8) The United States has contributed to this increase in cancer deaths by changing consumption patterns within developing countries through private industry and official government action.(9) U.S. tobacco manufacturers have contributed by (1) targeting the Asia-Pacific region (particularly China), Eastern Europe, and Russia as growth areas suited for significant investment;(10) (2) using sophisticated marketing and advertising techniques to sell their tobacco products;(11) and (3) petitioning the U.S. government to open markets on their behalf.(12) Although these private actions are significant, state action is needed to conclude that a legal principle has been violated. The U.S. government has contributed to the increase in cancer deaths by (1) threatening trade sanctions if markets are not opened to U.S. tobacco products and advertising bans are not lifted;(13) (2) attempting to increase the sale of U.S. tobacco products abroad through the lobbying efforts of members of Congress(14) and congressional committee staff members,(15) the creation of federally funded foreign market development programs for tobacco,(16) and the former inclusion of tobacco within the list of surplus crops to be distributed "to less developed or famine stricken regions of the world" through the Food For Peace program;(17) and (3) exempting U.S. cigarette exports from major federal controls on the export of potentially harmful products or substances.(18) Through these actions, the U.S. government has contributed to the increase in cigarette consumption abroad. As a result, it has contributed to the violation of health and human rights(19) in other countries. This Note is organized in the following manner. Part I analyzes smoking's impact on health, highlighting the disproportionate threat to the health of populations in developing countries and of particular groups within those countries. Part II examines the international economic landscape for the export of tobacco products. This section also sheds light on the reason for the U.S. cigarette exporters' assertion that the opening of markets closed to tobacco imports is a trade issue rather than a health issue.(20) Part III provides an overview of the methods used by U.S. tobacco firms to penetrate foreign markets, with particular emphasis on their marketing practices. Part IV describes U.S. government efforts to facilitate the export of U.S. tobacco products. Part V highlights the actions of developing countries: first, their involvement in the export of tobacco products and, second, a survey of importing countries' efforts to educate their citizens about the health risks associated with smoking and to pass legislation to curb the promotion of tobacco products. Although countries in the former Soviet Union and in Eastern Europe are passing legislation to ban the advertising, and in some instances to prohibit the sale, of tobacco,(21) this Note limits its analysis of this issue to developments in Southeast Asian countries. …


Impact tests were performed, as part of a corresponding container's substantiation, during design development of a shielded container proposed for use at Sellafield for waste retrieval from the First Generation Magnox Storage Pond (FGMSP) in the UK.
The mechanical test program comprised a 9m free drop test onto an unyielding target in a container long lid edge down orientation at ambient conditions. Further, a 0,5m free drop test onto a punch target was performed. Here, the container was orientated with the lid downwards in a way that the punch, a mild steel bar, impacts a filter lid.
The test specimen was instrumented with strain gauges and accelerometers for the drop tests. Transient strains at selected points of the inner and outer container walls, at the shielding lid, as well as at the lid bolts were measured during the container's impact. Furthermore, decelerations of the container body, container lid, and the skip were measured. The complex geometrical changes of the container due to impact were determined by optical 3d- deformation measures using the projected fringes method in combination with multi-image photogrammetry.
This paper summarizes the performance of the drop tests and various drop test results in context with the design development as well as aspects regarding the associated Finite Element (FE) analyses and post-test evaluation.


The Malaysian National Park or Taman Negara (TN) is a totally protected forest which covers an area over 4,000
square kilometres, straddling across three relatively less developed north-eastern states of Pahang, Terengganu
and Kelantan in Peninsular Malaysia. Forest conservation inevitably entails equity-efficiency tradeoffs. The local
communities may lose all or most of the direct benefits provided by the resource, including foregone benefits such as agricultural development and other alternative uses. While all the other indirect and non-use values may accrue to both
local and external communities, foregone benefits may pose a serious policy issue should the affected communities be
relatively poorer or have less access to alternative sources of economic growth and development. This study conducts
an economic valuation of the benefits and costs of Taman Negara's conservation and its resulting equity impacts to
the various stakeholders - global community, Malaysian federal and state governments, and the local community. The
study specifically compares the benefits from TN conservation against alternative land uses, namely sustainable logging,
and sustainable logging and oil palm development. Based on a social discount rate of 2 percent and lower bound price
estimates of carbon and marketed goods prices, the study shows that existing conservation policies provide higher
economic benefits compared to other land use options. However, at higher discount rates of 5 and 8 percent, the benefits
from the conservation management option against alternative uses may turn negative. Overall results demonstrate a
clear equity issue between those who benefited from forest conservation and especially the three relatively less developed
states which incurred substantial benefits foregone. To address this issue at the national level, it is recommended that
national conservation policies consider the establishment of a National Forest Conservation Fund for compensation
of environmental services provided by protected forests, similar to the Payment for Environmental Services scheme.
Some portion of the revenue from marketed goods provided by the park particularly recreational services may also be
allocated to the state governments. At the international level, the ongoing REDD Plus programmes need to take into
account cross country equity issue, particularly countries that have long been involved in pre-existing conservation
programme such as the Malaysian Taman Negara.


Demand Responsive Transit (DRT) services are becoming necessary as part of not only alternative transportation means for elderly and mobility impaired passengers, but also sustainable and flexible transportation options in urban area due to the development of communication technologies and Location Based Services (LBS). It is difficult to investigate the system performance regarding vehicle operational schemes and vehicle routing algorithms due to the lack of commercial software to support door-to-door vehicle simulation for larger area. This study proposes a simulation framework to evaluate innovative and flexible transit systems focusing on various vehicle routing algorithms, which describes data-type requirements for simulating door-to-door service on demand. A simulation framework is applied to compare two vehicle dispatch algorithms, Nearest Vehicle Dispatch (NVD) and Insertion Heuristic (IH) for real-time shared-taxi service in Seoul. System productivity and efficiency of the shared-taxi service are investigated, comparing to the conventional taxi system.


