Heme-targeting agents HSP2 and CycT effectively normalize tumor vasculature and alleviate tumor hypoxia, raising the possibility of their combination with chemo-, radio-, and immunotherapies to improve antitumor efficacy. Multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) is an emerging noninvasive imaging modality that can detect real-time dynamic information about the tumor microenvironment in humans and animals. Oxygen enhanced (OE)-MSOT can monitor tumor vasculature and oxygenation during disease development or therapy. Here, we used MSOT and OE-MSOT to examine in mice the response of human non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) xenografts to a new class of antitumor drugs, heme-targeting agents heme-sequestering peptide 2 (HSP2) and cyclopamine tartrate (CycT). HSP2 inhibits heme uptake, while CycT inhibits heme synthesis in NSCLC cells, where heme is essential for ATP generation via oxidative phosphorylation. HSP2 and CycT can inhibit ATP generation and thereby suppress NSCLC cell tumorigenic functions. MSOT showed that treatment of NSCLC tumors with HSP2 or CycT reduced total hemoglobin, increased oxygen saturation, and enhanced the amplitude of response to oxygen gas breathing challenge. HSP2 and CycT normalized tumor vasculature and improved tumor oxygenation, where levels of several hypoxia markers in NSCLC tumors were reduced by treatment with HSP2 or CycT. Furthermore, treatment with HSP2 or CycT reduced levels of angiogenic factor VEGFA, its receptor VEGFR1, and vascular marker CD34. Together, our data show that heme-targeting drugs HSP2 and CycT elicit multiple tumor-suppressing functions, such as inhibiting angiogenic function, normalizing tumor vasculature, alleviating tumor hypoxia, and inhibiting oxygen consumption and ATP generation. Significance: Heme-targeting agents HSP2 and CycT effectively normalize tumor vasculature and alleviate tumor hypoxia, raising the possibility of their combination with chemo-, radio-, and immunotherapies to improve antitumor efficacy. See related commentary by Tomaszewski, p. 3461


Lumps and swellings in the mouth are common, but of diverse aetiologies (Table 1) and some develop into ulcers, as in various bullous lesions (Article 2) and in malignant neoplasms (Article 3 ). Many different conditions, from This series provides an overview of current thinking in the more relevant areas of Oral Medicine, for primary care practitioners. The series gives the detail necessary to assist the primary dental clinical team caring for patients with oral complaints that may be seen in general dental practice. Space precludes inclusion of illustrations of uncommon or rare disorders. Approaching the subject mainly by the symptomatic approach, as it largely relates to the presenting complaint, was considered to be a more helpful approach for GDPs rather than taking a diagnostic category approach. The clinical aspects of the relevant disorders are discussed, including a brief overview of the aetiology, detail on the clinical features and how the diagnosis is made, along with guidance on management and when to refer, in addition to relevant websites which offer further detail.


Most high school students fall into the "unspecial" category--they are not at either extreme of achievement, and they receive a small share of the fiscal and human resources of their schools. Anxieties about these average students' performance in high school and their tendency to clog college developmental English and math classes sparked much of the reform literature of the 1980s. Curriculum reform in the 1980s went in either of two basic directions: tighten the screws on local systems to make sure they were accountable for toughened policies and curriculum guidelines established in the state house; and empower local systems and center reform in the hands of teachers and building-level administrators. What has become known as the "restructuring movements" began for some with the second direction and the formaion of the Coalition of Essential Schools in 1985. The Coalition is a national network of public and private schools committed to a ground-up reconceptualization of schools and to nine common principles about what a good school is and how teachers and students in good schools spend their time. Two of the principles add up to a strong commitment to heterogenous grouping. Essential schools, and others which implement their practices, offer the best hope for all students. In 1989, the National Council of Teachers of English also recommended heterogeneous grouping. (Contains 53 references.) (RS) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** What About Dick? In Search of English Classrooms That Work for the Unspeclal


The Ultraviolet Transient Astronomy Satellite (ULTRASAT) is scheduled to be launched to geostationary orbit in 2026. It will carry a telescope with an unprecedentedly large field of view (204 deg$^2$) and NUV (230-290nm) sensitivity (22.5 mag, 5$\sigma$, at 900s). ULTRASAT will conduct the first wide-field survey of transient and variable NUV sources and will revolutionize our ability to study the hot transient universe: It will explore a new parameter space in energy and time-scale (months long light-curves with minutes cadence), with an extra-Galactic volume accessible for the discovery of transient sources that is $>$300 times larger than that of GALEX and comparable to that of LSST. ULTRASAT data will be transmitted to the ground in real-time, and transient alerts will be distributed to the community in $<$15 min, enabling a vigorous ground-based follow-up of ULTRASAT sources. ULTRASAT will also provide an all-sky NUV image to $>$23.5 AB mag, over 10 times deeper than the GALEX map. Two key science goals of ULTRASAT are the study of mergers of binaries involving neutron stars, and supernovae: With a large fraction ($>$50%) of the sky instantaneously accessible, fast (minutes) slewing capability and a field-of-view that covers the error ellipses expected from GW detectors beyond 2025, ULTRASAT will rapidly detect the electromagnetic emission following BNS/NS-BH mergers identified by GW detectors, and will provide continuous NUV light-curves of the events; ULTRASAT will provide early (hour) detection and continuous high (minutes) cadence NUV light curves for hundreds of core-collapse supernovae, including for rarer supernova progenitor types.


Abstract:  Conservation development projects combine real‐estate development with conservation of land and other natural resources. Thousands of such projects have been conducted in the United States and other countries through the involvement of private developers, landowners, land trusts, and government agencies. Previous research has demonstrated the potential value of conservation development for conserving species, ecological functions, and other resource values on private lands, especially when traditional sources of conservation funding are not available. Nevertheless, the aggregate extent and effects of conservation development were previously unknown. To address this gap, we estimated the extent and trends of conservation development in the United States and characterized its key attributes to understand its aggregate contribution to land‐conservation and growth‐management objectives. We interviewed representatives from land trusts, planning agencies, and development companies, searched the Internet for conservation development projects and programs, and compiled existing databases of conservation development projects. We collected data on 3884 projects encompassing 1.38 million ha. About 43% of the projects targeted the conservation of specific plant or animal species or ecological communities of conservation concern; 84% targeted the protection of native ecosystems representative of the project area; and 42% provided buffers to existing protected areas. The percentage of protected land in conservation development projects ranged from <40% to >99%, and the effects of these projects on natural resources differed widely. We estimate that conservation development projects have protected roughly 4 million ha of land in the United States and account for about 25% of private‐land conservation activity nationwide.


The effects of decenylsuccinic acid on the swelling and respiratory capacities of mitochondria isolated from etiolated corn (Zea mays L., Wf9 x M14) shoots were studied. Decenylsuccinic acid (0.1 mM to 1.0 mM) inhibited the oxidation of succinate and malate-pyruvate, stimulated the oxidation of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, and uncoupled phosphorylation. The swelling of isolated corn mitochondria, as determined by percentage of transmittance changes, was stimulated by decenylsuccinic acid in potassium chloride reaction media and in sucrose reaction media without bovine serum albumin. In a diaphorase (2, 6-dichlorophenolindophenol as acceptor) reaction with intact mitochondria, only the dehydrogenation rate of malate was reduced by the addition of decenylsuccinic acid. The dehydrogenation of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide or of succinate was either not affected or was stimulated depending on the diaphorase reaction medium. The oxygen uptake of mitochondria oxidizing N, N, N', N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine diHCl and ascorbate was inhibited at decenylsuccinic acid concentrations greater than 0.5 mM.The results presented lead to the hypothesis that the primary effect of decenylsuccinic acid on isolated corn mitochondria is on the physical properties of the membranes and that decenylsuccinic acid-affected stimulation or inhibition of respiration results from the physical disruption of the membrane. These results appear to be consistent with those previously reported in whole plant studies.


. The aim of this study is to perform quantitative risk assessment oforganizational transformation at PT X and develop its risk mitigation. The design ofthis study based on business risk analysis model by Fekete (2000), which are consist 4steps: (1) risk identification; (2) qualitative analysis; (3) quantitative analysis; and (4)risk response. The result of study showed there are significance risks of organizationaltransformation at PT X with the biggest risk level in consecutive order are systemreadiness factor, organization factor, and culture factor.


The dynamics of modern Polish–Ukrainian relations gives reason to speak not only about changes in the dialogue of the two countries but also about a partial change in its political agenda. In accordance with the position of the new Ukrainian administration, the historical reconciliation of Warsaw and Kiev may be achieved under observance of a number of conditions. First, the presence of negative and painful topics in the information field and the political discourse of both countries should be either excluded or drastically limited. Secondly, under any opportunity it is necessary to focus public attention on those points of the past that may be presented as a visible evidence of the convergence of Poland and Ukraine. The most convenient and advantageous theme in this situation is to combat the power of imperial and totalitarian regimes, personified mainly by Moscow. At the same time a "breakthrough" in bilateral relations declared by top political figures becomes rather ephemeral in the light of constant delays characterizing Warsaw attitude to the problem of "Ukrainian memorable places" and leaving Kiev with less desire to go to unilateral concessions.


In this experiment, pseudonondiffracting Bessel-like intensity distributions were generated by refractive axicons at extremely weak illumination and detected by an electron multiplication CCD (EMCCD) camera (iXon, Andor) without an image intensifier. The successive growth of Bessel-like interference fringes from noise can clearly be recognized without image processing. The results of the interference experiment confirm the non-local quantum mechanical nature of single photon diffraction. In contrast to the Young's setup with a diffracting double slit, the interference from refracted beams was observed in the near-field instead of the far field.


