A flow injection system with on-line sorption preconcentration of copper, nickel and manganese with ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (APDC) or 8-hydroxyquinoline (HQ) in a knotted reactor (KR) coupled with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry was developed. APDC offered better performance characteristics than HQ for the preconcentration of copper and nickel but could not be employed for manganese. The performance characteristics of the determination of copper and nickel with APDC were: detection limits (3σ), 6.0 and 7.6 ng l–1, precision (RSD) 2.5% for 0.2 µg l–1 and 1.5% for 0.2 µg l–1 and enhancement factors 44 and 21 using a 30 s preconcentration time. The corresponding parameters for the determination of manganese with HQ were detection limit 29.0 ng l–1, precision (RSD) 2.9% for 0.4 µg–1 manganese and enhancement factor 8 with a 30 s preconcentration time. The sampling frequency was 26 h–1. The accuracy of the method was demonstrated by the analysis of certified reference materials and by recovery measurements on spiked samples.


The manuscript of the Statutes of the Teutonic Knights preserved in the University Library in Torun (Rps 5/I) is the oldest copy in French of the most important book of the Order and the one of the few copies preserved in the former State  of Teutonic Knights. The codex is not only an important source to the history of the Teutonic Knights but first of all it is a precious artwork of medieval codicology and illumination. Richness of initials decorations (246), J-borders decorative and number of fantastic calligraphic masks (100), use of gold – this value determine traits of luxury and extraordinary value of this book. This small manuscript (15,5 x 11,5 cm) was written on one hundred parchments cards on both sides. The codex contains besides of French version of Statutes, also the German redaction and Latin prayers: Sequentiae sancti evangelii secundum Lucam et Ioannem (47r–48r), addition to Speculum artis bene moriendi (48v–49r), Orationes super morientem – prayers related with artis moriendi (49r–50v). In the current literature the codex functioned as an object created in middle of fourteenth-century in French circle, the most probably in south of Lorraine or north of Franche-Comte, either in situ – in the former State of Teutonic Knights. The analysis of historical and stylistic progress of pen-flourish and the comparative analysis could define that the pattern of decoration from Statutes is placed in French tradition from 3 quarter of the thirteenth-century. The additional analysis of paleography define that the form of writing has thirteenth- and fourteenth-century features and appears that Rps 5/I is a product from 1 quarter of the fourteenth-century. Furthermore, we need to maintain the hypothesis linking the book the grand master Karl von Trier who might had been the commissioner of the manuscript. The manuscript might have been imported from France, but the pointing out of the detailed place of its origin demands further and in depth research on the manuscript legacy of the Teutonic Order.


A significant and increasing number of patients receiving radiation therapy present with metal objects close to, or even within, the treatment area, resulting in artifacts in computed tomography (CT) imaging, which is the most commonly used imaging method for treatment planning in radiation therapy. In the presence of metal implants, such as dental fillings in treatment of head-and-neck tumors, spinal stabilization implants in spinal or paraspinal treatment or hip replacements in prostate cancer treatments, the extreme photon absorption by the metal object leads to prominent image artifacts. Although current CT scanners include a series of correction steps for beam hardening, scattered radiation and noisy measurements, when metal implants exist within or close to the treatment area, these corrections do not suffice. CT metal artifacts affect negatively the treatment planning of radiation therapy either by causing difficulties to delineate the target volume or by reducing the dose calculation accuracy. Various metal artifact reduction (MAR) methods have been explored in terms of improvement of organ delineation and dose calculation in radiation therapy treatment planning, depending on the type of radiation treatment and location of the metal implant and treatment site. Including a brief description of the available CT MAR methods that have been applied in radiation therapy, this article attempts to provide a comprehensive review on the dosimetric effect of the presence of CT metal artifacts in treatment planning, as reported in the literature, and the potential improvement suggested by different MAR approaches. The impact of artifacts on the treatment planning and delivery accuracy is discussed in the context of different modalities, such as photon external beam, brachytherapy and particle therapy, as well as by type and location of metal implants.


QoS-aware data dissemination and reliable communication are two basic requirements of any application in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs). Dynamic topology and frequent disconnections possess various challenges to attain efficient data delivery. Data dissemination on the reliable and stable path is also getting worse under high moving vehicular environment. To handle the efficient dissemination of data, this paper proposes an algorithm called Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization (DPSO) based on stable link connections. The concept of angular Euclidian distance is used to calculate the objective function of a reliable path problem. The proposed approach is simulated in network simulator (NS-3.26) and results are compared with existing approaches using average throughput, packet delivery ratio, and routing overhead. The results validate that the proposed technique achieves better performance than the existing considered approaches.


Islamic Banking Window have a good level of comparison and contribute to government policies in changing from Islamic business units to Islamic commercial banks. This study aims to find out which countries and their relationships with publications can be used as benchmarks for future research and present the findings of the most authored articles and provide direction for future research with the theme of Islamic Banking Window. This paper quantitatively analyzes the literature on Islamic Banking Window, as represented by English-language 60 articles from the Scopus database with a time span from 2008 to 2021. Using a bibliometric approach plus content analysis. We find that Malaysia is the most relevant country, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) the most relevant institution and the International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management and Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research the most relevant journal. There are two main topics: (1) general studies on the Islamic banking window and (2) practical implications. We also offer future research directions.


Simple continued fractions, base-b expansions, Dedekind cuts and Cauchy sequences are common notations for number systems. In this note, first, it is proven that both simple continued fractions and base-b expansions fail to denote real numbers and thus lack logic; second, it is shown that Dedekind cuts and Cauchy sequences fail to join in algebraical operations and thus lack intuition; third, we construct a logical calculus and deduce numbers to intuitively and logically denote number systems. KeyWords: Number system; Logical calculus; Series


The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanisms of the anticancer effect of Ukrain by comparing the processes of formation of the pool of free amino acids and their derivatives in the blood plasma and tumor biopsy specimens and unchanged bladder tissue in 28 patients with T1N0M0 bladder cancer. The examination was carried out before and after Ukrain treatment (10 mg i.v./day, for 20 days), which was combined with systemic chemotherapy for bladder cancer. Twenty-eight patients served as controls and received systemic chemotherapy only. Compared with healthy donors, the blood plasma of patients with urinary bladder cancer showed decreased concentrations of thiol-containing free amino acids and glutamine (Gln) and increased levels of nonessential (glutamic acid, proline, alanine) and aromatic (phenylalanine) free amino acids. In contrast to conventional chemotherapy, treatment with Ukrain eliminated the blood plasma amino acid imbalance in patients with bladder cancer, concomitantly enriching the pool of free amino acids and their derivatives in unchanged urinary bladder tissue and decreasing concentrations of Gln and leucine (Leu), regulators of malignant cell proliferation and differentiation, by 30-50%. In this situation, the concentrations of Gln and Leu in tumor tissue and the surrounding healthy urinary bladder tissue correlated highly significantly and negatively (r = -0.95). In conclusion, Ukrain prevents active free amino acid transport into urinary bladder tumor tissue, inhibiting the activities of protein biosynthesis, gluconeogenesis and energy production. The combined decrease in Gln and Leu levels in urinary bladder tumor tissue is a specific sign of the antitumor effect of Ukrain and a mechanism of its cancerostatic action by controlling the processes of amino acid pool formation in the tumor.


INTRODUCTION
There has been no study in the literature evaluating serum tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) levels in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Therefore, we performed the present study to specifically measure serum TWEAK levels to see whether or not its eventual alterations might have an etiopathogenetic significance in children with ADHD.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS
A total of 49 treatment-naive children with ADHD and 39 healthy controls were included in the present study. The severities of ADHD and conduct disorder symptoms were assessed via parent- and teacher-rated questionnaires. Venous blood samples were collected, and serum TWEAK levels were measured.

RESULTS
Serum TWEAK levels of the ADHD group were significantly lower than the control group.

CONCLUSIONS
This study shows that ADHD patients have decreased serum TWEAK levels, suggesting a possible involvement of TWEAK in the etiopathogenesis of ADHD.


Purpose
This paper aims to analyse the quality of Code of Ethics from the point of view of employees. In particular, the research aims to investigate which are the companies' characteristics that influence the publication of a Code of Ethics and the Code of Ethics Quality from the employee perspective.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors use Italian listed companies and perform a manual content analysis on their Code of Ethics based on keywords related to the stakeholder employees. The authors perform regression models to investigate the determinants, using financial reporting data and companies' information (i.e. industry).

Findings
The findings show that Code of Ethics are developed among large firms. A healthy and safe environment and a clear leadership are developed by firms with high grow rates. Equal employment opportunities and competent leadership are developed by firms with low financial distress. The need of effective communication for consensus seems more visible in Public Administration. Private sectors pay more attention to competent leadership, while firms in Trade take care on equal opportunities for employees.

Originality/value
At present, much of the codes of ethics' research are focussed on the content and the effectiveness of codes of ethics, on the reasons, on the benefits and limitations of this tool, but few studies investigate the quality of codes of ethics and, even fewer the specific stakeholder employees. This study aims to improve the debate related to the elements affecting quality in codes of ethics, with particular attention to the rules that guide the relationship between companies and their employees.


Recent efforts of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) have encouraged collaborative "research partnerships" between university researchers and classroom science teachers. This research partners study, begun in 1987, examined student outcomes and teacher characteristics in middle/junior high exemplary programs identified by the NSTA's Search for Excellence in Science Education (SESE). A second year of the study has been completed involving SESE program teachers with similar instructional profiles. Using Iowa Test of Basic Skills and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) items, key teachers in those SESE programs examined their seventh- and eighth-grade student outcomes in three domains: (a) knowledge, (b) attitudes, and (c) applications/connections. Results were compared with national populations. A similar study was conducted during the second year, involving teachers from the first year and additional teachers with instructional practice profiles similar to those in SESE programs. Teachers were surveyed using a questionnaire from the Report of the 1977 National Survey of Science, Mathematics and Social Studies Education Teachers (Weiss, 1978a) and supplemental questions (Bonnstetter, 1985). This study found that in exemplary middle/junior high programs: (a) as a group, students achieve high scores in science knowledge and maintain or develop positive attitudes toward science; and (b) students need opportunities to make connections between what they learn in science and personal responsibility.