The focus of this article is on digital literacy and students' use of digital sources. We are examining how students choose digital video sources when doing group work with tablets in a social studies project. The analysis centers on how students collaboratively negotiate and reason around their choice of video sources during an assignment about environmental issues. The data corpus consists of videos of group work. A sociocultural perspective on learning is employed for analyzing student participation. We explore how the tablets influence the group interaction and how the group members negotiate the process of choosing the video sources found online. The findings show that students do not discuss digital sources only in terms of the formal criteria for digital literacy, but in relation to their perception of how the video sources are presented. It is important to shed light on this aspect of students' use of tablets in school, because being aware of this facet could materialize in greater digital skills which in turn might expand digital literacy.


2 Sellal F, Hirsch E, Lisovoski F, Mutschler V, Collard M, Marescaux C. Contralateral disappearance of parkinsonian signs after subthalamic hematoma. Neurology 1992;42: 255-6. 3 Bergman H, Wichmann T, DeLong MR. Reversal of experimental parkinsonism by lesions of the subthalamic nucleus. Science 1 990;249: 1436-8. 4 Aziz TZ, Peggs D, Sambrook MA, Crossman AR. Lesion of the subthalamic nucleus for the alleviation of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) induced parkinsonism in the primate. Mov Disord 1991;6:288-92.


The goal of this research are (1) to describe affixed reduplication forming deverbal noun, and (2) to describe the meaning of affixed reduplication forming deverbal noun. This research uses theory about (1) morphology, (2) affixed reduplication, (3) derivation, (4) words, (5) nouns, and (6) verbs. Methodology used in this reseach is stuctural description. Research data are affixed reduplication words forming deverbal noun in Javanese language. Data collecting is done by observation, interview, and documen analysis. Data collecting method are scrutinicing and interviewing method. The result of this study is affixed reduplication {-an} forming deverbal noun. (reduplication -an {-R -an}). The meaning of this reduplication is 'producing something like the basic form of the word.


In view of the high mortality from measles in Chile, it was decided to undertake a double-blind, controlled trial of the Enders Edmonston B strain of live measles vaccine in that country as part of a WHO-sponsored programme to obtain information on reactions to that vaccine strain and on the antibody response elicited in children.Between July and December 1962, some 530 children 8 months to 3 years old received inoculations of vaccine, with or without gamma-globulin, or were given a placebo injection. The reactions were generally of moderate intensity and were not appreciably reduced in either frequency or intensity by gamma-globulin. Serological conversion was achieved in about 90% of the vaccinated.On the basis of this experience, it was decided to institute a large-scale immunization in Chile with the same vaccine; the campaign began in May 1963.


Petroglyphs (rock carvings) are a form of tangible cultural heritage that have been used to investigate cultural change and understand the origins of art and belief. However, many sites with rock carvings are accompanied by lichen. They often obscure these panels of rock art, rendering the cultural artefacts inaccessible to study, documentation and public enjoyment. Above all, lichen-covered rock carving is under the threat of lichen-attributed physical and chemical erosion. But evidence of a simultaneous protective role played by lichen has prompted concern that the removal of lichen may result in more rapid deterioration of the rock art.

Stonehenge, a UNESCO World Heritage site, provides a strong case study as dense lichen covers roughly a quarter of its above-ground stone surfaces, rendering it inaccessible to examination. 72 Early Bronze Age carvings have recently been found on the bare stone surfaces prompting concerns that lichen may be obscuring prehistoric rock art.

As a first step towards creating a technique for revealing carvings beneath lichen, an interdisciplinary approach was implemented. Photogrammetry-derived 3-D modelling and machine learning code written in Python were combined to create a method for identifying repeating carving motifs on bare stone surfaces. This code, a neural network classifier called MeshNet, “learns” 3-D shape representation from mesh-based 3-D models and was adapted to capture features of the rock carvings. After training on 150 models (75 carving and non-carving areas of the rock surface each) and testing on 38 models (19 carvings and non-carvings each), our method achieved 84.2% accuracy.

In previous work, we have shown that it is possible to recover indications of carvings covered by digitally simulated lichen. Thus, it will be possible to repeat our method on the same carvings with coverage of simulated lichen to compare accuracies. If successful, it will be the first demonstration of a technique capable of revealing carvings obscured by lichen using only a surface imaging technique.

Our current methodology for identifying rock carvings can be adopted by conservators and rock art site managers. It serves as a tool for non-rock art specialists to discover and digitally record repeating rock carving motifs. With further development using simulated lichen, it will partially alleviate the need to remove lichen from panels of rock carvings.

As our method is scale invariant, it could also be adapted for use in airborne and UAV platforms for discovering e.g. repeating natural landforms hidden by forest cover and buried Roman roads in 3-D terrain maps.


Although recent interest in the growth of asthmatic children has centred on growth failure as a potential side effect of inhaled corticosteroid treatment,' it has long been recognised that asthma itself can impair growth. It is now over a hundred years since Hyde Salter,2 describing the appearance of the asthmatic patient, commented that, 'if the asthma has come on young, he is generally below the average height. Some asthmatics, however ... have nothing whatever the matter with their appearance, and would be taken for perfectly healthy people.' In 1940 Cohen et al extended Hyde Salter's observations on asthma to encompass the entire spectrum of allergic disorders in childhood and emphasised the importance of recording height, weight, and physical maturity in assessing the progress of allergic children.3 They reported a spectrum of adverse effects on growth, the height being unaffected in milder cases but, with increasing severity of the allergic disease, there was impaired growth and finally delayed sexual maturation. In a later paper Cohen and Abram compared the growth of 150 allergic children with that of 102 age matched non-allergic controls and confirmed the association of uncontrolled allergy with growth impairment and found that satisfactory control of the allergic disease was associated with improved energy intake as well as satisfactory growth.4 Since then, although it has been widely accepted that asthma might impair growth, the published evidence has been scanty and often difficult to find, much of the data appearing as background information in papers dealing with other aspects of asthma and its management. My own interest in the subject was aroused while investigating the effects of inhaled corticosteroids on growth,5 in the course of which I had difficulty in finding documentary support for my long held belief that asthma impaired growth. This paper reviews the literature on the association between growth impairment and asthma, but does not reopen the controversy on the effects of asthma treatment on growth.