Diabetes Mellitus is a non-communicable disease and is an important public health problem. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease in which the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body is ineffective in using it (WHO, 2016). One of the non-pharmacological management of diabetes mellitus is the administration of red dragon fruit. Dragon fruit is rich in antioxidants and contains many substances such as calcium, beta-carotene, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C, phosphorus and flavonoid substances so that it can be used as a therapy to reduce blood glucose levels by preventing apoptosis due to oxidative reactions. The purpose of this case study is to compile a resume of nursing care in giving red dragon fruit to reduce blood glucose levels. This type of research is descriptive with a case study method in the form of a one group pretest posttest design. The subject of this study was 1 patient with diabetes mellitus. The results of the study showed that there was a change in the patient's condition after being given red dragon fruit for 10 days. Conclusion Dragon fruit has the effect of lowering blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus because it contains fiber that is able to bind water in the intestines, and contains antioxidants and bioactive compounds and is able to inhibit free radical compounds.
Keywords: diabetes mellitus, adults, red dragon fruit


Purpose

This paper aims to explore the changing pedagogic discourses in China today, using the current wave of English curriculum innovation as a focused case. Given the cross-cultural nature of foreign language education, the change in the English as a foreign language curriculum in China has served as a fertile ground for different pedagogical ideas to emerge and to cross. The new English curriculum in China has endorsed a more communicative and humanistic view of language teaching, encouraging teachers to adopt a task-based approach to organize their classroom teaching. The new English curriculum has aroused a heated debate among Chinese scholars on the suitability of such a Western curriculum idea in the Chinese educational context on the basis of its relation to the Confucian tradition of education, the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context of China and the danger of post-colonialist imposition.

Design/methodology/approach

A critique is conducted on the three areas of controversies by situating the debate in the larger context of the cross-cultural understanding of the Chinese pedagogic discourse in the process of globalization and internationalization.

Findings

It is important for China to resist the homogenizing effect of globalization and internationalization in the area of curriculum development; however, being defensive and protective of one's own and dismissive of others has not been and should not be the attitude of Chinese curriculum reform. The evolution of Chinese pedagogy is not only a result of Western influence but also a result of social change in the process of industrialization (Cheng, 2011). Global trends and national traditions should not be taken as extremes in an incompatible and irreconcilable dichotomy.

Originality/value

The three areas of debates on the new English curriculum can serve as a good lens into the evolving curriculum discourses in China. They reflect the cultural–historical, contextual and critical considerations among Chinese educational scholars in the national curriculum innovation efforts.


Introduction: Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world and not only found in coffee, but also present in some products  includes tea, energy drinks, caffeine containing medicine and soft drink. The aim of conducting the research is to study most popular caffeinated product consumption and its health and behavior alerts among medical students.
Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted from beginning of January to the end of March 2020 on branches of medical faculties involved 545 students.  Purposive sampling was used to enroll students for this study and they were asked to respond to the validated questionnaires. A questionnaire related to the caffeinated  products consumption and related health problems. The analysis included frequency, percentages, mean, standard deviation, unpaired T-test and ANOVA.
Result and discussion : The data collected on 545 students found that medical student consumed caffeine in the form of chocolate 87%, coffee 86%, Tea 74.9%  soft beverages 67.2% , and Arabic coffee 59.1% ( P= 0.000). Most of the medical student have had some reasons for drinking caffeinated products and these reasons shown significant differences (P< 0.05) and these reasons include 76.5% increase during exam time, about 65% , to a  raise level of attention and focus at the lecture and 62% for improve mood .However, students did not aware and expect the  negative effect towards caffeine consumption. Based on gender, there was different on the amounts of daily caffeine intake by which male more than female (P< 0.05). Furthermore caffeinated products consumption significant associated with increased body weight (P< 0.05) There also found significant differences of caffeinated products intake among male and female (P< 0.05) by which male more frequent consume.
Conclusions: Drinking caffeine containing products by the students were variable from different sources. Although, students were shown consumed caffeine at modest levels. In spite , monitoring is necessary for the daily intake and there is need for educational programs about the health effects related to high consumption of caffeinated products.


This paper aims to identify the factors that influence consumers' online purchasing behavior in the Kathmandu Valley and understand the relationship between trust and the independent factors of trust in their buying behavior. The analysis is descriptive in nature and focuses on hypothesis testing using structured questionnaire and interview to collect primary data from a sample size of 200 respondents focusing on jobholders, business people, students and housewives. The secondary data is taken based on reports, published articles, websites and journals. Results of the study indicate that a majority of the respondents believe trust is an important factor for online purchase. Though some of the respondents feel that time-saving is one of the important factors for purchasing online, 56 percent of the respondents prefer to shop online only three times a year. The study also shows that the maximum number of respondents prefer buying tickets more than any other commodity online. Even though priority has been given to brand reputation, respondents did not find information as an important factor influencing an online purchasing decision.


Satellite and ground-based microwave radiometers are routinely used for the retrieval of liquid water path (LWP) under all atmospheric conditions. The retrieval of water vapor and LWP from ground-based radiometers during rain has proved to be a difficult challenge for two principal reasons: the inadequacy of the nonscattering approximation in precipitating clouds and the deposition of rain drops on the instrument's radome. In this paper, we combine model computations and real ground-based, zenith-viewing passive microwave radiometer brightness temperature measurements to investigate how total, cloud, and rain LWP retrievals are affected by assumptions on the cloud drop size distribution (DSD) and under which conditions a nonscattering approximation can be considered reasonably accurate. Results show that until the drop effective diameter is larger than ~200  $\mu \text{m}$ , a nonscattering approximation yields results that are still accurate at frequencies less than 90 GHz. For larger drop sizes, it is shown that higher microwave frequencies contain useful information that can be used to separate cloud and rain LWP provided that the vertical distribution of hydrometeors, as well as the DSD, is reasonably known. The choice of the DSD parameters becomes important to ensure retrievals that are consistent with the measurements. A physical retrieval is tested on a synthetic data set and is then used to retrieve total, cloud, and rain LWP from radiometric measurements during two drizzling cases at the atmospheric radiation measurement Eastern North Atlantic site.


Eruptive vellus hair cyst (EVHC) is a rare follicular developmental abnormality of the vellus hair follicles. They are usually seen in children, adolescents, or young adults and manifest as reddish-brown smooth papules most commonly involving the chest, limbs, and abdomen. An 18-year-old male presented with asymptomatic papules on the trunk and flexor aspect of both forearms for the past 2 years. There was no family history of similar lesions. His medical history was also not contributory. A clinical diagnosis of steatocystoma multiplex and chronic folliculitis was given, and a punch biopsy from the papule was performed and sent for histopathological examination. On microscopic examination, a final diagnosis of EVHC was rendered. The patient was advised topical treatment of retinoic acid cream (0.05%) for 6 months, and he is currently under follow-up period. Due to its rarity and resemblance to many similar entities, histopathological examination plays a major role in establishing a definite diagnosis and further proper management of the patient. We report this unusual case to generate awareness about this rarely diagnosed condition.


Kinins are important mediators in cardiovascular homeostasis, inflammation, and nociception. Two kinin receptors have been described, B1 and B2. The B2 receptor is constitutively expressed, and its targeted disruption leads to salt-sensitive hypertension and altered nociception. The B1 receptor is a heptahelical receptor distinct from the B2 receptor in that it is highly inducible by inflammatory mediators such as bacterial lipopolysaccharide and interleukins. To clarify its physiological function, we have generated mice with a targeted deletion of the gene for the B1 receptor. B1 receptor-deficient animals are healthy, fertile, and normotensive. In these mice, bacterial lipopolysaccharide-induced hypotension is blunted, and there is a reduced accumulation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in inflamed tissue. Moreover, under normal noninflamed conditions, they are analgesic in behavioral tests of chemical and thermal nociception. Using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, we show that the B1 receptor was not necessary for regulating the noxious heat sensitivity of isolated nociceptors. However, by using an in vitro preparation, we could show that functional B1 receptors are present in the spinal cord, and their activation can facilitate a nociceptive reflex. Furthermore, in B1 receptor-deficient mice, we observed a reduction in the activity-dependent facilitation (wind-up) of a nociceptive spinal reflex. Thus, the kinin B1 receptor plays an essential physiological role in the initiation of inflammatory responses and the modulation of spinal cord plasticity that underlies the central component of pain. The B1 receptor therefore represents a useful pharmacological target especially for the treatment of inflammatory disorders and pain.


The beryllophosphate mineral pahasapaite, (Car rl.ir.K, ,Nao rE,r r)LirBeroProOnu.38HrO is cubic, I23,with a: 13.781(4 A and Z: l.Its structure, which has been refined to residuals of 0.047 (unweighted) and 0.035 (weighted) for all 560 reflections, contains ordered BeOo and POo tetrahedra sharing vertices to form a three-dimensional array of distorted truncated cubo-octahedra (d cages) linked through octagonal prisms (double S-rings). Pahasapaite has a distorted zeolite rho-type framework and is therefore structurally related to the faujasite group. Eight Li* and 32 HrO are situated within the cages, and the remaining 6 HrO and the 10.5 (Ca,+,Li*,K*,Na*) are located within and just outside of the double 8-rings, where they obstruct passage between neighboring cages. The double 8-rings consist of two elliptically distorted single 8-rings rotated 90" with respect to one another. Together they define a 2.2 x 2.2 A aperture (ignoring occluding cations and HrO), whereas the cages have a free diameter of about 8 A. There is a reduction in framework symmetry from the ideal Im3m in hydrated zeolite rho to I43m in dehydrated zeolite rho Io 123 in pahasapaite. In pahasapaite, this is due to ordering of the framework cations Be and P. Pahasapaite is the first example of a zeolite-like beryllophosphate and may also be considered a relative of the synthetic aluminophosphate molecular sieves.