Studies have revealed that some topological properties of complex networks are robust to random node failures, but highly sensitive to failures in nodes of high centrality (i.e., attacks). This work proposes mechanisms based on local information for detecting vulnerable network configurations and for promoting changes in the topology to mitigate the impact on network connectivity of successive node losses due to attacks and failures. Two scenarios were evaluated: with maintenance of the number of links in the network, and with the creation of new links. For the first case, we show that the removal of the most central nodes affects networks in such a way that is also difficult to preserve their main topological properties, although improvement in the values of global efficiency at the expense of a reduction of the local efficiency was observed. For the second scenario, there was a significant decrease in the impact from attacks and failures. Notably, for failures the connectivity properties not only remained almost unchanged, but in some cases considerably increased, thus improving the overall network performance. The results were also verified in some benchmark real-network topologies, and a comparative performance evaluation with a random self-regenerating process was also analyzed. The study demonstrates the importance and feasibility of local adaptation mechanisms for link rewiring based on the concept of vulnerability.


A device and method for mapping magnetic fields of a sample at a resolution less than the wavelength of light without altering the magnetic field of the sample is disclosed. A device having a tapered end portion with a magneto-optically active particle positioned at the distal end thereof in communication with a fiber optic for transferring incoming linearly polarized light from a source thereof to the particle and for transferring reflected light from the particle is provided. The fiber optic has a reflective material trapping light within the fiber optic and in communication with a light detector for determining the polarization of light reflected from the particle as a function of the strength and direction of the magnetic field of the sample. Linearly polarized light from the source thereof transferred to the particle positioned proximate the sample is affected by the magnetic field of the sample sensed by the particle such that the difference in polarization of light entering and leaving the particle is due to the magnetic field of the sample. Relative movement between the particle and sample enables mapping.


The Direct Sequence-Code Division Multiple Access (DS-CDMA), Frequency Hopping-CDMA (FH-CDMA), and Multi Carrier-CDMA (MC-CDMA) are well known wireless communication techniques. However, the comparative bit error rate (BER) performance analysis of these techniques with multi-users in fading channel are lacking in the literature. Hence, in this paper, closed form expressions for BER computation of DS-CDMA, FH-CDMA, and MC-CDMA in Rayleigh fading channel with multi-user's are presented and BER performance of the techniques are evaluated and compared.


This article characterizes language policy both as a direct and indirect result and/or component of academic institutional development. In support of the view that language is an accessible and infinitely creative resource, it posits the necessity of engaging stakeholders in a school community in problematizing language goals and needs. As a result of such participatory process, an academic institution is able to facilitate spontaneously and sensibly the twin processes of language planning and language policy development. The discussion articulates that typologies of language policies, while generally helpful, are not necessarily sufficient in accounting for the uniqueness of evolved language plans and policies in more specific contexts. Thus, a language plan or policy is better appreciated when examined in light of the circumstances of its natural or in many cases, mediated evolution.


As an evaluation of treatment for anterior crossbite (Class I Malocclusion) in the mixed dentition, relationships were examined between the results of cluster analysis on the measured values before treatment and those on the changes caused by treatment. The following were the results of the present investigation. 1. The results of cluster analysis on the measured values before treatment were summed up into three groups; A1, A2, and A3. 1) Group A1 showing retrusion of the Maxilla and lingual version and lingual inclination of Maxillary anterior teeth. 2) Group A2 showing protrusion of the Mandible, lingual version of Maxillary anterior teeth, and lingual inclination of Mandibular anterior teeth. 3) Group A3 showing lingual version of Maxillary anterior teeth and labial version of Mandibular anterior teeth. 2. The results of cluster analysis on the changes caused by treatment were classified into three groups; V1, V2, and V3. 1) Group V1 showing labial version and labial inclination of Maxillary anterior teeth and lingual version and lingual inclination of Mandibular anterior teeth. 2) Group V2 showing protrusion of the Maxilla, labial version of Maxillary anterior teeth, and lingual version and lingual inclination of Mandibular anterior teeth. 3) Group V3 showing retrusion of the Mandible and labial version and labial inclination of Maxillary anterior teeth. 3. Relationships between Groups A1, A2, and A3 and those of V1, V2, and V3 may be summarized in the following. 1) Group A1 shows healing trend of Group V2. 2) Group A2 shows healing trend of either Group V1 or Group V3. 3) Group A3 shows healing trend of Group V1. The results shown above indicate that healing process is dependent upon many factors including a problem of mixed dentition, a problem of constructing dental arch and individual growth characteristics. Therefore, it is important for us to recognize the findings described above when treating anterior crossbite in the mixed dentition.


In this paper, we present a methodology for the design of the rotor flux observer for induction motors and its applications to fault detection. We start with the well-known α-β model of induction motors. We employ a change of coordinates to transform the fifth order α-β model to a third order model expressed in terms of complex differential equations. After that, an inverse transformation is used to revert back to the original coordinates. Moreover, we use the designed observer in order to detect some faults arising in the induction motor. By doing so, a proper fault monitoring system is realised. We consider mainly the effects of voltage sag, stator inter-turn short-circuit and broken rotor bar faults that usually arise in induction motors. The validity of the proposed approach is verified with results from simulation of the model of the induction motor.


BACKGROUND Independent avulsion fractures with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) or posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) attachment are relatively common among tibial intercondylar eminence fractures, and their postoperative outcomes are generally favorable. Conversely, huge avulsion fractures of the intercondylar eminence containing the attachment site of both the ACL and the PCL are extremely rare, and the reported clinical outcomes are poor. CASE SUMMARY We describe a 30-year-old Japanese male's huge avulsion fracture of the intercondylar eminence of a tibia containing the attachment site of both the ACL and PCL, together with a complete tear of the medial collateral ligament and a partial tear of both the medial and lateral menisci caused by a fall from a high place. All of these injuries were treated surgically, with anatomical reduction and stable fixation. The limb function at 1 year post-surgery was excellent (Lysholm score: 100 points). CONCLUSION Although this patient's complete surgical repair was complex, it should be performed in similar cases for an excellent final clinical outcome.


Bantam is a conserved miRNA highly expressed in insects. We previously showed that the antisense inhibitor (antagomiR) of bantam improved the infection by baculovirus Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) in Spodoptera exigua and S. litura larvae. Here, we constructed a recombinant AcMNPV (vPH-banS) expressing bantam sponge, an mRNA containing eight antisense binding sites for bantam. Infection with wild type AcMNPV (WT) or the control recombinant virus vPH resulted in a significant increase of bantam level, whereas infection with vPH-banS led to an approximately 40% reduction of bantam in both Sf9 cells and S. exigua larvae. Although, comparable production of budded virus and polyhedra were detected in vPH-banS-, vPH-, and WT-infected Sf9 cells, vPH-banS showed remarkably increased insecticidal activity in S. exigua larvae. The 50% lethal concentration and the median lethal time of vPH-banS was only 1/40 and 1/2, respectively, of both vPH and WT. Further analysis showed that the level of molting hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) was significantly higher in larvae infected with vPH-banS than those infected with vPH or WT. This was confirmed by the result that the larvae treated with bantam inhibitor also had a markedly increased 20E level. Moreover, feeding larvae with 20E increased the virus-mediated mortality, whereas feeding with juvenile hormone partially reverted the high insecticidal effect of vPH-banS. Together, our results revealed that vPH-banS infection suppresses the level of bantam, and in turn elevates level of 20E in infected insects, resulting in increased susceptibility to baculovirus infection. Our study provided a novel approach to improve a baculovirus bio-insecticide by interfering with a key homeostasis-regulating miRNA of the host.


The pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia is controversial. Oxygen toxicity, mechanical trauma to the lung secondary to respirator therapy, and congestive heart failure with a left to right shunt through a patent ductus arteriosus have all been implicated. Our data suggest that in addition to these three conditions, all of which are edemagenic, infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia have a significantly greater mean fluid intake in the first five days of life when compared with infants with respiratory distress syndrome or patent ductus arteriosus alone. We suggest that the addition of a fluid load may potentiate the effects of other factors and increase the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in infants with respiratory distress syndrome who require respiratory support.


LandSAGE is a geospatial visualization tool developed with the goal of providing decision support capabilities to countries in Southeast Asia, allowing scientists, engineers, and decision makers to monitor and mitigate costly natural disasters, namely landslides and flooding. The project is a multi-national collaborative effort, involving beneficiaries from the countries of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. In this work, we present a brief overview of the scope and scale of the first out of three phases of this project, culminating in the development of a geospatial visualization application, specially engineered to run on SAGE2 powered CyberCANOEs. This application ties together both real-time and historical hydrological and meteorological data, from sensor networks spanning the countries of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.


The reduced energy momentum method of Simo et al. (1991) may be used to locate bifurcations of steady motions of conservative systems from symmetric steady motions. A family of functionals parametrized by the isotropy algebra can be used to characterize a symmetric relative equilibrium. A variation of the Equivariant Branching Lemma is used to construct a scalar equilibrium equation on an appropriate submanifold of the configuration manifold. This equation can be solved for the free parameter associated to the isotropy subalgebra to obtain stability and bifurcation results. Applications to three mechanical systems are considered: the heavy Lagrange top, the Riemann ellipsoids, and planar incompressible free boundary flow. The bifurcation analyses of the heavy top and the Riemann ellipsoids recapture the classical results of Routh and Riemann. The analysis of swirling planar flows establishes the existence of nonrigid steady motions of asymmetric fluid regions bifurcating from a rigidly rotating fluid disc and improves an existing formal stability result for the rigidly rotating disc. A common feature of these three examples is the existence of a range of angular velocities for which the symmetric steady motions are both (formally) orbitally and linearly stable and yet bifurcations to asymmetric steady motions occur.