The SIDDHARTA experiment aims at a precise measurement of K-series kaonic hydrogen x-rays and the first-ever measurement of the kaonic deuterium x-rays to determine the strong-interaction energy-level shift and width of the lowest lying atomic states. These measurements offer a unique possibility to precisely determine the isospin-dependent ¯ K-nucleon scattering lengths.


In this study, Platinum(Pt) nanoparticles were synthesized by using polyol process which is one of the liquid phase reduction methods. Dihydrogen hexachloroplatinate (IV) hexahydrate (H 2 PtCl 6 ·6H 2 O), as a precursor, was dissolved in ethylene glycol and silver nitrate (AgNO 3 ) was added as metal salt for shape control of Pt particle. Also, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), as capping agent, was added to reduce the size of particle and to separate the particles. The size of Pt nanoparticles was evaluated particle size analyzer (PSA). The size and morphology of Pt nanoparticles were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution TEM (HRTEM). Synthesized Pt nanoparticles were studied with varying time and temperature of polyol process. Pt nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized with controlled sizes in the range 5-10 and 20-40 nm with cube and multiple-cube shapes.


Several unusual infections such as malignant otitis externa, rhinocerebral mucormycosis, emphysematous pyelonephritis and emphysematous cholecystitis exclusively occur in diabetic patients. Each of these diseases is a rare, but potentially life-threatening infection. Therefore, prompt diagnosis and early medical and operative intervention will be necessary for these diseases.We report herein a very rare case in which emphysematous pyelonephritis and emphysematous cholecystitis were simultaneously diagnosed. A 45-year-old man, who was previously diagnosed with secondary diabetes mellitus due to chronic alcoholic pancreatitis ten years earlier, presented with fever and right upper quadrant abdominal pain for 3 days. Abdominal computed tomography showed an air-fluid level in the lumen of the gall bladder and there was gas collection within the right renal parenchyma. Broad-spectrum antibiotics therapy was initiated and cholecystectomy and right nephrectomy were performed. Escherichia coli bacteria were isolated from the culture of the blood, urine and sputum. The patient recovered and was discharged in a healthy state


The remodeling of neurons is a conserved fundamental mechanism underlying nervous system maturation and function. Glial cells are known to clear neuronal debris but also to have an active role in the remodeling process. Developmental axon pruning of Drosophila memory center neurons occurs by a degenerative process mediated by infiltrating astrocytes. However, how these glial processes are recruited by the axons is unknown. In an unbiased screen, we identified a new gene (orion) which is necessary for both the pruning of some axons and removal of the resulting debris. Orion is secreted from the neurons and bears some features common to the chemokines, a family of chemoattractant cytokines. Thus, chemokine involvement in neuron/glial cell interaction is an evolutionarily ancient mechanism. We propose that Orion is the neuronal signal that elicits astrocyte infiltration required for developmental neuronal remodeling.


Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are phenomena known as sudden increase in microalgal population that cause not only human seafood poisoning but also impact to the marine ecosystem. The dinoflagellates particularly species of Alexandrium have been known as producers of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins, a type of sodium blocking neurotoxins collectively called saxitoxin (STX). Species identification in the genus was commonly done under conventional light microscope. However variation in morphological characteristics used in delineating species is often hard to detect which requires taxonomic expertise. Hence, this study adopts a molecular detection approach to rapidly detect the species of Alexandrium by using whole-cell fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Ribosomal RNA-targeted oligonucleotide DNA probe targeting the toxic Alexandrium minutum were designed in silico. Specificity and accessibility of designed probes were further verified in silico comparing parameters that influenced the hybridzation kinetics. An A. minutum species-specific probe region was successfully identified, and designated as L-S-Amin-569-A-18. The probe was synthesized and tested on clonal cultures of A. minutum. Samples were fixed and then underwent wholecell FISH protocol prior to observation under an epi-fluorescence microscope. Optimization on FISH procedure was conducted to determine the optimum hybridization conditions. The result showed that the DNA probe had high specificity towards A. minutum with no cross-reactivity towards other Alexandrium (A. tamiyavanichii, A. tamutum and A. affine). The FISH protocol had been proven as rapid detection tool for A. minutum in regional of Malaysia. Hence, this approach is proposed to be adopted in the national harmful algal monitoring.


It is well recognised that medicinal products are often used beyond the approved labelling and patient groups for which the drug has been licensed. This is referred to as off-label use of drugs. Off-label use most often concerns the drug's indication and dosing, which occurs in various patient groups, such as children. It is a major concern that about 70% of the medicines used in the care of children are not studied, and are applied off-label in one or more of their age groups. Off-label prescribing takes place in daily clinical practice. In some cases, off-label prescribing occurs more frequently than in-label, both for new drugs and for much older drugs.

