The formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is a strong global concern due to their harmful effects. To help the reduction of their emissions, a crucial understanding of their formation and a deep exploration of their growth mechanism is required. In the present work, the formation of benzo(a)pyrene was investigated computationally employing chrysene and benz(a)anthracene as starting materials. It was assumed a type of methyl addition/cyclization (MAC) was the valid growth mechanism in this case. Consequently, the reactions implied addition reactions, ring closures, hydrogen abstractions and intramolecular hydrogen shifts. These steps of the mechanism were computed to explore benzo(a)pyene formation. The corresponding energies of the chemical species were determined via hybrid density funcional theory (DFT), B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) and M06-2X/6-311++G(d,p). Results showed that the two reaction routes had very similar trends energetically, the difference between the energy levels of the corresponding molecules was just 6.13 kJ/mol on average. The most stable structure was obtained in the benzo(a)anthracene pathway.


The pathogenesis of idiopathic gynecomastia, which shows no imbalance in serum estrogens and androgens levels unlike gynecomastia of other causes, is unknown. It seems to be of interest to study the in situ aromatase expression in idiopathic gynecomastia to investigate a possible involvement of intratumoral biosynthesis of estrogens in the pathogenesis of this disease. The expression level of aromatase mRNA was studied by a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay in four idiopathic gynecomastia cases (two florid type and two fibrous type). In addition, the proportion of promoter usage (promoters I.3, I.4, l.7, and PII) of the aromatase gene was determined by PCR-gel electrophoresis. Localization of aromatase and cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression was studied by immunohistochemistry. The aromatase mRNA level of the florid-type gynecomastia (3.05 and 1.66) was higher than that in the fibrous type (0.76 and 0.04). The proportion of promoter Pll in the florid type (94.1% and 84.8%) was very high as compared with that of the fibrous type (0.7% and 0.5%). Immunohistochemical studies have revealed that aromatase and COX-2 were strongly expressed in the duct epithelial cells in the florid type, but they were weak or negative in the fibrous type. COX-2 is suggested to upregulate aromatase expression by enhancing the transcription via promoter Pll in idiopathic gynecomastia of the florid type but not of the fibrous type. Because idiopathic gynecomastia initially develops as the florid type and regresses as the fibrous type, a high estrogen milieu induced by increased aromatase expression is speculated to play some role in the pathogenesis of idiopathic gynecomastia.


According to the current state of knowledge the terrestrial gastropod fauna of Bulgaria includes 226 species and 33 subspecies (excluding nominate ones), making altogether 259 taxa. The following new data are presented: updated nomenclature of 50 taxa, synonymisation of 17 taxa; taxa whose presence in Bulgaria was discovered and those which were described as new to the science after the publication of the last checklist (1998) are now included, six taxa are evaluated as introduced; the taxonomic status of 13 taxa is regarded as unclear. Fifty seven taxa are regarded as endemic to Bulgaria, and 33 as endemic to the Balkan Peninsula; 60 taxa are regarded as rare.


A 64-year-old man presented with sudden lower abdominal pain and diffuse lumbago. He was diagnosed as having primary dissection of the abdominal aorta. Entry closure and aneurysmal wall plication was performed, and the subsequent course was satisfactory. Surgical intervention is recommended for patients with abdominal aortic dissection in the infrarenal segment, where the extent of dissection is limited and access is comparatively easy. Enhanced computed tomography is useful both in diagnosis and follow-up of this aortic disease.


Background: High-sensitivity cardiac troponins (hs-cTns) are used as biomarkers for Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI). However, hs-cTn levels are not specific and increase in other diseases that are not associated with AMI. Studies have shown that circulating micro RNAs (miRNAs) vary between different types of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) patients. The main objectives of our study are: 1) To measure circulating miRNA-208a (miR-208a) and miRNA-499 (miR-499) in suspected AMI cases in Acute Coronary Syndrome-Non-ST-segment Elevated Myocardial Infarction (ACS-NSTEMI) patients, 2) To determine the time of release of these miRNAs and compare with hs-cTnI, and 3) To evaluate prognostic significance of miR-208a and miR-499 in early prediction of AMI.
Methods: Serum miRNAs were isolated from suspected AMI patients (n=60) and non-ACSNSTEMI chest pain patients (n=10). These AMI patients were divided into 4 groups, very early (≤ 1 hr), early (≥ 1 hr - ≤ 4 hrs), late (≥ 4 hrs - ≤ 8 hrs) and very late (≥ 8 hrs - ≤ 12 hrs) based on the time gap between onset of chest pain and patient presented to hospital Emergency Department (ED). Chemiluminescence Microparticle Immunoassay (CMIA) and Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) methods were used to determine the expression levels of hs-cTnI and miRNAs respectively.
Results: Plasma levels of hs-cTnI, miR-208a and miR-499 were higher in suspected AMI patients as compared to non-ACS-NSTEMI chest pain patients. Receiver Operating characteristic Curve (ROC) analysis indicated no association between hs-cTnI and miRNA levels between patients presented to ED very early (≤ 1 hr) or early (≥ 1 - ≤ 4 hrs), after onset of chest pain. A positive correlation between miRNAs and hs-cTnI levels in patients presented to ED late (≥ 4-3 ≤ 8 hrs) and very late (≥ 8 - ≤ 12 hrs) after chest pain was observed. Both miRNAs yielded the highest Area Under Curve (AUC) value of 1.000 (95% CI 1.000-1.000) with sensitivity and specificity of 100% in patients presented to ED very early (≤ 1 hr) or early (≥ 1 - ≤ 4 hrs) after onset of chest pain.
Conclusion: Circulating miR-208a and miR-499 are released into the circulation prior to hs-cTnI and appear to be better biomarker for early identification of suspected AMI cases in ACSNSTEMI patients.


To define MRI features of free liquid silicone injection (FLSI) of the breast in transgender women considering surgical management.

 This study was IRB–approved. MRI images from transgender women with FLSI imaged between 2009 and 2019 were reviewed. Presence and location of fibrotic masses (FMs) in the breast(s) and pectoralis muscle and patterns of granulomas were correlated with clinicopathologic findings. Background enhancement was quantified. Comparisons were performed using two-tailed Fisher exact and Student's t test.

 Of 21 transgender women with FLSI (mean age 46.8 years), 13/21 (61.9%) had a dominant FM measuring over 4 cm; these were limited to breast and pectoralis in 6/21 (28.6%), breast in 9/21 (42.9%), and pectoralis only in 2/21 (9.5%). Four of 21 patients (19.0%) had no FMs, and 4/21 (19.0%) had masses under 4 cm. Mean size of the dominant FM was 7.4 cm (range 4–12 cm). FMs were enhancing in 5/13 (38.5%) and contained T2 high signal granulomas in 8/13 (61.5%). While 18/21 (85.8%) of cases showed mild to moderate overall background enhancement, the majority 7/13 (61.5%) of dominant FM were non-enhancing. About half of cases (11/21, 52.4%) had diffuse foci, and half (10/21, 47.6%) had diffuse foci and masses throughout the breast and pectoralis muscle. These foci and masses displayed T2 high signal in 13/21 (61.9%). There were no occult carcinomas observed.

 MRI performed on symptomatic FLSI patients considering surgical treatment is helpful in assessing the extent of silicone infiltration and fibrotic reaction of the breast and pectoralis muscle.


In every British colony that received indentured workers from India, officials recorded personal and social details for identifying the arriving migrants. In the colony of Natal, just over 152,000 migrants were inscribed into such lists between 1860 and 1911. This article traces the history of this set of documents from their mid-19 th century origins as registers of imperial labour control to their 21 st century digitization by an amateur historian in a relational database, available online. Against the backdrop of transforming informational technologies, the story of the shipping lists is the story of their changing social and political meanings in relation to the circumstances of the Indian diaspora in South Africa over one hundred and fifty years. Now held at the Durban Archives Repository, these records are regularly drawn upon by South Africans of indentured ancestry to establish family origins for the purposes of applying for PIO or OCI statuses, offered by the Indian government to individuals who can prove Indian ancestry within a number of generations. Thus, the ships' lists are bracketed by very different periods in which the creation of an 'exceptional' political status was legislated to serve economic interests by harnessing linkages of the global south.


Schistosomes are digenetic trematodes which share their life cycle between a definitive (vertebrate) and an intermediate (invertebrate) host. Their survival is highly dependent on their ability to reduce significantly the efficiency of the host defences. We have previously demonstrated the presence of POMC derived peptides (ACTH, alpha-MSH, beta-endorphin) in all stages of Schistosoma mansoni life cycle. Given the immunomodulatory properties of these peptides in vertebrates and invertebrates it has been postulated that they might be implicated in parasite immune evasion. We report the release of these neuropeptides during the cycle, associated with the inhibition by these peptides of the locomotory activity of immunocytes from both hosts, the hamster Mesocricetus auratus and the freshwater snail B. glabrata. The implication of these common signals in this new strategy of parasite adaptation is discussed.


The case is presented of a 70 year old woman with mild hypercholesterolaemia and hypertension who was readmitted to hospital six months after a previous admission for angina pectoris. The patient was treated with verapamil, nifedipine, and aspirin, and had been receiving bezafibrate (400 mg every 12 hours) for the previous 40 days. Twenty four hours after admission she developed podagra, which was treated with indomethacin (100 mg daily). Eight days after admission myocardial infarction was suspected, and the next day she presented with symptoms of rhabdomyolysis, which was confirmed by laboratory tests. Bezafibrate was withdrawn and the patient became asymptomatic after seven days. It is recommended that doctors should be aware of the possibility of patients, especially those with impaired renal function, developing rhabdomyolysis while being treated with bezafibrate.


