Regional and generalized musculoskeletal pain is common, particularly between the ages of 35 and 55. Sometimes a specific condition can be diagnosed, but often the condition has to be labelled "nonspecific." Agreed diagnostic criteria for both specific and nonspecific disorders have recently been published1,2, but neither provide a satisfactory criteria set for nonspecific upper limb disorder. As the affected population is of working age, it is not surprising that people should ascribe the onset to work — reflected in the extreme example of an epidemic of work related upper limb disorders that occurred in Australia in the 1980s3. The legacy of that epidemic still pervades our practice, and the courts, in the pejorative term "repetitive strain injury." In the United Kingdom, in the last few years, there has been a steady rise in claims for compensation for upper limb disorder and, after a number of well publicized rejections, successful claims are now occurring4. The courts have had difficulty with 2 things: the diagnostic label of nonspecific upper limb disorder and the attribution of this disorder to work. The diagnosis of nonspecific upper limb disorder has caused problems because it does not (yet) fit the medical model of disease. The pathophysiology is unknown and in the absence of overt, specific tissue abnormalities many are reluctant to make a diagnosis5. Indeed, the agreed criteria developed in Birmingham1 emphasized that nonspecific upper limb disorder is a condition diagnosed only when all other conditions have been excluded. Couple this with the finding, in cross-sectional studies, of a high prevalence of psychological abnormalities in this group and the claim that these disorders are "all in the mind" is inevitable3,6. However, I have argued that we must at this stage accept the diagnosis of nonspecific upper limb disorder on a phenomenological basis, just as we do low back pain7. By accepting the existence of the condition, further studies can be undertaken to define clinical criteria and to elucidate pathophysiology with the ultimate aim of finding both an appropriate biologic marker and a rational treatment. Can work cause nonspecific upper limb disorder? The writings of Nortin Hadler will be familiar to many8. Hadler contends that pain in the arm is part of the human condition and studies purporting to show an association between the pain and work are flawed mainly because of inadequate study design. Cross-sectional studies cannot in general imply causation. Yet a metaanalysis of these studies is strongly indicative of an association between arm pain and work9,10, and the courts have affirmed that a sudden change in working practice (and hence physical load) can be associated with an upsurge in workforce symptomatology3. Many now accept a multifactorial model for (work related) upper limb disorders, which owes its origins to the biopsychosocial model of disease11. Some of the features of this approach have been synthesized in a conceptual model by Armstrong, et al12 (Figure 1), which allows for external factors such as repetition and force but also incorporates internal elements such as phenotype and personality. Clinical and psychological observations in these chronic, painful disorders can be assimilated, and more recent observations concerning cortical sensitization13 can easily be incorporated into this model. Like any model it serves not only to explain the known facts but also to generate hypotheses for further, suitably designed studies to examine14. Of particular relevance would be the relative strengths of the factors that may contribute to pathogenesis, and the consistency of these factors across populations. In terms of suitability the most useful studies have prospective case control design with sufficient numbers and duration of followup to make inferences about the variable under study. Does carpal tunnel syndrome fit this model in relation to occupational disease? Carpal tunnel syndrome is the archetypal upper limb disorder and the one to which all other disorders aspire. This is because there is a plausible pathogenesis (swelling of the contents of the narrow carpal tunnel), a biologic marker (electrodiagnostic testing), and a curative treatment (surgical decompression). However, in relation to occupational carpal tunnel syndrome the pathogenesis is less clear and surgical decompression often does not provide complete relief of symptoms. A number of explanations may account for this. Cross-sectional studies that have established an association between certain occupations and carpal tunnel synEditorial


Abstract To investigate the impacts of long-term targeted invasive plant stewardship projects on students' subsequent stewardship attitudes, an experiment using pre and post-tests to understand program effects and using post-test only comparisons to understand school effects was conducted. The resulting scores from two science classes that participated in year-long invasive plant and restoration activities were compared with those from three comparable classes at a linked school that did not participate in any of these activities. Students in the experimental classes showed overall significantly higher scores compared with the control classes. These attitude scores were then divided into two indexes: sense of personal effectiveness and attitudes of caring for particular places. Students in the experimental group showed increases in both, as compared with the controls. Parent and student focus groups were conducted at the end of the academic year. The resulting comments provide evidence for actual behavior change outside of the school environment. Analysis showed that any student, especially those in the control classes in the traditional middle school, indicating they had prior exposure to nature stewardship projects showed significantly higher scores than students who did not. The results underscore the value of having students involved in real-world stewardship projects, especially those of a long-term nature. Management Implications: English ivy (Hedera helix) is a pervasive invasive plant growing in parks and greenspaces in many urban areas. This plant is frequently the target of public and school invasive plant removal events. If the management goal is removal, chemical treatment may be more effective. However, if the management goal is greater public awareness about invasive plants, a targeted community-based education and stewardship approach may be effective. By involving an interested teacher, students can be involved in long-term experiences that both inform and involve them directly in work that has credible, beneficial real-world outcomes. Students in the experimental group of this study were highly motivated and continued to both inform and inspire their families to help remove invasive species outside of school in their own communities. In addition, they informed their families and friends about the work they had done removing invasive species in local parks and took them there to show off their results. Agencies can work with schools using long-term stewardship projects in effective strategies that increase awareness and motivation in students and lead to community-wide effects.


Research and development (R&D) project selection is a critical interface between the product development strategy of an organization and the process of managing projects day-to-day. This article describes the project selection problem faced by an R&D group of BMW (Munich, Germany). The problem was structured as minimizing the gap between target performance of the technology to be developed and actual performance of the current technology along chosen criteria. A mathematical programming model helped this organization to increase the transparency of their selection process, which previously had been based on experience coupled with evaluation of individual projects in isolation. Implementation was a success in that the predevelopment group continues to use the model to make better decisions. However, the organization did not use the model for its intended purpose: constrained optimization. The traditional explanation for this partial implementation is that the analytical model did not capture all considerations relevant to optimization (e.g., uncertainty or strategic fit), and that further model refinements are required to achieve further implementation. We offer an alternative explanation, one based on the technology transfer literature.


This article examines the role of the Protestant Moravian Church in the politicisation of Miskitu ethnic identity, and on the mobilisation of the Miskitu against the Sandinistas during the 1980s. It argues that changes in the institution of the Church during the 1960s and 70s, as a result of state policy, socio-economic context and internal conflicts within Miskitu society, led to Moravianism becoming a cultural marker of Miskitu ethnicity. At the same time, the encounter with and appropriation of the pastoral tactics of a Catholic priest resulted in a radicalisation of Miskitu Moravian pastors on indigenous issues. When the Miskitu came to mobilise against the Sandinistas, the Moravian Church was the expressive vehicle and the institutional means through which the mobilisation took place. The article reveals how politicised ethnic identities find their expression in religious institutions.


The aim of the research is to suggest policy implications for Korean companies that want to expand their business in the Middle Eastern electricity sector, examining industrial policies and various business in the sector. Government policies that help Korean companies expand their market in the Middle East can be suggested as follows. First, financial support policies should be considered, to help these companies deal with project-developing costs incurred, for instance, for feasibility studies. More financial incentives could also be provided as more Korean contents are used in the projects. Second, more support should be considered for small- and medium-sized enterprises that cannot advance into the Middle Eastern market by themselves due to a lack of financial resources and track record in the region. Third, new business projects that incorporate ICT in the electricity industry, such as smart grids, AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure), ESS (Energy Storage System) should be systematically developed in the region. Fourth, a control tower should be set up in order to coordinate different interests among companies, banks and supporting institutions. It could also work as a platform to build a strategy to win government contracts.


This paper describes ongoing work for implementing a distributed multi-robot system for measuring various physical properties of the environment in a coordinated manner. Modeling spatial distributions of physical quantities such as temperature, illumination, humidity, gas concentrations, or magnetic flux provides an opportunity to observe how these distributions change in time, how to utilise the information captured by the distributions, and to determine how to adjust the distributions by modifying the environment. The information provided by the models could be useful in numerous applications such as in dynamic optimisation of the heating system of a building for saving energy, in monitoring the air quality in various parts of hospitals and in monitoring the water quality of lakes and rivers (e.g. pH and oxygen levels). Some of the modeled distributions or maps may also carry information which can be used in mobile computing. This article describes the physical robots, which act as mobile measurement instruments in addition to approaches used to model spatial distributions by utilising Gaussian processes, and to coordinate the multi-robot system during the modeling. Preliminary experiments are also presented demonstrating optimal spatial sampling, optimization of measurement paths of multiple robots, mobile robot self-localisation based on the ambient magnetic field of the environment and multi-robot coordination.


