Avoidance of immunosurveillance is presently considered as a hallmark of cancer. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is a cytosolic enzyme which metabolizes L-tryptophan to kynurenines and induces T cell suppression either directly on T cells, or by altering antigen presenting cell function and generating regulatory T cells (Treg). Recently, IDO expression by cancer cells and/or cancer-associated stromal cells has been correlated with the induction of immune dysfunction by human solid tumors, such as ovarian and colon cancer. It has been previously shown that IDO may be expressed by human acute myeloid leukemia, where it promotes the differentiation of Treg cells (Curti A et al. Blood2007;109:2871–7). Cyclooxygenase (COX) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of prostaglandins and exists in two isoforms, COX-1 and COX-2. COX-2 is over-expressed by several tumor types and reportedly affects multiple pathways involved in tumorigenesis, including angiogenesis, invasion, and tumor-induced immune suppression. The present study aimed to determine whether COX-2 inhibitors may interfere with the IFN-γ-induced expression of IDO-1 in leukemia cells. The IDO-negative HL-60 acute myeloid leukemia cells, characterized by a CD34 − CD33 + CD119 + phenotype, were challenged with 100 ng/ml IFN-γ, a well-known inducer of IDO. Cytokine-treated HL-60 cells markedly up-regulated IDO-1 mRNA (~ 66-fold after 96 hours of culture) and protein and released a significant amount of kynurenines (12.58±2.66 μM after 72 hours and 19.21±9.8 μM after 96 hours of culture compared with 1.35±0.36 μM and 1.31±0.42 μM from untreated HL-60 cells; p =0.0004). This was associated with an average 35% depletion of tryptophan from culture supernatants. Not unexpectedly, IFN-γ-treated HL-60 cells promoted the in vitro conversion of naive allogeneic CD4+CD25− T cells into bona fide CD4 + CD25 + FoxP3 + Treg cells. Phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)-1 could be detected in HL-60 cells starting from 48 hours of IFN-γ treatment, but not in untreated HL-60 cells, and its expression kinetics and relative amount closely paralleled those of IDO-1. IFN-γ strongly induced COX-2 mRNA (average fold-induction equal to 17.7±1.37 compared with untreated HL-60 cells) and protein. Conversely, IFN-γ exerted no appreciable effects on the expression levels of the tryptophan transporter molecule (LAT-1/CD98 receptor complex) on HL-60 leukemia cells. The addition of 100 μM nimesulide, a preferential COX-2 inhibitor, to HL-60 cells that were pre-treated with IFN-γ as above detailed translated into an average 54% reduction of kynurenines in culture supernatants (18.78±4.02 μM in the absence of nimesulide compared with 8.75±3.26 μM in cultures established with the drug; p = 0.0082). Superimposable results in terms of kynurenine production and tryptophan depletion were recorded in cultures of HL-60 cells that were simultaneously established with IFN-γ and nimesulide. Exposure to nimesulide attenuated mRNA signals for IDO-1, suggesting that the overall inhibition of IDO activity leading to suppressed kynurenine synthesis might also be attributed to the reduction of IDO-1 gene transcription. Interestingly, nimesulide diminished the expression of phosphorylated STAT-1 in HL-60 cells, indicating the involvement of this signaling pathway in the regulation of IDO-1 expression. In a further set of experiments, aspirin was added for 24 hours at 1 mM (final concentration) to IFN-γ-treated HL-60 cells in order to investigate its effects on IDO expression and function. In good agreement with the above results with nimesulide, aspirin promoted an average 65% inhibition of kynurenine release from IFN-γ-treated HL-60 cells and abrogated tryptophan consumption from culture supernatants. Collectively, these data suggest that COX-2 inhibition might be exploited as a valuable strategy to interfere with IDO-mediated tryptophan catabolism and hopefully to interfere with the tumor-induced immune dysfunction.


Abstract We draw a connection between the model-theoretic notions of modularity (or one-basedness), orthogonality and internality, as applied to difference fields, and questions of descent in in algebraic dynamics. In particular we prove in any dimension a strong dynamical version of Northcott's theorem for function fields, answering a question of Szpiro and Tucker and generalizing a theorem of Baker's for the projective line. The paper comes in three parts. This first part contains an exposition some of the main results of the model theory of difference fields, and their immediate connection to questions of descent in algebraic dynamics. We present the model-theoretic notion of internality in a context that does not require a universal domain with quantifier-elimination. We also note a version of canonical heights that applies well beyond polarized algebraic dynamics. Part II sharpens the structure theory to arbitrary base fields and constructible maps where in part I we emphasize finite base change and correspondences. Part III will include precise structure theorems related to the Galois theory considered here, and will enable a sharpening of the descent results for non-modular dynamics.


Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent shutdown of regular activities has resulted in an unprecedented and abrupt rise in stressors for families, including lost support systems and financial hardships Previous studies have shown that caregiver stress elevates the risks associated with an increase in child abuse and neglect Hypothesis: The COVID-19-induced shutdown of regular activity will result in an increase in child abuse cases Objective: To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of child abuse cases presenting to a Child Advocacy Center (CAC) Methods: A data review of the CAC client tracking database done to determine the volume of new child abuse cases presenting to the CAC during an eight-week period in 2020 (3/3 - 4/25) and compared with data derived during the same time frame in 2019 (historical controls) The busiest CAC (Census in 2019=3424) in the state provides comprehensive multidisciplinary services to children and families in the county with reported allegations of severe physical abuse (ages 10 years and younger) and sexual abuse (ages 12 years and younger) Statistical analysis was done using SPSS for Windows version 26 Results: The total number of cases for the 8-week study period in 2019 was 573, compared to 297 in 2020, indicating a 48% (p=0 009) decline in volume The weekly trend (with associated events) is illustrated in the figure On-site child abuse medical evaluations were 156 in 2019, and 52 exams in 2020, a decline of 66% (p=0 003) There were 89 (F=61, M=28) sexual abuse examinations in 2019, and only 33 (F=21, M=12) in 2020, a 63% decline Similarly, the number of physical abuse examinations declined from 67 (F=30, M=37) in 2019 to 19 (F=7, M=12) in 2020, a 72% decline No significant associations were detected between the two time periods in terms of the type of abuse or the sex or age of the child Discussion: There were significantly fewer reports of child abuse during this COVID pandemic time belying expectations Usually, the highest percentage of reports are from schools (20%) and with school closures and shelter at home orders, access to mandated reporters is limited It is critical that mechanisms for surveillance, reporting, and intervention are in place, particularly related to domestic violence and child abuse It is speculated that when Covid-19 related measures are lifted, there may be an enormous spike in referrals Conclusion: Despite the concurrent elevation in multiple risk factors, there was a significant decline in the number of child abuse cases and medical evaluations at our child advocacy center during the COVID-19 pandemic This may be a result of under reporting due to school closures and shelter at home orders


An electron rich conjugated microporous polymer (CMP) was prepared after reacting a dithienothiophene (DTT) derivative and benzene as co-monomers by Suzuki-Miyaura polycondensation. Gas sorption measurements revealed a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area of 421 m2g−1 for the network. Its chemical oxidation was performed via iodine exposure, which is fully reversible with ammonia treatment resulting in a complete removal of the oxidants. This was observed in a decrease and recovery of the initial porosity due to reversible introduction and removal of iodide within the micropores, which could also be monitored by IR and UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy during the RedOx process.


Classification of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules can provide useful indicators for estimating the risk of lung cancer. In this study, an improved random forest (RF) algorithm is proposed for classification of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules in thoracic computed tomography images. First, an improved random walk algorithm is proposed to automatically segment pulmonary nodules. Then, intensity, geometric and texture features based on the grey-level co-occurrence matrix, rotation invariant uniform local binary pattern and Gabor filter methods are combined to generate an effective and discriminative feature vector. Mutual information is employed to reduce the dimensionality. Finally, an improved RF classifier is trained to classify benign and malignant nodules. An appropriate feature subset is selected by the bootstrap method and an effective combination method is introduced to predict a class label. The proposed classification method on the lung images dataset consortium dataset achieves a sensitivity of 0.92 and the area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve of 0.95. An additional evaluation is performed on another dataset coming from General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command. A mean sensitivity and a mean specificity of the proposed method are 0.85 and 0.82, respectively. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves the satisfactory classification performance.


The development objective of the Zhejiang Qiandao Lake and Xin'an River Basin Water Resources and Ecological Environment Protection Project for China is to demonstrate integrated pollution and watershed management and increase access to improved water supply in selected landscapes in support of the Government Qiandao lake and Xin'an river basin protection program. Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (1) strict requirements of the construction team in accordance with environmental protection requirements to discharge construction wastewater, regular cleaning of construction waste, and daily cleaning of construction waste; (2) carry out environmental management plan strictly according to environmental impact report; (3) top soil will be concentrated and backfilled in the process of temporary land occupation; (4) negotiate grave removal procedures with affected households; and (5) strict requirements, the construction party will be built within the specified time, night construction is strictly prohibited, put an end to the construction behavior which will affect the daily life of farmers.


Context. The observations of the proplyds in the Orion Nebula Cluster, exhibiting clear evidence of ongoing photoevaporation, have provided clear proof of the role of externally induced photoevaporation in the evolution of circumstellar disks. NGC 6611 is an open cluster suitable for study of disk photoevaporation, due to its significant population of massive members and stars with disk. In a previous paper, we obtained evidence of the influence of the strong UV field generated by the massive cluster members on the evolution of disks around low-mass Pre-Main Sequence members. Our study was based on a multiband BVIJHK and X-ray catalog compiled for the purpose of selecting cluster members with and without disk. Aims. We attempt to complete the list of candidate cluster members, using data at longer wavelengths obtained with Spitzer/IRAC, and we reinvestigate the effects of UV radiation on the evolution of disks in NGC 6611. Methods. In a field of view of 33 � × 34 � centered on the cluster, we select the candidate members with disks of NGC 6611 using IRAC color–color diagrams and suitable reddening-free color indices. Using the X-ray data to select Class III cluster members, we also estimate disks frequency relative to the intensity of the incident radiation emitted by massive members. Results. We identify 458 candidate members with circumstellar disks, among which 146 had not been discovered previously. By comparing all color indices used to select cluster members with disk, we claim that these indices measure the excess of radiation due to the emission of the same physical region of the disk (i.e. the inner rim at the dust sublimation radius). Our new results confirm that UV radiation from massive stars affects the evolution of nearby circumstellar disks.