Diet samples were collected to estimate dietary intakes of 232Th, 238U, cesium, and strontium for Vietnamese adults using duplicate portion studies and market basket studies. Average concentrations of 232Th, 238U, cesium, and strontium in diet samples were 4.0 ng/g-dry, 2.5 ng/g-dry, 41 ng/g-dry, and 4.5 ng/g-dry, respectively. Daily intakes per person for 232Th, 238U, cesium, and strontium were estimated to be 0.99 microg, 0.66 microg, 10 microg, and 1.2 mg, respectively. Daily intakes of 232Th, 238U, and cesium differed statistically between northern and southern of Vietnam, depending on geological conditions and food habits. However, intakes of the four nuclides were similar to the global averages.


The aim of the present study was used to develop SSR markers and to determine genetic relationships among Asparagus species and its cultivars. We mined 72953 Asparagus nucleotide sequences from NCBI and were analyzed. In total, 143 SSRs from 1943 SSRs containing sequences were identified. Of these, 13.6 % were dinucleotide repeats and 2.3 % were trinucleotide repeats. The most frequent dinucleotide repeat motif was AA/TT (73.9 %). The percentage of tri-nucleotide motifs was highest which coded for stop codon (36 %), whereas the Glycine was least present (4.5%). Among the total of 14 SSR primers used, 10 markers yielded 144 (92.3 %) polymorphic bands with an average of 14.4 alleles per primer. Cluster analysis based on UPGMA grouped the Asparagus species and its cultivars into two main clusters. Cluster A contained only A. grecilius which is more diverse than others, while cluster B was further clustered into two sub clusters. Cluster I was comprised of Asparagus officinalis cultivars and cluster II was comprised of Asparagus wild species. Furthermore, these primers (42.8%) were found to be transferable in other medicinal plants (Curcuma longa L. and Saussurea costus). The results suggest that SSR markers are sufficiently useful and powerful to assess genetic relationships and diversity analysis in Asparagus and A. officinalis cultivars. Furthermore, these markers will be particularly useful for evolutionary and genetic mapping studies in Asparagus.


ABSTRACT Accurate estimates of the scour depth around submerged pile groups are important in river engineering for a number of reasons, however, the literature on this issue is scarce. This study introduced an experimental campaign of 48 long-duration clear water experiments at submerged and skewed pile groups composed of cylindrical elements under steady flow. The effects of the skew angle, submergence ratio and pile group configuration on the equilibrium scour depth were investigated. The experimental scour depths were compared with the results from the HEC-18 empirical method and a modification of it to take into account a wide range of submergence ratios was proposed. Further, a new formulation to estimate the equilibrium scour depth at submerged pile groups was introduced with good agreement for the tests under consideration. Some considerations about the most employed characteristic lengths used to normalize the equilibrium scour depth were made.


During routine dissection of upper extremity of a 70-year-old male cadaver, variation was found in the formation and distribution of median nerve on both sides. On right side, median nerve received contribution from lateral cord twice, once in the axilla as lateral root of median nerve-1 and again in the arm as lateral root of median nerve-2. Lateral root of median nerve-1 contributed most of its fibers to ulnar nerve.
On left side, median nerve had its two roots as usual, lateral root of median nerve and medial root of median nerve. However the lateral root of median nerve crossed the axillary artery anteriorly and formed the median nerve medial to the axillary artery. There was total absence of musculocutaneous nerve on the left side. The muscles of the anterior aspect of the arm, received nerve supply from the median nerve.


In this paper we present a new approach for joint trajectory tracking of a single-link flexible robot manipulator. Firstly a distributed parameter dynamic model is derived using extended Hamilton Principle. Based on this model a new moment feedback trajectory tracking control scheme is designed for a single-link flexible robot manipulator having a payload at its free end. The control scheme is proved to be stable using Lyapunov approach and the tracking error and vibrations of link are bounded. The effectiveness of the control scheme is demonstrated using simulation studies.


Differentials in child mortality are analyzed by parent's education, health care, and rural-urban residence with data on 7405 currently married women, obtained from the Pakistan Contraceptive Prevalence Survey, 1984-85. The assumption is that educated parents and fathers working in the formal sector have less risks of child mortality than illiterates and those working in the traditional sector; the findings support this assumption. Educated mothers have a greater impact on child mortality risk than educated fathers. Child mortality is highest in families where both parents are illiterates. Mothers, who are housewives or who are working in a family business, have higher child mortality risk than working mothers. Child mortality risk was reduced with a hospital delivery. Father's education and a hospital delivery only reduced risk when women were aged 35 years or less. Urban educated mothers with a hospital delivery had a lower risk of child mortality than mothers with no education. Residence was not a significant factor, when hospital delivery was controlled for younger mothers. Older mothers with a hospital delivery had lower child mortality. Educated mothers with an immunized child had lower child mortality than mothers aged over 25 years. Father's education and immunization showed even lower mortality. Younger educated urban mothers, who immunized their child or infant, had lower child mortality than educated mothers. Rural educated mothers had lower child mortality than rural uneducated mothers, but including immunization as a factor, did not improve child survival. The use of oral rehydration therapy among urban educated mothers also reduced child mortality risk compared with other drug use. The majority of the population was rural (70%) and had the highest child mortality. Not only is child survival reflected in the maldistribution of health facilities, but in lack of access to these facilities, and low levels of literacy, poor sanitation, and low income. Improvement in living conditions in rural areas is recommended; development programs should emphasize access to health and education.


A prospective cross‐sectional study was performed in 248 pregnant women between 5 and 12 weeks' menstrual age with transvaginal sonography to establish biometric charts of the gestational sac, embryonic crown‐rump length and biparietal diameter, amniotic sac and yolk sac to be used for assessment of gestational age and prediction of pregnancy failure. Polynomial regression analysis was applied and demonstrated a statistically significant positive correlation that could be described in all cases as a quadratic function, between gestational age and all the measurements with the exclusion of the yolk sac. Centile charts of both growth models and dating models were tabulated. The interrelationship between different measurements, including the gestational sac, crown‐rump length, biparietal diameter and amniotic sac was also evaluated to produce age‐independent charts. The dating model of the crown‐rump length was found to have mean values similar to those described in transabdominal studies. The 95% reference interval was, however, 8.4 days, which was not lower than those reported in most transabdominal studies. It was concluded that transvaginal sonography was more able than the abdominal route to allow measurement of the crown‐rump length in very early gestation, but did not yield a greater accuracy in predicting gestational age. Copyright © 1993 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology


Abstract Background Computed Tomography (CT) scanning offers an accurate structural definition of bones, blood vessels, and soft tissues; however, mental integration of cross-sectional 2D CT images for a 3D understanding of complex anatomical structures becomes difficult when the field of view is confined to the temporal bone. This project tried to provide a feasible solution to this problem by creating a navigable 3D virtual model which may aid in better comprehension of the temporal bone anatomy. Methods A helical-CT scan was used to obtain high-resolution cross-sectional slices of a cadaveric human temporal bone. Using the volume-rendering capabilities of 3D Slicer®, which involves volume data management, cropping of the data set, and threshold painting, detailed anatomical structures were segmented based on the intensity captured from different regions. This volumetric data was converted to an interactive virtual model using Blender®. Results The final product is a web page that allows interaction and navigation with a 3D annotated model of the temporal bone, which can be accessed from any device with a web browser. Conclusion This model can function as a training tool for students, teachers, and practitioners to understand and review the complex anatomy of the temporal bone.


Abstract:  Seasonal changes in the pattern of plasma melatonin were investigated in two groups of camels (Camelus dromedarius): 11 adult and six young camels. Animals were subjected to the outdoor conditions of a desert environment. Blood samples were taken at regular intervals of about 3 hr (added to particular samples at 1 hr before then 30 min and 1 hr after sunset, and 1 hr before and 1 hr after sunrise) for 24 hr at both solstices and equinoxes of the year. The plasma melatonin levels steeply increased soon after sunset and remained elevated throughout all the night. Then, melatonin concentrations progressively declined shortly before sunrise and returned to daytime basal levels 1 hr later. There was no seasonal variation in the amplitude or in the offset of the melatonin peak or in the daytime basal levels. The onset of the nocturnal peak was delayed by 2 hr in June at the summer solstice (P < 0.05), which can be related to the changes in night length between the two solstices. A significant effect of age was observed in all seasons. Melatonin levels were higher in the young camel group (fall equinox: P < 0.001; spring equinox: P < 0.01; winter solstice: P < 0.01; summer solstice: P < 0.05). The pattern of melatonin secretion in the camel showed a significant seasonal variation parallel to the photoperiodic changes of the year. The observed decline of melatonin levels during an extra‐light pulse in the middle of the night indicates the light control of melatonin synthesis. It is not yet known if, in this low latitude desert region, the seasonal breeding period of the camel is cued by the photoperiod. The data obtained, however, clearly demonstrate that the camel has the capacity to follow and to integrate photoperiodic changes through melatonin changes.