As blood thickness depends on the concentration of blood cells in the vessels, the measurement of the thickness of the choroidal blood (which can now be done accurately by our bio-haemo-photometric method) facilitates the study of the choroidal circulation. The present communication reports the results of applying this method to the study of glaucomatous eyes, especially those with chronic open-angle glaucoma. This photometric method, introduced by us in 1960, entails the measurement of the colour characteristics of the light illuminating the pupillary field of an eye which is diasclerally transilluminated at the same time by a suitably filtered light. The choroidal blood thickness of the transilluminated sector is calculated in microns, using a scale obtained experimentally by measuring known blood thicknesses. The mean choroidal blood thickness in 100 normal eyes is shown by age group in Fig. 1.


The choice of caesarean section (CS) plays a significant role in maternal and neonatal health. However, suboptimal CS uptake suggests unmet obstetric care leading to adverse maternal and neonatal health. Considering that maternal health problems in Nigeria remain a public health problem, this present study aims to assess the prevalence and multilevel factors associated with caesarean section among women of reproductive age in Nigeria. Data from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey were analysed. Our analyses included 19,964 women of reproductive age, with their last birth within five years preceding the survey. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was carried out to examine the predictors of the caesarean section in Nigeria. The prevalence of CS among women of reproductive age in Nigeria was 3.11%. Women from the Yoruba ethnic group [aOR = 0.52; 95%(CI = (0.32–0.84)], with two children [aOR = 0.67; 95%(CI = 0.52–0.88)], three children [aOR = 0.49; 95%(CI = 0.36–0.66)], four children and above [aOR = 0.34; 95%(CI = 0.26–0.46)], those who practised Islam [aOR = 0.74; 95%(CI = (0.56–0.99)], and those that had a normal weighted baby [aOR = 0.73; 95%(CI = 0.60–0.99)] were less likely to report having a CS in Nigeria compared to those from Hausa/Fulani ethnic group, those who had one child, those who practised Christianity, and those who had a high weighted baby. Also, women residing in rural areas [aOR = 0.79; 95% (CI = (0.63–0.99)] and the South-South [aOR = 0.65; 95%(CI = (0.46–0.92)] were less likely to have CS compared to those residing in urban areas and North Central. The study concluded that several individual and community-level factors, such as religious belief, number of children, ethnicity, place of residence, and region of residence, were associated with CS utilisation in Nigeria. Our study highlights the need for different regional, local, and cultural contexts for evidence-based policy and programmatic efforts to facilitate equitable access to a caesarean section in Nigeria.


A novel thin drift region device with heavily doped N+ rings embedded in the substrate is reported, which is called the field limiting rings in substrate lateral double-diffused MOS transistor (SFLR LDMOS). In the SFLR LDMOS, the peak of the electric field at the main junction is reduced due to the transfer of the voltage from the main junction to other field limiting ring junctions, so the vertical electric field is improved significantly. A model of the breakdown voltage is developed, from which optimal spacing is obtained. The numerical results indicate that the breakdown voltage of the device proposed is increased by 76% in comparison to that of the conventional LDMOS.


Inflammation and immune response occupy an important place in the progress of acute ischemic stroke. Microglia are a kind of resident immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS), play a vital regulatory role in the neuroinflammatory processes. Nowadays, miRNAs have been shown to play significant roles in the inflammatory response. MiR-148a was reported to be related in acute ischemic stroke. However, the specific connection between miR-148a and acute cerebral ischemia is still awaited to be studied, as well as the involved mechanisms. Here, we aimed to figure out the role of miR-148a played in the inflammatory activation of microglial cells. We found that miR-148a was downregulated in activated microglia induced by Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation/Reoxygenation (OGD/R). Subsequently, microglial cells were transfected with miR-148a mimic or inhibitor to alter the expression of miR-148a. Results showed that upregulation of miR-148a in primary microglial cells suppressed the secretion of inflammatory mediators such as TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-10. On the contrary, downregulation of miR-148a in microglia promoted the expression of the inflammatory mediators, indicating that miR-148a might play a justicial role in regulating the neuroinflammation. Further, we discovered that transfection of primary microglial cells with miR-148a mimic observably inhibited the activation of p38MAPK, ERK, and JNK. All the results demonstrated that miR-148a could prevent OGD/R injury by inhibiting the microglial activation thus attenuating neuroinflammation via p38MAPK, ERK, and JNK pathways.


We investigated the treatment effect of non-invasive infiltration on early caries caused by different degrees of enamel demineralization. Forty specimens of early enamel caries were prepared and divided into low and high demineralization groups. After treatment with non-invasive infiltration, the specimens were placed under cariogenic conditions. Color measurements were determined using a spectrophotometer 4 times to obtain chromatism values (ΔE1-ΔE4), including before and after production of artificial caries, and after infiltration treatment and re-demineralization. The effects of color change on early caries using non-invasive infiltration were compared between the 2 demineralization groups. Color differences before the production of artificial caries and after infiltration treatment and re-demineralization could not be distinguished by direct observation. Color differences after the production of artificial caries and after infiltration treatment and re-demineralization could be distinguished by direct observation. There were no significant differences in the 4 chromatism values (ΔE1-ΔE4) between the 2 groups. Non-invasive infiltration showed an excellent ability to mask white spot lesions and maintained high color stability. Treatment of high and low demineralization of enamel had the same masking effect.


The present study was conducted to evaluate the potential applicability of biological trickling filter system for the treatment of simulated textile wastewater containing reactive azo dyes with bacterial consortium under non-sterile conditions. The percentage decolorization for the treatment of wastewater containing structurally different dyes was found to be higher than 95% in all trials. The stable bacterial count of the biofilm on stone media of the trickling filter during the treatment confirmed the presence, proliferation, dominance and involvement of the added microbial consortium in the treatment of textile wastewater. Results of physicochemical parameters revealed the reduction in chemical oxygen demand (58.5-75.1%), sulphates (18.9-36.5%), and phosphates (63.6-73.0%). UV-Visible and FTIR spectroscopy confirmed decolorization of dye containing wastewater was ultimate consequence of biodegradation. Toxicological studies revealed the nontoxic nature of degradative metabolites. Keywords—Biodegradation, textile dyes, waste water, trickling filters.


Object Management of post-operative traumatic pseudoaneurysm of the external carotid and common carotid arteries has not been well characterized. Common presentation with early post-operative hemorrhages requires early diagnosis. We describe our experience with these lesions and review our diagnosis protocol, endovascular treatment and outcome. Methods This is a retrospective review of patients treated between 2005–2014. Early post operative hemorrhages required immediate packing by ENT surgeon, hemodynamic stabilization and diagnostic workup, usually by CTA and DSA evaluation. We utilized an angiographic protocol to characterize the lesion, the vessel involved and the collateral circulation patency. We utilized combination of coils and nBCA glue embolization, to obliterate the lesion and the vessel segment along the external carotid distribution. Post embolization specific Super-selective injections were utilized to verify complete occlusion. Immediate and early clinical and angiographic results were reviewed. Results We have treated 16 patients in this cohort. Thirteen lesions were associated with maxillofacial/oral surgeries and three were associated with tumor surgeries. Fifteen lesions were located in the ECA branches and one was located in the CCA. Fifteen patients presented with acute hemorrhage. We identified 13 pseudoaneurysms and three vessels interruptions. There were no procedural ruptures or complications. All aneurysms were completely obliterated, with early unpacking by ENT surgeon and hemodynamic stability, without any early re-hemorrhages. No early or delayed signs of ischemia were noted. Conclusions Carotid artery pseudoaneurysm, post maxillofacial/oral surgery can be treated early and effectively by endovascular procedures. High suspicion and early diagnosis associated with hemorrhages is crucial. Prompt imaging usually by CTA followed by selective cerebral angiography are highly effective. Utilization of coils and liquid embolic material can achieve immediate obliteration of the lesion and vessel segment. Selective post embolization studies of the collateral circulation are essential to confirm complete occlusion. Disclosures E. Nossek: None. K. Prajoy: None. J. Katz: None. A. Setton: None.


Ultrafine‐grained (UFG) metals produced by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) exhibit outstanding mechanical properties. They show high strength under monotonic loading as well as strongly enhanced fatigue lives in the Wöhler S–N‐plot compared to their coarse grained (CG) counterparts. It could be shown that the fatigue lives can be significantly enhanced further by applying backpressure during ECAP. Besides the positive effect of backpressure on the processability of hard to deform materials via ECAP, the hydrostatic stress induced by backpressure also influences the mechanical properties under monotonic and cyclic loading. Therefore the influence of backpressure on ECAPed Cu99.5 and on the ECAPed aluminum alloy AA5754 was investigated. It is shown that backpressure has no effect on the hardness and grain size in Cu99.5 but changes the grain boundary misorientation to higher fractions of low angle grain boundaries. Also the temperature dependency of the yield strength as well as the hardening behavior under monotonic compression is affected. The cyclic deformation behavior of Cu99.5 is not strongly influenced by backpressure, but the mean stress level changes drastically. The fatigue life increases with the application of backpressure at low plastic amplitudes due to a change in the crack initiation and propagation.


A Bayesian approach to detect land cover changes is presented. Comparison of classification maps performed at different dates is a straightforward tool for obtaining changes occurred in between. Unfortunately the direct comparison of classification maps is characterized by an high probability of occurrence of false positive change events. To overcome this problem, it is necessary that the process might be driven by the a priori knowledge about considered scene. In this framework, the change detection is seen as a data fusion task where the a priori class transitions drives a multitemporal classification. The validity of the proposed method is confirmed by the results, which are discussed in this paper. In fact, when compared with an independent classification scheme, the approach based on a priori knowledge permits to achieve a higher overall accuracy without loosing in efficiency.