OBJECTIVES
To determine the effectiveness of triple androgen blockade as an alternative to watchful waiting, radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy in the management of patients with clinical stage T1 to T3 prostate cancer.

METHODS
The records of 110 consecutive patients were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were treated with a three-drug androgen blockade regimen, consisting of a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist (leuprolide or goserelin) plus an antiandrogen (flutamide or bicalutamide) plus finasteride (a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor), followed by finasteride maintenance therapy, as the sole intervention. All patients refused local therapy and had their prostates intact. Determinants of efficacy included serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and disease-specific survival.

RESULTS
Patients were treated for a median of 13 months with triple androgen blockade. At baseline, mean PSA level was 13.2 +/- 1.2 ng/ml (range, 0.39-100 ng/ml), and mean Gleason score was 6.6 +/- 0.1 (range, 4-10). During treatment, PSA levels declined to < or =0.1 ng/ml in all patients, with a median time of 3 months. After a median follow-up of 36 months since initiation of treatment, PSA levels have remained stable in 105 of 110 patients (95.5%). At a median follow-up of 55 months (range, 38-125 months), the mean PSA level for the first 57 patients treated in this series is 1.88 +/- 0.1 (range, 0-11.0 ng/ml). Only 9 of 110 (8.1%) patients have a PSA level > or =4.0 ng/ml. To date, no patient has received a second cycle of hormone blockade.

CONCLUSIONS
Although median follow-up is short, triple androgen blockade therapy followed by finasteride maintenance appears to be a promising alternative for the management of patients with clinically localized or locally advanced prostate cancer. Further study of this approach is warranted.


Objective The addition of cystatin C to creatinine in calculating the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is known to improve the risk prediction for cardiovascular events. We sought to investigate the associations between eGFRs calculated by three Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations and coronary plaque phenotype by optical coherence tomography. Patients and methods We analyzed 181 nonculprit plaques from 116 coronary artery disease patients. For each patient, the eGFR was calculated using the CKD-EPIcreatinine, CKD-EPIcystatin C, and CKD-EPIcombination equations. Patients were divided into three categories according to the eGFR calculated by each equation (≥90, 60–89, and <60 ml/min/1.73 m2). Results The prevalence of thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) was correlated inversely with eGFR calculated using CKD-EPIcystatin C and CKD-EPIcombination equations, but not using the CKD-EPIcreatinine equation. The best cut-off values of eGFR calculated by these two equations for differentiating TCFA were 83 and 84 ml/min/1.73 m2, respectively. Compared with the CKD-EPIcreatinine equation, patients who were reclassified upward or downward categories by the CKD-EPIcystatin C equation were associated with consistently lower [adjusted odds ratio=0.27, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.08–0.86] and higher (adjusted odds ratio=2.41, 95% CI, 1.08–5.41) prevalence for TCFA, respectively. The net reclassification improvement with cystatin C, compared with creatinine, was 0.45 (95% CI, 0.20–0.69) for TCFA, 0.38 (95% CI, 0.09–0.67) for thrombus, and 0.21 (95% CI, 0.00–0.42) for cholesterol crystals. Results were generally similar for the CKD-EPIcombination equation. Conclusion The use of cystatin C alone or in combination with creatinine, compared with creatinine alone, for GFR estimation strengthens the associations between the eGFR and prevalence of vulnerable plaque characteristics.


For the feature selection and parameter optimization of LS-SVM, propose a At first, a population of Particles (feature subsets) was randomly generated, then the features and parameters are optimized by PSO algorithm. The experiments on the UCI database indicate that the proposed method can efficiently find the suitable feature subsets and LS-SVM parameters. Also, comparison are made against GALS-SVM and LS-SVM; and the results show that the proposed PSOLS-SVM outperform the others in classification performance.


The ability of insulin to increase both [14C]-glucose incorporation into fatty acids and pyruvate dehydrogenase activity in incubated rat epididymal adipose tissues was considerably lessened after adrenalectomy. Insulin antagonism of adrenaline-stimulated lipolysis in isolated fat cells was abolished after adrenalectomy. Percentage stimulation of lipolysis above basal by adrenaline was not appreciably altered by adrenalectomy.