This research draws on regulatory focus theory to explore how to effectively advertise technology-based hospitality services. In an experiment, we compare four types of service ads: narrative-comparative, narrative-noncomparative, list-comparative, and list-noncomparative. Results reveal that narrative-comparative ads, portraying a superior service experience with the advertised brand against its competitors, can elicit gain perceptions, and therefore, they are more effective among promotion-focused individuals than their more prevention-focused counterparts. Conversely, list-comparative ads, presenting attributes of the advertised brand and its competitors side-by-side, can induce either gain or loss perceptions, thus being effective among both promotion-focused and prevention-focused individuals. With no mention of a reference brand, noncomparative ads fail to generate regulatory fit thereby being less persuasive. Managerial implications for hospitality marketers are discussed.


High stress occupational condition is known as psychosocial factor affecting incidence of cardiovascular diseases. Physicians and experts in profession pay less attention to occupational stress effect as a background cause of cardiovascular heart diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluation of profession stress effect on cardiovascular diseases incidence. Totally 300 people were recruited, 150 in control group and 150 in case group. The samples were matched based on gender and age. Cases were selected among incidence new cases of cardiovascular diseases by cardiologist diagnosis. ERI 17 questionnaire was used to measure job stress by interview and questionnaire. Demographic and clinical information was gathered through interview and the last tests of each person. The data were analyzed in independent T test, ANOVA, Linear regression. High triglyceride was found in clerks. There was a significant relationship of fasting blood glucose mean in both groups with high job stress compare to those without job stress (P=0.0001). Those with high job stress smoke more than those without gob stress this result was statistically significant (P= 0.004). HDL mean of participants with high level of job stress was less than whom with low job stress and this difference was statistically significant (P= 0.007). High levels of triglycerides, blood sugar, low HDL levels and the number of cigarettes consumed in those with job stress make them beat risk for cardiovascular disease. Thus making best decision by employers to reduce stress of occupation is recommended.


ABSTRACT In the valley of the Kansas River as well as on the adjacent uplands between Manhattan and Kansas City, Kansas, is a red clay-like deposit of very fine texture and low textural range. Field studies and laboratory investigations consisting of mechanical and mineralogical analyses tend to prove that the upland phase is a very highly weathered till, whereas the terrace deposit is fluviatile in origin, the materials of which have been derived from the upland deposits. No definite age has been assigned to these clays.


The terrestrial planet Venus is classified by astronomers as an inferior planet because it is located closer to the Sun than the Earth. Venus orbits the Sun at a mean distance of 108.21 Million Km and receives an average annual solar irradiance of 2601.3 W/m2, which is 1.911 times that of the Earth. A set of linked forward and inverse climate modelling studies were undertaken to determine whether a process of atmospheric energy retention and recycling could be established by a mechanism of energy partition between the solid illuminated surface and an overlying fully transparent, non-greenhouse gas atmosphere. Further, that this atmospheric process could then be used to account for the observed discrepancy between the average annual solar insolation flux and the surface tropospheric average annual temperature for Venus. Using a geometric climate model with a globular shape that preserves the key fundamental property of an illuminated globe, namely the presence on its surface of the dual environments of both a lit and an unlit hemisphere; we established that the internal energy flux within our climate model is constrained by a process of energy partition at the surface interface between the illuminated ground and the overlying air. The dual environment model we have designed permits the exploration and verification of the fundamental role that the atmospheric processes of thermal conduction and convection have in establishing and maintaining surface thermal enhancement within the troposphere of this terrestrial planet. We believe that the duality of energy partition ratio between the lit and unlit hemispheres applied to the model, fully accounts for the extreme atmospheric "greenhouse effect" of the planet Venus. We show that it is the meteorological process of air mass movement and energy recycling through the mechanism of convection and atmospheric advection, associated with the latitudinal hemisphere encompassing Hadley Cell that accounts for the planet's observed enhanced atmospheric surface warming. Using our model, we explore the form, nature and geological timing of the climatic transition that turned Venus from a paleo water world into a high-temperature, high-pressure carbon dioxide world.


Disaggregation of hourly rainfall data is very important to fulfil the input of continual rainfall-runoff model, when the availability of automatic rainfall records are limited. Continual rainfall-runoff modeling requires rainfall data in form of series of hourly. Such specification can be obtained by temporal disaggregation in single site. The paper attempts to generate single-site rainfall model based upon time series (AR1) model by adjusting and establishing dummy procedure. Estimated with Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) the objective variable is hourly rainfall depth. Performance of model has been evaluated by comparison of history data and model prediction. The result shows that the model has a good performance for dry interval periods. The performance of the model good represented by smaller number of MAE by 0.21 respectively.


Purpose: In primary care, testing of formal exercise capacity is not always feasible. Therefore, we have created a formula to predict incremental shuttle walking test (ISWT) using the 30 seconds chair stand-up test (CS-30) (Takagawa, A. et al. The Journal of the Japan Society for Respiratory Care and Rehabilitation 2010: 20:156-159. in Japanese). The purpose of this study was to create a prediction equation ISWT in practice time and limited space in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Participants and methods: Subjects with stable men COPD were recruited (n = 115; mean ± SD age, 72.7 ± 8.1 years). We measured Body mass index (BMI), modified medical research council (mMRC) dyspnea scale, %FVC, %FEV1.0, CS-30, quadriceps strength, 6-munites walking test (6MWT), timed up and go test (TUG), St. gorge's respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ), and ISWT. Results: Prediction was created by multiple regression analysis: ISWT pred = –88.2×(mMRC dyspnea scale) + 13.7×(CS-30) + 293.4 (R2 = 0.612, p Conclusion: Our results suggest the potential for prediction for ISWT. Further work is warranted to determine the effects of pulmonary rehabilitation for exercise capacity in patients with COPD.


Minute granules of sporopollenin, called orbicules, can be observed on the innermost tangential and/or radial walls of secretory tapetum cells. Orbicules were investigated in 62 species (50 genera) of Apocynaceae s.l. using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Orbicules were found in 43 species (34 genera) distributed amongst the subfamilies Rauvolfioideae, Apocynoideae, Periplocoideae, and in the genus Riocreuxia (Asclepiadoideae). Absence of orbicules is apparent in Secamonoideae and Asclepiadoideae (except Riocreuxia). The orbicule types described are based on observed morphological and ultrastructural variation. Of the six orbicule types previously described, Type I and Type II orbicules are lacking. In the majority of species, Type III orbicules were recorded in addition to Types IV, V and VI. In this study we suggest that embedded Type VI orbicules are more derived. A correlation between orbicule typology and evolutionary tendencies in Apocynaceae s.l. palynology was found. A trend was observed from the presence of Type III orbicules in the majority of species belonging to the basal group of genera characterized by colporate to porate single pollen grains, or 3-6-porate tetrads, towards the more derived embedded Type VI orbicules in the more advanced Periplocoideae genera with multiporate tetrads or pollinia. Orbicule data have proven not to be useful for evaluating tribal delimitation within the Apocynaceae s.l. contrary to the Rubiaceae and Loganiaceae s.l.


In order to study the effect of potassium and manure fertilizer on yield and water use efficiency in wheat (N-81-18 cultivar) under drought stress, a pot experiment was conducted in split plot based on completely randomized design with four replications in 2009-2010 crop year. The main factor included irrigation after depletion of 75, 50 and 25 percent available plant water and the subsidiary factor was potassium in three levels (0, 300 and 600 kg/ha potassium sulfate fertilizer) and manure fertilizer in three levels (0, 20 and 40 ton/ha). Result indicated that irrigation treatment had significant effect on concentration of iron, zinc, copper and manganese in leaf and grain. The manure treatment had significant effect on concentration of iron, zinc, copper and manganese in grain at p<0.01 and on concentration of iron in leaf at p<0.05. Potassium treatment was significant (p<0.01) only on concentration of copper in leaf and grain. Interaction effect of irrigation and manure fertilizer treatments were significant on concentration of all micro element in leaf and grain and interaction effect of potassium and manure fertilizer was significant (p<0.05) only on concentration of iron. The most concentration of iron and manganese in leaf of wheat were observed in irrigation treatment after depletion of 75% of available plant water and maximum amount of zinc in irrigation treatment after depletion of 25% of available plant water and consumption of 20 tons of manure fertilizer ha. Also, maximum amount of copper in leaf of wheat was obtained in irrigation treatment after depletion of 25% of available plant water and consumption of 40 tons of manure fertilizer ha. Concentration of iron, manganese and copper in grain of wheat enriched to maximum in irrigation treatment after depletion of 50% of available plant water and consumption of 40 tons of manure fertilizer ha and zinc of grain in irrigation treatment after depletion of 75% of available plant water without consumption of manure fertilizer.


The Cosmonaut Training Centre: birth and growth.- Simulators.- Other national and international facilities.- Survival training.- The Cosmonaut Group of the RGNII TsPK.- The Cosmonaut group of RKK Energiya.- Other Soviet and Russian cosmonaut selections.- Cosmonauts selected to fly the Buran Shuttle.- International training.- Joint programmes.- Zvyozdnyy Gorodok - the town.


Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a life-threatening immune activation syndrome that should be recognized earlier for effective treatment. Adults usually have secondary HLH. An uncommon cause of secondary HLH is AIDS and simultaneous opportunistic infections. Acute human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and opportunistic infections are also independent causes of HLH, so the presence of both should raise suspicion, especially if patients fulfill the criteria. HLH secondary to severe babesiosis is a rare entity as well. Some patients might not meet the full criteria of HLH on presentation, especially when some specific lab test results are still pending. A delay in diagnosis can happen in those cases. Here, we present two cases. The first case is of a 35-year-old homosexual male who presented with constitutional symptoms of one-week duration. He was diagnosed and started on the treatment of HIV. His fever was not resolving and further investigations led to a diagnosis of disseminated histoplasma infection. The patient fulfilled the criteria of HLH as well. Prompt therapy resulted in the improvement of clinical and laboratory parameters. The second case is of a 72-year-old female presenting with fever. A diagnosis of severe babesiosis and secondary HLH was made. Treatment of babesia resulted in the improvement of clinical and biochemical parameters.


Four calcium, aluminum-rich inclusions from four carbonaceous chondrites—Allende, Acfer 082, Acfer 086, and Acfer 094—were studied by transmission electron microscopy. All inclusions contained at least two of the oxides periclase (MgO), rutile (TiO2), calcium oxide (CaO), and corundum (Al2O3). The oxides (50 to 200 nanometers in size) were found inside and at grain boundaries of the constituent minerals of the inclusions. Determining how these oxides formed may provide insight about condensation processes in the early solar nebula and the origin of refractory inclusions in chondrites. Formation of these oxides by exsolution is considered unlikely. An origin by kinetically controlled condensation appears more probable.


Background High alcohol intake is a known risk factor for fractures.1 This association is mediated by a combination of factors including muscle atrophy, unsteadiness and loss of bone mineral density (BMD). Chronic alcohol consumption is common, and predictors of fractures in these patients have not been the object of many studies. Objectives We used data from a large observational cohort to determine predictors of fractures among chronic heavy drinkers. Methods A dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) database from a district general hospital in Northwest England was used to identify patients drinking more than the maximum recommended amount of alcohol. Patient demographics, presence of other risk factors and bone mineral density (BMD) at the femoral neck, total proximal femur and L1-L4 lumbar vertebrae were recorded. Univariate logistic regression models predicting fracture risk were fitted using traditional FRAX risk factors for osteoporosis. These include age at scan, female gender, total hip BMD (left and right), femoral neck BMD (left and right), L1-L4 BMD, presence or absence of smoking, rheumatoid arthritis, family history of fracture, steroid exposure and body mass index (BMI). Subsequently a multivariate model was fitted with a cut off value of p<0.05 for individual variables. Results 1794 patients were referred between 2004–2014; of these, 737 (41.1%) had sustained a fracture. Median age at scan was 59.6 years, and 1221 (68.1%) were female. Results of univariate analysis are shown in Table 1. Risk factor Odds ratio 95% CI Age at scan (years) 1.02 1.01, 1.03* Female gender 1.06 0.87, 1.30 Femoral neck BMD (right) 0.036 0.016, 0.079* Femoral neck BMD (left) 0.046 0.022, 0.095* Total hip BMD (right) 0.036 0.017, 0.074* Total hip BMD (left) 0.035 0.017, 0.070* Lumbar spine BMD 0.094 0.054, 0.16* Body mass index (kg/m2) 0.99 0.97, 1.01 Smoker 1.24 1.01, 1.48* Rheumatoid arthritis 0.71 0.40, 1.21 Family history of fracture 0.85 0.65, 1.09 Steroid exposure 0.58 0.46, 0.74 In the multivariate model, age at scan, total hip BMD (left), lumbar spine BMD, BMI and steroid exposure were predictors of risk. As in the univariate model, steroid exposure in this cohort appears to reduce the risk of fractures. Conclusions In the univariate analyses, bone mineral density measured at any site, age and smoking status were predictors. In the multivariate model, the strongest predictors were lumbar spine BMD, BMI and steroid exposure (p<0.001), with age and total left hip BMD also significant. In this population, lumbar spine BMD may be a better predictor than hip BMD used in the FRAX risk assessment tool. There may well be an as yet undetermined role of unmeasured confounders, and further research is needed to guide the development of a more accurate risk assessment tool in this population. Steroid exposure reduces the risk of fractures in both models, which is difficult to explain. Steroid exposure indicates engagement with medical care, which may be less likely amongst the heaviest drinkers, thus creating confounding. Our data does not quantify alcohol consumed, and it is possible that those with significant steroid exposure consume less alcohol overall. Further work is needed to clarify the role of steroid exposure in fracture risk prediction in chronic drinkers. References Kanis J, Johansson H, Johnell O, Oden A, De Laet C, Eisman J et al. Alcohol intake as a risk factor for fracture. Osteoporosis International. 2004;16(7):737–742. Disclosure of Interest None declared


The underwater shape and hook depth of tuna longline gear are important factors determining fishing performance. In this study, how the shape of tuna longline gear changes in response to sea conditions and gear rigging is explained. Physical models of underwater gear shape were made to simulate fishing gear and analyzed according to the direction and velocity of currents. Then experiments with small-scale models were conducted in a flume tank to confirm the accuracy of the simulation analysis. Finally, the simulation was examined relative to actual longline fishing gear. This approach provided an improvement over previous analytical methods that did not consider fishing gear shape in response to different sea conditions. A useful result is an improved understanding of the relationship between ocean currents and the configuration of longline gear (the shortening ratio, and number of hooks per basket). These factors affect hook depth which, in turn, affects selectivity. Application of these results could lead to more effective and efficient fishing under different sea conditions.


OBJECTIVE
To analyze the characteristics of anatomy and blood distribution of uterine arterial vascular network in vivo for healthy women aged 20-26 years by reconstructing the digital three-dimensional models based on computerized tomographic angiography (CTA) scanning technology.

METHODS
From August to December 2012, a total of 25 female volunteers aged 20-26 years were recruited. All of them accepted CTA scanning. Their datasets were collected for reconstructing the digital three-dimension models of normal uterine arterial vascular network by using Mimics Version 10.01 software. After recognizing the supply arteries of each part of uterus, the three dimension models were divided into corpus and cervix arterial vascular network, left and right corpus arterial vascular network, left and right cervical artery vasc ular network and then calculated the proportion of vascular volume.

RESULTS
Digital three-dimension models of normal uterine arterial vascular network of 25 cases were successfully reconstructed, which clearly showed the structure of the uterine artery and its branches at all levels. Under normal physiological conditions, vascular network of corpus developed in 21 cases (84%, 21/25). In these cases, bilateral vascular network were developed and supplied by the ipsilateral uterine artery respectively, where the distribution of vascular were bilateral balanced in 18 cases and unilateral predominant in 3 cases.However, 4 cases (16%, 4/25) of vascular network of corpus were not developed. There were not statistically significant of vascular network volume between both sides of uterine corpus of 25 cases digital three dimension models of normal uterine arterial vascular network (t = 1.817, P = 0.077). The cervical arterial vascular networks didn't develop in 23 cases (92%, 23/25), whereas it developed in 2 cases (8%, 2/25).

CONCLUSIONS
This study successfully reconstructed the three dimensional models of uterine arterial vascular network for healthy females aged 20-26 years, confirming that the overall normal uterine vascular network distribution has the characteristics of bilateral, ipsilateral blood tendentious and balanced. But the cervical vascular network is rarely developing.


: Th e global proliferation of elite high-rise apartments is oft en read as evidence of social failure, of increasing socioeconomic disparity and fragmen-tation. Th e Jaff ery Complex, a vertiginous gated high-rise being constructed in the Kenyan port of Mombasa, seems to embody Corbusian ideologies of social transformation based on an explicit distancing from the streets below, insulating its incoming residents from the frequently fused threats of terror, poverty, and crime. However, ethnographic attention to the multistory mosque located within the complex challenges readings of elite stacked housing solutions as "vertical co-coons," and reveals the tension between proximity and distance that this urban redevelopment strives to construct.


This work presents collaboration between electronics industry and University aimed to develop novel power cycling methodology combined with IR thermography for quality and reliability studies of microelectronic assemblies. For this purpose an array of programmable Thermo Electric Converters (TEC) was designed and constructed [1]. The array provides possibility of introduction of controlled anisothermal temperature field as a function of time. Such field is exploited for stimulation for IR thermography and lifetime acceleration experiments. Furthermore, an advanced method, which takes advantage of short stimulations by photon blast was used to perform Time Domain IR Thermography. Combination of such techniques provided information about the weakest points in the assembly, design and optimisation of the manufacturing processes.


Crystallization of three diterpenoid isosteviol derivatives with a structural fragment of isoniazid (isonicotinic acid hydrazide) and its isomers – hydrazides of nicotinic and picolinic acids (structures 5, 6 and 7 respectively) was studied by single-crystal and powder XRD. These homochiral compounds crystallize in "Sohnke" space group P21 with two independent molecules. In crystals 5 and 6, an infinite H-bonded chain of alternating molecules A and B formed by N–H⋯OC interaction is observed, while only pairwise the same interactions between molecules A and B are realized in crystal 7. In the H-bonded associates of both types, the local (non-crystallographic) mirror-symmetry of nitrogen containing substituents in molecules A and B is observed. Such type of crystal packing – H-bonded chains or dimers formed by the N–H⋯OC interaction through the glide plane – is the most typical packing in achiral compounds with a structural fragment of isoniazid and its isomers, as the CCDC analysis showed. Thus, structures 5–7 represent an interesting example of transferring a robust supramolecular mirror-symmetry motive from a racemic environment into a homochiral one, but inclusion of an "extra" molecule in a unit cell is the crystallographic "cost" of such transfer.