We propose an algorithm to detect approximate reflection symmetry present in a set of volumetrically distributed points belonging to $\mathbb {R}^d$ containing a distorted reflection symmetry pattern. We pose the problem of detecting approximate reflection symmetry as the problem of establishing correspondences between the points which are reflections of each other and we determine the reflection symmetry transformation. We formulate an optimization framework in which the problem of establishing the correspondences amounts to solving a linear assignment problem and the problem of determining the reflection symmetry transformation amounts to solving an optimization problem on a smooth Riemannian product manifold. The proposed approach estimates the symmetry from the geometry of the points and is descriptor independent. We evaluate the performance of the proposed approach on the standard benchmark dataset and achieve the state-of-the-art performance. We further show the robustness of our approach by varying the amount of distortion in a perfect reflection symmetry pattern where we perturb each point by a different amount of perturbation. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the method by applying it to the problem of 2-D (two-dimensional) and 3-D reflection symmetry detection along with comparisons.


Albuneid crabs are specialized and active sand-burrowing organisms. Despite their substantial diversity, their ability to avoid fishing gear leads to "under collection" and a discontinuous record of distribution. The present study documents the first distributional record of Albunea occulta Boyko, 2002 from the Bay of Bengal, eastern Indian Ocean. Albunea thurstoni Henderson, 1893 is also recorded for the first time from the area, i.e., from the Gulf of Mannar, southwestern Bay of Bengal. This study further reports variation in morphological characters, especially in the carapace grooves (CG) from previous records and across specimens from different regions. Morphometric characters were found useful in species discrimination, which is explained as well.


This paper analyze the importance of using PID servo-control parameters based on PMAC motion control card. The control accuracy can be improved greatly in PMAC servo control system. And the following error can be reduced substantially, control algorithm of PID based on PMAC is given and tested by experiment of PID control performance.


We describe in this paper a new hybrid evolutionary method that combines PSO and GA with fuzzy rules for the optimization of the topology of a Neural Network (NN) for the problem of face recognition. In this case, we used the Yale face database for training the Neural Network. The new evolutionary method combines the advantages of PSO and GA to give us an improved PSO+GA hybrid method. Fuzzy Logic is used to combine the results of the PSO and GA in the best way possible.


Myocardial contractility and afterload are important factors for adequate circulation. To noninvasively assess changes in inotropy and afterload, ascending aortic blood flow was measured by continuous‐wave Doppler echocardiography before and after the administration of an inotrope and a vasodilator in eight open chest dogs. Data were collected in the baseline, at three different doses of epinephrine (0.1, 0.5, and 1 μg/kg/min) and nitroprusside (1, 4, and 8 μg/kg/min) administration, and after a simultaneous infusion of both drugs in various combinations. Epinephrine infusion caused increases in peak velocity (PV), mean acceleration (MA), velocity time integral (VTI), and minute distance without a significant change in afterload. Acceleration time (AT) and ejection time (ET) showed a slight tendency to decrease with an increase in inotropy, but with no significance. Nitroprusside infusion produced dose‐dependent decreases in blood pressure and index of systemic vascular resistance (ISVR), which was associated with increases in PV, MA, and minute distance, and with a decrease in AT. The combined infusion of nitroprusside and epinephrine, unless ISVR was elevated, produced synergistic effects on PV, MA, VTI, and minute distance. However, these Doppler parameters tended to diminish with an elevation in afterload. ISVR obtained during nitroprusside infusion had a better correlation with both PV and MA than with VTI or the Doppler time intervals. Our study suggests that Doppler measurement of aortic blood flow velocity and acceleration can be used for the noninvasive assessment of changes in inotropy and afterload.


This report describes the vowel formant frequency characteristics (F1-F4 of five vowels produced in a fixed phonetic context) of 42 seven and eight year old boys and girls and the relationship of vocal tract resonances to several indices of body size. Results showed that the vowel resonances of male children were consistently lower than those of females, and that the extent of the sexual differences varied as a function of formant number and vowel category. Average across all measured formants of all five vowels, the overall sexual distinction was approximately 10%. The range of differences extended from about 3% for F1 of /i/ to 16%for F1 of /ae/. Measures of body size were always significantly related to these children's formant frequencies (range in multiple r's -0.506 to -0.866). The origin of the sexual differences in vocal tract resonance characteristics is discussed with reference to differences in vocal tract size and articulatory behaviors.


Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor or G-CSF (NEUPOGEN) was approved for use in France in November 1991 for prevention of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. This retrospective study was conducted at Saint-Louis Hospital, Paris, France, from November 1991 to March 1993 with a more detailed analysis of patient profiles for courses ordered between November 1991 and December 1992. Data were collected on standardized G-CSF-treatment summary forms. The purpose of the study was to define, in clinical terms, the patients treated by G-CSF to determine the average cost per course of therapy and its impact on the hospital pharmacy budget. From November 1991 to December 1992 data from 307 patient profiles were collected and analyzed. The subcutaneous route was the preferred route and only 16.6% of courses were administered intravenously. 45.6% of patients received a single course, 24.3% received two courses, and 30.1% received more than two courses. Each patient completed an average of 2.3 courses at an average cost per course of $2,000.00 (Canadian dollars). During March 1993, 50% of vials dispensed were administered to outpatients. During the 14-month period, an average of 613.8 vials were dispensed per month corresponding to an average monthly expenditure of $104,000.00 (Canadian dollars). In the first 12 months following the commercial availability of G-CSF, G-CSF expenditures accounted for 8% of the pharmacy budget.


This article examines Vita Nuova IV-XII/3–5, in which Dante narrates his ostensibly fake infidelity to Beatrice. More specifically, it explores the contradictions and confusions of this tale of false love which is an important step on the young protagonist's via d'Amor, a path that culminates with the poet's creation of Beatrice, a character who will go on to become a beloved like no other. Critics have typically ignored or glossed over this episode in the Vita Nuova, preferring instead a smooth, unified story line of Beatrice's apotheosis. Yet accepting Dante's self-authorized story ultimately circumscribes our understanding of this strikingly original text. In selectively revealing the details of his affair with the two donne-schermo, Dante provides a glimpse of the artistic process whereby he sculpts the figure of Beatrice. To understand this process, which, in the Vita Nuova, consists of putting together 'new' narrative prose with pre-existing poems, this essay pays particular attention to the complex and strained relationship between poetry and prose. Close examination of the ways in which Dante reads himself, altering the sense of his lyrics through his retroactive interpretations, gives his readers the opportunity to track important changes in Dante's poetic and spiritual development, most notably his rejection of courtly love in favor of an ever-widening understanding of the experience of human desire.


Gliomas of the pons present an intriguing problem in diagnosis. They are readily confused with other processes, but if once suspected their diagnosis is in most cases not only possible but easy. Furthermore, their diffusely infiltrating nature gives rise to greatly varied clinical manifestations. It is primarily to define and clarify the clinical features of pontile gliomas, in order to indicate how the diagnosis is made, that 11 cases are recorded in this paper. Incidentally, mention will be made of bizarre clinical features arising from the method of growth of these tumors. Among all verified gliomas observed between 1929 and 1936 in the neurosurgical clinic of the University Hospital there were 15 infiltrating tumors of the pons. Only 11 of these were selected for study, since 4 have already been described as mesencephalic gliomas (Alpers and Watts 1 ). These 4 tumors involved primarily the mesencephalon and secondarily the pons. The


Systematic financial trading strategies account for over 80% of trade volume in equities and a large chunk of the foreign exchange market. In spite of the availability of data from multiple markets, current approaches in trading rely mainly on learning trading strategies per individual market. In this paper, we take a step towards developing fully end-to-end global trading strategies that leverage systematic trends to produce superior market-specific trading strategies. We introduce QuantNet: an architecture that learns market-agnostic trends and use these to learn superior market-specific trading strategies. Each market-specific model is composed of an encoder-decoder pair. The encoder transforms market-specific data into an abstract latent representation that is processed by a global model shared by all markets, while the decoder learns a market-specific trading strategy based on both local and global information from the market-specific encoder and the global model. QuantNet uses recent advances in transfer and meta-learning, where market-specific parameters are free to specialize on the problem at hand, whilst market-agnostic parameters are driven to capture signals from all markets. By integrating over idiosyncratic market data we can learn general transferable dynamics, avoiding the problem of overfitting to produce strategies with superior returns. We evaluate QuantNet on historical data across 3103 assets in 58 global equity markets. Against the top performing baseline, QuantNet yielded 51% higher Sharpe and 69% Calmar ratios. In addition, we show the benefits of our approach over the non-transfer learning variant, with improvements of 15% and 41% in Sharpe and Calmar ratios. A link to QuantNet code is made available in the appendix.


Purpose The aim of this study was to compare scleral buckling (SB) and primary pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for the treatment of primary phakic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). Patients and methods A prospective interventional study was conducted in the Department of Ophthalmology, South Valley University, Egypt, between January 2013 and May 2016. Patients suffering from primary phakic RRD were recruited. Eyes were divided into two groups: the SB group and the PPV group. The SB group underwent radial or encircling silicone sponge retinopexy with cryopexy, and evacuation of subretinal fluid in most cases with air injection. The PPV group underwent three-port 20-G PPV with sulfur hexafluoride or silicone oil (SO) as endotamponade agents. Cost was estimated for the vitreoretinal surgery, cataract surgery, and SO removal. Main outcome measures were anatomical and visual outcome, reoperation rate, and cost of initial surgery and reoperations. Results Forty-five eyes of 45 patients were included in the present study. Primary anatomical success was achieved in 17 (85%) eyes in the SB group and in 21 (84%) eyes in the PPV group. The final anatomical success rate was achieved in all eyes (100%) in both groups. The final best-corrected visual acuity improved in 14 (70%) eyes in the SB group and in 17 (68%) eyes in the PPV group. Reoperations included retinal reattachment surgery in three (15%) eyes versus four (16%) eyes in the SB and PPV groups, respectively. Cataract extraction with intraocular lens implantation was performed in four (20%) eyes in the SB group versus 16 (64%) eyes in the PPV group, and SO removal was performed in 12 (48%) eyes in the PPV group. SB operation cost was 4960 Egyptian Pounds, whereas PPV surgery cost was 6160 Egyptian Pounds. Conclusion SB and PPV for the treatment of RRD had comparable results as regards anatomical and functional outcomes. When considering other factors to decide which treatment method is better, such as cost of surgery, SB seems to be of lower cost compared with PPV.