Currently there is focused media attention on this issue and many articles have discussed this topic. Moreover, off-label promotion seems common practice worldwide. Healthcare providers do often not understand the legal consequences, and are not always aware of the problems involved. Off-label use of drugs should have a higher priority for health authorities, considering the impact on patient care and …


Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has been intensively used to examine the early events of gamete activation, but few studies have been reported for swamp buffalo. The first objective (Exp. 1) was to compare the developmental competence of oocytes after ICSI using either live or dead frozen-thawed spermatozoa. Matured oocytes were fertilized by ICSI using live (n = 148) or dead (n = 151) spermatozoa, followed by chemical activation using calcium ionophore (A23187) and cyclohexamide (CHX) in SOF medium. In vitro fertilization (n = 149) served as thecontrol. Cleavage rate was recorded on Day 2 and blastocyst formation rate was evaluated on Day 7. The second objective (Exp. 2) was to examine the effects of ICSI and activation regime on the decondensation of buffalo spermatozoa. A total of 148 matured oocytes were subjected to ICSI. The sperm-injected oocytes (n = 87) were then activated using the activation protocol as described in Exp. 1. The ICSI oocytes without activation (n = 61) and sham-injected oocytes with activation (n = 35) were used as controls. Nuclear changes of presumptive zygotes were mor- phologically evaluated for pronuclear formation using 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole procedure and epifluorescent microscopy at 18 h post-ICSI. Statistical differences were determined among the groups using chi-square test. In Exp. 1, the results showed that the percentages of cleavage and blastocyst formation rate were 79.7, 77.0, and 41.6% and 33.8, 30.5, and 14.8% in the live sperm, dead sperm, and IVF groups, respectively. Embryo development rates did not significantly differ between ICSI groups; however, these rates were significantly higher than in the IVF group (P < 0.05). In Exp. 2, the pronuclear formation rate was significantly higher in the ICSI with chemical (70.1%) and sham injection with chemical (60.6%) groups than in the ICSI without chemical group (3.2%; P < 0.01). However, most of the presumptive zygotes with pronuclear formation from the ICSI with chemical activation group showed only intact sperm heads instead of the full male pronuclear formation. Our study suggests that the chemical activation directly affected the female pronuclear formation and embryo development but that it was not associated with the male pronuclear formation. It is postulated that ICSI oocytes that developed to cleavage and blastocyst stages underwent parthenogenesis after chemical activation. This work was supported by TRF-MAG (MRG-WII515S056) and CHE-TRF Senior Research Fund (RTA5080010).


Recently, a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), which is a strong candidate as a next-generation memory element, has been used not only as a memory cell but also in spintronics logic because of its excellent properties of nonvolatility, no silicon area occupation, and CMOS process compatibility. One of the representative research areas for the spintronics logic is the zero standby leakage retention flip-flop. Conventional zero standby leakage retention flip-flops have several problems, including difficulty in design optimization among the C-Q delay, sensing current, and process variation tolerance, and the insufficient write current. In this paper, a new MTJ based retention flip-flop is presented to solve these problems. The proposed retention flip-flop is designed using industry-compatible 45-nm process technology model. The proposed retention flip-flop achieves a 41.58% reduced C-Q delay and a 67.53% lowered sensing current with a 1.06% increased area compared to the previous retention flip-flop.


This paper analyzes how newly introduced transparency requirements for short positions affect investors' behavior and security prices. Employing a unique data set, which contains both public positions above and confidential positions below the regulatory disclosure threshold, we offer several novel insights. Positions accumulate just below the threshold, indicating that a sizable fraction of short sellers are reluctant to disclose their positions publicly. Furthermore, we provide evidence that the transparency measures effectively represent a short-sale constraint for secretive investors, which results in stocks to be overpriced. Specifically, when this constraint is potentially binding, stocks subsequently exhibit a negative abnormal return of 1.0-1.4% on a monthly basis. Different placebo tests verify that the short-sale constraint originates from the disclosure threshold. Overall, these findings suggest that short sellers' evasive behavior in response to the transparency regulation imposes a negative externality on stock market efficiency.


A new turbocharged 3.8 litre V-6 engine and powertrain has been developed for production application in 1978 Buick models. The design offers a turbocharged powertrain with improved fuel economy and performance equal to larger displacement engines. Significant technological advances include engine-turbo matching for improved low end and mid-range performance, minimized turbo vehicle "lag", and an all new electronic spark control closed loop system that controls detonation through the use of spark retard. Revisions of basic engine components to ensure durability and driveability equivalent to that of a conventional engine are discussed. Further development of this powertrain concept may provide the flexibility to meet legislated fuel economy levels of the future without severe compromises in vehicle size or performance. Numerous diagrams and photographs are included.


Improving the energy density of Li-ion batteries is critical to meet the requirements of electric vehicles and energy storage systems. In this work, LiFePO4 active material was combined with single-walled carbon nanotubes as the conductive additive to develop high-energy-density cathodes for rechargeable Li-ion batteries. The effect of the morphology of the active material particles on the cathodes' electrochemical characteristics was investigated. Although providing higher packing density of electrodes, spherical LiFePO4 microparticles had poorer contact with an aluminum current collector and showed lower rate capability than plate-shaped LiFePO4 nanoparticles. A carbon-coated current collector helped enhance the interfacial contact with spherical LiFePO4 particles and was instrumental in combining high electrode packing density (1.8 g cm−3) with excellent rate capability (100 mAh g−1 at 10C). The weight percentages of carbon nanotubes and polyvinylidene fluoride binder in the electrodes were optimized for electrical conductivity, rate capability, adhesion strength, and cyclic stability. The electrodes that were formulated with 0.25 wt.% of carbon nanotubes and 1.75 wt.% of the binder demonstrated the best overall performance. The optimized electrode composition was used to formulate thick free-standing electrodes with high energy and power densities, achieving the areal capacity of 5.9 mAh cm−2 at 1C rate.


This research is a type of descriptive research using a qualitative approach design using a case study research design. Funding for the TB program in Pasuruan Regency was sourced from the APBD and also Health Operational Assistance sourced from the Special Allocation Fund decreased. The budget for TB prevention prevention programs is absorbed entirely But the performance of achieving the discovery targets is still not significant. Still not found the whole case, complete treatment has not been maximized, some even DO. TB control activities allocated for TB prevention and control services appear to be relatively small compared to the TB treatment budget. Based on all the challenges faced, a strategy was formulated to eliminate TB within the next 5 years by strengthening the leadership of a quality TB service program with a sustainable program across stakeholders


Contrary to what is observed in adults, adherence to antiretrovirals in adolescents with HIV hasn't been well studied. This research aimed at identifying the characteristics of adherence behavior in adolescents living with HIV/aids, according to the perceptions of these adolescents and their primary caregivers. Nine dyads constituted by the youngsters and the caregivers participated on the study. The adolescents were between 12 and 17 years of age, six of them were male and all of them were infected due to vertical transmition. Semi- structured interviews were conducted individually with all participants. Results indicated difficulties in adherence, especially in circumstances in which medication needed to be taken outside the domestic environment (n=6). Moreover, reports of missing doses (n=4) and delayed intake of antiretrovirals (n=7) were common. It is suggested that adherence difficulties can be worked by improving communication with the family as well as with the health professionals.