This article analyzes Ezekiel 19, arguing for its unity and for a date of composition prior to the fall of Jerusalem. It evaluates the identities of the figures mentioned in the text and proposes that the murderous lion depicted in verses 5–9 is an image of no other than Jehoiachin. These findings explain the prophet's decision to switch between the lion's image and the vine's image in the middle of the prophecy, and they also contribute to the scholarly discussion regarding Ezekiel's approach toward the exiled king.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS OF THE STUDY
During recent clinical trials, the Medtronic Parallel bileaflet heart valve was found to have an unacceptable thrombosis complication rate. As patient- and material-related factors proved negative causes for this outcome, it was hypothesized that the flow fields within the valve's hinge pocket contributed to the thrombus formation.

METHODS
A microstructural flow analysis within the hinge pocket is presented which uses the techniques of flow visualization, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV). The application of these techniques towards solving this problem has become possible through (i) the ability to manufacture dimensionally correct 1-X transparent heart valve housings, (ii) advances in CFD technology, and (iii) advances in LDV measurement techniques.

RESULTS
This analysis showed that a vortex was present at the hinge pocket's inflow channel during forward flow and degenerated to a disturbed three-dimensional structure during reverse flow with zones of turbulent shear stress large enough to cause blood cell damage. In addition, multiple zones of flow stagnation and disturbed flow existed along the leaflet's pivot throughout the entire cardiac cycle. It was felt that these complex fluid structures created conditions which resulted in the formation of thrombus within the hinges of the Medtronic Parallel valve. These findings were supported by limited clinical explant data which illustrated early thrombus formation within the Parallel valve's hinge pocket at sites predicted by the analysis.

CONCLUSIONS
This study provides, for the first time, an understanding of the detailed flow structures within the hinges of a mechanical heart valve and demonstrates an analysis technique by which future mechanical heart valve designs may be assessed for the potential of thrombus formation within the valve's hinge regions.


This paper provides a comparative analysis of the writing performance in English of African heritage students in Birmingham, England and Kingston, Jamaica. The study explores the effects of language use on the written production of English among African heritage students in two geographical locations, Birmingham, England and Kingston, Jamaica. Particular attention is drawn to the effects of Jamaican Creole usage in Jamaica and Creole/ Black British Talk in England, on the achievement levels of African heritage students. The paper argues that students' use of language may be a contributory factor to their attainment levels in English General Certificate of Secondary Education examinations in England, and Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate of the Caribbean Examinations Council in Jamaica.


In the late stages of the HIV-1 life cycle, membrane localization and self-assembly of the Gag polyproteins induce membrane deformation and budding. However, release of the immature virion requires direct interaction between Gag lattice and upstream ESCRT machinery at the budding site, followed by assembly of the downstream ESCRT-III factors, culminating in membrane scission. In this work, using "bottom-up" coarse-grained (CG) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations we investigated the interactions between Gag and different upstream ESCRT components to delineate the molecular organization of proteins at the membrane neck of the HIV-1 budding site. We developed CG models of upstream ESCRT proteins and HIV-1 structural protein Gag based on experimental structural data and extensive all-atom MD simulations. We find that ESCRT-I proteins bound to the immature Gag lattice can recruit multiple copies of ESCRT-II coating the membrane neck. ESCRT-I can effectively oligomerize to higher-order complexes both in absence of ESCRT-II and when multiple copies of ESCRT-II are localized at the bud neck. The ESCRT-I/II supercomplexes observed in our simulations exhibit predominantly extended conformations. Importantly, the ESCRT-I/II supercomplex modulates the membrane mechanical properties at the budding site by decreasing the overall Gaussian curvature of membrane neck. Our findings serve to elucidate a network of interactions between the upstream ESCRT machinery, immature Gag lattice, and membrane bud neck that regulate the protein assemblies and enable bud neck constriction.


Using the transverse Ising model theory, a ferroelectric bilayer film, considering the surface transition layer within each constituent slab and an interfacial coupling between two slabs, is investigated in the framework of the mean-field approximation. We discuss in detail the thickness effects of the spontaneous polarization and dielectric susceptibility of a ferroelectric bilayer film under two conditions of interfacial coupling: ferroelectric and antiferroelectric coupling. The results show some unexpected phenomena for a small thickness of a ferroelectric bilayer film.


The aim of this study was to examine the effect of cytokines on different subsets of NK cells, while especially focusing on CD16− CD56dim cells and CD16− CD56bright cells. When human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were cultured with a combination of IL‐2, IL‐12 and IL‐15 for several days, a minor population of CD56bright NK cells expanded up to 15%, and also showed potent cytotoxicities against various cancer cells. Sorting experiments revealed that unconventional CD16− CD56+ NK cells (CD16− CD56dim NK cells and CD16− CD56bright NK cells, both of which are less than 1% in PBMC) much more vigorously proliferated after cytokine stimulation, whereas predominant CD16+ CD56dim NK cells proliferated poorly. In addition, many of the resting CD16− CD56bright NK cells developed into CD16+ CD56bright NK cells, and CD16− CD56dim NK cells developed into CD16− CD56bright NK cells and also further into CD16+ CD56bright NK cells by the cytokines. CSFE label experiments further substantiated the proliferation capacity of each subset and the developmental process of CD16+ CD56bright NK cells. Both CD16− CD56dim NK cells and CD16− CD56bright NK cells produced large amounts of IFN‐γ and Fas‐ligands. The CD16+ CD56bright NK cells showed strong cytotoxicities against not only MHC class I (−) but also MHC class I (+) tumours regardless of their expression of CD94/NKG2A presumably because they expressed NKG2D as well as natural cytotoxicity receptors. The proliferation of CD16+ CD56bright NK cells was also induced when PBMC were stimulated with penicillin‐treated Streptococcus pyogenes, thus suggesting their role in tumour immunity and bacterial infections.