Background: Emergency Peripartum Hysterectomy (EPH) is a major surgical procedure. There appears to be a rise in the rate of emergency peripartum hysterectomy (EPH) in the developed world. Peripartum hysterectomy is high risk but a life saving operation. It is usually associated with significant maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Obstetricians should identify patients at risk and anticipate the complications, as early intervention and proper management results in optimal outcome.
Objective: To determine the incidence, indications, risk factors, complications and management of EPH over the last eleven years.
Study Design: A retrospective descriptive study
Place and Duration of Study: All cases of EPH performed in the period between January 2001 and December 2011 were included in the study. Study was conducted at Railway Teaching Hospital, Rawalpindi (in northern Pakistan).
Materials and Methods: Data of all the cases of EPH cases operated during the study period was collected from the hospital obstetric record. Data of basic demographics, mode of delivery, maternal and fetal outcome along with associated complications was collected and entered into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 14.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) for further analysis. Indications, pre-op planning, type of operation, emergency decision, blood loss, transfusion, complications, were compared and cross-tabulated. Statistical analysis included: Chi-square and Fisher exact tests, where appropriate, and two-sample t test.
Results: Total deliveries were 13560 in 11 years. Twenty Six EPH cases were performed among deliveries, giving an incidence of 1.8 per 1000 deliveries i.e. one in 566 deliveries. The indications were uterine atony (34.61%), ruptured uterus (23.07%) and cervical/vaginal tears (11.53%), placenta praevia (11.53%), invasive placental adhesion [accreta, increta, percreta (11.53%)]. A significant association between previous uterine surgery and abnormal placentation was shown (p=0.02), especially those with previous caesarean (p=0.003). One maternal and six perinatal mortalities were recorded. Four perinatal deaths were of non booked patients, handled by traditional
birth attendants/private clinics. Out of two perinatal deaths of booked patients, one was pre-term and other was delivered by forceps. Maternal morbidity was prevalent, including twenty three intensive care admissions, three disseminated intravascular coagulopathies, three bladder injuries, three re-explorations, multiple blood, FFPs & platelet transfusions, two pulmonary embolism & one cardio- respiratory failure. Maternal death was of non booked patient with previous scar, home delivery, uterine rupture and brought to hospital with un-recordable BP and very weak pulse.
Conclusions: Incidence of peri-partum hysterectomy is increasing. It is a major operation, and almost always an emergency with significant blood loss. An early decision should be made to save life of the patient and prevent complications. The most important risk factor for peripartum hysterectomy in our patients is hemorrhage, most notably caused by uterine atony, uterine rupture, placenta previa and abnormally adherent placenta.


Malassezia folliculitis is a condition chracterized by itchy follicular papules and pustules with erythema. Malassezia yeasts are the pathogens in this condition. It is mainly located on the back, shoulders, and chest. Presented here is a 12‐year‐old boy with malassezia folliculitis on the scalp. The case was found to be worthy of presentation because it rarely occurs in childhood and is rarely located on the scalp.


While foreign direct investment (FDI) is widely recognized as one of major driving forces on promoting the regional economic growth in China, its impact on regional productivity is unclear and less systematically investigated. This article investigates the effect of FDI on regional productivity in China. Specifically, we adopt a newly developed measure of total factor productivity (TFP) to deal with the endogenous inputs choice accompanied with various measures of FDI, enabling to provide robust estimates on the TFP effect of FDI. Moreover, we examine the role of absorptive ability on the FDI-TFP nexus and explore the existence of FDI spillover effect on productivity across regions. The potential difference in productivity effect of FDI between coastal and non-coastal regions is also examined. Based on the province-level panel dataset over the period 1997–2006, the various estimates show that the overall productivity effect of FDI is significantly positive, while this effect depends heavily on the host region's absorptive ability. Technological gap is found to associate with a significantly negative coefficient along with the finding that FDI tends to exhibit a higher impact on productivity in coastal regions than their non-coastal counterparts, highlighting a widening income inequality between coastal and non-coastal regions in China.


INTRODUCTION
The genomic heterogeneity of hepatitis C virus (HCV) influences liver disorders. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HCV genotypes and to investigate the influence of these genotypes on disease progression.

METHODS
Blood samples and liver biopsies were collected from HCV-seropositive patients for serological analysis, biochemical marker measurements, HCV genotyping and histopathological evaluation.

RESULTS
Hepatitis C virus-ribonucleic acid (HCV-RNA) was detected in 107 patients (90.6% with genotype 1 and 9.4% with genotype 3). Patients infected with genotype 1 exhibited higher mean necroinflammatory activity and fibrosis.

CONCLUSIONS
HCV genotype 1 was the most prevalent and was associated with greater liver dysfunction.


Recent analysis of genomic signatures in mammals, flies, and worms indicates that functional translational stop codon readthrough is considerably more abundant in metazoa than previously recognized, but this analysis provides only limited clues about the function or mechanism of readthrough. If an mRNA known to be read through in one species is also read through in another, perhaps these questions can be studied in a simpler setting. With this end in mind, we have investigated whether some of the readthrough genes in human, fly, and worm also exhibit readthrough when expressed in S. cerevisiae. We found that readthrough was highest in a gene with a post-stop hexamer known to trigger readthrough, while other metazoan readthrough genes exhibit borderline readthrough in S. cerevisiae.


This paper programmatically posits, argues for the relevance of, and briefly addresses the question whether innate conceptual repertoires, if admitted as plausible, should matter to transhumanist debates. The latter should turn their attention to analyzing the radically enhanced cognitive capacities with which such future human beings will be endowed. The answers eventually given to this puzzle will inevitably challenge received views on education, especially the kind of education appropriate for such future minds.


Just about every farm has a man who knows how to erect a fence. And most farmers will tell you that that man knows best when it comes to fences. True, you don't necessarily have to be an engineer to erect a fence but, says Russel Zietsman of Bonnox, there are a few rules to adhere to if you want your fences to look neat and to last those extra few years.


Pulmonary responses to ozone, a common air pollutant, are augmented in obese individuals. Adiponectin, an adipose-derived hormone that declines in obesity, has regulatory effects on the immune system. To determine the role of adiponectin in the pulmonary inflammation induced by extended (48–72 h) low-dose (0.3 parts per million) exposure to ozone, adiponectin-deficient (Adipo−/−) and wild-type mice were exposed to ozone or to room air. In wild-type mice, ozone exposure increased total bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) adiponectin. Ozone-induced lung inflammation, including increases in BAL neutrophils, protein (an index of lung injury), IL-6, keratinocyte-derived chemokine, LPS-induced CXC chemokine, and G-CSF were augmented in Adipo−/− versus wild-type mice. Ozone also increased IL-17A mRNA expression to a greater extent in Adipo−/− versus wild-type mice. Moreover, compared with control Ab, anti–IL-17A Ab attenuated ozone-induced increases in BAL neutrophils and G-CSF in Adipo−/− but not in wild-type mice, suggesting that IL-17A, by promoting G-CSF release, contributed to augmented neutrophilia in Adipo−/− mice. Flow cytometric analysis of lung cells revealed that the number of CD45+/F4/80+/IL-17A+ macrophages and γδ T cells expressing IL-17A increased after ozone exposure in wild-type mice and further increased in Adipo−/− mice. The IL-17+ macrophages were CD11c− (interstitial macrophages), whereas CD11c+ macrophages (alveolar macrophages) did not express IL-17A. Taken together, the data are consistent with the hypothesis that adiponectin protects against neutrophil recruitment induced by extended low-dose ozone exposure by inhibiting the induction and/or recruitment of IL-17A in interstitial macrophages and/or γδ T cells.


ABSTRACT In multi-objective scheduling problems, the objectives are usually in conflict. To obtain a satisfactory compromise and resolve the issue of NP-hardness, most existing works have suggested employing meta-heuristic methods, such as ge-netic algorithms. In this research, we propose a novel data-driven approach for generating a single solution that com-promises multiple rules pursuing different objectives. The proposed method uses a data mining technique, namely, random forests, in order to extract the logics of several historic schedules and aggregate those. Since it involves learn-ing predictive models, future schedules with the same previous objectives can be easily and quickly obtained by ap-plying new production data into the models. The proposed approach is illustrated with a simulation study, where it appears to successfully produce a new solution showing balanced scheduling performances. Keywords: Single-Machine Scheduling, Multiple Objectives, Data Mining, Random Forests * Corresponding Author, E-mail: email@example.com


Peroxynitrite (PN), a very reactive oxidant formed by the combination of superoxide and nitric oxide, appears to play a role in producing tissue damage in a number of inflammatory conditions. Pharmacological scavenging and decomposition of PN within these areas has therapeutic value in several tissue injury models. Recently, we have been interested in nitroxide free radical-containing compounds as possible scavengers of PN decomposition products. Nitroxides can undergo redox reactions to the corresponding hydroxylamine anion or oxoammonium cation in biological systems as shown by its ability to react with superoxide, leading to the formation of hydrogen peroxide and molecular oxygen. We found that 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (Tempol) inhibits PN-mediated nitration of phenolic compounds in the presence of a large molar excess of PN, suggesting a catalytic-like mechanism. In these experiments, Tempol inhibited PN-mediated nitration over the pH range of 6.5-8.5. This inhibition was specific for nitration and had no effect on hydroxylation. After the inhibition of PN-mediated nitration, Tempol was recovered from the reaction mixtures unmodified. In addition, Tempol was effective in protecting PC-12 cells from death induced by SIN-1, a PN-generating compound. The exact mechanism of Tempol's interaction with PN is not clear; however, we propose that an intermediate in this reaction may be a nitrogen dioxide radical-Tempol complex. This complex could react with water to form either nitrite or nitrate, or with a phenol radical to produce nitrophenol or nitrosophenol products and regenerate the nitroxide.