The purpose of this study was to investigate Peer Teaching as a Predictor of Reading Motivation and Literacy Achievement among Standard Two Pupils in Tharaka- Nithi and Nairobi counties in Kenya .T he types of peer teaching activities, the levels of peers teaching activities, reading achievement, the relationship between reading motivation and reading achievement among the children under study were investigated. The study was informed by Vygotsky's (1978) theory which states that children learn from more knowledgeable others. The study sample comprised of 108 standard two children purposefully selected from four schools that were selected through simple random sampling .A mixed method design involving a correlational survey and a quasi experimental method were used. To collect  data , a reading motivation questionnaire, Peer interaction questionnaire, One minute reading fluency test, Peer teaching questionnaire for teachers and an observation schedule were used. The major findings of the study revealed that peer teaching predicted reading motivation in Tharaka Nithi. A significant mean difference in Peer Teaching was found between pupils in Nairobi and Nithi (t = -2. 94, P < 0.05). The Chi-square tests revealed that reading motivation did not predict reading achievement among learners. The results showed that children from Nairobi who could read an average of between 46-60 words within one minute were 22.2 % whereas from Tharaka-Nithi were 9%. Storytelling and discussions were the most common peer interaction activities. However, technology support to teach reading was not utilized and children with special needs were not given the necessary support for reading. The study concluded that peer interaction aids reading motivation . The study recommended that model classrooms with interactive technology could improve reading achievement. Teacher training should incooporate aspects of peer teaching strategies to promote reading.Deliberate efforts should be made to develop ICT infrastructure to promote reading achievement. Key words: Peer Teaching, Reading Motivation, Reading Achievement


R&D project selection plays an important role in government funding agencies, as allocation of billions of dollars among the proposals deemed highly influential and contributive solely depend on it. Efficacious assignment of reviewers is one of the most critical processes that controls the quality of the entire project selection and also has a serious implication on business profit. Current methods that focus on workflow automation are more efficient than manual assignment; however, they are not effective, as they fail to consider the real insight of core tasks. Other decision models that analyze core tasks are effective but inefficient when handling large amounts of submissions, and they suffer from irrelevant assignment. Furthermore, they largely ignore real deep insight of back-end data such as quality of the reviewers (e.g., quality and citation impact of their produced research) and the effect of social relationships in project selection processes that are essential for identifying reviewers for interdisciplinary proposal evaluation. In light of these deficiencies, this research proposes a novel hybrid process analytics approach to decompose the complex reviewer assignment process into manageable subprocesses and applies data-driven decision models cum process analytics systematically from a triangular perspective via the research analytics framework to achieve high operational efficiencies and high-quality assignment. It also analyzes big data from scientific databases and generates visualized decision-ready information to support effective decision making. The proposed approach has been implemented to aid the project selection process of the largest funding agency in China and has been tested. The test results show that the proposed approach has the potential to add great benefits, including cost saving, improved effectiveness, and increased business value.


Calves might experience an upper limit of IgG absorption from colostrum ingestion at birth, but it is not clear whether the total IgG mass fed in the first meal or feeding frequencies can saturate the IgG transport mechanism and therefore limit IgG absorption. The objective of this study was to determine whether different colostrum replacer (CR) feeding frequencies affect serum IgG levels or apparent efficiency of absorption (AEA) in neonatal calves. Male Holstein calves (n = 40) were separated from their dams immediately after parturition and randomly assigned to receive CR [12% of birth body weight (BW)], following either (1) a low-frequency (LF; n = 20) or (2) a high-frequency (HF; n = 20) feeding protocol. Low-frequency calves received 2 CR meals (8% and 4% birth BW within 1 h after birth and 12 h after first CR feeding, respectively), whereas HF calves received 3 CR meals (4% of BW for each meal; within 1 h after birth, 6, and 12 h after first CR feeding). The CR powder fed had a dry matter IgG concentration of 30% and an IgG concentration of 70.5 g/L when reconstituted. All CR was fed via esophageal tube within 1 h after birth. Calves were bottle-fed pasteurized milk (5% birth BW) at 24, 36, and 48 h after the first CR feeding. Blood was collected before first CR feeding and at the following intervals post-CR feeding: every 2 h until 18 h; every 3 h from 18 to 30 h; and every 6 h from 30 to 48 h after the first CR feeding. Serum IgG values at 24 h did not differ between LF and HF (25.79 ± 0.93 and 25.66 ± 0.88 g/L, respectively). In the first meal, calves fed LF ingested a higher total IgG mass than HF (257.98 ± 4.16 g and 126.72 ± 4.05 g, respectively); however, AEA at 24 h did not differ for calves fed HF or LF (27.68 ± 1.16% and 27.63 ± 1.26%, respectively). The IgG area under the curve (AUC) at 24 h was greater for calves fed LF than HF (443.13 ± 15.17 and 379.59 ± 13.99 g of IgG/L × h, respectively). Additionally, AUC at 6 h, 12 h, and 48 h were greater for calves fed LF than HF. These results indicate that, although LF calves had a greater AUC, HF calves were still able to absorb IgG in the second and third meal, allowing HF calves to achieve serum IgG levels similar to those of LF calves at 24 h. In addition, the provision of 3 meals at 70.5 g/L of IgG within the first 12 h of life did not result in added benefits to serum IgG or AEA levels.


Rabbit and mice were injected into the blood stream sodium hyaluronate (0.1 mg per 1 g of the body animal) and protein-chondroitin-keratan-sulfate sodium (0.2 mg per 1 g of the body animal) in 0.15 M NaCl solution. It was shown that both proteoglycans in the blood stream the aggregation action on the erythrocytes in the blood stream. The action finished after 24 hours later on the injection of proteoglycans during in which time the circulating the proteoglycans is remove out of the plasma.


SUMMARY A brief review of literature on psychiatric morbidity associated with migration is presented, with particular emphasis on the problems of political refugees. Initial experiences with 152 Afghan nationals attending the psychiatric outpatient department of a general hospital in Delhi during a period of 18 months are described supported by retrospective data from the records. Problems encountered in adequate assessment and management of these patients are highlighted. Need for prospective and longitudinal research on this group of patients is pointed out.


This paper addresses the following questions: (1) Is it true, as is often claimed, that utterances in dialogue tend to have multiple functions? (2) If so, then what are the reasons for that? (3) How many functions does a dialogue utterance typically have, and which factors determine this? (4) What consequences does this have for the computational semantics of dialogue utterances? Answers to these questions are sought by investigating a dialogue corpus annotated with communicative functions using various segmentation and annotation


AIM
We aimed to analyze the prognostic factors affecting disease-specific survival in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

METHODS
Seventy-seven patients with recurrent/metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma who were previously treated with total thyroidectomy followed by radioactive iodine therapy were enrolled. Recurrent/metastatic disease was detected by positron emission tomography/computed tomography. At the time of last follow-up (mean 4.8±1.3 years), patients were grouped as having (i) clinical remission (n=17), (ii) stable disease (n=22), or (iii) progressive disease (n=38). We retrospectively examined the prognostic impact of clinical factors (age, sex, TNM stage), histopathological factors of the primary tumor (tumor size, histology, the presence of vascular invasion, extrathyroidal spread, and lymph node metastasis), serum thyroglobulin levels, and metabolic parameters of recurrent/metastatic disease such as radioactive iodine avidity, F18-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake (SUVmax) in metastatic deposits, number and location of F18-fluorodeoxyglucose-avid lesions (locoregional vs. distant), and the impact of surgery on disease-specific survival.

RESULTS
Lack of vascular invasion (p=0.04), presence of surgically amenable recurrence/metastasis (p=0.0001), and suppressible on-therapy serum thyroglobulin levels at the time of recurrent/metastatic disease (p=0.01) were strong predictors of clinical remission and good prognosis on multivariate analysis. Lesional SUVmax, number or location of F18-fluorodeoxyglucose-avid lesions, and TNM stage did not correlate with clinical outcome. Clinical remission could only be achieved by curative surgery. Patients without curative surgery for recurrence/metastasis had a 43 times higher risk to develop progressive disease than patients with disease amenable to surgery.

CONCLUSIONS
Curative surgery is an essential therapeutic modality to achieve clinical remission in metastatic/recurrent differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography is a powerful method to detect surgically resectable disease for the selection of patients who may benefit from curative surgery.


Artificial open channel structures are expensive infrastructures in terms of their materials, construction and maintenance. Design of a minimum cost channel section involves minimization of the sum of costs per unit length of the channel, subject to uniform flow condition in the channel. In this research, the objective function was expressed using the cost per unit length of the channel for lining, the depth-dependent unit volume earthwork cost, and the cost of water lost due to seepage and evaporation. A general resistance equation was used as an equality constraint. Optimal design of trapezoidal channel sections using genetic algorithm with depth, bottom width and side slope variables was accomplished. Two methods and several Models were evaluated including no restriction and restriction on normal depth, velocity of flow, side slope and top width. Restricted depth, velocity and side slope resulted in higher costs. However restricted top width resulted in lower costs comparing with other models. Also, another model was employeed which used the Manning equation as an equality constraint.


An experimental study was designed to observe the hypocholesterolaemic effect of wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum) juice on experimentally induced hypercholesterolaemic rats, which was carried out in the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka, from July, 2009 to June, 2010. A total number of 48 healthy adult male Long Evans rats (Norwegian strain), age ranging from 2-3 months, and weighing from 140-200 grams were used for the present study. 6 rats were taken in each group of total 8 groups treated differently with 1 control group. Rats of the first 5 groups were sacrificed at 29th day and their serum total cholesterol levels were measured. Rest of the rats were sacrificed at 57th day and their serum total cholesterol levels were measured. The mean serum concentration of total cholesterol of 10ml / kg grass juice fed normal rats was decreased by 11.64% than that of the laboratory diet fed control group (P<0.01). The total cholesterol of the group of rats treated with 10ml/kg grass juice and1% cholesterol diet were decreased by 36.59% than that of the hypercholesterolaemic control group (P<0.001). The mean total cholesterol of the hypercholesterolaemic rats treated with 10ml/kg grass juice for 28 days were decreased by 29.10%, and in hypercholesterolaemic rats treated with 20ml/kg grass juice for 28 days were decreased by 39.46% (P<0.001). The mean total cholesterol of the hypercholesterolaemic rats treated with 0.14mg/kg atorvastatin for 28 days were found to be decreased by 38.86% than that of hypercholesterolemic control group, which was statistically significant (P<0.001). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjpp.v27i1-2.20070 Bangladesh J Physiol Pharmacol 2011; 27(1&2):21-27


Antioxidant and cancer cell growth inhibition activity of hot water extract from five different varieties of Artemisia (A. Argyi H., A. iwayomogi Kitamura, A. Princeps Var Orien talis HARA, A. princeps Pampanini and A. annua L.) in Korea was studied. We determined the phenol and flavonoid contents and examined antioxidant assay, such as DPPH, NO radical scavenging, activity ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and bleaching inhibition activity in the β-carotene linolic acid system. Also, we performed HeLa and MCF-7 cancer cell growth inhibition assay of Artemisia extracts. Total phenol and flavonoid contents were the highest in A. iwayomogi Kitamura followed by A. Argyi H. DPPH radical scavenging activity was the highest in A. Argyi H. at 50 ㎍/㎖ concentration, NO radical scavenging activity was more than 50% in A. Princeps Var Orien talis HARA, A. princeps Pampanini, and A. annua L. at 200 ㎍/㎖ concentration. FRAP was higher in A. Argyi H. and A. iwayomogi Kitamura. Antioxidant activity in the β-carotene linolinolic system was also higher in A. Argyi H. and A. iwayomogi Kitamura by 60.50% and 56.90% at 100 ㎍/㎖ concentration, respectively. In cancer cell growth inhibition activities at 400 ㎍/㎖ concentration, A. iwayomogi Kitamura showed greater than 80% on HeLa cell. A. princeps Pampanini and A. Argyi H. extract had growth inhibition activities greater than 80% on MCF cell. The results of this study suggest that the antioxidant and anticancer activities in various Artemisia are a promising source of functional food ingredients.