Much of what David Hume said about a wide range of subjects remains of great importance today. In the first volume of his first work, A Treatise of Human Nature, a work in which he articulated a new "science of human nature," Hume focused on an interrelated set of issues in theory of knowledge, metaphysics, and philosophical psychology. More particularly, he explained how it is that we form such important conceptions as space and time, cause and effect, external objects, and personal identity. At the same time, he offered an equally important account of how or why we believe in the objects of these conceptions - an account of why we believe that causes are necessarily connected to effects, that there are enduring external objects, and that there are enduring selves - even though the human mind is unable to provide a satisfactory proof that these phenomena exist. In the second volume of the Treatise Hume expanded his account of human psychology, focusing on the origin and role of the passions and the nature of human freedom. In the third and final volume of this work he explored the origins and nature of morality. In later works he returned to many of these philosophical issues, but he also made substantial contributions to our understanding of political theory, aesthetics, economics, and philosophy of religion. In addition, he wrote an influential, six-volume History of England, a work published in over 175 editions in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and still in print.


Twelve cadaveric kidney allograft recipients, who were established preoperatively to be strong responders, were treated with cyclosporin A (Cy A) and subjected to postoperative monitoring of drug levels and immune performances. The Cy A-treated recipients were compared with 72 historical (36 strong and 36 weak immune responders) and 18 current, strong responder, azathioprine-treated control patients. Estimation of Cy A levels in plasma and whole blood revealed that 75% of the drug at trough and 44% at peak was cell bound. Concomitant radioimmunoassay (RIA) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) determinations on whole blood yielded concordant values. Trough levels above 200 ng/ ml in plasma and 600 ng/ml in whole blood were associated with toxic manifestations. Although absolute peak levels were not helpful, calculation of peak to trough ratios yielded values which when less than 3.0 predicted toxicity. Post-transplant immune monitoring showed administration of Cy A to be associated with fewer (1) rejection episodes; (2) nonspecific immune events; and (3) donor-specific in vitro reactions than were observed after treatment with azathioprine. Although the activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells as natural killers of K562 target cells was not affected by Cy A treatment, their capacity to suppress the generation of a third-party mixed lymphocyte culture was enhanced to the same degree as cells from azathioprine-treated patients. Enumeration of peripheral blood lymphocyte T cell subpopulations using monoclonal xeonoantisera revealed (1) the total number of T cells to be unaffected by administration of either Cy A or azathioprine and (2) a reduction in the ratio of helper-inducer to suppressor-cytotoxic cells specificially in Cy A-treated recipients compared with normal individuals, hemodialysis patients, or azathioprine-treated recipients. Although pharmacological monitoring of blood levels may be useful to discern patients at high risk for toxic complications, the achievement of maximal therapeutic efficacy may depend upon identifying and quantitating the cellular target responsible for the disruption of immune homeostasis observed during Cy A administration.


Activation of different subtypes of adrenergic (AR) and dopamine receptors (DR) and its effect on the blood testosterone level, were studied. Intraventricular administration of selective agonists mesatone and clonedine as well as dobutamine increased the testosterone level in the blood, where as clenbuterol exerted no such effect. Activation of D1-DR by SKF 38393 in ZI and PVGM elevated the testosterone level as well. Activation of D2-DR by LY 171555 in ZI exerted no effect and in the PVGM even inhibited the testosterone level.


Total phenolic (TPC), flavonoid (TFC) and tannin (TTC) contents, total SO2, total acids, pH, and reducing sugars were measured in twenty five Slovenian red wines from three key wine producing regions, Podravje, Posavje and Primorska. The results were chemometrically analysed and the wines were classified according to wine growing region and vine variety. Principal component analysis proved that TPC, TFC and TTC contents were primarily responsible for variation in the wines. Additionally, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was performed and resulted in the satisfactory classification of samples by both vine variety and region.


Background: The effects of caffeine on health have been frequently reviewed. However, much of the research focuses on specific topics such as cardiovascular disease. There is a need to consider other common diseases that may not be life-threatening but significantly impact the individual and health services. This topic was examined here by considering digestive, respiratory, and musculoskeletal disorders. Depression was also investigated as lower levels are associated with the consumption of caffeine. Methods: Secondary analyses of epidemiological data are reported in this paper. A representative sample of 6486 UK adults (58.0% being in paid employment; 54.4 % female 18.5% single; 65% married or cohabiting, and 15.2% divorced or widowed) completed a survey including questions on illnesses in the last year and caffeine consumption. Results: Initial cross-tabulations showed that caffeine consumption was not associated with digestive, respiratory or musculoskeletal diseases. Caffeine consumers were less likely to report depression in the last year. Conclusion: These results show no adverse effects of caffeine consumption on digestive, respiratory or musculoskeletal outcomes. Consumption of caffeine was associated with a lower incidence of depression, and this remained significant when demographic and lifestyle factors were statistically controlled.


As bulk chemicals, diols have wide applications in many fields, such as clothing, biofuels, food, surfactant and cosmetics. The traditional chemical synthesis of diols consumes numerous non-renewable energy resources and leads to environmental pollution. Green biosynthesis has emerged as an alternative method to produce diols. Escherichia coli as an ideal microbial factory has been engineered to biosynthesize diols from carbon sources. Here, we comprehensively summarized the biosynthetic pathways of diols from renewable biomass in E. coli and discussed the metabolic-engineering strategies that could enhance the production of diols, including the optimization of biosynthetic pathways, improvement of cofactor supplementation, and reprogramming of the metabolic network. We then investigated the dynamic regulation by multiple control modules to balance the growth and production, so as to direct carbon sources for diol production. Finally, we proposed the challenges in the diol-biosynthesis process and suggested some potential methods to improve the diol-producing ability of the host.


Abstract Background Implementing effective physical activity (PA) interventions into routine practice is challenging once research funds run out, and only a minority of programs are successfully moved from research to practice settings and become embedded in a system. Participatory approaches are seen as a means to overcome this trap and sustainably implement and scale-up programs. This presentation provides methodological and methodological overview of the cooperative planning approach (CP), a participatory method increasingly used in PA promotion in the last years. Methods We reviewed the literature to trace the origins of the CP approach, outline its basic theoretical foundations, and summarize its central components and procedures. In addition, we compiled a structured overview of previous CP projects to highlight potential application contexts of the approach. Building on the results of a scoping review, we position the CP method within the body of existing participatory approaches based on Arnstein's ladder of participation. Results From a theoretical point of view, CP can be traced to the literature on knowledge co-creation and participatory research. It bears conceptual similarities with various organization-based planning methods. There are several distinctive characteristics that set it apart, including (a) the heterogeneity and expertise of participants, (b) a specific process sequence, (c) key success indicators, and (d) structured outputs. Variations of the approach have been successfully employed in sports development and physical activity promotion for target groups across the life-course. Positioning CP within the universe of existing approaches shows that it offers comparatively high levels of participation, is focused on later stages of the implementation process, and is well-suited to be combined with other methods of participation (e.g. citizen science). Conclusions The CP approach constitutes an alternative to existing knowledge co-creation and participatory approaches that may help overcome the problem of the pilot project trap. It can be easily adapted to different contexts but is especially suitable for settings where the development of specific measures for PA promotion is required. However, a successful implementation of the CP process depends on a number of prerequisites, e.g. sufficient resources and the engagement of key persons identified as 'champions'.


To the Editor: —Referring to the book review on this subject inThe Journal, May 14, it seems to me that the criticism published therein is quite inconsistent with the fact that we have received second highest honorable mention in the health contest for cities with a population of between 400,000 and 500,000. I note the article states that under food control is grouped the control of rabies, which is not true, and it also states that cutting weeds is not a matter of sanitation. We regard it as such for the reason that vacant lots grown up with weeds which decay and furnish a place for dumping of insanitary matter result usually in an insanitary condition unless kept free of weeds. It is also a menace to the health of the residents in the vicinity of such places on account of hay fever and asthma, mosquito breeding, and so


The paper presents an empirical analysis of money demand in Uganda over the period 1986:1-2003:4. Two definition of money were used and tests for co-integration between the monetary aggregates and real money balance were carried out. The empirical results show that income is positively related to money demand while exchange rate, inflation and interest rates have a negative impact on money demand and there is a degree of substitution from non-interest to interest bearing financial assets and holding of foreign currency. the money demand functions remained stables for the entire period, as confirmed by the chow tests.


Tobacco smoking is inconsistently associated with breast cancer. Although some studies suggest that breast cancer risk is related to passive smoking, little is known about the association with breast cancer by tumor hormone receptor status. We aimed to explore the association between lifetime passive smoking and risk of breast cancer subtypes defined by estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor status among non-smoking Caucasian women. A hospital-based case-control study was performed in 585 cases and 1170 controls aged 28–90 years. Information on lifetime passive smoking and other factors was collected via a self-administered questionnaire. Logistic regression was used for analyses restricted to the 449 cases and 930 controls who had never smoked actively. All statistical tests were two-sided. Adjusted odds ratio of breast cancer was 1.01 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.72–1.41) in women who experienced exposure to passive smoking at work, 1.88 (95% CI: 1.38–2.55) in women who had exposure at home, and 2.80 (95% CI: 1.84–4.25) in women who were exposed at home and at work, all compared with never exposed regularly. Increased risk was associated with longer exposure: women exposed ≤ 20 years and > 20 years had 1.27 (95% CI: 0.97–1.66) and 2.64 (95% CI: 1.87–3.74) times higher risk of breast cancer compared with never exposed (Ptrend < 0.001). The association of passive smoking with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer did not differ from that with hormone receptor-negative breast cancer (Pheterogeneity > 0.05). There was evidence of interaction between passive smoking intensity and menopausal status in both overall group (P = 0.02) and hormone receptor-positive breast cancer group (P < 0.05). In Caucasian women, lifetime exposure to passive smoking is associated with the risk of breast cancer independent of tumor hormone receptor status with the strongest association in postmenopausal women.