The Food Safety Commission of Japan (FSCJ) conducted a risk assessment of triptorelin acetate (CAS No. 140194-24-7), which is intended for use in a single fixed-time insemination by synchronizing estrus cycles of weaned sows, based on the documents for the import tolerance application. FSCJ recognize none of adverse effects of triptorelin acetate on human health through dietary exposure, because of the lack of genotoxicity relevant to human health and negligible oral bioavailability due to the degradation in the digestive tract. FSCJ thus judged it unnecessary to establish an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for triptorelin acetate.


Reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) is one of the commonly used approaches for modeling total scattering data. However, to extend the capability of the RMC method for refining the structure of nanomaterials, the dimensionality and finite size need to be considered when calculating the pair distribution function (PDF). To achieve this, the simulation box must be set up to remove the periodic boundary condition in one, two or three of the dimensions. This then requires a correction to be applied for the difference in number density between the real system and the simulation box. In certain circumstances an analytical correction for the uncorrelated pairings of atoms is also applied. The validity and applicability of our methodology is demonstrated by applying the algorithms to simulate the PDF patterns of carbon systems with various dimensions, and also by using them to fit experimental data of CuO nanoparticles. This alternative approach for characterizing the local structure of nano-systems with the total scattering technique will be made available via the RMCProfile package. The theoretical formulation and detailed explanation of the analytical corrections for low-dimensional systems – 2D nanosheets, 1D nanowires and 0D nanoparticles – is also given.


The trait-based approaches have made progress in understanding the community assembly process. Here, we explore the key traits that may shape community assembly patterns of the same community type but within different water availabilities. Natural Quercus wutaishanica forests were chosen as a suitable study system to test the difference between economic and hydraulic traits across water availability on the Loess Plateau (LP, drought region) and Qinling Mountains (QL, humid region) of China. A total of 75 plots were established separately in two sites, and 12 functional traits (seven hydraulic traits and five economic traits) of 167 species were studied. Community-weighted mean trait values and functional diversity indices were compared between the two sites. Canonical component analysis was performed to infer whether the changes of community traits and their relationships are driven by intraspecific variation or species turnover. Evidence for likely community assembly processes was tested using the null model to determine whether functional structure among seven hydraulic traits and five economic traits was dominated by different ecological processes between two sites. We found that forests in the Loess Plateau and Qinling Mountains showed different hydraulic and economic traits. Hydraulic and economic traits coupled at the community level were driven by species turnover. Hydraulic traits showed more significant convergent patterns on LP than that in QL. Our results suggest a strong environmental filtering process occurred in hydraulic-based community assembly in the temperate forest with low water availability. Reveal the relationship of hydraulic and economic traits at the community level. Emphasize the critical role of multi-dimensional traits selecting like hydraulic traits in community ecology.


A method to detect NMR spectra from heteronuclei through the modulation that they impose on a water resonance is exemplified. The approach exploits chemical exchange saturation transfers, which can magnify the signal of labile protons through their influence on a water peak. To impose a heteronuclear modulation on water, an HMQC-type sequence was combined with the FLEX approach. 1D 15 N NMR spectra of exchanging sites could thus be detected, with about tenfold amplifications over the 15 N modulations afforded by conventionally detected HMQC NMR spectroscopy. Extensions of this approach enable 2D heteronuclear acquisitions on directly bonded 1 H-15 N spin pairs, also with significant signal amplification. Despite the interesting limits of detection that these signal enhancements could open in NMR spectroscopy, these gains are constrained by the rates of solvent exchange of the targeted heteronuclear pairs, as well as by spectrometer instabilities affecting the intense water resonances detected in these experiments.


Asymmetric diradical molecular systems with different resonance mechanisms are largely unexplored. Herein, two conjugated asymmetric diradicals with Blatter and phenoxyl moieties (pBP and mBP) have been synthesized and studied in depth. A complete set of spectroscopic, X-ray crystallographic and magnetic techniques, together with quantum chemical calculations, have been used. The para-isomer (pBP) bears diradical and zwitterionic resonant forms, the latter by a electron delocalization mechanism, which are synergistically integrated by a sequence of nitrogen, provided by the Blatter moiety imine and amine (of different acceptor nature). In the meta-isomer (mBP), the zwitterionic form promoted in pBP by the lone-pair electron of the amine nitrogen is not available, yet it possesses a pseudo-hyperconjugation effect where the N lone pair mediates in a bonding coupling in a counter homolytic bond scission mechanism. Both electronic effects converge to promote medium diradical characters and narrow singlet–triplet gaps to the two electronic isomers. All these aspects delineate the subtle balance that shapes the electronic structure of open-shell molecules, which is even more challenging in the case of asymmetric systems, such as those described here with asymmetric phenoxyl–Blatter diradicals.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to comprehensively assess mechanical adaptation of LV in subclinical patients with hypertension(HTN) using a layer specific speckle-tracking echocardiography.

DESIGN AND METHOD
Conventional transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) with 2D-layer specific speckle-tracking echocardiography was performed on 218 HTN patients with preserved LV ejection fraction (EF > 50%). Endocardial, epicardial, and transmural global longitudinal strain (GLS), global circumferential strains (GCS), and peak LV torsion were measured. Time dependent measures, time to peak standard deviation (TTP_SD) of longitudinal strain and time to peak (TTP) LV torsion, were measured. Plasma aldosterone and renin were obtained at the time of TTE. Central hemodynamics including central aortic pressures, pulse pressure (PP), augmentation index, PP amplification, and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were measured.

RESULTS
LVendo GLS was well correlated with CPP (r = -0.179, p = 0.03), PWV (r = 0.165, p = 0.04), and PP amplification(r = 0.201, p = 0.01). TTP LV torsion showed good correlations with PWV(r = 0.217, p < 0.01) and PP amplification (r = -0.249, p < 0.01). Peak LV torsion was well correlated with AI@75(r = 0.209, p = 0.02). Log aldosterone was well correlated with LV peak torsion (r = -0.203, p = 0.04) and LVtransumural GCS (r = 0.344, p = 0.02) Correlation between LVendo GLS and PP amplification was more significant in LVH(n = 56) group (r = 0.45, p < 0.01), while correlation between TTP LV torsion and PP amplification was more significant in those without LVH (n = 162). (r = -0.272, p < 0.01) (Figure).

CONCLUSIONS
Before the LV remodeling occurs, central hemodynamics affects LV torsion and time dependent parameters in a more prominent way. After LV adaptation from LV occurs, LV GLS, especially endocardium, is more dominantly affected by central aortic stiffness, as the endomyocardium is the most susceptible to pressure overloads. On the other hand, aldosterone, a neurohormone, affects circumferential LV function.2D-layer specific speckle-tracking echocardiography sensitively detects impaired LV functions in subclinical HTN and may further reveal pathophysiologic mechanism LV adaptations in HTN.


Fuzzy rule base systems which were originally proposed by Zadeh are one of the most influential approaches with many practical applications in the literature. On the other hand fuzzy rule bases remain incapable for many practical problems due to the dependence of expert knowledge and complexity of operators utilized. Fuzzy functions concept which was first introduced by Turksen in 2004 and further enhanced by him and his colleagues provide an alternative to fuzzy rule bases. This approach is not depended on expert knowledge where data is available. In their studies Turksen and his colleagues generally used Least Square Estimation (LSE) and Support Vector machines (SVM) in generating fuzzy functions. In the present study, we employed genetic programming approach in order to generate fuzzy functions with better prediction ability. We tested the proposed approach on several benchmark problems with very promising results. In the present paper results of four example applications are reported and results were discussed. It is shown that genetic programming approach considerable improved the prediction ability of fuzzy functions approach.


Peripheral neurons comprise a critical component of the tumor microenvironment (TME). The role of the autonomic innervation in cancer has been firmly established. However, the effect of the afferent (sensory) neurons on tumor progression remains unclear. Utilizing surgical and chemical skin sensory denervation methods, we showed that afferent neurons supported the growth of melanoma tumors in vivo and demonstrated that sensory innervation limited the activation of effective anti-tumor immune responses. Specifically, sensory ablation led to improved leukocyte recruitment into tumors, with decreased presence of lymphoid and myeloid immunosuppressive cells and increased activation of T-effector cells within the TME. Cutaneous sensory nerves hindered maturation of intratumoral high endothelial venules (HEVs) and limited formation of mature tertiary lymphoid-like structures containing organized clusters of CD4+ T cells and B cells. Denervation further increased T-cell clonality and expanded the B-cell repertoire in the TME. Importantly, CD8a depletion prevented denervation-dependent anti-tumor effects. Finally, we observed that gene signatures of inflammation and the content of neuron-associated transcripts inversely correlated in human primary cutaneous melanomas, with the latter representing a negative prognostic marker of patient overall survival. Our results suggest that tumor-associated sensory neurons negatively regulate the development of protective anti-tumor immune responses within the TME, thereby defining a novel target for therapeutic intervention in the melanoma setting.


In the new wave of collective forest reform,the aggregated equality ex-post reform get worse off than that of the ex-ante reform,but for the forestland low-owed household,the welfare of them get better off after reform.And the relationship between the change of the area owned by farmer and the area ex-ante reform is "U" shape.The main reasons are the top downward of the reform and path-dependence of the institutional change.


Aromatase inhibitors have emerged as an alternative endocrine therapy for the treatment of hormone sensitive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. The use of third-generation inhibitors represented by exemestane, letrozol and anastrozole is currently indicated. Anastrozole is a nonsteroidal compound and a potent selective inhibitor of the aromatase enzyme. Although a few studies have shown that its pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties may be affected by interindividual variability, this drug has been recently used in all configurations of breast cancer treatment. In metastatic disease, it is currently considered the first-line treatment for postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor-positive breast tumors. Anastrozole has shown promising results in the adjuvant treatment of early-stage breast cancer in postmenopausal women. It has also achieved interesting results in the chemoprevention of the disease. Therefore, due to the importance of anastrozole both for endocrine treatment and chemoprevention of hormone-sensitive breast cancer in postmenopausal women, we proposed the current literature review in the SciELO and PubMed database of articles published in the last 10 years.