The MADS-box gene family encodes a number of transcription factors that play key roles in various plant growth and development processes from response to environmental cues to cell differentiation and organ identity, especially the floral organogenesis, as in the prominent ABCDE model of flower development. Recently, the genome of American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) has been sequenced. It is a shrub native to the southern region of United States with edible purple-colored berries; it is a member of the Lamiaceae family, a family of medical and agricultural importance. Seventy-eight MADS-box genes were identified from 17 chromosomes of the C. americana assembled genome. Peptide sequences blast and analysis of phylogenetic relationships with MADS-box genes of Sesame indicum, Solanum lycopersicum, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Amborella trichopoda were performed. Genes were separated into 32 type I and 46 type II MADS-box genes. C. americana MADS-box genes were clustered into four groups: MIKCC, MIKC*, Mα-type, and Mγ-type, while the Mβ-type group was absent. Analysis of the gene structure revealed that from 1 to 15 exons exist in C. americana MADS-box genes. The number of exons in type II MADS-box genes (5–15) greatly exceeded the number in type I genes (1–9). The motif distribution analysis of the two types of MADS-box genes showed that type II MADS-box genes contained more motifs than type I genes. These results suggested that C. americana MADS-box genes type II had more complex structures and might have more diverse functions. The role of MIKC-type MADS-box genes in flower and fruit development was highlighted when the expression profile was analyzed in different organs transcriptomes. This study is the first genome-wide analysis of the C. americana MADS-box gene family, and the results will further support any functional and evolutionary studies of C. americana MADS-box genes and serve as a reference for related studies of other plants in the medically important Lamiaceae family.


A novel practical cooperative diversity method for power-limited wireless sensor network system was proposed. At first, the system model was presented and the cooperation problem is formulated under the minimum outage probability criterion, then the focus was put on the power efficiency of system, such as the relay selection, cooperation strategy and power allocation etc. At last the uniform procedure of the proposed method was given. The results of the simulation clearly demonstrate that our method not only has the properties of simple operation and wide applying scope, but also outperforms those of current classical methods on the aspect of outage probability under the basis of the same power limitation.


Based on the previously proposed error probability function of multiuser detector, a new set of constraints is proposed. We show that under these new constraints uniqueness of global minimum can be guaranteed. An efficient barrier conjugate gradient algorithm is developed to solve this constrained optimization problem. Computer simulation results show that the performance of the proposed detector approaches to that of the optimal minimum bit-error rate linear detector and is significantly better than that of the MMSE detector.


Many depressed patients experience only limited improvement despite provision of appropriate therapies within a collaborative treatment arrangement (the integrated provision of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy). In the interest of enhancing these patients' partial responses, it is valuable to examine the treatments provided and also the collaborative framework in which they are offered. The authors use vignettes to illustrate how each of several factors-the adequacy of treatment with each modality, behavioral impediments to response, compliance with treatments, recognition and appropriate matching of treatments to relevant concurrent diagnoses, and appropriate communication between collaborating clinicians-may affect treatment outcome. Recommendations are offered for clinicians engaging in a collaborative relationship, including attending carefully to the patients' comments about a complementary modality of treatment and the clinician delivering it, communicating useful information to the collaborating therapist, and being receptive to information that is offered by the collaborating therapist.


Wide-necked aneurysms remain difficult to treat by either open microneurosurgical or endovascular procedures. Recent advances in the latter technology, including intracranial stents and bioactive coils, now allow an endovascular treatment option for cases in which this was not previously available. In this report the authors describe the new developments in endovascular technologies that make the treatment of wide-necked aneurysms possible. This includes discussion of intracranial stents and bioactive coils designed to promote obliteration of the aneurysm lumen. In addition, methods for coil insertion in wide-necked aneurysms are described, including balloon remodeling and various stent placement procedures. Wide-necked aneurysms previously thought to be untreatable by endovascular means can now be obliterated, thanks to new devices specifically designed for intracranial use.


: Emotional issues can influence the health of women aged 40 and over. Important factors are: psychological functioning; interpersonal relationships; body image; and role changes.


A set of nonlinear rate equations that can describe an external cavity laser with any arbitrary external optical feedback (OFB) level are derived. A comprehensive study on the relative intensity noise (RIN) characteristics of a fiber grating Fabry-Perot is performed numerically. In this paper, fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is used as a wavelength lasing selective element to control the external OFB level, thereby control the RIN. In addition to the external OFB level, the effect of other external cavity parameters such as temperature, injection current, cavity volume, gain compression factor, and FBG parameters on RIN characteristics is investigated. The temperature dependence (TD) of RIN is calculated according to TD of laser parameters instead of well-known Parkove relationship. Results show that by optimization, the peak value of the RIN can be reduced down to around -150 dB/Hz. The optimum and the shortest external cavity length that provides the minimum RIN is found to be around 3.1 cm. In addition, by optimization, the relaxation oscillation frequency of RIN spectra is shifted toward around 5.6 GHz.


We observed magnetization transfer and spectroscopic splittings due to dipolar couplings in the solution NMR spectra of neat nitrobenzene aligned using AC electric fields. Weak dipolar splittings have been previously observed for nitrobenzene in a DC electric field (T. M. Plantenga, et al., Chem. Phys. 66, 1-9, 1982); the use of homogeneous pulsed AC fields has allowed us to establish stable experimental conditions, which were more tolerable to sample impurities and required no sample purification, and to carry out multidimensional experiments. A pulse sequence is discussed in which the electric field is present only for the indirect dimension: this sequence records the dipolar splittings for each proton in the indirect dimension; the direct dimension presents the isotropic chemical shift. Another pulse sequence is discussed that uses the applied electric field only in the mixing period to produce cross peaks between dipolar coupled pairs and correlate their isotropic chemical shifts. The order parameter describing molecular alignment was in good agreement with that previously determined from deuterium quadrupolar measurements of deuterated nitrobenzene in a similar range of electric fields: S(mol) approximately 0.025% for a field strength of 7.0 MV/m (rms). The dipolar splittings for ortho-meta, meta-para, and ortho-para protons were in qualitative agreement with the known geometry. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.


Abstract This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and possible mechanism of Brucea javanica oil emulsion (BJOE) on cachexia, by observing changes in related indexes in mice with cachexia and identifying the genes responsible based on gene chip analysis. In the BJOE treatment group, body weight loss, tumour growth and metastasis were found obviously inhibited, food and water intake had markedly increased, and survival time was significantly prolonged, as compared to the control group. Moreover, the BJOE witnessed improvement in body weight, prevention of tumour metastasis and overall increase in survival time, as compared to Indometacin (IND, the positive control medicine). It was also found that TNF-α and IL-6 in serum were significantly lower in both groups of BJOE and IND, than in the control group (p < .01). Based on the gene expression data, seven and six hub genes of BJOE and IND groups were found in the potential prognostic impacts networks, and three common genes comprising of Nmd3, Bcl2 and Nhp2l1 were screened. Thus, BJOE could reduce tumour growth and effectively alleviate cancer cachexia, due to inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Nmd3, Bcl2, Nhp2l1 may be important drug targets, establishing the role of BJOE in the treatment of lung cancer induced cachexia.


A number of Montesquieu's lesser-known discourses, dissertations and dialogues are made available to a wider audience, for the first time fully translated and annotated in English. The views they incorporate on politics, economics, science, and religion shed light on the overall development of his political and moral thought. They enable us better to understand not just Montesquieu's importance as a political philosopher studying forms of government, but also his stature as a moral philosopher, seeking to remind us of our duties while injecting deeper moral concerns into politics and international relations. They reveal that Montesquieu's vision for the future was remarkably clear: more science and less superstition; greater understanding of our moral duties; enhanced concern for justice, increased emphasis on moral principles in the conduct of domestic and international politics; toleration of conflicting religious viewpoints; commerce over war, and liberty over despotism as the proper goals for mankind.


Purpose

This study aimed to see the impact of various dimensions of the job characteristic model (JCM) through the motivating potential scores (MPSs) on professionals residing in the UAE.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 60 professionals, aged from 20 to 45 years were randomly selected from different organizations in UAE. They were administered an online questionnaire to explore their perceptions on job characteristics as per the JCM. Analysis of results was done by factor analysis using SPSS.

Findings

Results reveal the impact of increasing age on high MPSs, higher MPSs of white-collared jobs than the blue-collared jobs, owing to high skill variety in white-collar jobs. It was also noticed that women scored higher on MPSs than men, and the men of Indian origin showed high motivation as compared to their counterparts from other countries.