Rapid, phasic dopamine (DA) release in the mammalian brain plays a critical role in reward processing, reinforcement learning, and motivational control. Fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) is an electrochemical technique with high spatial and temporal (sub-second) resolution that has been utilized to examine phasic DA release in several types of preparations. In vitro experiments in single-cells and brain slices and in vivo experiments in anesthetized rodents have been used to identify mechanisms that mediate dopamine release and uptake under normal conditions and in disease models. Over the last 20 years, in vivo FSCV experiments in awake, freely moving rodents have also provided insight of dopaminergic mechanisms in reward processing and reward learning. One major advantage of the awake, freely moving preparation is the ability to examine rapid DA fluctuations that are time-locked to specific behavioral events or to reward or cue presentation. However, one limitation of combined behavior and voltammetry experiments is the difficulty of dissociating DA effects that are specific to primary rewarding or aversive stimuli from co-occurring DA fluctuations that mediate reward-directed or other motor behaviors. Here, we describe a combined method using in vivo FSCV and intra-oral infusion in an awake rat to directly investigate DA responses to oral tastants. In these experiments, oral tastants are infused directly to the palate of the rat--bypassing reward-directed behavior and voluntary drinking behavior--allowing for direct examination of DA responses to tastant stimuli.


The present contribution results from studies on young criminals made during 1895-96 at the State reformatories at Pontiac, Ill., and Elmira, New York. The investigation concerns especially the stigmata of the head and face. The stature and weight were noted, but other anthropometric data were not specially considered, as measurements had to be entrusted to others. It was therefore deemed advisable to avoid as far as possible elements of error concomitant on extensive detailed anthropometry. Only simple measurements easily obtained with accuracy were made. Inasmuch as facial and cranial development are, as a rule, most directly co-related with moral and intellectual evolution it was deemed natural that they should furnish sufficient data for discussion in an article of the present scope. Since the inquiry dealt only with the physical stigmata of the head and face, the youngest inmates were, for obvious reasons (immature jaw and face development) excluded from consideration.


Point of care diagnostics for COVID-19 detection are vital to assess infection quickly and at the source so appropriate measures can be taken. The loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay has proven to be a reliable and simple protocol that can detect small amounts of viral RNA in patient samples (<10 genomes per L) (Nagamine, Hase, and Notomi 2002) Recently, Rabe and Cepko at Harvard published a sensitive and simple protocol for COVID-19 RNA detection in saliva using an optimized LAMP assay (Rabe and Cepko, 2020). This LAMP protocol has the benefits of being simple, requiring no specialized equipment; rapid, requiring less than an hour from sample collection to readout; and cheap, costing around $1 per reaction using commercial reagents. The pH based colorimetric readout also leaves little ambiguity and is intuitive. However, a shortfall in many nucleic acid-based methods for detection in saliva samples has been the variability in output due to the presence of inhibitory substances in saliva. Centrifugation to separate the reaction inhibitors from inactivated sample was shown to be an effective way to ensure reliable LAMP amplification. However, a centrifuge capable of safely achieving the necessary speeds of 2000 RPM for several minutes often costs hundreds of dollars and requires a power supply. We present here an open hardware solution- Handyfuge - that can be assembled with readily available components for the cost of <5 dollars a unit and could be used together with the LAMP assay for point of care detection of COVID-19 RNA from saliva. The device is then validated using the LAMP protocol from Rabe and Cepko. With the use of insulated coolers for reagent supply chain and delivery, the assay presented can be completed without the need for electricity or any laboratory scale infrastructure.


(1) Those who had received two or more 15-ml doses of mist, magnesium trisilicate as part of a 2-hourly regimen in preparation for general anaesthesia (Crawford, 1970) following a labour of variable duration. (2) Those who had been starved for at least 4 h and who had received two 15-ml doses of mist, magnesium trisilicate within the hour preceding induction of anaesthesia for elective procedures. (3) Those who were given a dose of either 15 ml of 0.3M sodium citrate (Lahiri, Thomas and Hodgson, 1973) or 30 ml of mist, magnesium trisilicate as the sole antacid before emergency surgery.


In this paper, we present a micromagnetic simulation of magnetization reversal in a ring-shaped pseudo-spin valve (PSV), consisting of a storage layer made of permalloy (3 nm), a pinned layer of Co (3 nm), and a Cu spacer layer (3 nm). The transition between the two vortex stable states of the storage layer is modeled by applying a write current pulse. This pulse generates an Oersted field and an effective exchange field due to spin torque. The switching mechanism is investigated for different amplitude and duration of the current pulse, and the conditions for the desired switching behavior is discussed. Ideal switching behavior is obtained for a write pulse of at least 3 ns.


The dynamics of a bright-bright vector soliton in a cigar-shaped Bose-Einstein condensate trapping in a harmonic potential is studied. The interaction between bright solitons in different species with small separation is derived. Unlike the interaction between solitons of the same species, it is independent of the phase difference between solitons. It may be of attraction or repulsion. In the former case, each soliton will oscillate about and pass through each other around the mass-center of the system, which will also oscillate harmonically due to the harmonic trapping potential.


Recently, bounds were shown to exist on the transient response of networks whose system functions were appropriately restricted. Since the impulse response and real part, of the system function are Fourier cosine transforms of each other and the autocorrelation function and power spectrum for stationary processes are similarly related, many of these results may be applied directly to the autocorrelation. This analogy depends on the fact that. the power spectrum is a nonnegative function. The results will be stated without proof, since these proofs appear elsewhere. It is merely a matter of substituting the appropriate variables for those appearing previously in the papers on transient response.


Self-supporting hybrid electrodes were fabricated through the systematic combination of activated carbon (AC), a low cost capacitive material, with sub-millimetre long few-wall carbon nanotubes (FWCNTs). After an easy three-step (mixing, dispersion and filtration) process, robust self-supporting films were obtained, comprising 90% AC particles wrapped in a 3-dimensional FWCNT collector. The 10% FWCNTs provide electrical conductivity and mechanical strength, and replace heavier metal collectors. The FWCNT matrix effectively improved the capacitance of the inexpensive, high surface area AC to 169 F g−1 at a slow scan rate of 5 mV s−1, and to 131 F g−1 at a fast scan rate of 100 mV s−1, in fairly thick (∼200 μm) electrodes. Connection to a metallic collector at the film edge only, which significantly reduced the use of metal, retained much larger capacitance for the AC-FWCNT hybrid film (107 F g−1) than for the conventional AC electrode with binder and conductive filler (3.9 F g−1) at a practical voltage scan rate, 100 mV s−1. Transport measurements in three- and two-electrode cells show that the FWCNT matrix can greatly enhance the conductivity of the AC-based films.


We present the results of 3D-hydrodynamical simulations of accretion flow in the eclipsing dwarf nova V1239 Her in quiescence. The model includes the optical star filling its Roche lobe, a gas stream emanating from the inner Lagrangian point of the binary system, and the accretion disc structure. A cold hydrogen gas stream is initially emitted towards a point-like gravitational centre. A stationary accretion disc is formed in about 15 orbital periods after the beginning of accretion. The model takes into account partial ionization of hydrogen and uses realistic cooling function for hydrogen. The light curve of the system is calculated as the volume emission of optically thin layers along the line of sight up to the optical depth \tau =2/3 calculated using Planck-averaged opacities. The calculated eclipse light curves show good agreement with observations, with the changing shape of pre-eclipse and post-eclipse light curves being explained entirely due to ~ 50% variations in the mass accretion rate through the gas stream.


It is generally believed that the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) plays an important role in stabilizing skyrmion lattices (SkL) in two-dimensional (2D) magnetic systems in which both Heisenberg exchange and Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interactions co-exist, and the skyrmion sizes in SkLs are mainly determined by the strengths of these two intrinsic interactions. To investigate the details, we employ here a quantum computational approach we develop in recent years to simulate the Néel-type skyrmion lattices formed on a 2D PdFe/Ir(1 1 1)-like film. From our simulated results, we find that: within an external magnetic field applied normal to the film plane, the PMA is indeed able to help induce Néel-type SkLs in a wider field range; however, to stabilize the SkLs, the PMA cannot be too strong, the strengths of the external magnetic field and the maximal PMA must satisfy a sum rule since the effective perpendicular magnetic field generated by these two interactions cannot exceed a largest value. We also notice that the periodical boundary condition imposed on the FM system in simulations is able to facilitate SkL formations, and it can also modify the skyrmion size in a certain extend.


Purpose A review of the pathophysiologic features of early type 2 diabetes mellitus, the benefits of early glycemic control, the concerns of patients that may influence treatment adherence, and how the use of newer treatment options are addressed. Conclusion Given the multifactorial nature of diabetes pathophysiology, early combination therapy incorporating agents with different mechanisms of action is advocated. Medication side effects and risks influence patients' treatment choices. These concerns include hypoglycemia, weight gain, and fears of treatment failure. With the increasing complexity of therapy regimens for diabetes, the role of diabetes educators includes recommending therapy, counseling about adverse effects, monitoring for contraindications, identifying therapeutic duplication, as well as discussion of new agents to optimize patient outcomes. A case study is used to describe the process of choosing well-tolerated therapies at first diagnosis.


We have considerable understanding of the obstacles that women engineers encounter and the reasons that they leave the field, but we know less about what enables them to remain. Adopting an interpretivist approach, this article examines how a group of British women engineers in two FTSE 100 companies account for "staying on" in their male‐dominated work settings. We delineate four specific forms of help that facilitate women's retention in the field. We argue that exposure to help leads to women developing a habitus that enables them to continue working in engineering. To conclude, we draw on our findings to outline HR practices that will facilitate supportive relationships in the workplace and pave the way towards developing more positive organisational climates.