In this paper, a novel method for the fish-eye lens calibration is presented. The method required only a 2D calibration plane containing straight lines i.e., checker board pattern without a priori knowing the poses of camera with respect to the calibration plane. The image of a line obtained from fish-eye lenses is a conic section. The proposed calibration method uses raw edges, which are pixels of the image line segments, in stead of using curves obtained from fitting conic to image edges. Using raw edges is more flexible and reliable than using conic section because the result from conic fitting can be unstable. The camera model used in this work is radially symmetric model i.e., bivariate non-linear function. However, this approach can use other single view point camera models. The geometric constraint used for calibrating the camera is based on the coincidence between point and line on calibration plane. The performance of the proposed calibration algorithm was assessed using simulated and real data.


Kidney harm is most vital health issues and lots of herbal medicines are involved in case of kidney injury. World health organization (WHO) estimate that eightieth of total population used herbal drugs for some characteristic of primary health care while not any facet effects. Herbal medicine has emerged as a skilled approach with sensible values in handling various diseases and developing an affordable phytotherapy to treat severe kidney diseases. The use of herbs as nephroprotective is a major avenue in Indian perspectives particularly for treating kidneys damage, which require to be explored more successfully as there are many literatures available on these aspects. The current review is aimed toward collecting information on promising active phytoconstituents like alkaloids, benzoquinones, catechols, carotenoids, flavonoids, glycosides, flavonol glycosides, steroid glycosides, glycoalkaloids, terpenoids, monoterpenoids, diterpenoids, triterpene saponins, sterols and polyphenols from medicinal plants that are tested in nephroprotective models exploitation fashionable scientific system.


Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a model for fruit development. The tomato history has origins traced back to the early Aztecs. It was not until around the 16(th) century that Europeans were introduced to this fruit, but only as ornamental plant since it was related to nightshade belladona. Then it was accepted into the kitchen all around the world. The genome sequence of the inbred cultivar Heinz 1706 is sequenced and provides interesting insights into the fleshy evolution.


The Reproducibility Project: Cancer Biology seeks to address growing concerns about reproducibility in scientific research by replicating selected results from a substantial number of high-profile papers in the field of cancer biology. The papers, which were published between 2010 and 2012, were selected on the basis of citations and Altmetric scores (Errington et al., 2014). This Registered report describes the proposed replication plan of key experiments from 'Wnt activity defines colon cancer stem cells and is regulated by the microenvironment' by Vermeulen and colleagues, published in Nature Cell Biology in 2010 (Vermeulen et al., 2010). The key experiments that will be replicated are those reported in Figures 2F, 6D, and 7E. In these experiments, Vermeulen and colleagues utilize a reporter for Wnt activity and show that colon cancer cells with high levels of Wnt activity also express cancer stem cell markers (Figure 2F; Vermeulen et al., 2010). Additionally, treatment either with conditioned medium derived from myofibroblasts or with hepatocyte growth factor restored clonogenic potential in low Wnt activity colon cancer cells in vitro (Figure 6D; Vermeulen et al., 2010) and in vivo (Figure 7E; Vermeulen et al., 2010). The Reproducibility Project: Cancer Biology is a collaboration between the Center for Open Science and Science Exchange and the results of the replications will be published in eLife. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.07301.001


The depletion of natural resources is one of the greatest challenges with far reaching consequences if sustainable environmental management programmes are not properly put into practice in Zimbabwe. The major contending issue, however, is how the exigency of sustainable environmental management can be contextualised in light of the local indigenous knowledge systems. Although literature is abound on the recommended environmental conservation models, it is heavily influenced by western scientific discourses whose perspectives are far removed from the existential realities of local populations. In our observations, Africans were and still conscious of the devastating consequences of the unsustainable utilisation of natural resources, which the Shona people call, zvisikwa. This concept of zvisikwa is constitutive of a deep-seated symbolism whose interpretations and meanings are rooted in the religiocultural milieu of the locals. Specifically, this study is carried out among the Ndau, a Shona linguistic group in south-eastern Zimbabwe. The traditional utilisation of natural resources is systematic and rational as people acknowledge the ability of land to continue to regenerate itself. It is this perceived paradigm of indigenous knowledge systems that the study embraces as it guarantees the continuity and harmony of the socio-cultural networks that ensure the survival of rural societies.