Research limitations/implications

Based on the study conducted, it can be concluded that JCM used for calculating MPS gives an insight into the motivational levels of an employee and the cause for the same. Plotting the scores of JCM characteristics with respect to variables such as age, gender, type of job and country of residence gives a fair idea of motivation and its dependence on these variables.

Originality/value

The findings of this study have significant implications for developing and sustaining a motivated workforce in the organizations in the UAE. A critical analysis of the data gives many areas where the company can focus to increase the motivation level of its employees.


The concept of financial leverage is a paradigm in real estate investment and vital to most investment decision making. Financial theory suggests that the amount of leverage indicates the degree of risk tolerance associated with an investment. Clearly, leverage increases the buying power of an investor and therefore the range of attainable investment opportunities. At the same time, however, this may lead to a potential bid-up in prices and introduces interest rate risk to an investment. It also increases subjection to financial institutions that may limit entrepreneurial activities. The cost of capital more and more defines the radius of action for all kinds of institutions, particularly property companies. Clearly, debt offers a variety of benefits and downsides that affect financial performance in multiple ways. This paper analyzes the determinants of the capital structure of residential property companies. Built on previous research in finance and established theories of capital structure the analysis uses financial data from a sample of >1,400 residential property companies in Germany. Both the Pecking Order Theory (POT) and the Trade Off Theory (TOT) are empirically modeled and tested. The results show that residential property companies only partially adjust their capital structure systematically according to POT or TOT.


We study the singularity structure of the Landau‐Nakanishi surface determined by a hooked 3‐lines diagram, and this gives a new light on Sato's postulates on the S‐matrix. §


This study has the objective of was to determine the physical characteristics of the soil the upstream watershed (DAS) of Wunosection. This research is as a source of information for the development of land in particular areas of land use, land evaluation, as well as soil and water conservation. Map of slope class, soil maps and land use maps is the overlapping join with using ArcGIS 10.0, thus it obtained six units of land covering the use of forest land (8-15%), forest (15-25%), forest (>40%), shrubs (8-15%), shrubs (>40%)  and cocoa farm. Soil sampling is done randomly on each unit of land, taken three samples except on forest land with a slope (>40%) for each of the undisturb and disturbed soil samples. The results showed that the physical characteristics of the soil on wuno watershed, vary greatly with weight of volume from low to high, the permeability is slow, fast to very fast, Porosity relatively low until high, soil texture dominated by the sand fraction and dust with texture classes clay dusty, and organic matter content is low to moderate.


Objective
Cryptosporidium is an enteric protozoan parasite that affects human and many animal species in worldwide. Staining methods or stool antigen detecting methods are using for detection of Cryptosporidium in faeces. It is known that the ELISA method has high sensitivity and specificity in practice. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the frequency of this parasite by ELISA in samples sent to our laboratory between 2010 January and 2018 September.

Methods
The study was conducted on a total of 723 patients, 431 men and 292 women, who were referred to the Parasitology Laboratory from various outpatient clinics due to digestive system complaints. The presence of Cryptosporidium spp. antigen was investigated by ELISA method.

Results
Cryptosporidium spp. was not found in any patient with Nativ-lugol method, whereas Cryptosporidium spp. antigen positivity was detected in 2.8% of 723 patients. In the study, 2.5% of the males and 3.1% of the females were found positive in terms of having the parasite, and there was no significant difference in gender between the parasite frequencies. The highest rate of parasite positivity (4.5%) was found in the 0-6 age group.

Conclusion
The high rate of cryptosporidiosis detected in our study is thought to be related to factors such as widespread animal husbandry in our region, poor hygiene rules and low socio-economic level. As a result of considering the findings of our study, evaluation of patients with intestinal complaints in terms of Cryptosporidium will be useful for accurate diagnosis, regardless of whether they have diarrhea and/or they are immunocompromised.


Six soybean cultivars (Glycine max L. Merrill): IAS-4, EMBRAPA-4, Davis, BR-16, IguaAu and IAS-5, for human consumption were characterized regarding their proximate composition and amino acid, fatty acids and mineral contents. Significant differences were observed among these varieties concerning their contents of protein, oil and fiber. However, their ash content did not show significant differences. Regarding the mineral composition, the cultivars IguaAu and EMBRAPA-4 presented, respectively, the highest levels of potassium (1824.02 mg/100 g) and calcium (313.93 mg/100 g). It was observed that the cultivar IAS-5 presented the highest level of unsaturated fatty acids (87.45%), while the cultivar Davis, the lowest one (83.93%). The cultivar EMBRAPA-4 presented the highest level of oleic acid and levels of linoleic and linolenic acids lower than the ones obtained for the other studied cultivars (39.93%, 42.46% and 4.64%, respectively). The results ob- tained for the other fatty acids levels are in agreement with the ones reported for soybean oil in the literature. All six cultivars studied presented an excellent balance of essential amino acids (EAA). The contents of each EAA were higher than those presented in the reference pattern established by FAO/WHO with the total EAA ranging from 39.5 to 45.0 g/100 g of protein.


ABSTRACT BKV and JCV belong to the Polyomaviridae family and are opportunistic agents associated with complications in immunocompromised individuals. Although a single screening assay for both viruses would be convenient, the diversity of BKV and JCV serotypes and genotypes is a methodological challenge. In this paper, we developed a PCR method able to detect and segregate BKV and JCV, despite these genetic discrepancies. A duplex semi-nested PCR (duplex snPCR) was designed to target a conserved region (639nt-1516nt) within the VP2 gene. In the first PCR, a primer set common to all BKV and JCV serotypes/ genotypes was used, followed by a semi-nested PCR with internal primers for BKV and JCV segregation. The limit of detection of the duplex snPCR was as low as 10 copies of BKV or JCV plasmids/μL. Specific products were observed when JCV and BKV plasmids were mixed in the same reaction. In field sample testing, the duplex snPCR detected and distinguished both viruses in different biological samples. Results were confirmed by Sanger's sequencing. The geographical complexity of BKV and JCV serotypes and genotypes imposes limits to a simple and universal method that could detect each virus. However, we describe here a sensitive and reliable PCR technique for BKV and JCV diagnosis that overcomes these limitations and could be universally applied.


The attempts to find any Lithuanian scientific works on mirrortherapy impact on hand function improvement of patients afterstroke were unsuccessful that is why our aim in this work wasto analyze the benefit of the therapy. The aim of the final work isto evaluate the changes in hand motoric function when applyingmirror therapy for patients after stroke.Preliminary experimental research of mirror therapy applicationwas carried out in January – May, 2013 in the department ofphysical medicine and rehabilitation II of Kaunas clinical hospital.16 women and 4 men participated in the research. The average ageof the patients was 72,2 years. In cooperation with the rehabilitationdepartment team and after application of selection tool, shortresearch of mental state (MMSE), patients, whose MMSE was notlower than 21 points, were selected for the research. This score wasnecessary in order for patients to understand the commands andto perform them. One more selection criterion was hand ability toperform movement in full amplitude after eliminating the activityof gravitational forces; it was assessed using 5 point system ofLovett – the score had to be not lower than 2 points. Measurements were performed 2 times: before the therapy and after 3 weeks. Wasassessed using: functional independence test (FIT), hydraulichand dynamometer, monometer, goniometry and Jebsen – Taylorhand function test. At the beginning of occupational therapy theevaluation of functional state of the patients after stroke was 83,3points, and at the end of the therapy – 106,1 points (statisticallysignificantly different from the results (p <0.05)). The changes inJebsen – Taylor damaged hand function test scores was 6,5 points(p <0.05). The changes in average scores of the damaged handpressure strength before the occupational therapy was 8,7 kg, andafter the therapy - 14,6 kg. The changes in damaged hand figurepressure force after the therapy - "Key" pressure force increasedby 1,4± 0,2 kg, I-II finger pressure force -1,6 kg± 0,2 kg andchanges in I-II-III finger pressure – even1,9 kg± 0,3 kg. After theapplication of mirror therapy for patients after stroke a considerableimprovement in the damaged hand muscle strength, finger pressureforce as well as wrist and finger joint movement amplitude hasbeen observed. The in dependence of patients after stroke afterthe mirror therapy increased.


The Author of the essay asks the following question: do parents have licentia rhetorica for talking about their experience? In her analysis she primarily focuses on an Internet magazine "Bachor. Bezradnik dla nieudacznych rodziców ("Brat. Helpless-guide for looser–parents") which represents a very particular way of talking about the child, a way which varies from parents' standard linguistic behaviour. The Author traces the fragments which include intentionally created non–literality and subsequently proceeds to reconstruct the types of reception she observed. At the same time, the Author ponders on the reasons why some recipients resist the possibility of nonliteral reading or why they object to it – and, as a reROK VIII (2014) CONVERSATORIA LINGUISTICA PL ISSN 1897–1415 77 sult, read messages literally. The considerations are presented in a broader perspective of the reflection upon the media motivated social and cultural transformations of rhetorical standards of talking about the child. Słowa kluczowe: język o dziecku, czarny humor, katharsis, dyskurs internetowy


Background Over 90% of pancreatic stones are radiopaque and can be treated with endoscopy or surgery. However, radiolucent stones are different than radiopaque stones in nature and formation, and therefore, treatment varies. Case presentation: A 25-year-old woman was admitted because of recurrent acute pancreatitis. Imaging examinations confirmed the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis (CP), and which revealed the existence of radiolucent stones. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was performed and abundant protein-like radiolucent stones were extracted. Three 10F, 7-cm plastic stents were placed. However, the stents were completely occluded by radiolucent stones 1 month later. A nasopancreatic tube was then inserted and flushed regularly, but protein-like stones formed continuously. After multidisciplinary consultation, the following conservative treatment strategy was applied: 1) no more endotherapy; 2) a diet with 40% to 50% of calories from fat was recommended; 3) no pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy; and 4) regular exercise. The above advice aimed to stimulate the secretion of pancreatic fluid to achieve auto-flushing of the pancreatic duct and prevent protein-like stones from depositing. No acute pancreatitis recurred during the 5-year follow-up. Conclusions This strategy was effective for auto-flushing the pancreatic duct in patients with radiolucent pancreatic stones after the main pancreatic duct stricture was resolved.