Deer keds (Diptera: Hippoboscidae: Lipoptena Nitzsch, 1818 and Neolipoptena Bequaert, 1942) are parasitic flies that primarily attack cervids and occasionally bite humans. Recent reports have documented nearly half a dozen pathogens in deer keds, but it is unknown whether keds are competent vectors. Although geographic ranges of the four North American deer ked species are known generally, precise limits are not well understood. If keds are competent vectors, knowing where they occur will inform the risk of pathogen transmission to people and animals. Herein, we report deer ked occurrence by county in the United States and Canada, including 10 new state and 122 new county/parish/administrative district records. We also include a key to North American deer ked species to facilitate specimen identification.


This study compared the effectiveness of pulsed tones (200 ms on/200 ms off) and continuous tones (1 to 2 s) for measuring thresholds in patients with tinnitus. Sixty veterans with tonal tinnitus and a history consistent with noise-induced hearing loss participated. Half were assigned to a pulsed-tone group; half were assigned to a continuous-tone group. Air-conduction thresholds were measured twice for each patient in a single session for octave intervals between 250 Hz and 4000 Hz. Results indicated no significant difference between groups for test-retest differences, but overall more presentations were required to measure thresholds with continuous tones than with pulsed tones at 4000 Hz. Moreover, the continuous-tone group had, on average, more false-positive responses than the pulsed-tone group. This study supports the clinical belief that pulsed tones are preferred over continuous tones for measuring thresholds for persons with tinnitus.


The study aimed to determine the effects of red clover (Trifolium pratense) silage with high phyto-oestrogen content on ewe performance during their first breeding season. Red clover silage containing formononetin, biochanin A, genistein, and daidzein was fed to 10 nulliparous ewes of the prolific Finnish Landrace breed before, during and after the breeding season, for a total of 5 months. A control group of 10 ewes was fed with grass silage. The mean numbers of foetuses per pregnancy were 2.1±0.7 and 2.2±0.8 for the red clover and control groups, respectively. The total mass of the uterus with its contents was significantly greater in ewes of the red clover group compared with those of the control group. This difference was mainly explained by the greater volume of foetal fluids. Serum progesterone concentration in the red clover group was significantly lower over the entire period analysed than in the control group. In conclusion, the fecundity of the ewes was not reduced by red clover feed with high phyto-oestrogen concentrations. The volume of foetal fluids increased that could increase the risk for vaginal prolapse before the term.


Laboratory exposure experiments demonstrate that carbonyl sulfide in wet air corrodes copper at 22 degrees C at a rate that is approximately linear with total exposure (the product of exposure time and carbonyl sulfide concentration). The corrosion rate is similar to that of hydrogen sulfide, a widely recognized corrodant. The much greater average atmospheric abundance of carbonyl sulfide compared with that of hydrogen sulfide or sulfur dioxide suggests that carbonyl sulfide may be a major agent of atmospheric sulfur corrosion.


In the year 944, two wonders arrived in Constantinople from the eastern borders of the empire: First, the Mandylion, a textile that Christ had miraculously imprinted with an image of his face, was brought to the city from Edessa. Second, to the awe of the city's inhabitants, male conjoined twins arrived from Armenia. In this article, I focus on the depiction of both events in the Madrid Skylitzes historical chronicle (Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional de España, MS vitr. 26–2). My goal is to show how the multifaceted meanings of the conjoined twins and the Mandylion operated in the context of imperial rule, political intrigue, and religious authority, from the text's origin in Constantinople to the manuscript's illumination in Norman Sicily.


The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual model that defines the essential components shaping the new Digital Supply Chains (DSCs) through the implementation and acceleration of Industry 4.0.,The scope of the present work exposes a conceptual approach and review of the key literature from 1989 to 2019, concerning the evolution and transformation of the actors and constructs in logistics and Supply Chain Management (SCM) by means of examining different conceptual models and a state-of-the-art review of Industry 4.0's concepts and elements, with a focus on digitization in supply chain (SC) processes. A detailed study of the constructs and components of SCM, as defined by their authors, resulted in the development of a referential and systematic model that fuses the inherent concepts and roles of SCM, with the new technological trends directed toward digitization, automation, and the increasing use of information and communication technologies across logistics global value chains.,Having achieved an exploration of the different conceptual frameworks, there is no compelling evidence of the existence of a conceptual SCM that incorporates the basic theoretical constructs and the new roles and elements of Industry 4.0. Therefore, the main components of Industry 4.0 and their impact on DSC Management are described, driving the proposal for a new conceptual model which addresses and accelerates a vision of the future of the interconnectivity between different DSCs, grouped in clusters in order to add value, through new forms of cooperation and digital integration.,This research explores the gap in the current SCM models leading into Industry 4.0. The proposed model provides a novel and comprehensive overview of the new concepts and components driving the nascent and current DSCs. This conceptual framework will further aid researchers in the exploration of knowledge regarding the variables and components presented, as well as the verification of the newly revealed roles and constructs to understand the new forms of cooperation and implementation of Industry 4.0 in digitalized SCs.


One of the main challenges in building an efficient and scalable automatic fingerprint identification system is to identify features which are highly discriminative and are reproducible across different prints of the same finger. Most existing fingerprint matching approaches rely on minutiae geometry. Relatively, little effort has gone into analyzing ridge flow patterns present in the fingerprint, partly due to difficulty in extracting robust discriminative features from the fingerprint images. In this paper, we analyze the usefulness of ridge curvature information for fingerprint matching and classification applications. Specifically, for an indexing framework, we explore whether the curvature information can be utilized along with the existing minutiae geometry-based features for further reducing the number of potential candidates for fingerprint identification. Experimental results indicate the robustness of the proposed curvature-based characterization and its usefulness in improving the efficiency of existing fingerprint-based identification systems.


Preservation and conversion are two ways of dealing with the effects of time and entropy on buildings. Preservation implies few, if any, changes to the structure, but converting a building or space requires adapting it in order to meet the needs of different users over time. At some point most structures undergo alteration and changes, which can range from a minor extension of a working building to the complete renovation of a ruin. As such modifications accumulate over the years, so they record the superimposed cycles of change in uses, ideologies, technologies and economics, forming a palimpsest of the societies, people and lifestyles they have witnessed. This book illustrates this process by presenting a number of different conversion projects, including the regeneration of whole areas as well as the conversion of individual buildings. In addition to photographs of the new spaces, the volume includes sketches, floor plans, sections, interior elevations, axonometrics and all other relevant design and construction details.


The motion of an ensemble of particles in a space-periodic potential well with a weak wavelike perturbation imposed is considered. We found that slow oscillations of the wave number of the perturbation lead to the occurrence of directed particle current. This current is amplified with time due to the giant acceleration of some particles. It is shown that giant acceleration is linked to the existence of resonant channels in phase space.


OBJECTIVE
In child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) lectures are the most common teaching format for medical students. Besides conveying basic knowledge and skills related to the medical management of children and adolescents with mental health problems, lectures also play a decisive role in the recruitment of future residents for this discipline. Thus, knowledge of the expectations of medical students of lectures is a crucial factor.

METHOD
1,029 medical students at ten German medical schools were surveyed with a questionnaire in a cross-sectional design.

RESULTS
Items perceived as most important were knowledge of disorders (73 %), medical skills in handling children and adolescents (61 %), and differential diagnosis of normal and abnormal child behaviour in children and adolescents (59 %). 71 % set a high value on patient presentation, while 41 % expressed ethical concerns about presenting mentally ill minors in lectures.

CONCLUSIONS
The expectations of medical students toward CAP lectures are mainly related to the transfer of specialty-related knowledge and generic skills. The important area of teaching attitudes could best be covered via patient presentations, which are desired by most students. However, ethical concerns over patient presentation also need to be discussed with students.


For the purposes of biodiversity conservation and wildlife management it is becoming increasingly important to monitor mammals in urban environments as well as protected areas. While previous studies suggested road kill records collected by local governments as useful information sources to monitor urban wildlife populations, it is essential that the utility of road kill records are evaluated. In this study, we focused on the characteristics of road kill records' locations with its surrounding land use and roads, and compared its output with existing research. We found through the analysis of 997 mammalian road kill records of 10 species, that they were most commonly located at the vicinity of multiple-laned busy roads. Furthermore, road kill density distribution trends did not differ greatly between forested, agricultural or urban areas, with the majority in close proximity to each land use type. Our findings show that local government road kill records agree more with existing wildlife research results than citizen-reporting bias. We conclude the utility of road kill records are sufficient to monitor mammals in urban setups.