The study was an attempt to determine the mechanism of irregular bleeding associated with the use of IUD by examining the complement c; immunoglobulin IgG, IgA, and Igm; and histamine contents in menstrual blood of IUD users. The case group included 25 patients of IUD users who came to the clinic for treatment of irregular bleeding. The control group had 20 health women currently using barrier methods of contraception. The blood contents of complement C; immunoglobulin IgG, IgA, and Igm and histamine contents of the case group were higher than in the controls. The differences between the two groups were statistically significant. The findings suggested that the irritation of a foreign body in the uterine cavity resulted in endometrium inflammation. Hence, an immuno-response occurred and an antibody was produced locally. The activated Complement C3 subsequently stimulated the giant cells to release histamine, which caused the increase in menstrual bleeding. Further studies on the immuno-response of the uterine cavity would help identify the mechanism of irregular menstrual bleeding associated with the use of the IUD.


In Saudi Arabia there are three alpha globin chain alleles alpha alpha/, -alpha/, alpha alpha T/-producing six genotypes. In this study of 12 alpha thalassaemia families, the phenotypic expression of these six genotypes is determined. Globin chain biosynthesis gave five non overlapping ratios of 0.9 +/- 0.05, 0.69 +/- 0.06, 0.5 +/- 0.03, 0.38 +/- 0.04 and 0.23 +/- 0.06. The five groups are shown to be normal, alpha thal 2 trait with genotype -alpha/ alpha alpha, mild alpha thal 1 with -alpha/-alpha and alpha alpha/alpha alpha T as genotypes, severe alpha thal 1 with genotype -alpha/alpha alpha T and Hb H disease. The red cell indices MCV, MCH and MCHC of the groups show a step ladder fall. Hb H inclusions in red cells are slight in the mild alpha thal 1 and rises to gross in Hb H disease. The latter disease also shares typical red blood cell appearances with severe alpha thal 1. Hb H disease is relatively mild with no gross bony changes.


In this paper, we show discretized Lyapunov functions for various nonlinear dynamical systems by using the method that the authors have proposed. We use Kushner's scheme of difference approximation with directions and Alcaraz et al.'s quantization of Markov processes to approximate Lyapunov equations by linear Schrödinger-like equations. We construct time-invariant functions concerned with the solutions to Schrödinger-like equations. Then, we show the effectiveness of the method via an example.


The integral part of any management process is to manage the people at work. A well managed organisation sees worker as the root cause of quality and productivity .An effective organisation will always promote a sense of commitment and satisfaction among its employees. The significance and importance of the concept of organizational commitment in terms of leading to beneficial organizational and desirable outcomes such as increased productivity, reducing absenteeism and turnover, has been documented by many studies such as those of Steers (1977); Porter et al. (1974); Reiches (1985) and Tett and Meyer (1993).

One way to address issue of employee turnover is to understand the job satisfaction and commitment level of employees. Organizations often try to foster commitment in their employees to achieve stability and reduce costly turnover. It is commonly believed that committed employees will also work harder and be more likely to "go the extra mile" to achieve organizational objectives. Research has consistently demonstrated that commitment does indeed contribute to a reduction in turnover. Motivated employees are needed in our rapidly changing workplaces. Motivated employees help organizations survive. Motivated employees are more productive. To be effective, managers need to understand what motivates employees within the context of the roles they perform. A lot of studies are conducted separately on commitment, satisfaction and motivation but very few studies are there on IT sector linking these three .So it is crucial to conduct a study on job satisfaction and organizational commitment in information technology industry and also to identify the important motivating factors to retain the highly talented workforce.

The review of related literature on Organizational commitment, Job satisfaction and Motivation has helped the researcher to identify the gap and has provided an insight to the direction of current study. The population for the study was all technical employees in the Information technology Industry in Bangalore city. For the present study data was collected with the help of structured questionnaire from 300 employees working in software industry. The study is concentrated on Bangalore IT industry. The researcher used non probabilistic sampling (purposive sampling) method as sampling design. Samples were selected from 10 top IT multinational companies. Samples were drawn from three levels of management
including entry level, middle level and top level employees. The pertinent information for the study is collected from both primary and secondary sources.

The independent variable in this study is job satisfaction. The overall Job satisfaction was measured using the 15-item questionnaire developed by Prof.Harold Andrew Patrick in 2009, designed to measure 15 aspects of job. The aspects of overall job satisfaction are job security,interest,opportunity for advancement,appreciation,company policy and management practises, intrinsic aspects of a job,salary,supervision,social aspects of job, working conditions,communication,hours,ease, benefits ,and fair treatment. Responses were collected with the help of 7 point likert scale.

The dependant variable, organizational commitment was measured using the revised Organizational Commitment Scales (Meyer, Allen and Smith 1993) that is, the Affective Commitment Scale (ACS), the Continuance Commitment Scale (CCS) and the Normative Commitment Scale (NCS) with 24 questions on 7-point Likert scales. The Kovach ten job- related factors developed by kovach , Kenneth (1999) were used to determine what motivates the employees in software industry. The respondents were asked to indicate the degree of importance of the factors and relative ranking according to motivational importance. The statistical technique used to analyse the data were descriptive statistics, The Pearson's correlation, ANOVA, Regression and Friedman test. Data was analysed with the help of SPSS.