Using a Ginzburg-Landau free energy for oil-water-surfactant mixtures, we show that the Helfrich Hamiltonian describes the free energy of the amphiphilic monolayers at the oil/water interface, and calculate the bending rigidity, the saddle splay modulus and the spontaneous radius of curvature. The results are used to discuss the phase diagram obtained from Landau theory, which contains a lamellar phase, a hexagonal phase of cylinders, and a droplet crystal. It is found that the interaction of the monolayers plays an important role in stabilizing the lamellar phase.


Scalp evoked potentials to tone pips were recorded for nine subjects while performing a visual tracking task. The pips, which differed in intensity (40 & 60 dB), were presented as either frequent on infrequent stimuli. These stimuli were randomly presented under three stimulus conditions which were determined in terms of probability (0.10 or 0.40) and number of infrequent stimuli (24 or 96) in one run. It was shown that the amplitude of the P3 wave (around 340 ms latency) in response to the infrequent stimuli was larger for the low probability condition than for the high probability condition, while no effect on the P3 amplitude was found for the numbers of the stimuli.


An adaptive closed-loop control of neuromuscular block by pharmacokinetic dynamic model-based feedback is described. Mean (+/- SD) offsets from setpoints at 70, 80 and 90% neuromuscular blockade were 2.2 +/- 1.1, 1.8 +/- 0.6 and 0.4 +/- 0.4%, respectively. Correspondingly, the mean standard deviations from mean neuro-muscular blockade were 3.9 +/- 2.3, 2.7 +/- 0.6 and 1.3 +/- 0.2% and the mean average vecuronium requirements 0.5 +/- 0.2, 0.7 +/- 0.2 and 1.0 +/- 0.5 micrograms kg-1 min-1. The described closed-loop vecuronium administration system gives a solution to the problem of adapting pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data to individuals when using mean data as starting values for drug therapy.


This paper discusses the issue of theology that is indebted to sciences and technology. Technology, even though imposes a negative impact on theology particulary to those whose faith is still unstable, has strengthened Moslem's belief and does not become a threat. How technology reinforces the faith of Moslem is strongly related to the agenda of reactualization through the praxis activities. The mode of social life should be put on the basis of social transformation in accordance with needs and challenges. The tranformation is closely tied to the development with race structure or human consciousness with the environment. The modification of human life in order to achieve such transformation can be actualized through four basic cultural structures: ethical constitution, esthetic, work orientation and the knowledge of technology. The writer concludes that four elements mentioned above determines the success of Islamic civilization for the future life.


To remove carbamazepine (CBZ) from aqueous environment, the method of using activated carbon fiber as a cathode with enhanced electric/ferric iron/peroxydisulfate (ACF-E/Fe3+/PDS) process was studied. The highest CBZ removal ratio of 97.76% was achieved in 30 min, which was unchanged after 10 cycles of ACF in the ACF-E/Fe3+/PDS process. Meanwhile, the concentration of total iron ions in the effluent decreased as it was deposited on the ACF surface. The results of free radical inhibition experiments revealed that sulfate radical (SO4–•) played the leading role in the removal of CBZ. Compared with the E/Fe3+/PDS process, the electrical energy consumption was significantly reduced by 8 times in the ACF-E/Fe3+/PDS process. In addition, the toxicities of CBZ and its byproducts were reduced in the ACF-E/Fe3+/PDS process by the toxicity test. Therefore, the ACF-E/Fe3+/PDS process can be used as a sustainable, efficient, and low-toxicity method for the treatment of pollutants in water.


Owing to global warming, there are increasing number of Environmentally displaced persons(EDP)in the world. In order to raise the protection of EDP human rights and culture to the level of policy protection, A multi-level comprehensive analysis model is established. Combing the weights of various indicators, we make recommendations on the protection of human rights and cultural policies of EDP in immigrant countries.


Three methods of magnetic resonance thermography previously developed for monitoring hyperthermia treatments in pelvis and evaluated in phantom experiments have been applied for monitoring small temperature changes in volunteer's pelvis generated by a superficial heat source. Regions of temperature changes in 1/spl deg/C steps were segmented using pattern recognition operators of mathematical morphology. In this way, distributions of temperature changes measured by the proton resonance frequency method were successfully mapped in the entire pelvis. Thus, insight into the thermal propagation mechanism in pelvis was obtained revealing such thermoregulatory effects as, for example, cooling due to perspiration in regions not directly exposed to the heat supply. Applied with the methods exploiting the spin-lattice relaxation and diffusion as temperature indicators, the post-processing could not considerably improve the poor quality of temperature maps.


Airbnb's rental property prices are challenging because they determine how many customers there are. Customers, on the other hand, need to evaluate the offer price with minimal knowledge of the optimal value of the accommodation. This white paper aims to develop a reliable pricing model that uses machine learning and natural language processing techniques to assess prices by providing minimum available information about prices for both real estate owners and customers. Attributes, rooms, and bed features made up the predictors and created the prediction model using a variety of methods, from linear regression to root mean square error evaluation was used for creating the prediction model.


The article shows examples of market mechanism application of innovations implementation based on the experience of the countries with advanced economies. The analysis is based on the agriculture industry. In the article innovation activity encouragement methods are presented. Government's influence on the companies' innovation activity is analyzed as well as tax remissions of the companies involved in agriculture R&D in a series of advanced countries. By using this long-term overseas experience Russian Federation can greatly benefit to speed up its innovation processes in rural economy. The article's aim is to suggest the way to speed up innovation process.


The study examined the interdependence of sectorial growth, exchange rate and fiscal policy by simultaneous equation model for 50 developing economies over the time period of 2000 to 2014. Industrial GDP, service sector GDP, exchange rate, tax revenue are endogenous variables, while capital formation, foreign direct investment, trade, inflation, foreign aid, external debt and money supply are instruments. The study has 4 system of equations and estimated by simultaneous equations models (SEMs) through three-stage least squares (3SLS) estimator presented by (Zellner & Theil, 1962), the result of the study indicates that sectorial growth and fiscal policy have positive relation because tax exemption or reduction generate great impact on sectoral growth. Sectorial growth and exchange rate have a positive relation. The study also indicates that the exchange rate and fiscal policy are negatively related. An increase in government expenditure (spending) shows a decrease in the exchange rate. So the government of developing economies should increase revenues from non-tax sources instead of taxes, an increase in taxes decrease the exchange rate and ultimately increased in the sectoral growth.


To determine whether subclinical cases, together with clinical cases, of African horse sickness (AHS) occur in immunised horses in field conditions, whole blood samples were collected and rectal temperatures recorded weekly from 50 Nooitgedacht ponies resident in open camps at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, during 2008-2010. The samples were tested for the presence of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) RNA by a recently developed real-time RT-PCR. It was shown that 16% of immunised horses in an AHS endemic area were infected with AHSV over a 2 year period, with half of these (8%) being subclinically infected. The potential impact of such cases on the epidemiology of AHS warrants further investigation.


String graphs constitute a graphical language to represent many types of processes and phenomena, including quantum phenomena. Because of their discrete nature, string graphs can be easily processed by a computer. A well-known family of ltering techniques used to speed up the process of graph matching are discrimination nets. Discrimination nets were applied to string graphs by Douglas in 2010. In this dissertation we rst propose an improved algorithm for discrimination nets when working with string graphs; then we de ne an extension of the algorithm for discrimination nets when dealing with !-graphs. We give a proof of the correctness of our algorithms and we o er an implementation of these algorithms within the context of Quantomatic. Finally we present a set of results obtained by running simulations of our algorithms with randomly generated string graphs and !-graphs.


We studied the effects of moist chilling and warming on storage protein mobilization in walnut (Juglans regia L.) kernels to assess the metabolic inhibition theory, which states that dormant seeds are unable to utilize their own food reserves and that cold conditions allow germination by activating hydrolases involved in reserve mobilization. Stratifying kernels at 5 degrees C for 40 days enhanced their germination. During both cold stratification and warm incubation of kernels, storage protein mobilization occurred in cotyledons rather than axes. Kernel amino acid concentration increased during protein mobilization, with axes of warm-incubated kernels having particularly high amino acid concentrations. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS-PAGE) of the soluble protein fractions from both cold-stratified and warm-incubated cotyledons revealed increased band intensities of putative glutelins (19-22 and 32-35 kDa). A very high molecular weight protease was detected by gelatin SDS-PAGE that was most active at acid to neutral pHs in imbibed, cold stratified and germinated kernels suggesting the protease(s) was synthesized earlier in the mature seeds. Thus, in dormant walnut kernels there is no block to protein mobilization, and imbibition alone is sufficient to initiate proteolysis. Catalase activity was higher in warm-incubated kernels than in cold-stratified kernels, suggesting that seed aging is hastened under warm conditions and that cold stratification in walnut kernels might involve activation of cellular repair mechanisms.


This paper contains the introduction of the mechanics experiment questions in the 3rd Asian Physics Olympiad Competition and the corresponding answers. The design though, feature and requirement are analyzed.


Apparatus used in oil-refining service has been designed mostly from practical experience instead of experimental research, and the experience gained from operation over long periods gives notable results, among them being that certain alloys are resistant to corrosive conditions, and that if these alloys are used the so-called limiting creep stresses can be more than doubled over carbon steel. Other factors besides the strength of metals and corrosion resistance that must be considered are thermal expansion, thermal conductivity, resistance to abrasion, scaling, and oxidation. The search for an alloy steel that would resist the severe service in oil refining resulted in the development of chromium-tungsten steel. A series of tests are described in the development of properties required of a steel for high-temperature construction and service.