A breast-feeding incidence and duration study in a heterogeneous population confirmed the increased incidence of breast-feeding reported among American women. Of 632 women delivering between May and August of 1980, 66% chose to breast-feed, a decision determined to be significantly related to race, age, marital status, and parity. Cesarean deliveries discouraged breast-feeding, whereas nursing immediately after delivery and keeping the infant in the room during the hospital stay encouraged breast-feeding. Of 417 women who were breast-feeding, 58% had stopped by four months postpartum, a decision found to be related significantly to race, age, and receiving formula in the hospital. Formula supplementation in the hospital was associated with a shorter breast-feeding period. The most rapid decline in breast-feeding occurred in the first two weeks postpartum. Because this is the period in which women are most likely to discontinue breast-feeding, it could be a productive target period for support and assistance by health professionals.


Nine women, who worked in factories in the 1960s and early 1970s, were interviewed for this research project. The relevant historical background covered in Chapter One, will 'set the scene' for documenting the participants' stories. The context of this research, with broader research into female factory workers in countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim which have similar industrial processes, is outlined in Chapter Two. The findings of this research will be compared with broader historiography of the 1960s and early 1970s. The oral history methodology and how it relates to the conduct of this research is discussed in Chapter Three, which also contain the mini biographies of all the participants. Stories from the participants about their family and home lives will be documented in Chapter Four. The factory work environment, the demands of work and the strategies adopted by the female factory workers to manage those demands, will be described in Chapter Five. The conclusion draws together the issues in the lives of these women and how they coped with the rapidly changing environment in Singapore as a result of the government's objective in modernising Singapore.


We study Nash equilibria for a sequence of symmetric $N$-player stochastic games of finite-fuel capacity expansion with singular controls and their mean-field game (MFG) counterpart. We construct a solution of the MFG via a simple iterative scheme that produces an optimal control in terms of a Skorokhod reflection at a (state-dependent) surface that splits the state space in action and inaction region. We then show that a solution of the MFG of capacity expansion induces approximate Nash equilibria for the $N$-player games with approximation error $\varepsilon$ going to zero as $N$ tends to infinity. Our analysis relies entirely on probabilistic methods and extends the well-known connection between singular stochastic control and optimal stopping to a mean-field framework.


A patient with a history of deep venous thrombosis on warfarin underwent coronary angiography and was found to have a red intracoronary thrombus in the mid left anterior descending artery by optical coherence tomography. Percutaneous coronary intervention was successfully performed. On discharge, the patient continued triple therapy with aspirin, clopidogrel, and apixaban for 30 days then discontinued aspirin. A hypercoagulable work up was notable for antiphospholipid syndrome and lifelong anticoagulation was recommended. The patient continued apixaban twice daily given recurrent thrombosis while on warfarin and was event free at 6-month follow up.


Change in redox status has long been known to link light to the posttranslational regulation of chloroplast enzymes. So far, studies have been conducted primarily with thioredoxin-linked members of the stroma that function in a broad array of biosynthetic and degradatory processes. Consequently, little is known about the role of redox in regulating the growing number of enzymes found to occur in the lumen, the site of oxygen evolution in thylakoid membranes. To help fill this gap, we have studied AtFKBP13, an FKBP-type immunophilin earlier shown to interact with a redox-active protein of the lumen, and found the enzyme to contain a pair of disulfide bonds in x-ray structural studies. These disulfides, which in protein mutagenesis experiments were shown to be essential for the associated peptidyl-prolyl isomerase activity, are unique to chloroplast FKBPs and are absent in animal and yeast counterparts. Both disulfide bonds were redox-active and were reduced by thioredoxin from either chloroplast or bacterial sources in a reaction that led to loss of enzyme activity. The results suggest a previously unrecognized paradigm for redox regulation in chloroplasts in which activation by light is achieved in concert with oxygen evolution by the oxidation of sulfhydryl groups (conversion of SH to S-S). Such a mechanism, occurring in the thylakoid lumen, is in direct contrast to regulation of enzymes in the stroma, where reduction of disulfides targeted by thioredoxin (S-S converted to SH) leads to an increase in activity in the light.


Abstract : The application of emerging digital technologies promises to revolutionize information acquisition and distribution on the battlefield of the near future. With more rapid information flow, even minimally experienced officers will be pushed to achieve faster decision-action cycles, reducing the time to make and implement decisions. With this advent, officers will increasingly require robust abilities to rapidly develop and maintain high levels of situation awareness (SA) in the harsh, dynamic, and confusing environment of Infantry combat. To date, no training programs have been developed specifically for the purpose of enhancing SA in Infantry forces. This study focused on identifying areas of low and high SA, especially those areas where training can be employed to reduce deficits in SA, among less experienced officers. A literature review was conducted to explore research into SA, with an emphasis on the Infantry domain. In addition, data from a prior study were examined to explore the relationships between SA, and decision-making. Finally, trainers were surveyed to solicit their input on specific strengths and weaknesses in the SA, of new platoon leaders. Results of the investigation include recommendations for training programs to improve SA, in Infantry forces.