Historians are recording the remarkable growth and development of psychiatry as a specialty. As a result of such rapid change, the psychiatrist has been faced with the need to assume greater community responsibility. From the role of psychiatric outpatient clinician, with relatively few patients in his charge, the psychiatrist is being urged to take on roles such as "mental health" director and "mental health" consultant, where potentially the entire local community is involved. With this rapid expansion of the "mental health" movement into the area of health promotion, communities are discovering that their already overtaxed psychiatric facilities are unable to meet the new demands. Consequently, pressures are placed on the psychiatrist to yield the priority of clinical treatment to psychiatrically nontraditional professional functions. A recent study of "Role Relations in the Mental Health Professions" suggests that there is an increasing need for psychiatrists to recognize new role


A fertility study was undertaken on fixed time cervical artificial insemination in Deccani ewes at 48 and 56 h of sponge removal after estrus synchronization with progesterone impregnated intravainal sponges containing 350 mg of progesterone in situ for 12 days followed by eCG injection at the time of the sponge removal. For this study a total of 70 non pregnant, healthy maiden (above 1 year age) and 2 months post partum Deccani ewes with good body condition score (3) were selected after screening with ultrasound scanner twice at an interval of 20 days and were maintained in semiintensive feeding system. Four matured fertile Deccani rams aged 2-5 years with good breeding soundness and producing good quality semen were selected and maintained separately. Ram semen was collected and evaluated for motility, viable count and concentration and it was diluted with EYC, TFCEY and CME diluents to get final concentration of 400 million spermatozoa in 0.2 ml of semen. Fresh diluted semen was having ≥ 70 per cent progressive motility and ≥70 per cent viable count and chilled (5 0 C) and 24 h stored semen having ≥ 500 per cent progressive motility and ≥60 per cent viable count was used for fixed time cervical artificial insemination. All the ewes selected were synchronized for estrus. At the end of synchronization ewes were randomly allocated to group 1, 2 and 3 consisting of 10, 30 and 30 ewes in the respective groups. In group 1 termed as "control", ewes were bred with natural service. Group 2 and 3 were further subdivided to A, B and C each consisting of 10 ewes. Ewes in groups 2A, 2B and 2C were inseminated with semen diluted with EYC, TFCEY and CME as fresh, respectively. Ewes in groups 3A, 3B and 3C were inseminated with semen diluted with EYC, TFCEY and CME, chilled at 5 0 C and stored for 24 h. Although CME recommended for room temperature storage after semen dilution, motility and other parameters were not maintained up to 24 h at room temperature storage. Hence, the same diluted semen was stored at refrigeration temperature (5 0 C) and used for insemination. Ewes were observed for estrus from 12 h to 108 h after intravaginal sponge withdrawal. Pregnancy diagnosis was conducted on 30, 45 and 50 th days after artificial insemination by using ultrasonography and group wise conception rates were recorded. The efficacy of synchronized estrus was measured in terms of estrus response rate, interval between sponge removal and onset of estrus, duration of estrus and estrus intensity. The mean estrus response rate recorded was 78.57 per cent. The average time taken for onset of estrus was 36.61±1.86 h and ranged from 24 to 50 h after sponge removal. Estrus response was observed in 78.18 per cent of ewes between 24 h to 48 h after sponge withdrawal. The mean duration of estrus recorded was 30.48±1.8 h ranged from 20-48 h. A significant negative correlation of the estrus onset interval and duration of estrus was found. Estrus intensity was graded on 1 to 5 scale (high to low) and 30.00, 25.71, 11.43, 11.43 and 21.43 per cent ewes exhibited the respective estrus grades. The conception rates in respective estrus intensity grades were 76.19, 50.00, 62.50, 37.50 and 13.33 per cent and concluded that there was significant positive correlation between estrus intensity and conception rate. Conception rate obtained using freshly diluted semen in group 2A, 2B and 2C were 60.0, 50.0 and 50.0 per cent, respectively. Whereas, 50.0, 30.0 and 40.0 per cent conception rates were recorded in group 3A, 3B and 3C, respectively with the usage of chilled and stored semen. The overall conception rates achieved diluent wise were 55.0, 40.0 and 45.0 per cent, respectively for EYC, TFCEY and CME groups. As there was no significant difference in between the groups it was concluded that the three diluents were equally effective in preserving the Deccani ram semen for 24 h at refrigeration temperature without impairing the fertility. In between the diluents also there was no significant difference in terms of conception rate. In control group conception rate recorded was 70.0 per cent and did not find any significant difference when compared with experimental diluents in other two test groups i.e. group 2 (bred with fresh semen) and group 3 (bred with chilled and stored semen) and concluded that synchronization and fixed time artificial insemination can be used in ewes without much decrease in fertility when compared with the natural service. Age wise conception rate was 66.67, 47.06, 40.00 and 37.50 per cent, respectively in ≤2, 2-4, 4-6 and >6 years age groups. Difference between overall 25 days non return rate and conception rate using ultrasonography was 37.14 per cent and concluded that non return rate as method of an early pregnancy diagnosis is questionable. Accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis using transrectal ultrasonography at 30 days gestational age was 91.42 per cent and on 45 th day it was increased to cent per cent. Some of the fetal parameters for Deccani sheep breed were mean Placentome Diameter (PLD) at 30 th day of gestation was 0.96 cm; at 45 th day of gestation mean PLD, Amniotic Sac Diameter (ASD) and Crown Rump Length (CRL) were 1.86, 4.32 and 1.95 cm, respectively and at 50 th day of gestation mean PLD, Fetal Abdominal Diameter (FAD) and Bi Parietal Diameter (BPD) were 2.00, 2.08 and 1.62 cm, respectively. The study concluded that even though there was no much difference in between three experimental semen diluents; EYC diluent is recommended for liquid ram semen storage at 5 0 C even up to 24 h for fixed time artificial insemination in Deccani ewes as it is easy to prepare and economical. FTAI fertility rates in Deccani ewes were similar to natural service. Hence, estrus synchronization with progesterone sponges and FTAI can be recommended for breeding in Deccani sheep flocks managed in villages of this region as a tool of assisted reproductive technology to increase the productivity of this breed and at the same time to conserve this valuable germplasm.


With the rapid development of deep learning, deep reinforcement learning (DRL) began to appear in the field of resource scheduling in recent years. Based on the previous research on DRL in the literature, we introduce online resource scheduling algorithm DeepRM2 and the offline resource scheduling algorithm DeepRM_Off. Compared with the state-of-the-art DRL algorithm DeepRM and heuristic algorithms, our proposed algorithms have faster convergence speed and better scheduling efficiency with regarding to average slowdown time, job completion time and rewards.


Abstract This paper examines player pianos in Portugal between the 1890s and the 1930s. In a small European country with few production facilities, mechanical music developed in a particular way since a local recording industry was expanding rapidly and radio was not yet disseminated. Despite the local market's reliance on imported goods, the music business concentrated on Portuguese pieces. The mechanisation of the piano and its display as a product that embodied modernity illustrates the transformations that took place in Portugal at the beginning of the 20th century. These were reflected in new forms of entertainment, such as cinemas and nightclubs that incorporated new music genres. At the dawn of the century, the leisure market relied on the popular music theatre, which was dominated by Portuguese, French and Spanish music. In the interwar period, English and American pieces made their way into people's lives, transforming the music business.


To date, experiences with technical textiles have largely been focused on performance related aspects of a fabric developed for specific applications such as sports, health or safety (Shishoo 2005), and methodological problems remain with the techniques employed to measure what is a complex of effect and affect (Bartels 2005, Jordan 2000). However, there has been little in the way of empirical research into personal human experience with technical fabrics in context, with the notable exception perhaps of Entwistle who examines in depth the kinesthetic properties of particular garments, resulting in heightened awareness of the body (Entwistle & Wilson 2001) and Candy, who analyses feelings of well being and the performance of socially meaningful demeanours (Candy 2007a, Candy 2007b). We wish to extend this embodied view of textiles in order to realise the potential of smart and technical fabrics and sensory environments as tools for wellbeing, mental health and personal expression. This paper describes the work of an interdisciplinary group of practitioners and researchers investigating the development and application of textile stretch sensors on the body (Breedon et al 2008), figures 1 and 2. Understanding that such tactile products and materials may offer beneficial contexts for in-the-moment and expressive therapeutic techniques (Jones 2010, Jones & Wallis 2005), we describe the early stages of our collaborative development of an evaluation framework based on person-centred principles and outline the future work planned.


Currently, Tourism is an inseparable part of life in modern society. Tired with routine urban activities, triggering the development of nature tourism as a place of recreation that is most in demand. Therefore, this research was conducted to determine the role of community participation and land-use change in the Kampoeng Ciherang Tourism Area, to realize sustainable tourism management in the Covid-19 pandemic. The method used in this research was data collection using primary and secondary data, by directly observing the current conditions of Kampoeng Ciherang Tourism Area, which was supported by the availability of secondary data from the relevant agencies. This research discussed community participation in the management of Kampoeng Ciherang Tourism Area, and the impact on land use from tourism activities, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The results of this study indicated that in managing tourism, the Tourism Area of Kampung Ciherang had not been able to realize sustainable tourism management especially during the Covid-19 pandemic period, this could be seen from the low level of community participation because tourism management was still fully held by the private sector as the owner of facilities and infrastructure and government as supervisors, even though the change in land use did not experience significant changes at the tourist site. If it does not pay attention to sustainable tourism management, it is feared that in the future there will be an uncontrolled conversion of land from these activities.


The Batain coast area in eastern Oman is dominated by allochthonous Permian to Late Maastrichtian sedimentary and volcanic rocks (Batain Group), unconformably overlain by neoautochthonous Tertiary sediments. The allochthonous rocks of the Batain coast were previously attributed to the Hawasina complex, the Permian to Coniacian/Santonian sedimentary infill of the neo‐Tethyan Hawasina basin off northern Oman. Previous structural interpretations suggested that the Batain Group, along with the Hawasina complex and the Semail ophiolite, was obducted in the Coniacian to Campanian from NE to SW onto the northern Oman continental margin. Results of our work in the Batain area differ from previous interpretations, with most significant differences concerning timing and direction of obduction. Our results show that WNW directed tectonic movements formed a fold‐and‐thrust belt and led to the obduction of allochthonous rocks onto the east Oman continental margin during latest Maastrichtian/earliest Paleocene times. This is coeval with emplacement of ophiolitic fragments along the eastern coast of Oman (eastern ophiolite belt) but is about 15–20 Myr later than emplacement of Hawasina complex and Semail ophiolite in northern Oman. Postemplacement structural evolution during the Tertiary involved intraplate extension, possibly reflecting the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden opening, and late Tertiary shortening related to convergence between Arabia and Eurasia. Late Tertiary contractional deformation resulted in refolding of the Batain nappes and in folding of the overlying Tertiary sediments. A palinspastic reconstruction of the Batain area indicates that the Permian to Upper Cretaceous sediments were formerly deposited in the Batain basin, a part of the proto‐Indian Ocean, along the present‐day eastern Oman margin. This leads us to propose that Permian breakup of Gondwanaland created both continental margins of Oman and led to the opening of two major basins: the neo‐Tethyan Hawasina basin in the north and the proto‐Indian Ocean Batain basin in the east, the latter separating Arabia from greater India.