Mkio = xk+ (-1_L... + 1) + (-1_L...). \xk.y+ Xk_2+ Xy) \Xk-y+ Xk + 2+ J It is easily shown (see [5]) that M(0 = lim sup Af^)» ft-» 00 For every positive number y let L(y) = K|Af(i) = y] be the level set of M at y. The theorem of this paper provides an estimate of the Hausdorff-Besicovich dimension of L(y) for sufficiently large y. The HausdorffBesicovich dimension of a set S, which we will write dim(S), is defined as follows : let (/¡) be a covering of S by intervals, andä let 11*\ be the length of|/¡; then 5 = l.u.b. | /; | is called the norm of the covering; riA,S) = lim g.l.b.I|/;|\ Ô-* 00


Summary The 4G allele of the PAI-1 –675(4G/5G) insertion/deletion promoter polymorphism has been associated with elevated plasma levels of PAI-1 and an increased risk of myocardial infarction. However, this allele has also been associated with a reduced risk of ischaemic stroke. In the brain, PAI-1 is mainly produced by astrocytes, and can reduce the neurotoxic effects exerted by tissue-type plasminogen activator during pathophysiologic conditions. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the PAI-1 –675(4G/5G) polymorphism and the linked –844A/G polymorphism affect transcriptional activity of the PAI-1 gene in human astrocytes. Haplotype chromatin immunoprecipitation (haploChIP) was used in order to quantify allele-specific promoter activity in heterozygous cells. Protein-DNA interactions were investigated by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). A clear allele-specific difference in PAI-1 gene expression was observed in astrocytes, where the haplotype containing the 4G and the –844A alleles was associated with higher transcriptional activity compared to the 5G and –844G-containing haplotype. EMSA revealed an allele-specific binding of nuclear proteins to the 4G/5G site as well as to the –844A/G site. Supershift experiments identified specific binding of the transcription factors Elf-1 and Elk-1 to the –844G allele. The relative impact of the different sites on allele-specific PAI-1 promoter activity remains to be determined. We demonstrate that common polymorphisms within the PAI-1 promoter affect transcriptional activity of the PAI-1 gene in human astrocytes, thus providing a possible molecular genetic mechanism behind the association between PAI-1 promoter variants and ischaemic stroke.


Multi-dielectric coatings are designed to reach total absorption and maximum field amplification at resonances under total reflection. The design method is analytic and numerical results are given. Comparison with plasmons or thin metallic layers is discussed. Scattering from these coatings is investigated for measurements of amplification.


The purpose of this postgraduate thesis is to model and implement an Intelligent Adaptive Tutoring System (I.A.T.S.) for the domain of Modern Greek Grammar of the sixth grade of Primary School. The system is expected to be used by students and teachers that will benefit from it while studying collaboratively or independently. School teachers will have the ability to insert educational material or questions and to inspect the performance of their students, while students will be able to study the extra material and to test their knowledge through automated tests. The main goal of this system is to model the student behavior, in order to personalize the educational material and tests according to each student's performance. In particular, this system will not depend on prearranged question sets for its tests, but it will create the tests dynamically, according to each student's weaknesses. What is more, each student will be able to access educational material and questions that correspond to her level. Other significant goals of the system are the ability to recognize when a student has found difficulties in a question, and to distinguish between mistakes due to lack of knowledge and mistakes due to carelessness. Finally, the system should encourage the student to review the appropriate units of the educational material, according to her performance.


Teaching Information System Technology in Partnership with IT Companies We describe an example of partnership between a university and some major IT companies - IBM and Microsoft - to teach a course on information systems technology. The course is taught in the fifth (final) year of the university undergraduate program when students have already mastered the basic theoretical knowledge of information system development. For this reason, the course content was restructured to pay more attention to practical experience and the learning opportunities available within the environment of professional industry. During the course, students get acquainted with IBM and Microsoft products and the tools that support the development of online information systems. Special attention is devoted to group project work, which is not just intended for the improvement of technical skills, but also for the aqusition of transferrable skills such as teamwork, management/leadership, planning and organizing, presentation and documentation, searching for information, etc. We describe our experience from teaching the course in the academic years 2005/06 and 2006/07. A description of the course content is given and the results of a survey among the students are presented. Students responded favourably to the new approach and found the course very useful and interesting.


Induction of cytosolic L-ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity in cultures of Friend erythroleukemia cells by seeding in fresh medium was suppressed by treatment with several differentiation inducers. The levels of suppression after 3 h treatment were about 60% at 20 mM nicotinamide, 30% at 1.5% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and 20% at 5 mM hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA). Tracer experiments using [3H]ornithine to determine newly accumulated polyamines including putrescine revealed that the accumulation was suppressed by treatment (18 h) with the inducers. Furthermore, results of polyamine determination by high-pressure liquid chromatography showed that the cellular polyamine content in differentiation-induced cells was lower than those of uninduced cells in early (18 h after inducer treatment) stages of differentiation. Accordingly, it is suggested that cytosolic ODC levels virtually represent the rate of accumulation of intracellular polyamines in the early period of differentiation.


The aim of this study is to discuss the scientific production scenario related to the theme entrepreneurship in the creative industry sector through a bibliometric study, using co-citation network. The sample was based on the ISI Web of Knowledge platform (Web of Science), totaling 131 selected articles. Based on data analysis, it was concluded that entrepreneurship in the creative industry sector is a subject still few explored, but there is a significant increase in publications in the last five years. Looking at the co-citation network, it was possible to map the intellectual structure of entrepreneurship in the creative industry sector and the development in research and publications as well.


In this article I discuss David Herman's thesis about «hypothetical focalization» (HF), as it is presented in Story Logic: Problems and Possibilities of Narrative [1], in relation to different theories about reader interpretations (taken in a very basic sense) of narrative fiction. I will simplify the theoretical options to two approaches: the first is based on the assumption that fictional narrative is a secondary variant of factual narrative with the simple modifier "as if". Accordingly, it is assumed that a fictional narrator informs a narratee about persons and events in a fictional world using linguistic means that work according to common grammatical rules. The alternative, advocated by theoreticians such as Kate Hamburger [2], Lars-Ake Skalin [3; 4] and Richard Walsh [5][1], is a "separatist" approach, which assumes that fiction is a particular "context" or "language-game". According to this paradigm an author (or narrator) does not inform about objects but rather stipulates motifs that will have an aesthetic impact on readers. Such an approach can be described as pragmatic and it must, when used analytically, go from effects to poetics (in the sense of theory) since it cannot be assumed that certain forms have the same function or generate the same effects in different contexts.An important argument for the latter opinion is that the former theoretical variant will, if applied to literary texts, generate "disquieting" interpretations that do not fit in well with the intuition of readers[2]. This implies, according to the critics, that readers interpret fictional narratives from the perspective of another poetics — in the sense of an internalized rule-system[3] — than the one assumed by the theoreticians advocating the former model. The putative counter-argument that theoreticians like Gerard Genette in his analysis of Marcel Proust [7] have come up with what are taken to be good readings is met by the answer that these theoreticians did not read the literature in accordance with their own "method" [8]. [1]I do not associate what is called unnatural narratology with this theoretical approach since their very use of the concept "unnatural" implies that they assume the traditional approach [cf. 6]. [2] "Disquieting interpretations" is used to denote interpretations that seem to be at odds with basic intuitions concerning the language game and sense of certain texts.[3] When speaking about reading in this article, I do not refer to a professional reader but to the ability to read as a reader equipped with poetics — that is, a more or less conciously internalized theory of how to make sense of narrative fiction. I thus use the terms poetics to denote this "internalized theory," or understanding of the rules and constraints of narrative fiction.


We have presented a strategy to study nuclei and nuclear matters from first principles, namely, from QCD. We first compute nucleon-nucleon potentials numerically in lattice QCD, and then use them to investigate properties of nuclei and nuclear matter by various methods developed in nuclear physics. As a demonstration that this strategy works, mass and structure of ^4^He, ^16^O and ^40^Ca, and equation of state of nuclear matters are determined with the lattice QCD induced two-nucleon potentials in a heavy quark region as an input. We have found that these nuclei and the symmetric nuclear matter are bound at one quark mass corresponding to the pseudo-scalar meson (pion) mass of 469 MeV (the octet baryon (nucleon) mass of 1161 MeV). The obtained binding energy per nucleon has a uniform mass-number A dependence which is consistent to the Bethe-Weizsacker mass formula qualitatively. The present study demonstrates that our strategy works well to investigate various properties of atomic nuclei and nuclear matter starting from QCD, without depending on models or experimental information about the nuclear force.


This collection of essays brings together the work of many of the world's leading Contract Law scholars. It focuses upon a common central theme--the question of good faith and fair dealing in the Law of Contract. The book is divided into several parts: the first part is an Introduction; Part II examines the requirement of good faith and its role in the formation of contracts; Part III is concerned with contractual obligations; Part IV examines Breach of Contract and Remedial Issues. The work will be of widespread interest to scholars of Private Law in both Common and Civil Law jurisdictions.


A Weyl tensor of Petrov type I can be decomposed into two parts, an electric and a magnetic part, by any observer with 4-velocity vector u. It is shown here that when a metric is such that there exists an observer who sees the metric's Weyl tensor as purely electric or purely magnetic, then the Weyl tensor is of Petrov type I in the Arianrhod--McIntosh classification (and thus its four principal null directions are linearly dependent). It is also shown that an observer exists for whom the Weyl tensor is either purely electric or magnetic if and only if the Weyl tensor is of Petrov type I and the invariant I of the Weyl tensor is real. The magnetic and electric cases are distinguished by the sign of I. In the electric and magnetic cases, the spanning vectors of the principal null directions at each point are u and two other vectors picked out by the geometry; this combines and simplifies results of Trumper and Narain. The results here are formulated in terms of invariants, and are thus easily amenable to computer classification of metrics. Spacetime examples are discussed, and new theoretical results for the Petrov type D subcase are presented.