Parvovirus B19 infects children and adults, causing erythema infectiosum, polyarthritis, aplastic cris is and chronic anemia in patients with hematological or immunologi cal disorders. Also it may lead to fetal hydrops or fetal death when infecting pregnant women. This study aims to d etect the DNA of B19 virus ina group of children in Damascus, Syria. Specimens were collected randomly from 50 children (26 males and 24 females ) aged one to 17 years. Specimens were obtained from Damascus Children Hospital between January 20 14 and March 2014. B19V DNA were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in sera. Of the 50 children 7 (14%) were seropositive for B19 DNA. The difference in the presence of B19 DNA betw een genders was not statistically significant (p=0. 605). This study showed an influence of geographic differences on transmission of parvovirus B19, and revealed th at was no relationship between positivity and gender.


When assessing the impact of changes in food prices on poverty, it is important to consider food producers (who may benefit from an increase in prices) as well as consumers (who loose out when the price increases), with a focus on poor consumers and producers. In the case of rice in Liberia however, the impact of a change in price is not ambiguous because a large share of the rice consumed is imported, while the rice locally produced is used mostly for auto-consumption. An increase in the price of rice will result in higher poverty in the country as a whole (even if some local producers will gain from this increase), while a reduction in price will reduce poverty. Furthermore, because rice represents a large share of food consumption, any change in its price is likely to have a large impact on poverty. Using data from the 2007 CWIQ survey, the paper finds that an increase or decrease of 20 percent in the price of rice could lead to an increase or decrease of three to four percentage points in the share of the population in poverty.


Boron and nitrogen co-doped graphene-like carbon (BNG) is a metal-free catalyst that has been synthesized by combining ball-milling with thermal treatment. Firstly, the edge-selectively-functionalized graphene nanoplatelets (EFGnPs) were prepared by ball milling of the pristine graphite, which can facilitate boron incorporation. BNG catalysts with a high content of boron and nitrogen can then be obtained by pyrolysis of a mixture of EFGnPs and boric acid. We found that the reduction of nitroarenes can be catalyzed using a low BNG loading and a small amount of N2H4 in ethanol to form aminoarenes in high yields. The type of boron species in the BNG catalyst has an important effect on the reduction reaction. Furthermore, the catalyst containing the most B/N shows the highest catalytic activity during the reduction of nitroarenes, indicating that the doped B/N within the BNG is a key active site in impelling this reaction. Moreover, the BNG catalyst can be used six times, and no dehalogenation phenomenon occurs during the reduction process for halogen-substituted nitroarenes in contrast to the case when conventional metal catalysts are used.


A periodic one-dimensional four-state hopping model is proposed. In the model, the substeps between arbitrary adjacent states are unequal, and an explicit solution of the master equation is first obtained for the probability distribution as a function of the time and position for any initial distribution with all the transients included. Next, the transient behaviors in the initial period of time and the characteristic time to reach the steady state for the molecular motor are discussed. Finally, we compare the steady state results to experiments and illustrate qualitatively the kinetic behaviors of a molecular motor under external load F.


This paper addresses the issue of class related reject thresholds for cascading classifier systems. It has been demonstrated in the literature that class related reject thresholds provide an error-reject tradeoff better than a single global threshold. In this work we argue that the error-reject tradeoff yielded by class-related reject thresholds can be further improved if a proper algorithm is used to find the thresholds. In light of this, we propose using a recently developed optimization algorithm called particle swarm optimization. It has been proved to be very effective in solving real valued global optimization problems. In order to show the benefits of such an algorithm, we have applied it to optimize the thresholds of a cascading classifier system devoted to recognize handwritten digits.


In the last decade, high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) combined with electrospray ionization (ESI) has been widely used for determining low concentrations of steroids, and derivatization has often been employed to enhance detection. In the present study, endogenous steroids were extracted using a Strata-XL polymeric reverse phase cartridge. The isolated steroids were reacted with 2-hydrazino-1- methylpyridine (HMP) at 50 °C for 30 min. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used in a positive mode with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) for the quantification of testosterone (T) and its precursor, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), in saliva samples collected from twenty young Saudi professional soccer players. The analytes were separated on an ACE Ultracore 2.5 Superphenylhexyl column (150 × 3.0 mm id). The extraction recovery during the pre-treatment was >89% and gave <±20% for inter- and intra-assay precision and accuracy. The limits of quantification (LOQ) were found to be 20 pg/mL for (T and DHEA) and 50 pg/mL for Epitestosterone (EPI). The results showed no significant variation in the concentration of T between pre and post training, whereas DHEA was significantly increased after short-term exercise. These results could indicate that there is no correlation between T and its precursor DHEA level following short term physical activity. EPI concentrations could not be detected with a LOQ of 50 pg/mL in the saliva samples.


Objective: To evaluate the reproductive and seminal characteristics of Pelibuey rams infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in the subclinical phase.
Design/methodology/approach: In order to determine whether paratuberculosis (PTB) affects the reproductive variables and seminal quality in Pelibuey rams naturally infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) in the subclinical phase, weekly evaluations were conducted, over a period of two months, of the variables live weight, scrotal circumference, ejaculation latency and seminal characteristics: volume, pH, masal motility and progressive individual motility, concentration, live spermatozoids and dead spermatozoids, in five rams infected by MAP and a further five uninfected rams, of average weight and age 53.58 kg (± 3.26) and 2.91 years (± 0.59), respectively.
Results: PTB was not found to affect the reproductive and seminal variables evaluated.
Limitations of the study/implications: It would have been convenient to carry out the evaluation of the seminal characteristics for a longer time, however, the sampling was stopped in order to ensure the animal welfare of the rams as far as possible, since they began to show signs of PTB.
Findings/Conclusions: The Pelibuey rams diagnosed with PTB in subclinical phase did not present any effect on the reproductive and seminal characteristics. Meanwhile, reproductive management can be carried out with PTB-infected Pelibuey lambs in a subclinical phase.


The conceptualizing process plays an important role in assisting designers' creativity in form and styling development. It contributes to representing the cultural elements before product transformation, which has a limited investigation. This research aims to identify the metaphorical form element that conveys the brain impaired as factors of selection and defining form development of the humanoid robot embodiment. Design Protocol Analysis obtains to into design linguistic interpretations and synthesizing design based on perceptual product experience. Findings have outlined the theory of metaphorical form element selection and identification that could represent brain impaired product in assisting humanoid robotic acceptance among autism.
Keywords: braille; visually impaired; tactile; labelling tool.
eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6iSI5.2933


In March, 2012, Japan made the application for membership of the Pharmaceutical Inspection convention and Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation scheme (PIC/S) which is an international body of a GMP inspection. The globalization of pharmaceutical manufacturing and sales has been a driving force behind the decision to become a PIC/S member. For the application for membership, Japan's GMP inspectorate needs to fulfill PIC/S requirements, for example, the inspection organization has to have a quality system as a global standard. One of the other requirements is that the GMP inspectorate can access Official Medicines Control Laboratories (OMCL) having high analytical skills and also have a quality system based on ISO 17025. I would like to describe the process to make up a quality system in the National Institute of Health Sciences and also the circumstances around the PIC/S application in Japan.


Abstract In this investigation, an advanced Harmonic Analysis of Time Series (HANTS) technique has been introduced in order to remove cloud contamination from the satellite-based Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) over the Tibetan Plateau. Due to high elevation, Asian monsoon, and the prevailing local convective weather, the probability of cloud occurrence in the daytime is very high over the Tibetan Plateau. It is therefore very difficult to directly obtain cloud-free vegetation index images using satellite optical remote sensing data over the entire Tibetan Plateau. Applying the HANTS algorithm made it possible to successfully replace the cloud contamination in NDVI images by the HANTS synthesized results, not only in temporal variation but also in regional distribution. The reconstructed NDVI images are cloud-free and more reliable; the HANTS-generated parameters are also potentially useful in understanding vegetation evolution and phenological characteristics over the mountainous regions of the Tibetan Plateau.


Protein function determination is one of the most important issues in biology research. In this paper, a new method, which is based on logistic regression method, is introduced to predict protein function from protein-protein interaction data. In the proposed method, associations among different functions are taken into account by representing a protein using all the functional annotations of its interaction protein partners. We apply our method to a constructed data set for yeast based upon protein function classifications of FunCat scheme and upon the interaction networks collected from BioGrid. The results obtained by 3-fold cross-validation test show that the proposed method can obtain desirable results for protein function prediction and outperforms some existing approaches based on protein-protein interaction data.


The article highlights the main ways to increase the effectiveness of the self-serving entities to prevent violent crime on the railways.


A new polymer-ceramic composite suitable for tooth-root implants has been developed in this study. This material exhibited the desirable combination of good mechanical properties, controlled porosity, and ease of processing. A thermal processing technique was utilized to polymerize acrylic acid (AA) in the presence of either 0.3 or 0.05 mu alumina particles. Porosity and pore size distribution were influenced by the alumina particle size and the processing technique. For a 50 vol % AA solution, the composite had an average compressive strength of 18,000 psi and 38% porosity when 0.3 mu filler particles were used. In comparison, the 0.05 mu alumina-filled composite had an average compressive strength of 28,000 psi with a 15% porosity. Data on the physical and structural characteristics of the composite are presented in this study. Based on these results, the composite material shows good potential for use in tooth-root implants as well as other orthopedic implant applications.