The bulk morphologies formed by a new class of charged block copolymers, 75 vol % fluorinated polyisoprene (FPI) – 25 vol% sulfonated polystyrene (PSS) with 50% sulfonation, are characterized, and the fundamental underlying forces that promote the self-assembly processes are elucidated. The results show how the bulk morphologies are substantially different from their uncharged diblock counterparts (PS-PI) and also how morphology can be tuned with volume fraction of the charged block and the casting solvent. A physical understanding based on the underlying strong electrostatic interactions between the charged block and counterions is obtained using Monte Carlo (MC) and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. The 75/25 FPI-PSS shows hexagonal morphologies with the minority blocks (PSS) forming the continuous phase due to charge percolation and the FPI blocks arranged in hexagonal cylinders. Some long-range order can be sustained even if lipophobicity is increased (addition of water), albeit with lower dimensional structures. However, thermal annealing provides sufficient energy to disrupt the percolated charges and promotes aggregation of ionic sites which leads to a disordered system. Diverse and atypical morphologies are readily accessible by simply changing the number distribution of the charges on the PSS block.


• Experience with the cyclopropane-curare type of general anesthesia in 1,011 cesarean sections has been analyzed and compared with published reports on the use of other types of anesthesia for this operation. All patients in this series received scopolamine with or without additional premedication, and after the induction of anesthesia with cyclopropane an injection of 6 to 12 mg. of tubocurarine chloride was given intravenously. The one maternal death in this series occurred two weeks after the operation and was not related to the anesthesia. The associated gross infant mortality rate was 5.4%, of which 2.9% were stillbirths and 2.5% were neonatal deaths, but when this figure was corrected for prematurity, congenital anomalies, and other factors clearly unrelated to the anesthesia, the net rate was 4.7%, with 2.4% for stillbirths and 2.3% for neonatal deaths. These findings conflict with claims that have been made for the superiority of other methods of anesthesia. The good results here reported are ascribed in part to the care and observation given to the individual patient before the operation as well as to the attention given in the recovery room. It is therefore recommended that trained anesthesiologists be kept available for obstetric patients throughout the 24-hour day.


In addition to characteristic "thrombo," Haemophilus somnus infection may result in acute respiratory disease or chronic stiffness of feedlot cattle. Unless the bovine practitioner performs very complete post mortem examinations, he may entirely miss the lesions of this disease, or mistake them for those of shipping fever or clostridial infection. Clinical signs and lesions characteristic of field cases may be experimentally reproduced in susceptible calves by either intravenous or intra tracheal innoculation with pure Haemophilus somnus cultures. Complement fixation tests confirm the widespread incidence of this infection. Development of immunizing agents for use in feedlot cattle may be warranted.


MC3T3-E1 is a clonal pre-osteoblastic cell line derived from newborn mouse calvaria, which is commonly used in osteoblast studies. To investigate the effects of estrogen on osteoblasts, we treated MC3T3-E1 cells with various concentrations of estrogen and assessed their proliferation. Next, we performed RNA deep sequencing to investigate the effects on estrogen target genes. Bmpr1a and Tgfbr1, important participants in the TGF-beta signaling pathway, were down-regulated in our deep sequencing results. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that estrogen receptor response elements (EREs) were present in the Bmpr1a and Tgfbr1 promoters. Culturing the cells with the estrogen receptor (ER) alpha or beta antagonists 1,3-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-methyl-5-[4-(2-piperidinylethoxy)phenol]-1H-pyrazole dihydrochloride (MPP) or 4-[2-phenyl-5,7-bis(trifluoromethyl) pyrazolo[1,5-alpha]pyrimidin-3-yl] phenol (PTHPP), respectively, demonstrated that ER beta is involved in the estrogen-mediated repression of Tgfbr1 and Bmpr1a.The chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) results were consistent with the conclusion that E2 increased the binding of ER beta at the EREs located in the Tgfbr1 and Bmpr1a promoters. Our research provides new insight into the role of estrogen in bone metabolisms.


Learning dexterous manipulation skills is a long-standing challenge in computer graphics and robotics, especially when the task involves complex and delicate interactions between the hands, tools and objects. In this paper, we focus on chopsticks-based object relocation tasks, which are common yet demanding. The key to successful chopsticks skills is steady gripping of the sticks that also supports delicate maneuvers. We automatically discover physically valid chopsticks holding poses by Bayesian Optimization (BO) and Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL), which works for multiple gripping styles and hand morphologies without the need of example data. Given as input the discovered gripping poses and desired objects to be moved, we build physics-based hand controllers to accomplish relocation tasks in two stages. First, kinematic trajectories are synthesized for the chopsticks and hand in a motion planning stage. The key components of our motion planner include a grasping model to select suitable chopsticks configurations for grasping the object, and a trajectory optimization module to generate collision-free chopsticks trajectories. Then we train physics-based hand controllers through DRL again to track the desired kinematic trajectories produced by the motion planner. We demonstrate the capabilities of our framework by relocating objects of various shapes and sizes, in diverse gripping styles and holding positions for multiple hand morphologies. Our system achieves faster learning speed and better control robustness, when compared to vanilla systems that attempt to learn chopstick-based skills without a gripping pose optimization module and/or without a kinematic motion planner. Our code and models are available at this link.1


In this article that explores male and female metaphors for God in the Hebrew Bible, I argue with specific reference to the book of Jeremiah that the intersection of trauma and gender is particularly important in considering how tumultuous times inevitably impact the way people spoke and continue to speak about God. In this regard, recent developments in terms of gender theory including queer biblical interpretation and masculinity studies help us to engage critically with the gendered metaphors used for God in the Hebrew Bible. For instance, it will be shown how important it is to trouble binary constructions, i.e., in terms of male metaphors for God, to break the cycle of toxic masculinity that leads to further violence in an endless cycle of humiliation, shame and retaliation. And also, to, when it comes to female metaphors for God, move beyond a romanticised understanding of motherhood that is rooted in a prescriptive, essentialising understanding of gender.