Objective: Circumcision has been described as the most commonly performed surgical operation in the boys and is probably the oldest surgical procedure in man. This prospective study was aimed at establishing the pattern, treatment outcome and cost of major complications of neonatal circumcision seen in a tertiary center in Nigeria. Methods: Consecutive cases of complications of circumcision presenting at the Paediatric Outpatient Department in a tertiary centre in Nigeria were prospectively studied over a period of 3 and half years from July 2003 to December 2006. Information regarding the age of the patient, time of circumcision, the surgeon, place of circumcision was recorded as well as the type of mishap; outcome and cost of management were noted. Results: Forty five patients with major complications of circumcision representing 6.2% of the patients. Their age at presentation ranged between 2 weeks to 10 years (Median = 3months). All the patients were circumcised during the neonatal period. The commonest complication reported is urethro-cutaneous fistula in 25 (56%), Meatal Stenosis in 4(8.9%), Severe bleeding in 4(8.9%), Epidermoid cyst in 3 (6.7%), and 2 (4.4%) cases each of Buried penis, penile amputation, penile degloving with glans amputation, glanular adhesions and redundant prepuce respectively. The cost of treatment for the repairs varies from 4500 -35,000NGN (40-305 Dollars) Conclusion: The prevalence of complications of circumcision is high in our environment.


Enterprises are complex systems constantly seeking to adapt to the shifting environment. This book develops and validates a Framework for Enterprise Systems Engineering (ESE), which guides the engineering of an enterprise throughout its life cycle and highlights that an integrated enterprise is a system that creates value for its customers. The framework serves to management and engineering in their requirement for new model-based methods that support this enterprise need for adaptation and change. The framework intertwines a definition for ESE, setting its boundaries with respect to other disciplines; a classification scheme that remarks the different areas of study that ESE needs to address and breaks down an enterprise system into four elements, viewed through four system facets; each element-facet combination is subject to an engineering process to achieve a pre-specified performance. The book highlights the need for extensive research in ESE if it is to grow as a field and become the source of concepts, methodologies and tools to design, improve, and redesign enterprises of the 21st century.


Based on available data, it can be suggested that spontaneous breathing during ventilator support has not to be suppressed even in patients with severe pulmonary dysfunction if no contraindications are present. Experimental data do not support the contention that spontaneous breathing aggravates ventilator-induced lung injury. During spontaneous breathing increase in PTP is maximal in the depended lung areas in adjunct to the diaphragm and causes recruitment of initially atelectatic lung areas thereby avoiding cyclic alveolar collapse and reopening. This should result in a lung protective effect of adequate supported spontaneous breathing. Clinical data supported this belief demonstrating improvement in pulmonary gas exchange, systemic blood flow, and oxygen supply to the tissue and a decrease in days on ventilator support and duration of stay in the intensive care unit.


The discipline of computer science has always featured a large gap between theory and practice. For example, both the object oriented paradigm and garbage collection techniques go back to at least the 1960s (H. Schorr and W. Waite, 1967; O.J. Dahl and K. Nygard, 1966) but they have only seen widespread commercial acceptance this decade. The Java/sup TM/ programming language has been an important factor leading to the commercial popularization of these techniques. The field of real time computing has suffered from a particularly acute disconnect between theory and practice. Java/sup TM/ technology can be applied to the building of real time systems through a set of standard extensions to the Java/sup TM/ platform. A set of extensions that bring the core benefits of the platform to real time will advance the commercial state of the art. It will help to narrow the gap between theory and practice. The paper explores different aspects of computer systems theory as applied to real time systems. It analyzes whether they are ready to be reduced to practice and standardized.


Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the perceptions by owners and staff working in causal full-service restaurants in Macao of their two major subcultures of customers: Hong Kong Chinese and Taiwan Chinese in terms of their dining behavior and preferences.

Design/methodology/approach
Face-to-face interviews with 36 service staff of casual dining restaurants in Macao were conducted through the purposive convenience sampling method. Thematic content analysis was conducted in the data analysis.

Findings
The results reveal that although the customers from the two Chinese subcultures have a similar appearance, use the same Chinese characters and share common cultural inheritances; their dining behavior and preferences are perceived as being different.

Practical implications
Practical implications are given on how to better design the products and services to meet each subgroup's needs for enhancing customers' experience and service quality in restaurant settings.

Originality/value
This study focuses on examining if there are any sub-cultural differences in food behaviors and preferences among Hong Kong and Taiwan visitors, who are the major tourist sources in the world market. It contributes to the scarce literature on intracultural dining variances of sub-groups within Chinese.


The purpose of this study was to evaluate relationships between upper body power (UBP) and cross-country ski skating race velocity (R) in a cross sectional representation of cross-country skiers. Additionally, cross-country skiers' UBP was compared to UBP of distance runners. Participants (n = 195) were tested on a Street Arm Ergometer for UBP using a ramped maximal UBP test simulating a double poling motion. A strong relationship (r = 0.89) between UBP and RV in skiers was determined. High school skiers were separated into slow and fast groups based on reported RV; significant differences (p < 0.05) in both UBP was found to be an effective partial predictor of RV, independent of gender. Mean UBP for the cross-country runners was 46% of mean UBP for the cross-country skiers. With UBP contributing so much to performance in cross-country ski racing, it is recommended that cross-country skiers focus a large portion of their training on the specific development of that fitness component.


Background: Quinolones are the antibacterial agents which vigorously inhibit the DNA synthesis. Pharmacodynamically they are DNA Gyrase inhibitor.
Objective: The aim of this study is to compare two quinolone derivatives using HPLC.
Result: The drug content is found to be as 96.25% in ofloxacin sample tablets and 99.64% in ciprofloxacin sample tablets when compared with standards.
Discussion The given method has found to be speedy, exact, defined, trustworthy and minimum time taking for the concurrent process of estimating ofofloxacin as well as ciprofloxacin drugs in the system of loose drug mockups, its preparations exhausting the supreme frequently engaged C-18 column through UV indicator.


Recently we obtained the evidence for the existence of sigma(600) meson, which had been sought but missing for a long time, by reanalyzing the I=0 S-wave pi pi scattering phase shift. The sigma-existence was also suggested through the analyses of pi pi production processes, pp central collision pp to pp pi^0 pi^0 and J/psi to omega pi pi decay. The observed properties through these works of sigma meson satisfy the mass and width relation of SU(2) linear sigma model. The physical origin of the repulsive background phase shift delta_{BG}, which was essential to lead to the sigma-existence in our phase shift analysis, is also due to the"compensating lambda phi^4-interaction"in linear sigma model. Furthermore in this talk the experimental property of the delta_{BG} is shown to be describable quantitatively in the framework of linear sigma model including rho-meson contribution.


When hospital administrators want to fortify the care and programs they provide, what creative vehicles can they initiate? Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC), a 1,000-bed tertiary care center in Orlando, Fla., and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, a 518-bed research facility in Houston, Texas, are establishing a joint alliance that will strengthen the oncology care in central Florida. John Hillenmeyer, chief operating officer and senior vice president of ORMC, describes the structure of the joint venture.


A kinetic study of the enzymatic hydrolysis of two celluloses with different structural features was performed at various temperatures (26–50°C). The enzymatic system consisted of three types of enzymes: E1—β‐1,4‐glucan glucanohydrolase; E2—β‐1,4‐glucan cellobiohydrolase; and E3—β‐glucosidase. A mathematical model for the mechanism of the hydrolysis of cellulosic materials catalyzed by a multienzymatic system was checked and a good rationalization of the experimental results was achieved. Uncompetitive and competitive glucose inhibition on E1 and E2, respectively, appeared to occur for both substrates. Inhibition by cellobiose was checked at 34°C on one substrate. The Vmax, Km, and glucose inhibition constants were optimized and their dependence on temperature determined.


Menstrual irregularities are very common in young females nowadays. Menstrual irregularities can include an array of conditions like amenorrhea, oligomenorrhea, menorrhagia and metrorrhagia. They have a prevalence rate of as high as 85% and hence should be considered a growing public health concern in India. These irregularities have been linked to increased chances of developing chronic diseases like type-2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, migraines, breast cancer etc. leading to a compromised quality of life in the future. Factors like exercise, anthropometry, diet quality, mental health, sleep, circadian rhythm, PCOS or any underlying conditions and gut microbiome have been suspected to play substantial roles in maintaining and regulating the menstrual regularity of a female. Female athletes commonly face amenorrhea because of high energy restriction and long training exercise sessions. Body fat percentage and diet directly affect the circulating sex hormones in the body which causes alterations in the menstrual pattern. A poor mental health hampers the hormone homeostasis affecting the menstrual health with it. PCOS is a known disorder that causes irregularities and the relationship of gut health and irregularities has also been explored. Hence, adhering to a routine and following a healthy lifestyle including consumption of balanced food, routinely exercise, adequate and good quality sleep, a stable mental health and a diverse gut microbiome can be one of the ways to treat or cure these irregularities. This review paper highlights most of the plausible factors that can affect or hamper menstrual irregularities in a female and how changing them can help and improve the condition.