Introduction: Sexual behaviour among gay and other men who have sex with men (GMSM) is influenced by the shared understanding of HIV/STI risk and peer norms regarding sexual behaviour. However, there is little research evidence to support this relationship. The unique geographic spread of Australian communities, the history of Australian HIV epidemic and the different patterns in risky sexual practices and HIV diagnoses across Australia present an opportunity to explore the role of social norms and GMSM behaviours in shaping different patterns of HIV epidemics. We describe the protocol of the study of contemporary norms in networks and communities of GMSM (CONNECT) which investigates gay community behavioural norms and practices. Methods: CONNECT is aimed to 1) identify the patterns of connections between individuals in GMSM communities and assess how they shape HIV-related behaviours; 2) describe the relationship between social norms and sexual practices; and 3) compare the norms and patterns of behaviour in geographically and epidemiologically distinct GMSM populations in three Australian states New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia, in order to identify local community norms and barriers to effective HIV prevention. This quantitative cross-sectional study uses respondent-driven sampling (RDS) for recruitment. Results: Analyses will be carried out on individual and community level and will investigate the relationship between community-level behavioural norms and associated practices of individuals. Conclusion: CONNECT is anticipated to inform HIV prevention services to better target and increase the effectiveness of the current health promotion for GMSM in the context of increasing HIV/STI incidence.


Comprehensive finite element analysis (FEA) modeling is carried out to improve the performance of critical designs of wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP). First, a design with one layer redistribution layout (RDL) copper with etched pocket in the non-covered UBM area and one layer polyimide structure (1Cu1Pi design) is investigated. Different polyimide layouts, copper thicknesses, pocket parameters and non-covered UBM diameters are studied through finite element modeling. Then, a stacked metal design with the sputtered copper UBM stacked on the RDL copper layer, with one polyimide layer between them (2Cu1Pi) for the WLCSP is examined. Parameter study of different UBM diameters with the same solder volume and different UBM diameters with the same solder joint height is conducted by the simulation. Finally the correlation and comparison of the failure mechanism between the modeling and the test are presented and discussed.


We developed a method for direct electrical stimulation of the masseter nerve in man. Both direct M-reponses and genuine H-reflexes were recorded from the ipsilateral masseter muscle. Muscle vibration that inhibits the Achilles tendon reflex and the soleus H-reflex was found to potentiate the masseter tendon reflex and also the masseter H-reflex. This unexpected contrast may be related to peculiar brain stem circuitry of the masseter reflex mechanism.


Erythrocyte adenosine kinase (AK) (EC 18.104.22.168) and guanosine monophosphate (GMP) reductase (EC 18.104.22.168) were measured in healthy male controls and primary gout subjects. Adenosine kinase activity in 19 controls and 26 gouty subjects was 0.717 +/- 0.176 and 0.615 +/- 0.128 nmol/mg protein/h, respectively. The difference was statistically significant (p less than 0.05). GMP reductase activity in 39 controls and 46 gouty subjects was 30.90 +/- 6.28 and 33.43 +/- 7.97 mumol/mg protein/h, respectively, without statistically significant difference.


An automated system was used during three growing seasons to monitor the change in tension (ΔT) in the load-bearing wire of a trellis to estimate yield in vineyards. Actual yield varied nearly four-fold among the three study years, but in each year the fruit was uniformly distributed along the length of the wire. The automated sensor detected sequential harvests up to ~12 m to either side of the sensor, or 24 m total wire length, in a nonlinear fashion. Yield was predicted statically from ΔT at the lag phase (L) of berry growth (ΔTL) and dynamically from continuous output of ΔT. Relationships between ΔTL and yield were linear. Estimated yield was not sensitive to the date of ΔTL, within 10 days. In using the ratio between the current year ΔT and that of a specific previous year, the differences between estimated and observed yields depended upon the choice of predictor year(s), where years with similar ΔT were the most accurate. Across an estimation interval of L to harvest, the precision of dynamic estimates was determined by the similarity in the day-to-day shapes of the double-logistic curves of ΔT over time. Due to a catastrophic frost in the second year of the study, an extremely small crop and an uncharacteristic growth curve made it difficult to predict yield either statically or dynamically. In practice, the method requires a grower to collect multiple years of growth curves from which to build a robust linear relationship between ΔTL and yield (static estimates), or to apply an average of multiple years' ΔT values dynamically.


BACKGROUND
Research has shown that bullying has serious health consequences, and sexual minority-oriented youth are disproportionately affected. Sexual minority-oriented youth include lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (LGBTQ) individuals. This study examined the bullying experiences of sexual minority-oriented youth in a predominantly rural area of a Midwestern state. The purpose of this study was to have bullied youth describe their experiences and to present their perspectives.

METHODS
Using critical qualitative inquiry, 16 in-depth interviews were conducted in-person or online with youth, ages 15-20, who self-identified as having been bullied based on their perceived minority sexual orientation status.

RESULTS
The role of supportive school personnel was found to be meaningful, and supportive school personnel were mentioned as assisting with the coping and survival among this group of bullied sexual minority youth.

CONCLUSIONS
Supportive school personnel are crucial to the coping and survival of these youth. All school personnel need to be aware of the anti-bullying policies in their school corporations. They may then work to strengthen and enforce their policies for the protection of bullied youth.


Five-bit all-NbN digital-to-analog converters (DACs) for a programmable voltage standard have been fabricated using NbN/TiNx/NbN Josephson junctions and their operation has been demonstrated. The DAC consists of six arrays of 128, 128, 256, 512, 1024 and 2048 junctions per array. We have measured the current–voltage characteristics for the junction arrays driven with a 16 GHz microwave signal at 4.2 and 10 K, resulting in constant-voltage steps with heights larger than 2 mA. The maximum output voltage for the DAC was 136 mV, indicating that all 4096 junctions in the DAC yielded a voltage corresponding to the microwave frequency through the ac Josephson effect.


Polymer supported reagents have become the subject of considerable and increasing interest as insoluble materials in the organic synthesis. Use of polymeric reagents simplifies routine nitration of aromatic compounds because it eliminates traditional purification. In this article, the use of readily available cross-linked poly(4-vinylpyridine) supported sodium nitrite, [P4-Me] NO2, as an efficient polymeric nitrating agent in the presence of KHSO4 is described. A good range of available aromatic compounds were also subjected to nitration in the presence of [P4-Me] NO2/KHSO4. This reagent is regioselective and chemoselective nitrating polymeric reagent for activated aromatic rings. In this procedure, the work-up is easy, and the spent polymeric reagent is easily regenerated and reused. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011


We present a simple method to induce mechanically a long-period fibre grating in a general sing mode fibre. The transmission spectrum of the new type of grating can be tailored by changing the external applied pressure or by introducing a phase-shift in the grating. The tunability this kind of gratings exhibit will be particularly useful for the filter design.


A case of nasal septal chondrosarcoma is presented which, after radical surgery, recurred after seven and a half years. The post-mortem findings showed gross local spread and dural seedlings. The clinical implications are discussed and the literature reviewed.


This work proposes a novel battery charger circuit with an improved parallel-loaded resonant converter use in rechargeable batteries in mobile power applications. The proposed topology is composed of an improved parallel-loaded resonant inverter and a bridge rectifier. The output voltage of the improved parallel-loaded resonant converter is filtered by an electrolytic capacitor. This topology has advantages over the traditional parallel-loaded resonant converter of smaller size, lower weight and lower cost. The operating principles of the proposed charger circuit are thoroughly analyzed. A prototype charger circuit with the improved parallel-loaded resonant converter implemented for a 12V 12000mAh rechargeable battery of mobile power is constructed and tested to verify the theoretical predictions. The measured energy conversion efficiency of the improved parallel-loaded resonant topology reaches up to 91.2%. The test results demonstrate that the novel topology provides a satisfactory performance. The improved parallel-loaded resonant converter has great potential for use in power-related devices in electronic products, such as standby power supplies for laptop computers, communication equipment, consumer electronics, and telecom power supplies.


Acknowledgements. 1. Introduction... Usually a Really Good Place to Start! 2. Can't Play Won't Play. 3. Let's Go Swimming. 4. On your Bike! 5. Throwing, Catching and Bat and Ball Games. 6. Soccer Crazy: Can We Kick it? Yes We Can! 7. Rugby: A Game of Up and Under. 8. Skip to my Lou. 9. 'French' Skipping... Ooh La La! 10. Get Your Skates On. 11. Bounce Back: Rebounding for Fun and Fitness. 12. 'B' is for Balance and Ball. 13. Let's get Physical. 14. Chill Out. Further Reading. Appendix 1. Appendix 2. Appendix 3. Index.


Strengths-based case management is an alternative service modality for work with individuals and families. This method stresses building on the strengths of individuals that can be used to resolve current problems and issues, countering more traditional approaches that focus almost exclusively on individuals' deficits or needs. This article expands the literature on the application of the strengths-based model by using a project that provides health and social services to grandparents raising their grandchildren. Based on anecdotal results, the strengths-based model appears to have value in fostering a sense of independence and self-assurance among grandparents, as well as enhancing their level of confidence to nurture and support their grandchildren. Suggested limitations and implications for family practice and future research are noted.


This paper concentrates on the fragility analysis method for vertically plan reinforced concrete frame structures. The weakness story inter-story drift ratio is selected as the fragility variable for vertically plan structures. Five states are established to distinguish the structural seismic performance levels, which are expressed with inter-story drift ratio. Then through the nonlinear dynamic analysis and linear regress, the exceeding probability function of seismic response is obtained and a new fragility analysis method is put forward for vertically irregular frame structures. Two kind of unit models, two kind of hysteretic models and forty earthquake records are chosen to established structure-earthquake system samples. Thus one hundred and twenty structure-earthquake system samples are obtained for irregular reinforced concrete frame, which take into account the uncertainty of member materials, structures systems, numerical simulation models and earthquake motions adequately. Then example is presented to demonstrate the applicability and utility of the proposed methodology. Seismic performances of a vertically irregular reinforced concrete frame structure are evaluated in detail. It is concluded that fragility curves are more abrupt in low input earthquake motion intensity and they are influenced much by the structural performance levels.