We demonstrate an integrated enterprise risk management (ERM) solution to optimize the risk portfolio, identify natural hedges, create an optimal risk treatment plan, enhance risk culture, and facilitate risk reporting throughout the organization. A successful ERM program can be advantageous to all stakeholders by improving and protecting earnings by reducing earnings volatility, enhancing employees' and customers' health and safety, and preventing environmental damage. The case study focuses on risk in the offshore industry with estimations of the enterprise-wide risk exposure by the use of the Total Enterprise Risk Manager (TERM) software solution.


Studies have observed the positive effects that leadership can have on schools (Adams, Kutty & Zabidi, 2017; Jones, et. al., 2015; Harris, et. al., 2017; Perera, Adams, & Muniandy, 2015). Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, and Wahlstrom (2004) reiterated that "Leadership is second only to classroom instruction among all school-related factors that contribute to what students learn at school" (p. 5). The school effectiveness and improvement field face a new and pervasive challenge (Harris, et. al, 2015). The past few decades have seen teacher leadership emerge as an important aspect of school leadership (Wenner & Campbell, 2017). Teacher leadership is no longer optional, teachers have developed an increasingly important role in their schools. Teacher leadership is now the significant means to inspire the enhancement of teaching (Muijs & Harris, 2006).
In the current stage of instructional development, teachers' routines are no longer restricted within classroom boundaries (Grant, 2006). Teachers are in a unique position to promote change within schools (Mangin & Stoelinga, 2010), by leading the spread of best practices through teacher collaboration, encouraging teacher professional learning and focus on content-specific issues due to their familiarity with the complexities involved in teaching (Wenner & Campbell, 2017; Curtis, 2013; Muijs & Harris, 2006). Both in formal and informal positions; teacher leaders are identified as critical resources for instructional and school improvement (Fairman & Mackenzie, 2012; Harrison & Killion, 2008; Mangin & Stoelinga, 2010).
However, the increasing call for teachers to engage in leadership action (Fairman & Mackenzie, 2012) are blurred by ambiguous meaning between formal and informal leaders which led to Katzenmeyer and Moller (2009) to assert that:
'Teacher leaders lead within and outside of the classroom. A teacher leader is a member and contributor to a community of teacher learners. They are influential in the continued improvement of educational practice; and accept responsibility for achieving the outcomes of their leadership' (p.6)
The conceptualizations of the term teacher leader and what exactly its meant still vary widely (Wenner & Campbell, 2017). This is further complicated by the fact that often, teacher leaders do not hold the same titles across schools. Teacher leaders were given titles such as mentor teacher, specialist, department chair, coach among the few named within the literature (Mangin & Stoelinga, 2008; Neumerski, 2012). Neumerski (2012) highlights "there is little consensus around what constitutes 'teacher leadership' . . . it tends to be an umbrella term referring to a myriad of work" (p. 320). In many cases, the definition and criteria of teacher leadership may be influenced and implied within the organizational structure (Smylie & Denny, 1990).
Prominently, teacher leadership looks unique for every teacher. Teacher leaders arise from various backgrounds, and with an extensive variety of skills. However, they share a common desire - to use those skills for students' benefit and to improve learning. Leading Educators (2015) describes teacher leaders as teachers who are willing to step up and step out of their classrooms to assist in school, district, state, or national policy leadership capacities, thus which help to shape and finally implement the strategies that best support student learning. Teacher leaders make a conscious choice to take up leadership role which entails taking time and effort to serve others (Ketzenmeyer & Moller, 2009).
Teacher leadership has of late become an increasingly popular topic among educational policymakers and influential educational organizations as an important component of school reform (Wenner & Campbell, 2017). It is obvious there is a great need for empirical research on teacher leadership. Wenner and Campbell (2017) highlights "No comprehensive literature review of empirical research has been completed over the last decade since tremendous shifts in policy and other influences have coalesced to reshape the educational landscape." (p. 2).
The potentiality of teacher leaders to fit into a variety of positions and meet the needs of any situation becomes precarious when the need and demand for more teacher leaders in schools is not well supported by rigorous, empirically based evidence. Perhaps it's the "complication" of the teacher leadership concept, factors that inhibit its effectiveness and the struggles teacher leaders encounter that will intrigue researchers to fill the gaps in knowledge.


collaboration, but by 1964 not one remained in prison. Those summarily executed before and after the Liberation he puts at roughly 1o,ooo (the figure given officially by General de Gaulle in his memoirs), thus rejecting Aron's figure of 30,000 to 40,000 (given both in his earlier work on the Liberation and in the work in progress) and the much higher figures alleged by adherents of Vichy. Still, he admits the provisional and minimal nature of this number, while wondering how anything more accurate will ever be arrived at now. The book is scrupulous, well organized, agreeably put together. Robert Aron's Histoire de l'dpuration (Paris, 1967) will be a welcome complementary narrative, but, judging from the first volume, it will not replace this critical American estimate.


Risk managers use portfolios to diversify away the unpriced risk of individual securities. In this paper we compare the beneÞts of portfolio diversiÞcation for downside risk with the variance. The risk of a security is decomposed into a part which is attributable to the market risk and an orthogonal risk factor. The orthogonal part consists of an idiosyncratic part and a part which is attributable to dependency between assets, but which cannot be explained by the market risk. We Þnd that the idiosyncratic downside risk evaporates more rapidly than the idiosyncratic variance risk. For this we offer a theoretical explanation on basis of the heavy tail properties of the asset return distributions. We also Þnd that the non-diversiÞable non-market factors are more important for the downside risk than for the global risk measure. ∗The Þrst author beneÞtted from a research grant of the Tinbergen Institute.


In this article we explore the behavior of Twitter users under an emergency situation. In particular, we analyze the activity related to the 2010 earthquake in Chile and characterize Twitter in the hours and days following this disaster. Furthermore, we perform a preliminary study of certain social phenomenons, such as the dissemination of false rumors and confirmed news. We analyze how this information propagated through the Twitter network, with the purpose of assessing the reliability of Twitter as an information source under extreme circumstances. Our analysis shows that the propagation of tweets that correspond to rumors differs from tweets that spread news because rumors tend to be questioned more than news by the Twitter community. This result shows that it is posible to detect rumors by using aggregate analysis on tweets.


Champy miniplates have been used in the treatment of craniofacial fractures and in osteotomies for correction of posttraumatic deformities, congenital craniofacial deformities, and secondary bony deformities due to pathologies such as hemangioma and neurofibroma. An additional use has been to stabilize free and vascularized bone grafts. The total number of cases reviewed were 50 (25 acute trauma, 4 vascularized mandible reconstruction, and 21 osteotomies of varied types). There were three infections, two in mandibular fractures that were comminuted and compound into the mouth and one in a compound comminuted fracture of the frontal and maxillary area that was judged to be infected when the plate was placed in position. Two plates have been obvious under the skin. No patient has requested plate removal. The advantages of plating in selected cases are decreased operating time, rigid fixation at surgery, good fixation of bone grafts, and the ability to remove intermaxillary fixation in children at the end of the procedure or within the first few postoperative days.


According to various intelligence agencies around the world, there are thirty-three international states or entities that have either started the process of building nuclear devices or have expressed an interest in building them. Many, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and various former Soviet Republics, have been linked to extreme Islamic militant groups. "Allah's Bomb" is a thoroughly researched and accessible volume that examines the progress of these countries towards full nuclear capability, and the repercussions the situation may have on global society. This timely and important volume will become essential reading for anyone with an interest in the true state of global affairs.


This paper analyses the defining features of legal translation in the development of international and supranational law, taking a comparative approach between different organisations, particularly the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the European Union and their respective adjudicative bodies. The scope and communicative conditions of legal translation in such settings are first described, including processes of lawmaking, law application and adjudication. In the legal contextualisation of translational action, emphasis is placed on the interconnection between different sources of law, the hybridity of legal texts and discourses, and the interplay between international and national levels of rulemaking and enforcement. The challenges encountered by the translator in the search for maximum accuracy are then reviewed with a focus on terminological problems, quality assurance and ambiguity. Finally, the examination of linguistic concordance in adjudication procedures further highlights the special contribution of legal translators to the functioning of each international or supranational legal order, and recommendations are made to better acknowledge and benefit from this contribution.


A moment procedure for solving waveguide junction problems is given using the generalized network formulation for aperture problems. As an illustration, the procedure is applied to a transverse planar junction between two uniform cylindrical waveguides. The generalized admittance network representation of the junction is first obtained. Its scattering matrix representation is then deduced from the former representation. A discussion shows that the conservation of complex power technique, which handles the same class of junctions, is, a specialization of the moment procedure.


Background Wig-1 is a transcription factor regulated by p53 that can interact with hnRNP A2/B1, RNA Helicase A, and dsRNAs, which plays an important role in RNA and protein stabilization. in vitro studies have shown that wig-1 binds p53 mRNA and stabilizes it by protecting it from deadenylation. Furthermore, p53 has been implicated as a causal factor in neurodegenerative diseases based in part on its selective regulatory function on gene expression, including genes which, in turn, also possess regulatory functions on gene expression. In this study we focused on the wig-1 transcription factor as a downstream p53 regulated gene and characterized the effects of wig-1 down regulation on gene expression in mouse liver and brain. Methods and Results Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) were identified that specifically target mouse wig-1 mRNA and produce a dose-dependent reduction in wig-1 mRNA levels in cell culture. These wig-1 ASOs produced marked reductions in wig-1 levels in liver following intraperitoneal administration and in brain tissue following ASO administration through a single striatal bolus injection in FVB and BACHD mice. Wig-1 suppression was well tolerated and resulted in the reduction of mutant Htt protein levels in BACHD mouse brain but had no effect on normal Htt protein levels nor p53 mRNA or protein levels. Expression microarray analysis was employed to determine the effects of wig-1 suppression on genome-wide expression in mouse liver and brain. Reduction of wig-1 caused both down regulation and up regulation of several genes, and a number of wig-1 regulated genes were identified that potentially links wig-1 various signaling pathways and diseases. Conclusion Antisense oligonucleotides can effectively reduce wig-1 levels in mouse liver and brain, which results in specific changes in gene expression for pathways relevant to both the nervous system and cancer.