Mutations in the enzyme superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1) cause hereditary variants of the fatal motor neuronal disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Pathophysiology of the disease is non-cell-autonomous: neurotoxicity is derived not only from mutant motor neurons but also from mutant neighbouring non-neuronal cells. In vivo imaging by two-photon laser-scanning microscopy was used to compare the role of microglia/macrophage-related neuroinflammation in the CNS and PNS using ALS-linked transgenic SOD1G93A mice. These mice contained labeled projection neurons and labeled microglia/macrophages. In the affected lateral spinal cord (in contrast to non-affected dorsal columns), different phases of microglia-mediated inflammation were observed: highly reactive microglial cells in preclinical stages (in 60-day-old mice the reaction to axonal transection was ∼180% of control) and morphologically transformed microglia that have lost their function of tissue surveillance and injury-directed response in clinical stages (reaction to axonal transection was lower than 50% of control). Furthermore, unlike CNS microglia, macrophages of the PNS lack any substantial morphological reaction while preclinical degeneration of peripheral motor axons and neuromuscular junctions was observed. We present in vivo evidence for a different inflammatory activity of microglia and macrophages: an aberrant neuroinflammatory response of microglia in the CNS and an apparently mainly neurodegenerative process in the PNS.


Analytical models on metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) scaling and complementary (CMOS) ring oscillator performance developed recently are applied to revisit CMOS design guidelines because those based on the basic long channel model are obsolete. Handy and empirical equations for deep submicrometer MOSFET drain saturation current are developed. The differences between the basic long channel model and the accurate deep submicrometer MOSFET current model are highlighted. Design guidelines on V/sub th/ and V/sub dd/ scaling as well as interconnect loading effects based on the accurate models are presented.


Cells that constitutively diversify their immunoglobulin genes can be used for selection of novel antibodies and for refining existing affinities and specificities. Here, we report an adaptation of the chicken DT40 system wherein its capacity for somatic hypermutation is harnessed to evolve human antibodies expressed as single-chain variable fragments (scFvs). Expression of membrane-anchored scFvs from within the rearranged Igλ locus created self-diversifying scFv libraries from which we could both select scFvs of a desired specificity and evolve both the specificity and affinity of existing scFvs by iterative expansion and selection. From these scFvs, we were able to create fully human IgG antibodies with nanomolar affinities. We further enhanced the functionality of the system by creating a pool of DT40 scFv lines with high levels of mutation driven by the overexpression of a hyperactive variant of activation-induced deaminase. From this library, we successfully isolated scFvs that bound the spliceosome factor CWC15 and the cytokine human IFNγ. Our results demonstrate the flexibility and utility of DT40 for rapid generation of scFv repertoires and efficient selection, evolution and affinity maturation of scFv specificities.


Objective To assess the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) in patients with Pierre Robin sequence and to assess whether early palatoplasty with subperiosteal release of the floor of the mouth eliminates upper respiratory tract infections and gastroesophageal reflux. Methods In the period from 1993 to 1997, 24 children with Pierre Robin sequence were treated. Because GER is known to occur in patients with this syndrome, we screened for GER in each child for whom an early palatoplasty was to be performed at 3 months of age. In 21 cases, the presence of GER was confirmed. Within the past 2 years, palatoplasty has been combined with subperiosteal release of the floor of the mouth (SRFM). Prompt clinical improvement and shortened hospital stays have resulted. Results and Conclusions Follow-up studies performed several months after the surgery showed no evidence of GER. The authors conclude that an early closure of the impaired palatopharyngeal ring and the elimination of the mechanism that causes the posterior rotation of the tongue can reduce the need for such surgical procedures as glossopexy, gastrostomy, tracheostomy, and Nissen's fundoplication.


The idea of "library as place" has become challenged/problematized because of two concurrent realities—the pandemic and the growing popularity of online instructional delivery. These two realities have aggravated longstanding questions about the status of small theological libraries already struggling with limited personnel and resources. How can we envision the "theological library as place" in such a way that we can revalue physical space while also orienting and guiding development of virtual spaces? After speakers have shared concepts and resources, participants will be broken up into small groups to discuss experiences including challenges and successes and may focus on either physical place or virtual place.


The individual with the deficiency of CD36 antigen on platelet displayed the risk of anti-CD36 immune reaction induced by transfusion, which is one of the reasons for platelet transfusion refractoriness (PTR). This study was purposed to detect the expression level of CD36 antigen on platelet by flow cytometry among apheresis platelet donors of Hangzhou area, and the frequency of CD36 deficiency was analyzed. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) was separated from fresh anticoagulant whole blood by centrifugation, then the platelets were washed and adjusted to 1×10(6). The platelets were incubated with FITC-labeled CD36 and PE-labeled CD41 monoclonal antibodies, then the expression level of CD36 was detected by flow cytometry. The CD36 expression on monocytes for the samples of CD36-deficiency on the platelets was further analyzed. The results showed that 7 samples with CD36 antigen deficiency were found in 192 apheresis platelet donors. The frequency of CD36 deficiency was 3.6% and all of them were typeII deficiency. The significant difference of CD36 antigen expression was observed in the platelet donors of Hangzhou population, among them 59 individuals with low expressed CD36 antigen and 126 individuals with highly expressed CD36 antigen were found according to the geometric mean fluorescence intensity. It is concluded that the CD36 antigen deficient phenotype existed in the population, these data will provide the information for research of the CD36 antigen distribution and help to solve the platelet transfusion refractoriness.


Abstract Two north–south-trending belts of high-temperature–low-pressure (HTLP) sub-regional metamorphism have been identified in the New England Orogen of eastern Australia. Metamorphic complexes in the ∼1300 km long Early-Permian Inland belt have ages ca 300–290 Ma, and those of the ∼400 km long Mid-Permian Coastal belt ca 275–270 Ma. These periods correspond to the beginning and end of an extended (early–mid Permian) phase of subduction rollback and crustal thinning in eastern Australia. This paper describes and incorporates recent work on the Wongwibinda Metamorphic Complex in the southern New England Orogen as a basis for comparison with thirteen other HTLP sub-regional occurrences within the orogen. These are described in as much detail as is currently available. Some outcrops of HTLP rocks in difficult terrain have been subject to limited study and only conditional comparisons can be made. However, a significant number of characteristics shared between the complexes including: their location at the higher-temperature end of broad areas of very low-grade to greenschist facies metamorphic rocks, indicative of tilted crustal blocks; their association with major shear zones; the presence of migmatite at the high-temperature end of a steep metamorphic field gradient; the presence of two-mica granite formed by the melting of the local sedimentary pile; and temporal association with S-type granites; imply a common extension-related mechanism of formation for these HTLP belts. The connection with major faults and shear zones suggests the belts trace major crustal-scale extensional structures that migrated eastwards from ca 300 to 270 Ma. KEY POINTS Two previously undocumented belts of HTLP subregional metamorphism are identified within the NEO. Available dating indicates that metamorphism occurred along the belts at the beginning and end of a major early–mid Permian extensional phase in eastern Gondwana/Australia. The characteristics of the HTLP complexes including their association with shear zones indicates they may delineate major loci of extension.


defects was largely wrapped in mystery. Sir Norman Gregg's observations provided the key to a completely new approach. In the subsequent years a great deal of work has been done in this fi€ld all over the world, resulting not only in the expansion of academic knowledge, but in the institution of effective preventive measures enabling many children to be born into the world in a healthy state who might otherwise have been deformed. Dr. Kate Campbell's observations,' which played a major part in the clear demonstration that retrolental fibroplasia in an infant's eye could result from an excess of oxygen in the infant's environment, provided a remarkable exposure of iatrogenic disease. The provision of an abundance of oxygen as part of the effort to provide the most favourable conditions for the survival of a premature infant was a reasonable enough measure, and the demonstration that it could be harmful was just as much a surprise as was Sir Norman Gregg's evidence that incriminated maternal rubella. The result in both cases was that medical thinking turned an unexpected corner into useful paths, the end of which is not yet in sight. We should like to add our congratulations to those already offered to Dr. Kate Campbell and to Sir Norman Gregg.


In 182 patients suffering from bioptical-proved and functional adapted chronic glomerulonephritis the relation between clinical course, morphological type and progression of disease has been evaluated. The presented results show a significant relation between the clinical course of chronic glomerulonephritis and the progression trend of this disease. The early finding of sclerotic changes may follow a benign course of the disease.


This article explores the clinical possibilities of treating other difficult malocclusions non-surgically using the Tip-Edge bracket appliance system. Three cases are presented to exhibit the versatility of the Tip-Edge bracket system.


We consider collision between a dipole-bound molecular anion and a neutral polar molecule and show that the excess electron can bind two neutral molecules into a dimer. Using a variational approach similar to the Heitler-London model of H+2 ion we obtain the energy terms of such a dimer. Their difference determines the cross-section of electron transfer from the anion to the neutral molecule in quasiclassical near-resonant Born-Oppenheimer approximation. We obtain for the cross-section an analytic expression containing the weak (logarythmic) factor depending on the molecular dipole moment, and collision velocity. Our analytic calculations are in a good accordance with the results of a recent experiment.


BACKGROUND
Skin involvement in Hodgkin's disease is rare, can be seen in advanced stages of the disease and indicates a poor prognosis.

CASE
A young male presented with multiple nodular lesions on the chest wall and matted cervical lymph nodes. Aspiration smears from skin lesions showed atypical mononuclear cells with a prominent nucleolus, many lymphocytes and plasma cells. Smears from the lymph nodes showed classical Reed-Sternberg cells in a polymorphous background. The cytologic diagnosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma was entertained and later confirmed on skin biopsy. Past history revealed that the patient had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease and treated for it 2 years earlier, but had been lost to follow-up during treatment.

CONCLUSION
Cutaneous Hodgkin's disease should always be considered in smears from skin lesions showing atypical mononuclear cells in a polymorphous background, even in the absence of a definitive clinical diagnosis at the time of presentation.