The major findings of the study were:

1. The level of organizational commitment was moderate, with relatively higher variability in affective commitment. Mean value was highest for Continuance commitment indicating employees are staying back with the organization because of the cost of leaving the organisation or it's too much trouble to go somewhere else.

2. IT employees were showing only a moderate level of job satisfaction. Amongst the items comprising the scale for job satisfaction, the items with highest satisfaction levels were related to the social aspects of the job, working conditions (excluding working hours), interest (from intrinsic aspects of the job), job security, communication, and ease of the job (as an intrinsic aspect of the job). On the other hand, employees had lowest satisfaction levels for working hours, supervision, appreciation from management, and salary. It shows that IT employees are dissatisfied with the working hours, supervision, appreciation from management and the salary they are getting.

3. To increase the Job satisfaction and commitment it is very important to identify the motivational factors. . The most important motivational factors for IT employees were good wages, promotion/growth, job security, interesting work, and appreciation of work.

4. There was significant positive correlation of job satisfaction with affective commitment and normative commitment, and negative correlation with continuance commitment. This indicates that higher the level of job satisfaction greater the level of affective commitment and normative commitment. If employees are staying back with the organization because of the cost of leaving the organisation or it's too much trouble to go somewhere else then there will be less satisfaction.

5. Amongst the items comprising the scale for job satisfaction, the items with highest correlation with affective commitment were related to the salary, benefits, fair treatment, opportunity for advancement, and supervision. The items with moderate correlation were appreciation (from management),interest (from intrinsic aspects of job),job security and intrinsic aspects of job(excluding ease).The job satisfaction items with lowest correlation were working conditions(excluding hours),social aspects of job, and communication. So it clearly indicates the importance of salary, benefit, fair treatment, opportunity for advancement and a good supervision in increasing the positive emotional attachment to the organisation.

6. Regression analysis revealed that job satisfaction had a significant impact on Organizational commitment. Job satisfaction was found to have a significant positive impact on affective commitment, explaining 67.0% of the variation in affective commitment. Thus, when job satisfaction increases, affective commitment would tend to increase with it. Job satisfaction was not found to have a significant impact on continuance commitment, explaining only 1.2% of the variation in continuance commitment. Thus, when job satisfaction increases, continuance commitment would be expected to slightly decrease with it. Job satisfaction was found to have a significant positive impact on normative commitment, explaining 35.1% of the variation in normative commitment. Thus, when job satisfaction increases, normative commitment would tend to increase with it, but less so than affective commitment.

It is the interest of all organization to secure commitment and reduce employee turnover. So this topic has attracted the interest of many researchers. This study confirms the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational commitment. So managers need to make effort to develop human resource policies that are in alignment to the needs and motivation of the employees. The findings of this study have pointed out some salient issues in the IT field. It is imperative for IT company management to meet the demands of their personnel to strengthen their motivation, satisfaction, and commitment to minimize turnover.


The epidemiology and economics of Brucella ovis control in a hypothetical, commercial sheep flock (100 rams and 2,500 ewes) were investigated. The investigation consisted of an epidemiologic simulation model, reported here, and a decision-tree analysis, reported in a companion paper. The epidemiologic model was designed to simulate the transmission and persistence of B ovis in a ram flock during the mating season as well as the nonmating (isolation) season. A constant contact rate was selected for the nonmating season and a varying contact rate was selected for the mating season to reflect changes in numbers of ewes in estrus. These contact rates were used to evaluate all possible combinations of 5 control alternatives for flock infection rates ranging from 0% to 38%. Vaccination was found to be more effective as a control strategy when the prevalence of flock infection was high (greater than 15%); however, it did not substantially reduce B ovis transmission when the prevalence of flock infection was low (less than 10%). The effect of increasing vaccine efficacy from 40% to 80% had minimal effect on incidence of new cases. The speed with which B ovis could be eradicated depended on the initial prevalence of infection and the screening tests used (palpation, semen testing for leukocytes, and ELISA). All combinations of screening tests verified the usefulness of palpation. Simulation model results indicated that it may be feasible to eradicate B ovis from flocks with moderate to high (10% to 38%) prevalence of infection by culling on the basis of 2 sequential tests.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The financial success of a country's microfinance banks is essential for the stability of the banking system and the economy as a whole. Kenyan microfinance banks have continued to incur rising losses, indicating poor financial performance. These banks can enhance their financial performance by offering specialized financial services and solutions to decrease expenses and information imbalances. This research examines the impact of process innovations on the financial performance of Kenyan microfinance banks from 2014 to 2020. All fourteen approved microfinance banks in Kenya were polled using an unbalanced panel. Using a document review guide, secondary data from the financial records of these institutions was extracted using a census. For descriptive statistics, means and standard deviations were utilised, whilst panel multiple regression analysis and correlation analysis were utilized for inferential analysis. The study found that process changes had a statistically significant influence on the financial performance of Kenyan microfinance institutions. The findings indicate that process innovations negatively but significantly affect the financial performance of microfinance banks in Kenya. As a result of the study, it was suggested that microfinance bank management should only use process innovations when the costs of adoption and use is lower than the revenues generated.