A systematic method for determining order parameters for quantum many-body systems on lattices is developed by utilizing reduced density matrices. This method allows one to extract the order parameter directly from the wave functions of the degenerate ground states without the aid of empirical knowledge, and thus opens a way to explore unknown exotic orders. The applicability of this method is demonstrated numerically or rigorously in models that are considered to exhibit dimer, scalar chiral, and topological orders.


The design of multiple antennas in compact mobile terminals is a significant challenge, due to both practical and fundamental design tradeoffs. In this paper, fundamental antenna design tradeoffs of multiple antenna terminals are presented in the framework of characteristic mode analysis. In particular, interactions between the antenna elements and the characteristic modes and their impact on design tradeoffs are investigated in both theory and simulations. The results reveal that the characteristic modes play an important role in determining the optimal placement of antennas for low mutual coupling. Moreover, the ability of antenna elements to localize the excitation currents on the chassis can significantly influence the final performance. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, a dual-band, dual-antenna terminal is designed to provide an isolation of over 10 dB for the 900 MHz band without additional matching or decoupling structures. A tradeoff analysis of bandwidth, efficiency, effective diversity gain and capacity is performed over different antenna locations. Finally, three fabricated prototypes verify the simulation results for representative cases.


International di¤erences in fuel taxation are huge, and may be justi…ed by different local negative externalities that taxes must correct, as well as by di¤erent preferences for public spending. In this context, should a worldwide uniform carbon tax be added to these local taxes to correct the global warming externality? We address this question in a second best framework a la Ramsey, where public goods have to be …nanced through distortionary taxation and the cost of public funds has to be weighted against the utility of public goods. We show that when lump-sum transfers between countries are allowed for, the second best tax on the polluting good may be decomposed into three parts: one, country-speci…c, dealing with the local negative externality, a second one, country-speci…c, dealing with the cost of levying public funds, and a third one, global, dealing with the global externality and which can be interpreted as the carbon price. Our main contribution is to show that the uniformity of the carbon price should still hold in this second best framework. Nevertheless, if lump-sum transfers between governments are impossible to implement, international di¤erentiation of the carbon price is the only way to take care of equity concerns. keywords: carbon price, second best, Pigovian taxation


Implementation of ICT in the educational process has allowed us especially in the last decade to fully develop cognitive and psychomotor skills of students. A typical example is the use of multimedia, through which the learner gradually formed and developed their skills in the area of sensory perception. The paper is focused on one of the modern tools of education geography for interactive textbook for grammar (high) schools. The new generation of interactive IRS systems allows not only listen to audio files of the book, but the book also communicate with the computer. This function can be used in on-line teaching process, where the teacher receives immediate feedback regarding the work of students in class. The new generation of interactive textbooks it can perform the function of the voting equipment. Talking books as exercise books are intended primarily for testing and practicing curriculum.


The High Plains aquifer underlying the semiarid Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico, USA was used to illustrate solute and isotopic methods for evaluating recharge fluxes, runoff, and spatial and temporal distribution of recharge. The chloride mass-balance method can provide, under certain conditions, a time-integrated technique for evaluation of recharge flux to regional aquifers that is independent of physical parameters. Applying this method to the High Plains aquifer of the Southern High Plains suggests that recharge flux is approximately 2% of precipitation, or approximately 11 ± 2 mm/y, consistent with previous estimates based on a variety of physically based measurements. The method is useful because long-term average precipitation and chloride concentrations in rain and ground water have less uncertainty and are generally less expensive to acquire than physically based parameters commonly used in analyzing recharge. Spatial and temporal distribution of recharge was evaluated by use of δ2H, δ18O, and tritium concentrations in both ground water and the unsaturated zone. Analyses suggest that nearly half of the recharge to the Southern High Plains occurs as piston flow through playa basin floors that occupy approximately 6% of the area, and that macropore recharge may be important in the remaining recharge. Tritium and chloride concentrations in the unsaturated zone were used in a new equation developed to quantify runoff. Using this equation and data from a representative basin, runoff was found to be 24 ± 3 mm/y; that is in close agreement with values obtained from water-balance measurements on experimental watersheds in the area. Such geochemical estimates are possible because tritium is used to calculate a recharge flux that is independent of precipitation and runoff, whereas recharge flux based on chloride concentration in the unsaturated zone is dependent upon the amount of runoff. The difference between these two estimates yields the amount of runoff to the basin.


Since a few years, Campylobacter jejuni has been identified as an important cause of acute enteritis in man. Various studies showed that Campylobacter enteritis is as common as salmonellosis, and that the symptoms often are even more severe. That this species of bacterium was not discovered until recently, was due in part to the fact that unusual methods of isolation are required; for instance, Campylobacter jejuni will only grow in a micro-aerophilic atmosphere. Campylobacteriosis was found to be a foodborne infection in the majority of cases. The organism was isolated from a large number of species of wild and domesticated animals, which, as in the case of Salmonella, are mainly asymptomatic carriers. Of farm animals, poultry and pigs are most frequently infected. The most important sources of human infection are poultry meat, unpasteurized milk, inadequately treated drinking water and, as a direct source, dogs with enteritis. Only poultry was found to play a role in the Netherlands. Pork is mostly not contaminated as Campylobacter dies during cooling of pig carcasses, death being due to the drying effect of forced ventilation. The sensitivity of Campylobacter to dry conditions, in conjunction with its inability to multiply below 30 degrees C, means that the mechanism of cross contamination, which is such an important factor in the epidemiology of Salmonella, is of minor significance in Campylobacter.


Cu4SnS4 thin films were deposited on indium tin oxide glass substrate using the electrodeposition method. The thin films were obtained in a reaction bath at pH values of 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 1.7 and 2.0. The structure and chemical composition of the thin films were studied by X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive analysis of X-ray, respectively. The photoresponse of the deposited films and their conduction types were evaluated using the photoelectrochemical technique. The X-ray diffraction data indicated that the number of peaks increased as the pH was increased up to 1.5. However, the total Cu4SnS4 peaks reduced to three peaks as the pH was further increased to 2. Based on the energy dispersive analysis of X-ray analysis, the composition ratio Cu:Sn:S of the films was varied with pH. When the pH was lower or higher than pH 1.5, the content of Cu and Sn is slightly greater than that of elemental S. Therefore, the pH had significant influence on the composition of the deposited films.


Background: Anterior knee pain is one of the common musculoskeletal problems seen in children adolescents and adults. Aim: To find the effects of Mulligan PRP technique in the management of patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome. Study design: Randomized Control Trial. Methodology: A randomized clinical trial was conducted with a sample of 45 patients. Equal no. of participants were allocated randomly in 3groups through computer generated random number table i.e. A (compression group), B (distraction group), C (conventional group) and allocation was kept concealed. Mulligan's pain release phenomena with 3 different modifications were administered to the study groups. The duration of study was. Outcome measures were pain, knee range of motion, functional capability measured through Visual analogue scale (VAS), goniometer, and lower extremity functional scale (LEFS) respectively. Outcomes were measured at baseline and 4 weeks after the treatment. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 19. ANOVA was applied to find the outcomes while P ≤0.05 was considered significant. Results: The results of comparison among groups showed that knee ROM (P= 0.678), LEFS (P=0.027) and for VAS (P=0.163). The results showed that PRP is more effective in improving functional outcomes, whereas pain although improved through PRP; does not prove it a superior treatment when compared to others. Conclusion: We concluded that Mulligan's Pain Release phenomena is an effective treatment in the management of patellofemoral pain syndrome in terms of functional outcomes. Keywords: Patellofemoral Pain syndrome, Mulligan's Pain Release Phenomenon, Visual Analogue Scale,


The analysis of the modern approach to the choice of technological processes of production of heavy concrete products and its weaknesses were shown. It is proved that the technological process as an object is a weekly structured system due to the large degree of uncertainty associated with the human factor. It is established that development of new assortment approach to the choice of technological process of the production of construction materials differing in alleged accounting of functional purpose and service conditions of building constructions in a real estate object can be one version of the solution of this problem. The concept of the choice of optimum technological processes of production of construction materials distinctive in alleged accounting of functional purpose and service conditions of building constructions of real estate objects is developed. The technologies of mathematical statement and the solution of problems of optimization of technological processes of production of the range of construction materials differing in increase in degree of structure of system liaisons with external subsystems on the basis of standard mechanisms of the subject focused accounting of functional purpose and service conditions of building constructions and also standard algorithms of search of optimal solutions for defined the range are developed. Assessment of efficiency of assortment approach to a problem of optimization of technological processes of production of the range of construction materials including comparison of the characteristics of material received as a result of use of modern approach, assortment approach in the set parameters of management and assortment approach with expansion of a set of essential alternatives of technological process of production of the range of construction materials is executed. This assessment has shown that more perspective alternatives on qualitative content of characteristics of material are outside area of normative requirements and need justification.