Lead and cadmium in herbal medicines are highly toxic to living organisms even in low concentrations. An effective method is developed for analysis of trace lead and cadmium in Chinese herbal medicines and their decoctions by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). The effects of analytical conditions on absorbance were investigated and optimized. A water-dissolving capability for Pb and Cd was investigated, and the contents of different species in five Chinese herbal medicines and their decoctions were analyzed. The content ratios (kow) of n-octanol-soluble Pb or Cd to water-soluble Pb or Cd were evaluated, and the distribution of Pb and Cd in water decoction at stomach and intestine acidities was developed, in the first time. The contents of water-soluble Pb and Cd, n-octanol-soluble Pb and Cd, and their content ratios were related with the kind of medicine and the acidity of the decoction. The proposed method has the advantages of simple operation, high sensitivity and high speed, with 3 σ detection limits of 4.2 pg for Pb and 0.1 pg for Cd.


The would-wide slackening of business activities appears to have also slowed the pace of the industrial robot business. It is often said that we are now entering an epoch where the industrial robot is to be succeeded by the "service robot". The designation "service robot," however still remains to be clearly defined. As yet, the image evoked by this term varies very widely from person to person, in both the external appearance and the technological elements that constitute such a robot. The author considers the term service robot to be a generic term covering all robots that are not for industrial use. The author looks at the development of service robots in Japan.<<ETX>>


A mutant strain of Wistar rats with L-gulono-gamma-lactone oxidase deficiency has recently been established. To investigate this deficiency by DNA and RNA blot hybridization analyses, a fragment of a previously cloned cDNA encoding rat L-gulono-gamma-lactone oxidase was used as a probe. When genomic DNA of the mutant rat was digested with several restriction enzymes, the probe hybridized to fragments of the same sizes as those produced from DNA of normal rats. Poly(A)+RNA from the liver of the mutant rat was found to contain an L-gulono-gamma-lactone oxidase-specific mRNA of a normal size at a comparable level to that of normal rats. An in vitro translation experiment revealed that the mRNA programmed the synthesis of an enzyme protein which had the same molecular weight as that of the translational product of the normal mRNA, although the amount synthesized was markedly reduced as compared with that synthesized with the normal mRNA. In accordance with this observation, a very low but definite degree of L-gulono-gamma-lactone oxidase activity was detected in the microsomes of the mutant rat by a newly developed, highly sensitive method.


We propose a novel shape-constrained flock animation system for interactively controlling flock navigation in virtual environments. This system is capable of making the spatial distribution of a flock meet static or deforming shape constraints while performing flock simulation. Such a capability can find many applications in the entertainment industry. Given a 3D constraining shape, our system first draws a set of uniform sample points through a 3D surface mosaicing process or a stratified point sampling strategy. Once correspondences between flock members and sample points have been established, points on the target shape are used as homing destinations to guide flock migration. Under a global path control scheme, an effective fuzzy control logic, which dynamically adjusts steering forces and control forces, has been developed to create visually pleasing shape-constrained flock animations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


DSLGen (Domain Specific Language Generator) is a program generation system in which application programs can be written in a domain specific language that is independent of the execution platform architecture and yet can be targeted to arbitrary existing and future execution platforms in a way that exploits the performance or computation improvement opportunities specific to those platforms. This allows switching from one execution platform to another without reprogramming the applications. The generation of target programs is fully automatic and requires no user input or action beyond the specification of the computation and the separate specification of the features of the target execution platform.


Thebone-bearing beds of the Lower Cretaceous Kuwajima Formation (Tetori Group) are described. Three facies of bone-bearing beds (Facies I: carbonaceous sandstones; Facies II: dark grey fine-grained silty sandstones; Facies III: dark greenish-grey mudstones) are present in inter-channel deposits that originated on a floodplain. The grain size of the sediments, and plant and molluscan fossils occurring in each bone-bearing bed, indicate that Facies I was deposited in a peat marsh, Facies II in a shallow lake, and Facies III in a vegetated swamp. Isolated small bones and teeth are the most abundant vertebrate fossils. Common elements in Facies II are aquatic vertebrates such as fishes and turtles. Facies III is characterized by the occurrence of terrestrial lizards, tritylodontid synapsids and mammals. Vertebrate fossil assemblages in Facies II and III are not mixed with each other even though they both represent parautochthonous assemblages. In contrast, Facies I is allochthonous, and is composed mostly of reworked sediments from Facies II. Depositional environments of the bone-bearing beds are strongly correlated with the composition of their fossil assemblages, indicating that different facies preserve the original faunal differences that existed between the shallow lake and vegetated swamp environments.


Noncommunicable disease (NCD) health literacy is a person's ability to access, understand and use information to prevent, treat and manage chronic illness. Poor health literacy is shown to be associated with riskier behaviour, poor health choices and poorer health. Hospitals can play an important role in enhancing people's NCD health literacy all the way along a patient's "NCD journey" from prevention to management by aligning their communications to the health literacy capacities of their users. The authors suggest training providers to communicate more effectively with patients, making their systems easier to navigate, simplifying written materials, incorporating the use of technology and mobile-health, and using individual and system level scorecards and checklists.


OBJECTIVES
Evaluate the relationship between race, perceptions of personally mediated racism and health outcomes in the Massachusetts Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

METHODS
Regression analysis of 8,266 respondents to the Reactions to Race module in 2006 and 2008. Questions assessing personally mediated racism were combined to measure perceptions of reactions to race.

OUTCOME MEASURES
Adjusted odds ratios and 95% CI of perceived personally mediated racism, self-reported overall health, life satisfaction, health risks (smoking status, obesity, binge and heavy drinking), and preventive services (colonoscopy, flu vaccine).

RESULTS
Black non-Hispanic respondents are 10.4 times (95% CI: 6.3-17.3; P<.001) and Hispanics 5.8 times (95% CI: 3.6-9.4; P<.001) more likely to report being treated worse than other races compared to White non-Hispanic respondents. Respondents of all races reporting being treated worse than other races are 3.2 times (95% CI: 1.9-5.4; P<.001) more likely to have fair/poor health and 4.1 times (95% CI: 2.1-7.9; P<.001) more likely to report life dissatisfaction than those treated the same or better than other races. There is no statistically significant association between perceived personally mediated racism and health risks or preventive services tested.