Extracts of Leucaena leucocephala (lmk) De Wit seeds were collected from different areas in Java; they include Jakarta, Cengkareng, Bogor and Bandung. Each extract was examined for water content, ash content, acid-insoluble ash content, and α- glycosidase inhibition assay. The results showed that ethanolic extracts of Leucaena leucocephala (lmk) De Wit seeds collected from Bandung were found to be most active in inhibiting the formation of α-glycosidase compounds with an IC50 value of 7,46 ± 0,21 μg/ml, which was confirmed with ash content of 5,58 ± 0,04, acid-insoluble ash content of 0,55 ± 1,33, and water content of 26,22 ± 0,90. Keywords: extracts of (Leucaena leucocephala (lmk) De Wit), α-glucosidase inhibition activity, different areas in Java.


Silicon wafers were exposed to an oblique Ar+ ion beam to create arrays of surface ripples. Atomic force microscope (AFM) imaging revealed that the rippled (textured) surfaces exhibited highly anisotropic morphologies. Nanoscale friction experiments performed with different diamond tips illustrated a dependence of the coefficient of friction on tip radius, normal load, and sliding direction. Changes in the coefficient of friction are interpreted in terms of the applied normal load and varying contributions of the adhesion friction mechanism.Copyright © 2008 by ASME


The serotonin concentration in the bat pancreas was determined at nine times during the year. Pancreatic ultrastructure was also examined. The pancreatic level of serotonin was uniform throughout the year except in late May, when it fell dramatically from a normal level of 3.14 +/- .19 mugm/gm to 0.40 +/- .05 mugm/gm. No seasonal changes in islet fine structure were found; however, the ultrastructure of exocrine cells was seen to be changed radically only in bats captured in late May. At this time, bats develop unusual cytoplasmic structures in the exocrine cells. These structures consist of membrane-limited bodies containing long, straight, and parallel paracrystalline arrays of stacked membranes and round or pleomorphic osmiophilic granules. Depletion of serotonin with reserpine or parachlorophenylalanine, or incubation of pancreatic tissue with different concentrations of serotonin, failed to provoke the formation of these structures in exocrine cells of active bats. Administration of 3H-5-hydroxytryptophan to bats, or incubation of bat pancreas with 3H-serotonin, failed to demonstrate a labeling of pancreatic exocrine cells. Incubation of the gland with 3H-serotonin, however, led to intense labeling of a subset of pancreatic terminal axons. It is concluded that the natural fall in the concentration of serotonin in late May is not the cause of the formation of the paracrystalline structures in pancreatic exocrine cells. The specific pancreatic uptake mechanism for serotonin found by Kovary et al. ('80) is probably a property of pancreatic neurites; these neurites might be serotonergic.


In the present study the authors investigated the relationship between visual and auditory acuity and everyday activity functioning. Participants were 516 older adults (70-103 years; equal numbers of men and women) who were members of the age-stratified Berlin Aging Study. Two categories of everyday activity functioning, perceived competence with basic activities of daily living (BaCo; basic competence) and amount of participation in discretionary social and leisure tasks (ExCo; expanded competence), were examined. The results revealed that sensory acuity, particularly vision, was a significant predictor of both BaCo and ExCo (rs ranging from .32 to .47). Indeed, hearing and vision could explain most of the age-related variance in everyday activities. At the same time, in the context of a broader model, evidence for the differential prediction of BaCo and ExCo was found, although there was also evidence for strong general age-related predictive variance that was common to both measures. Discussion focuses on the role of sensory acuity constructs as mediators of age-related variance in psychological and behavioral outcomes and the potential causal implications of this mediation.


It is estimated that more than 62 million couples base their family planning on female sterilization. In Denmark, just under 7000 women are sterilized annually. It is estimated that between 5-15% of these regret the intervention but that only between 0.6-0.8% of sterilized women undergo a process of reversal. Divorce and remarriage and the wish to have more children with the new husband are the most common reasons for the reverse. The next most common reason given is the loss of a child. Women under age 30 who have an unstable marital relationship and those under age 30 with only 1 or 2 children constitute a risk group insofar as regret of the procedure is concerned. It is recommended that in sterilization of this group, reversible methods such as clips, rings, or a limited tubal resection with retention of the medial part of the tube be used. The results of reversal operations depend particularly on the manner in which patients are selected and the operative technique used. If microsurgery is used, approximately 60% of the patients should be able to achieve intrauterine pregnancies. The risk of an extrauterine pregnancy is approximately 3%. It is concluded that with the liberal attitude towards sterilization in Denmark, some patients will regret the intervention and possibility of refertilization appears better than previously assumed, provided that a microsurgical technique is employed. (author's modified)


This article gives a narrative account of the main standard and nonstandard public-debt management tactics that euro-area governments applied during the sovereign-debt crisis. To secure market liquidity, they inter alia targeted public-debt supply more at residents and often also sought to create a captive domestic demand for sovereign bonds. Where fiscal solvency was impaired, they arranged a "voluntary" debt restructuring, pressed official creditors for debt forgiveness, or considered imposing a haircut on official-sector claims. This cross-country analysis indicates the return of financial repression as fiscal insurance against government funding stress and a public-debt overhang.


This work has focused on using agriculture residues as raw material for new polymeric materials. Arabinoxylans have been isolated from barley husks and endosperm fiber using alkali extraction, and the chemical composition and detailed structure have been determined. Different isolation conditions, pre-treatments, and purification steps were investigated to find an optimized and environmentally sustainable process. It was shown that a key operation for successful extraction of arabinoxylan from barley husk is the degradation of the lignin network prior to extraction. Delignification was not needed when using endosperm fiber as raw material. The extracts were mixtures of arabinoxylan, β-glucan, starch, and proteins. Sequential purification showed that residual starch makes arabinoxylan films more brittle; β-glucan makes them more flexible, and proteins have little or no effect at all. If only mechanical properties of films are taken into account, enzymatic removal of starch is the only purification needed. This is very useful information when designing an isolation process, since the number of operations should be kept at a minimum for economic and environmental reasons.
Differences in the molecular structure between arabinoxylans from husk and fiber were determined. Barley husk-derived arabinoxylan was found to have disaccharide branches with a terminal xylose unit on the arabinose, and also glucuronic acid substituents, as shown by NMR. Barley fiber arabinoxylan, on the other hand, had xylose residues disubstituted with only arabinose. The Ara/Xyl ratio was much higher in the fiber sample, 0.63 compared to 0.22 for the husk arabinoxylans.
Films have been made by casting from water solution and material and barrier properties were evaluated. The films were transparent, strong, rather stiff and moisture sensitive. They had good gas barrier properties, and thus have a potential application as biodegradable oxygen barrier films in multilayer food packaging. The isolated arabinoxylan formed films without addition of external plasticizer. This special property was explained by internal plasticizing by water, caused by the ability of arabinose to attract water. Controlled debranching of arabinose substituents showed that the degree of arabinose substitution had a large effect on water holding capacity, plasticization, and crystallinity of the material. Optimal mechanical properties were obtained for arabinoxylan with an Ara/Xyl ratio of 0.35-0.40. Enzymatic treatment was demonstrated to be a very attractive tool for tailor-making xylans with specific properties.
This work shows that bioprocessing of agricultural residues through an optimized, environmentally sustainable process, together with an understanding of the relationship between structure and properties of biopolymers will lead to the development of a biorefinery for the production of future materials, chemicals, and fuels.


A comparative study was conducted to evaluate the chiral recognition ability of several inherently chiral calixcrown carboxylic acids towards chiral aminoalcohols. 1H NMR titration experiments indicated that inherently chiral calixcrown carboxylic acids each having a phenolic hydroxyl group possess superior chiral recognition ability to the completely alkylated calixarene derivatives. Particularly, inherently chiral calix[4]crown-6 carboxylic acid cone conformer 10 demonstrated significant enantioselectivity in its chiral recognition towards 2-amino-3-methyl-1-butanol (G3) and 2-amino-2-phenylethanol (G6), with the (cS)-10 preferably binding the (S)-guests. Job plots confirmed that 10 and both enantiomers of G3/G6 form 1 : 1 instantaneous complexes. DFT calculations revealed the existence of multiple hydrogen bonds in the host–guest complexes. The enantioselectivity of the recognition is ascribed to the stronger hydrogen bonding between (cS)-10 and (S)-guests than between (cS)-10 and (R)-guests, based on the calculation results.


Introduction The role is often carried out by Infection Prevention Link staff who also have the role of providing care to the patients. LOROS changed this profile three years ago by employing a dedicated qualified infection prevention specialist. As most of the patients within the hospice are vulnerable to infection this role was to look at areas which could be improved and reduce the risk of hospice acquired infections and promote patient, staff and visitors' safety. Aims The aims were to ensure that LOROS was compliant with national and local guidelines on Infection Prevention. To identify any areas for concern or non-compliance and how it could improve the patient's journey and ensure infection prevention and safety were everyone's business. Method A review of national and local infection prevention literature was undertaken and the Infection Prevention Lead was part of the Infection Prevention Society (IPS) whose vision is that 'no person should be harmed by a preventable infection'. They have also produced a suite of infection prevention audits that can be used in all healthcare settings. These were used as a starting point for starting to identify any good/excellent areas of compliance and any areas which may need improvement. The hospice also wanted to ensure compliance with the Department of Health's Health and Social Care Act 2008 The Hygiene Code. This Act established the CQC and sets out the overall framework for the regulation of health and adult social care activity. Outcome 8 of the CQC was the driving force for some of the changes that were implemented. Conclusion From the initial audits areas of good practice were identified, for example the general cleanliness of building, staff adherence to uniform/dress code and hand hygiene but they also identified area for improvement. The list below is an example of some of the changes implemented but it is not an exhaustive list and work continues to identify good practice and areas for improvement The purchase of all new commodes Fabric riser recliner chairs started to be phased out Green labels were introduced identifying equipment had been cleaned Detergent cleaning wipes Link Staff had a dedicated two day training day Oak Ward refurbishment Safer needles Introduction of Sepsis Pathway Patient leaflets Cleaning schedules and policy Development of an audit Programme.