BACKGROUND
Ebola viruses (EBOVs) are primarily transmitted by contact with infected body fluids. Ebola treatment centers (ETCs) contain areas that are exposed to body fluids through the care of patients suspected or confirmed to have EBOV disease. There are limited data documenting which areas/fomites within ETCs pose a risk for potential transmission. This study conducted environmental surveillance in 2 ETCs in Freetown, Sierra Leone, during the 2014-2016 West African Ebola outbreak.

METHODS
ETCs were surveyed over a 3-week period. Sites to be swabbed were identified with input from field personnel. Swab samples were collected and tested for the presence of EBOV RNA. Ebola-positive body fluid-impregnated cotton pads were serially sampled.

RESULTS
General areas of both ETCs were negative for EBOV RNA. The immediate vicinity of patients was the area most likely to be positive for EBOV RNA. Personal protective equipment became positive during patient care, but chlorine solution washes rendered them negative.

CONCLUSIONS
Personal protective equipment and patient environs do become positive for EBOV RNA, but careful attention to decontamination seems to remove it. EBOV RNA was not detected in general ward spaces. Careful attention to decontamination protocols seems to be important in minimizing the presence of EBOV RNA within ETC wards.


BY ALL standards, the United States is a doctor-rich nation with almost one physician for every 500 people. Most countries in the developed world enjoy a physician-to-population ratio in the vicinity of one to 1,000, whereas two thirds of the world's population lives where the ratios are vastly less favorable. Although these nations may show one physician or more for every 10,000 people on international tabulations, it is not unusual to find only one physician for every 50,000 to 100,000 people in their rural areas. In 1978 at Alma Ata in the Soviet Union, the World Health Organization adopted the goal of "Health for All by the Year 2000" as the overriding priority of the organization as well as a target for the health activities of its constituent nations. 1 The success of any such ambitious scheme clearly depends on the availability and capabilities of large numbers of appropriately trained


Inspired by the recently regained popularity of wavetable synthesis and rapid developments of neural networks, this study introduces a wavetable oscillator based on a standard autoencoder. The purpose of such a neural network is to generate diverse and novel single-cycle waveforms based on a small number of input parameters with sufficient computational efficiency. A consequence of using latent variables directly as input parameters is a smooth transition between the generated waveforms when changes of input parameters are small. To investigate the influence of datasets and hyperparameters on the output distribution, we conducted a set of experiments. The results suggest that even small and efficient generative models can successfully perform this task and produce an interestingly wide range of waveforms. Influence on possible shapes and sonic characteristics of the generated waveforms can be achieved using a specifically designed, synthetic dataset for model training.


We study stability analysis, asymptotic stability and Solutional behaviour of the system String Theory and Quantum Information Theory, S-Duality, T-Duality, And U-Duality, Black Hole Information Paradox, Information theory, Chaos Theory, Psychometric investigation of a belief system and other variables. Various types of stability may be discussed for the solutions of differential equations describing dynamical systems. The most important type is that concerning the stability of solutions near to a point of equilibrium. This may be discussed by the theory of Lyapunov. In simple terms, if all solutions of the dynamical system that start out near an equilibrium point x_e stay near x_e forever, then x_e is Lyapunov stable. More strongly, if x_e is Lyapunov stable and all solutions that start out near x_e converge to x_e, then x_e is asymptotically stable. The notion of exponential stability guarantees a minimal rate of decay, i.e., an estimate of how quickly the solutions converge. Phase plane analysis Differential geometry (Feedback linearization); Lyapunov theory, intelligent techniques: Neural networks, Fuzzy logic, Genetic algorithm etc. Describing functions, Optimization theory, and variational optimizations are various methods used in non linear stability analysis (Dr. Radhakant Padhi Stability analysis of Non linear systems).The idea of Lyapunov stability can be extended to infinite-dimensional manifolds, where it is known as structural stability, which concerns the behavior of different but "nearby" solutions to differential equations. Input-to-state stability (ISS) applies Lyapunov notions to systems with inputs. von Neumann stability is necessary and sufficient for stability in the sense of Lax–Richtmyer (as used in the Lax equivalence theorem): The PDE and the finite difference scheme models are linear; the PDE is constant-coefficient with periodic boundary conditions and have only two independent variables; and the scheme uses no more than two time levels (See Wikipedia) Von Neumann stability is necessary in a much wider variety of cases. It is often used in place of a more detailed stability analysis to provide a good guess at the restrictions (if any) on the step sizes used in the scheme because of its relative simplicity. Albeit forwarded in nine module systematizations, the entire gamut is to be seen in a single shot, and the presentation of nine schedule twenty seven storey models is to circumvent typing of hundreds of superscripts and subscripts. In fact the statement is made inclusive of all previous models, and the variables are definitely different for each schedule, which again is reinstated due to typing of millions of systems. The full paper: http://www.iiste.org/PDFshare/APTA-PAGENO-117890-122734.pdf


SUMMARY Analysis of the proportional mortality attributed to ischaemic heart disease, adjusted for age, reminds us that many of the well known geographical, environmental, social, and economic variations within England and Wales are not disease specific. in death rates been


Peterson x Hubbard male chicks were used in two bioassays conducted to determine the maintenance requirement and efficiency of utilization of dietary Met and Cys in young chicks. In each assay, chicks were given free access for 10 d to crystalline amino acid (AA) diets containing graded levels of DL-Met (Assay 1) or graded equal levels of DL-Met and L-Cys (Assay 2). Doses of Met represented 5, 10, 40, 55, 70, and 95% of its ideal level in Assay 1, with all other AA maintained at minimized excess levels that were 15% (of ideal) above the various doses of Met, except for Cys, which was maintained at 100% of its ideal level for all treatments. For example, when Met was fed at 40% of its ideal level, all other AA were fed at 55% of their ideal levels, and Cys was fed at 100%. In Assay 2, Met and Cys were fed at equal levels representing 5, 10, 40, 55, 70, and 95% of ideal with all other AA maintained at minimized excess levels that were 15% (of ideal) above the various doses of Met + Cys. After 24 h of feed deprivation, chicks were killed for whole-body protein and AA analysis. In Assay 1, Met accretion was a linear (P < 0.01) function of Met intake (r2 = 0.97). The slope of the Met accretion regression line indicated that 68% of the crystalline Met ingested (above maintenance) was retained. In Assay 2, increases in whole-body protein and whole-body TSAA were linear (P < 0.01) between dosage levels of 5 and 70% of the ideal TSAA level. Slope of the TSAA accretion line between these dose levels indicated that 52% of the TSAA was retained. The TSAA requirement for zero protein accretion was calculated to be 3.2 mg/d or 9.4 mg/d per kg3/4, whereas the TSAA required for zero TSAA accretion was 5.3 mg/d or 15.3 mg/d per kg3/4.


The programming complexity of increasingly parallel processors calls for new tools to assist programmers in utilising the parallel hardware resources. In this paper we present a set of models that we have developed to form part of a tool which is intended for iteratively tuning the mapping of dataflow graphs onto manycores. One of the models is used for capturing the essentials of manycores that are identified as suitable for signal processing and which we use as target architectures. Another model is the intermediate representation in the form of a timed configuration graph, describing the mapping of a dataflow graph onto a machine model. Moreover, this IR can be used for performance evaluation using abstract interpretation. We demonstrate how the models can be configured and applied in order to map applications on the Raw processor. Furthermore, we report promising results on the accuracy of performance predictions produced by our tool. It is also demonstrated that the tool can be used to rank different mappings with respect to optimisation on throughput and end-to-end latency.


Evaluation of all known ticks attractants was made to ascertain their suitability to be combined with pesticide in order to control populations of pasture ticks of the genera Ixodes and Dermacentor. Search for attractants among the pheromones of aggregation (for the genus Ixodes) and among substances determining the host's odour (for both genera) was concluded to be most promising.


BACKGROUND
The therapeutic action of citrate in the management of calcium oxalate urolithiasis has been attributed to the depletion of free calcium ions by complexation of the latter by citrate itself. However, little attention has been given to the nature of such complexes and the chemical conditions which control their formation because it is very difficult to measure them in solution. We therefore modelled the theoretical formation of these complexes in urine following administration of a citrate-containing preparation, using a powerful speciation program, JESS (Joint Expert Speciation System), which has been widely used to model metal-ligand equilibria in biological systems but which has hitherto not been applied in urolithiasis research. This program has an extensive database of thermodynamic constants and is able to calculate mixed ligand speciation.

METHODS
Urine data obtained before and after citrate administration in four groups of subjects (male and female normals and stone formers) were used as input for JESS to calculate the speciation of calcium, citrate and oxalate. The program was also used to examine the effects of varying different urinary components on the nature and concentration of the various species.

RESULTS
The speciation predicted the formation of a key calcium-citrate-phosphate species (previously unreported in urolithiasis research), which accounts for a significant percentage of the complexation of the free calcium. Moreover, the formation of this complex was found to be dependent on an increase in urinary pH rather than on an increase in urinary citrate concentration per se.

CONCLUSION
The therapeutic action of citrate in the management of calcium oxalate urolithiasis is due to the formation of a pH dependent calcium-citrate-phosphate complex which reduces the concentration of the free calcium ion species, thereby reducing the risk of stone formation.