CONCLUSIONS
Perceptions of personally mediated racism are significantly associated with fair/poor overall health and life dissatisfaction, but none of the health risks or preventive services tested.


The paper presents several algorithms for designing fixed- and variable-depth decision trees for searching vector quantizer (VQ) codebooks. Two applications of such are explored. First, given a source vector, a tree can be used to find the closest codevector in the VQ codebook with many fewer arithmetic operations than the usual "full search." This decrease in complexity comes at the expense of an increase in auxiliary table storage. Second, the tree can be used as the first stage of fine-coarse vector quantization, which yields further savings in complexity at the cost of somewhat more storage and a small increase in distortion. The design methods involve incrementally growing trees with a variety of node splitting criteria and, subsequently, optimally pruning trees on the basis of performance functionals such as distortion, storage, and computational complexity. The pruning is done with the BFOS algorithm, which optimally trades one performance functional with another, and with an extension of the BFOS algorithm wherein one performance measure is traded with a combination of two others. The results of applying these methods to i.i.d. Gaussian, Gauss-Markov, and sampled speech sources at encoding rates of one and two bits per source sample demonstrate the tradeoffs achievable amongst time (complexity), memory (storage), and distortion. >


Analysis of a historic renal transplant population for risks of developing CMV disease demonstrated a low mortality (0.2%) and morbidity. In our population of 1,959 patients, 411 (21%) developed subclinical CMV infection and 220 (11%) had CMV disease which was severe in 41 (2%). Important factors for infection were baseline immunosuppression, indicating that triple therapy with the proliferation inhibitors, azathioprine and MMF, had significantly higher infection numbers in comparison to dual, CsA-based immunosuppression. The cumulative dose of steroids correlated strongly with an increased number of CMV infections and disease, as did the addition of ALG/ATG or OKT3 for either steroid-resistant rejections or induction therapy. While CMV serology had an impact on infection in cases of seropositive donors to seronegative recipients, seropositive patients, in general, demonstrated increased infection rates most likely due to reactivation of the virus. Prophylaxis had no impact on the incidence of infection but reduced the severity.


True human nature is friendly and close to nature, but due to the development of more advanced civilization brought journey of human life to be biased. So many people who seemed to lose its identity as a part of nature. The problem is when we want to know and understand nature through a learning process in schools will find obstacles result from the difficulty we bring children closer to nature. We as teachers so find it difficult to plan the learning program in order to bring children closer to nature. The problem is when we are at the level of the program, many of the procedures that we have to pass that we forget the essence of science education is closer to the students closer to nature. For the primary level, learning approach with perspective students closer to nature can be reached through a variety of approaches and methods such as CTL approach, inquiry, Explorative and others. In essence these ideas are closer pitched at students as learners with learning resources more concrete, concrete approach (manipulation) or until the concrete as concrete-concrete, with a note at all possible. The sense is closer to students with learning resources do not always have to bring concrete objects or bring students into the atmosphere of concrete. In certain circumstances we may not bring students to the moon to study the moon and bring elephants into the classroom to introduce students to the elephant but we manipulate it in the form of images.


Young protostellar discs provide the initial conditions for planet formation. The prop- erties of these discs may be different from those of late-phase (T Tauri) discs due to continuing infall from the envelope and protostellar variability resulting from irregular gas accretion. We use a set of hydrodynamic simulations to determine the structure of discs forming in collapsing molecular clouds. We examine how radiative feedback from the host protostar affects the disc properties by examining three regimes: with- out radiative feedback, with continuous radiative feedback and with episodic feedback, similar to FU Ori-type outbursts. We find that the radial surface density and temper- ature profiles vary significantly as the disc accretes gas from the infalling envelope. These profiles are sensitive to the presence of spiral structure, induced by gravitational instabilities, and the radiative feedback provided by the protostar, especially in the case when the feedback is episodic. We also investigate whether mass estimates from position-velocity (PV) diagrams are accurate for early-phase discs. We find that the protostellar system mass (i.e. the mass of the protostar and its disc) is underestimated by up to 20%, due to the impact of an enhanced radial pressure gradient on the gas. The mass of early-phase discs is a significant fraction of the mass of the protostar, so position-velocity diagrams cannot accurately provide the mass of the protostar alone. The enhanced radial pressure gradient expected in young discs may lead to an in- creased rate of dust depletion due to gas drag, and therefore to a reduced dust-to-gas ratio.


Biogenic am'nes (tyramine, putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, spermidine and spermine) in sardine during the storage at two temperatures (4C and 20C) were investigated. Changes in sensory scores were also recorded. Significant differences between storage times were found. The levels of tyramine, putrescine, cadaverine and histamine increased as decomposition of sardine progressed at both 4C and 20C. Spermidine and spermine did not change throughout storage. Putrescine was the main biogenic amine formed, followed by tyramine. cadaverine and histamine. Histamine remained lower than the toxic level of 100 mgkg in the samples stored at 4C whereas it exceeded the toxic level after 16 h at 20C. The increase in histamine concentration was lower than tyramine andputrescine at both temperatures. Sensory scores gradually decreased during the storage.


This research analyzes the overall arrest histories of persons aged 18-34 convicted for weapon-related deer spotlighting in Virginia during 1997 and 1998. Deer spotlighting, or "freeze-killing," is a specific form of deer poaching involving shining a deer with a spotlight for an easier kill. Defined as unsporting, freeze-killing constitutes animal abuse. This study isolated and compared arrest rates of white males - 90% of the sample in the present research - with estimated rates of a cross-sectional national sample of the same race-sex-age combinations. Results showed that about two in five freeze killers had been arrested, more than one in five for a crime of violence. Freeze-killers had almost twice the rate for violent crime and almost three times the rate for property crime as the control group - after accounting for age and for the time at risk of arrest. The findings' direction is consistent with the recent literature and a "generality of deviance" approach, and support an earlier call to expand hypotheses about animal abuse to include other criminal correlates in addition to violence.