Three trajectory classes culminating in substance use disorder (SUD) were discerned in a longitudinal study of boys from ages 10-12 to 22 years. Neurobehavior disinhibition, parental SUD, socioeconomic status, and affiliation with deviant peers were measured at baseline. Approval of socially nonnormative behavior was measured at ages 10-12, 12-14, 16, and 19 years. Two high-risk trajectories, indicated by increasing approval of antisociality and progressive social maladjustment during adolescence (SUD rate = 72.7%) and stable high level of disturbance (SUD rate = 85%), were identified. Individual characteristics (neurobehavior disinhibition) in conjunction with contextual factors (low socioeconomic status, parental SUD, affiliation with deviant friends) promote approval of antisociality during adolescence and a high rate of SUD by young adulthood.


This article takes as its starting-point the fourfold concept of Eurocentrism developed in postcolonial studies and global history. Against this backdrop, it traces the treatment of non-Western societies throughout Marx's work. His 1853 articles on India are shown to be Eurocentric in every respect. They are partly based on a travel narrative written by Francois Bernier. Bernier's text is analyzed in some detail as one of Marx's sources. Marx's treatment of the 1857-59 Indian rebellions also displays Eurocentric traits. However his writings on British colonialism in Ireland begin to break with the Eurocentric mould. The Marxian critique of political economy is, in contrast, saturated with Orientalist motifs. The late work is however quite different in this respect. Both in the excerpts from his readings from 1879 on and in his discussions with the Russian Social Revolutionaries, it is evident that Marx breaks with Eurocentrism. The development of Marx's thought thus shows that the somewhat hasty dismissal which he is frequently subjected to in postcolonial studies is, in many cases, inadequately thought out. The fact remains however that Marxists striving to apprehend global capitalism, historical progress and contingent development have something to learn from postcolonial studies.


Deep learning (DL) technologies are becoming a buzzword these days, especially for breast histopathology image tasks, such as diagnosing, due to the high performance obtained in image classification. Among deep learning types, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) are the most common types of DL models utilized for medical image diagnosis and analysis. However, CNN suffers from high computation cost to be implemented and may require to adapt huge number of parameters. Thus, and in order to address this issue; several pre-trained models have been established with the predefined network architecture. In this study, a transfer learning model based on Visual Geometry Group with 16-layer deep model architecture (VGG16) is utilized to extract high-level features from the BreaKHis benchmark histopathological images dataset. Then, multiple machine learning models (classifiers) are used to handle different Breast Cancer (BC) histopathological image classification tasks mainly: binary and multiclass with eight-class classifications. The experimental results on the public BreakHis benchmark dataset demonstrate that the proposed models are better than the previous works on the same dataset. Besides, the results show that the proposed models are able to outperform recent classical machine learning algorithms.


In 1998, the Peruvian Ministry of Health (MOH) issued quality of care norms to ensure that family planning providers respond to clients' reproductive health care needs and goals. In mid-1999, the Population Council collaborated with the MOH on a study to determine whether length of counseling sessions affects amount of information provided. The study focused on 19 health centers in 10 urban areas. Six simulated clients (women posing as clients) made a total of 114 visits to the health centers during June–July 1999. Each client was trained to say that she wanted to switch from the rhythm method to a more effective method. After counseling, she chose the injectable Depo-Provera but stated that she wished to consult her husband before beginning use. To assess the quality of counseling, simulated clients completed a checklist after each visit, indicating what information had been given. This brief concludes that family planning providers in Peru need to focus more closely on giving clients relevant information on their chosen method and asking key questions to make the most effective use of the time available for client counseling.


In this paper we propose a Sequential Ensemble Classification (SEC) technique which is designed to tackle the problem of learning from a data set with an extremely unbalanced distribution of instances among the classes. This system employs a specific decomposition technique that reduces the degree of unbalance in the data by transforming multi-class problem into a sequence of binary class problems. We investigate two different implementations of the proposed method, one based on an ensemble of homogeneous classifiers and a second based on a heterogeneous ensemble of classifiers. A real-world medical data set has been chosen as a case study for the investigation of the proposed method. The data is highly unbalanced, consists of a wide range of class values, some of which contain only a few instances, and which is voluminous. Our experimental results show that both schemes of the SEC system are able to outperform standalone classifiers, with the highest performance being achieved by the homogeneous design of the system.


The ability to construct nitrate maps in the Southern Ocean (SO) from sparse observations is important for marine biogeochemistry research, as it offers a geographical estimate of biological productivity. The goal of this study is to infer the skill of constructed SO nitrate maps using varying data sampling strategies. The mapping method uses multivariate empirical orthogonal functions (MEOFs) constructed from nitrate, salinity, and potential temperature (N-S-T) fields from a biogeochemical general circulation model simulation Synthetic N-S-T datasets are created by sampling modeled N-S-T fields in specific regions, determined either by random selection or by selecting regions over a certain threshold of nitrate temporal variances. The first 500 MEOF modes, determined by their capability to reconstruct the original N-S-T fields, are projected onto these synthetic N-S-T data to construct time-varying nitrate maps. Normalized root-mean-square errors (NRMSEs) are calculated between the constructed nitrate maps and the original modeled fields for different sampling strategies. The sampling strategy according to nitrate variances is shown to yield maps with lower NRMSEs than mapping adopting random sampling. A k-means cluster method that considers the N-S-T combined variances to identify key regions to insert data is most effective in reducing the mapping errors. These findings are further quantified by a series of mapping error analyses that also address the significance of data sampling density. The results provide a sampling framework to prioritize the deployment of biogeochemical Argo floats for constructing nitrate maps.


Above-ground biomass of forest is one of the most critical variables for measuring the ecological system productivity of forest.Monitoring forest above-ground biomass provides the basis for exploring the carbon cycle of a forest ecological system.In this regard,forest biomass is of importance to research and applications in forest ecological systems.However,the distribution of forest biomass in the arid-semiarid region based on vegetation index has been far less than clear. Soil erosion is serious across the Loess Plateau,and the environment is incrementally degraded. Studying the forest above-ground biomass over a typical region in the Loess Plateau,the Yanhe basin,would provide valuable reference for reconstruction of vegetation over this region.The authors extracted broadleaf forest information from remote sensing,achieving a classification accuracy of 80.4%.Based on images acquired by Satellite HJ-1 in the growing season in year 2009 and samples collected over the study area,the forest above-ground biomass of the broadleaf forest in the Yanhe basin was estimated by empirical models of remote sensing.We calculated the correlation between five vegetation indices,i.e.,Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI), Ratio Vegetation Index(RVI),Atmospherically Resistant Vegetation Index(ARVI),Modified Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index(MSAVI),and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index(SAVI)with the above-ground biomass of the forest,indicating that ARVI seems to be the best index reflecting the above-ground biomass.A forest biomass model was subsequently built based on ARVI.The F test examination showed that the above-ground biomass of the forest was correlated significantly with ARVI,suggesting a correlation coefficient of 0.8114.Based on the simulated biomass,the relationships between the biomass and natural-social factors were examined in detail.Factors affecting the spatial distribution of the biomass were extensively discussed.Results showed that in the study basin,the mean biomass of the above-ground broadleaf forest was around 34.45 t/hm2, and the maximum was roughly 209.2 t/hm2.Characteristics of the spatial distribution indicated that the biomass was higher in the south and middle areas whereas lower in the north,east,and west. Climate,terrain,species,and human activities jointly affected the development of the vegetation, among which,water status was a key factor affecting the status of the vegetation.It is also shown that the area of human activities was generally proportional to the location with high biomass.The above-ground biomass of the broadleaf forest in developed regions was found to be generally higher than that in developing regions.


As consumer interest in organic products continues to grow, brands are increasingly adding organic variants to their product lines. However, consumer evaluations of these actions are not straightforward and differ for brands with various associations or within different product contexts. Previous research has shown that products with credence attributes, such as organic products, are often judged by brand name and consumersi¯ existing brand associations. The current study adds to previous work on brand equity and brand associations by explicitly considering the context and characteristics of these branded organic products. First, a pretest determined the existing brandsi¯ corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate ability (CA) associations. Next, an online experiment tested consumersi¯ perceptions of brand equity, consumersi¯ trust in the brands and consumersi¯ purchase intentions, which were analyzed using a fully parallel, multiple-mediator process model with the experimental conditions as independent variables. The results show that brand equity increases most when a brand associated with both CA and CSR introduces an organic product. In addition, consumers trust this brand more compared to brands that are less strongly associated with CSR. Moreover, the intention to purchase organic products increases as brand equity increases, but the intention to purchase organic products does not increase as trust increases. Based on these results, we conclude that brands aiming to increase their value to positively affect consumersi¯ purchase intentions of their organic products benefit most when they are highly associated with both CSR and CA.


Bakanae is one of the major diseases of rice in Bangladesh and causes substantial yield loss. To control the disease eleven fungicides from different fungicidal groups were evaluated for their efficacy against seed-borne fungus, F. moniliforme as seed treatment both in the laboratory and in the seed-bed during 2011 and 2012. In the laboratory the fungicides were evaluated at three concentration levels viz 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5 gm/L/kg seeds. Overall performance of the fungicides was found to be better in suppressing the seed-borne F. monilifome and increasing seed germination. Among the fungicides, Bavistin, Sunphanate, Nativo and Carzeb completely inhibiting the growth of F. moniliformeinvitro condition at their low (2.5 gm/L) concentration. Efficacy of the fungicides reduced to some extent when the treated seeds were washed with fresh water except Bavistin. Maximum (85%) average germination was found in Bavistin and Greenzeb treated seeds. The promising fungicides further evaluated to control seedling infection at low (2.5 gm/L) concentration and resulted significant reduction of bakanae infected seedlings in pot soil and in seed bed. Bangladesh Rice j. 2015, 19(1): 49-55