Diesel exhaust particles (DEP) are known to enhance inflammatory responses in human volunteers. In cultured human bronchial epithelial (16HBE) cells, they induce the release of proinflammatory cytokines after triggering transduction pathways, including nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB activation and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation. This study compares the effects of native DEP (nDEP), organic extracts of DEP (OE-DEP), and carbonaceous particles, represented by stripped DEP (sDEP) and carbon black particles (CB), in order to clarify their respective roles. OE-DEP and nDEP induce granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) release, NF-kappaB activation, and MAPK phosphorylation. The carbonaceous core generally induces less intense effects. Reactive oxygen species are produced in 16HBE cells and are involved in GM-CSF release and in the stimulation of NF-kappaB DNA binding by nDEP and OE-DEP. We demonstrate, for the first time, in airway epithelial cells in vitro that nDEP induce the expression of the CYP1A1, a cytochrome P450 specifically involved in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons metabolism, thereby demonstrating the critical role of organic compounds in the DEP-induced proinflammatory response. Understanding the respective contributions of DEP components in these effects is important for vehicle manufacturers in order to improve their exhaust gas post-treatment technologies. In conclusion, the DEP-induced inflammatory response in airway epithelial cells mainly involves organic compounds such as PAH, which induce CYP1A1 gene expression.


Before the First World War a part of Polish territory, including Lubelszczyzna was in the Military District in Warsaw. There were standing five army corps, which consisted of 200,000 soldiers. In Lubelszczyzna there was standing one corps – XIV Army Corps in the power of 30,000 men. Due to the current rules, the could be very few among them. The restrictions referred to officers too, but only to the Catholics (Catholic's vacant). Poles of others religions were out of the restrictions. Poles were mainly commanders, up to the brigade commanders. Among them there were also generals Eugeniusz de Hennig Michaelis and Edward Kolankowski. After the war broke out the number of Poles in the Russian army increased, which was connected with the mobilization, the war acts and their consequences.


Since 1978, when China embarked on a new period of economic reforms and introduced open door policies, it has experienced a great urban transformation. The role of transport has proved indispensable in this unprecedented rapid urbanisation and economic growth. As the first research-focused book dedicated to this important topic, the Handbook on Transport and Urban Transformation in China offers new insight into the various opportunities and challenges brought by fast-paced motorization and urban development, and explores them in broad spatial-economic, environmental, social, and institutional dimensions.


As the substantial component of the ecosystem respiration, soil CO2 flux is strongly influenced by infrequent and unpredictable precipitation in arid region. In the current study, we investigated the response of soil CO2 flux to rain pulses at a saline desert in western China. Soil CO2 flux was measured continuously during the whole growing season of 2009 at six sites. We found that there were remarkable changes in amplitude or diurnal patterns of soil CO2 flux induced by rainfall events: from bimodal before rain to a single peak after that. Further analysis indicated that there is a significant linear relationship (P < 0.001) between soil CO2 flux and soil temperature (Tsoil). However, a hysteresis between the waveform of diurnal course of CO2 flux and Tsoil was observed: with soil CO2 flux always peaked earlier than Tsoil. Furthermore, a double exponential decay function was fitted to the soil CO2 flux after rainfall, and total carbon (C) releases were estimated by numerical integration for rainfall events. The relative enhancement and total C release, in association with the rain pulses, was linearly related to the amount of precipitation. According to the size and frequency of rainfall events, the total amount of C release induced by rain pulses was computed as much as 7.88 g C·m–2 in 2009, equivalent to 10.25% of gross primary production. These results indicated that rain pulses played a significant role in the carbon budget of this saline desert ecosystem, and the size of them was a good indicator of rain‐induced flux enhancement. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Open-domain question answering (QA) aims to find the answer to a question from a large collection of documents.Though many models for single-document machine comprehension have achieved strong performance, there is still much room for improving open-domain QA systems since document retrieval and answer reranking are still unsatisfactory. Golden documents that contain the correct answers may not be correctly scored by the retrieval component, and the correct answers that have been extracted may be wrongly ranked after other candidate answers by the reranking component. One of the reasons is derived from the independent principle in which each candidate document (or answer) is scored independently without considering its relationship to other documents (or answers). In this work, we propose a knowledge-aided open-domain QA (KAQA) method which targets at improving relevant document retrieval and candidate answer reranking by considering the relationship between a question and the documents (termed as question-document graph), and the relationship between candidate documents (termed as document-document graph). The graphs are built using knowledge triples from external knowledge resources. During document retrieval, a candidate document is scored by considering its relationship to the question and other documents. During answer reranking, a candidate answer is reranked using not only its own context but also the clues from other documents. The experimental results show that our proposed method improves document retrieval and answer reranking, and thereby enhances the overall performance of open-domain question answering.


The simplified classification presented for Sorghum bicolor (Linn.) Moencihs so easy that it requires no special knowledge of the crop to correctly identify mature heads and spikelets. Variation is partitioned into five basic races (bicolor, guinea, caudatum, kafir, and durra) and all combinations of their hybrid derivatives, for a total of 15 races. Intermediate races are designated, for example, as kafir-caudatum, durra-bicolor, etc. Subraces are the commonly used agronomic groups (feterita, kaura, sorgo, sudangrass, etc.) familiar to sorghum workers. None of these requires a formal Latin name.


In this paper the return probability of the one-dimensional discrete-time quantum walk is studied. We derive probabilistic formulas for the return probability related to the quantum walk governed by the Fibonacci coin.


The distance information is very important to operate a teleoperation robot in the teleoperation system. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to realize a distance man-machine interface, in order to present the distance information, because the human perceptive distance is different from the actual distance, and also the spatial scale of the real world is different from the virtual world. Therefore, it is very important to measure and analyze human characteristic of distance perception for the man-machine interface of teleoperation systems. In this study, the characteristics of human distance perception are measured, and a mathematical model of human distance perception is proposed. The results suggested that the human perceptive distances are larger (smaller) than the actual distances, if with using (not using) tactile information. The experimental results provide useful basic data to design the distance interface of teleoperation systems, and to investigate the human mechanism of distance perception.


Under the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy, both countries had economic autonomy, but because of their alliance they shared a common market and monetary system. This arrangement was a decisive element in Hungary's development during this dynamic era, which was characterized by a surge in the country's economy, population, modernization, and cultural, civil, and legal institutions. L szl Katus covers the major political parties and social trends of this period as well as the changes in its ethnic and religious population, which later proved detrimental to the monarchy.


One of the major concerns in photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) is obtaining a high-quality image using the minimum number of ultrasound transducers/view angles. This issue is of importance when a cost-effective PACT system is needed. On the other hand, analytical reconstruction algorithms such as back projection (BP) and time reversal, when a limited number of view angles is used, cause artifacts in the reconstructed image. Iterative algorithms provide a higher image quality, compared to BP, due to a model used for image reconstruction. The performance of the model can be further improved using the sparsity concept. In this paper, we propose using a novel sparse dictionary to capture important features of the photoacoustic signal and eliminate the artifacts while few transducers is used. Our dictionary is an optimum combination of Wavelet Transform (WT), Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT), and Total Variation (TV). We utilize two quality assessment metrics including peak signal-to-noise ratio and edge preservation index to quantitatively evaluate the reconstructed images. The results show that the proposed method can generate high-quality images having fewer artifacts and preserved edges, when fewer view angles are used for reconstruction in PACT.


We examine the role of aerosol hygroscopicity (κ) affects clouds and precipitation formation over the Western Ghats (WG) in India using various numerical model simulations (i.e., particle-by-particle based small-scale, high resolution mesoscale model). For the diffusional growth of cloud droplets, the size dependent hygroscopicity is used in κKöhler equation of direct numerical simulation. The results of the small-scale model reveal that the distribution of cloud drop size varies from the initial mixing state to well mix state due to variation in κ. The value of κ is obtained from HTDMA instruments at High Altitude Cloud Physics Laboratory, India. The idealized and real simulations using WRF model with aerosol-aware Thompson microphysics scheme are conducted by changing κ values. Depending on the type of clouds (shallow or deep), different κ values determine the mass, number and precipitation of cloud and rain droplets. Low hygroscopicity (organics) simulates more and smaller drops, as well as uplifts below freezing level, resulting in more ice phase hydrometeors. Organic aerosols have a significant impact on the formation of more snow and graupel hydrometeors. As compared to high κ, low hygroscopicity weakens updrafts at the intermediate level and strengthens them at the upper level in the deep cloud region. The intensity of precipitation varies due to low and high κ. The findings indicate that aerosol composition has a significant impact on the activation of cloud condensation nuclei. This study suggests that aerosol hygroscopicity is essential in weather prediction models in order to integrate aerosol chemical compositions. Hosted file 958225_0_art_file_10782615_rr90mz.docx available at https://authorea.com/users/594763/ articles/629086-the-influence-of-aerosol-hygroscopicity-on-clouds-and-precipitationover-western-ghats-india


The effect of mouth wash on the removal of drug residues in both mouth and pharynx after the use of fluticasone propionate dry powder inhaler (FP-DPI) was studied. The concentration of FP in mouth wash after sprinkle and inhalation of Flutide 50, 100, 200 Rotadisk was determined by HPLC-UV. The total amount of the removed FP was measured by the sum of the concentration of FP in 5 times of mouth washes. The mouth wash procedures removed totally 79.3 +/- 4.4% (50 micrograms), 68.5 +/- 3.6% (100 micrograms), 69.3 +/- 3.4% (200 micrograms) of sprinkled amount of FP and 29.5 +/- 11.1% (50 micrograms), 35.6 +/- 6.6% (100 micrograms), 31.6 +/- 8.3% (200 micrograms) of inhaled, respectively. It was required for the removal of 90% of the totally recovered FP to do two times of mouth washes in each case. These data suggest that the mouth wash is an effective precaution for candidiasis induced by FP delivered by DPI.