This paper evaluates recent changes in narwhal (Monodon monoceros) catches in Siorapaluk, the northernmost community in Greenland, in consideration of the effects of changing climate and uncertainty of stock delineation. The catch statistics show a significant increase in narwhal catches by hunters in Siorapaluk after 2002, which does not appear to be a result of increased effort. Hunters attribute the increase to changed sea-ice conditions providing access by boat to Smith Sound as early as June and July. This indicates that climate change is likely to have a considerable impact on narwhal hunting in northern Greenland. Traditional ecological knowledge and scientific surveys suggest that narwhal in Smith Sound constitute an independent stock. The absence of scientific recommendations for this stock has been seen as an opportunity to increase quotas in West Greenland. Scientific management recommendations are urgently needed to allow the authorities to assign sustainable quotas for this stock. The development of collaborative management agreements and locally based monitoring are recommended to ensure local acceptance of regulations, and to allow rapid responses to climate change.


Resistivity results from a 48/spl times/48 pixelated CdZnTe (CZT) radiation detector array are presented alongside X-ray topography and detector mapping with a collimated gamma-ray beam. By using a variety of measurements performed on the same sample and registering each data set relative to the others, the spatial dependence of relationships between them was examined. The local correlations between resistivity and one measure of detector performance were strongly influenced by the positions of grain boundaries and other gross crystal defects in the sample. These measurements highlight the need for material studies of spatially heterogeneous CZT to record position information along with the parameters under study.


This paper presents the use of macro-fiber composites (MFC) for vibration reduces of structures. The MFC consist of polyimid films with IDE-electrodes that are glued on the top and the bottom of rectangular piezoceramic fibers. The interdigitated electrodes deliver the electric field required to activate the piezoelectric effect in the fibers and allows to invoke the stronger longitudinal piezoelectric effect along the length of the fibers. When this actuator embedded in a surface or attached to flexible structures, the MFC actuator provides distributed solid-state deflection and vibration control. The major advantages of the piezoelectric fibre composite actuators are their high performance, flexibility, and durability when compared with the traditional piezoceramic (PZT) actuators. In addition, the ability of MFC devices to couple the electrical and mechanical fields is larger than in monolithic PZT. In this study, we showed the experimental results that an MFC could be used as actuator to find modal parameters and reduce vibration for structures such as an aluminium beam and metal music plate. Two MFC actuators were attached to the surfaces of test subjects. First MFC actuator used to supply a signal as exciter of vibration and second MFC show his application for reduction of vibration in the range of resonance frequencies. Experimental results of aluminium beam with MFC actuators compared with finite element model which modelled in ANSYS software. The applied voltage is modelled as a thermal load according to thermal analogy for MFC. The experimental and numerical results presented in this paper confirm the potential of MFC for use in the vibration control of structures.


When cultured in the presence of specific antigen, lymphocytes from delayed hypersensitive guinea pigs release a precursor substance (ECF p ) which can be activated by specific immune complexes to yield an eosinophil chemotactic factor (ECF). The generation of ECF p like that of migration inhibition factor (MIF) is carrier specific. The immune complexes which activate ECF p must contain IgG 2 antibody with specificity directed against the antigen which was used to stimulate the lymphocytes to produce ECF p . Previous studies have shown that this reaction does not involve complement. It was not possible to dissociate MIF activity from ECF p activity by a combination of sephadex chromotography and agarose block electrophoresis. However, columns containing sepharose beads conjugated with specific antibody removed ECF p but not MIF from the supernatant fluids. Antigen-conjugated columns did not affect either activity. If the supernatants were activated with immune complexes before passage through the columns, then eosinophil activity could not be removed by either column. These results all suggest that ECF p co-precipitates with immune complexes by virtue of an antigenic fragment it contains. The activation of ECF p to ECF involves loss of this fragment.


Many large-scale scientific applications need to aggregate large amounts of data from multiple distributed sites to a centralized facility. We call such a request as a data-aggregation request (DAR). In this study, we investigate the novel problem of on-demand DAR provisioning over a wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) backbone network. We provide a mathematical formulation for our problem as a mixed integer linear program (MILP). To solve large versions of our problem, we propose a DAR provisioning heuristic (called DARP). We use the MILP with various objectives as a benchmark for studying the performance of DARP.


This paper presents results from a study of sociolinguistic variation in Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL). Specifically, it reports findings about location variation in a class of signs like know that are produced at/above the signer's forehead in their citation form, but are sometimes articulated at a lower location in everyday conversation. Eight hundred tokens of target signs from 40 signers were analyzed. As also found in studies of location 'dropping' in similar signs in American Sign Language, Australian Sign Language, and New Zealand Sign Language, variation in HKSL correlates with linguistic and social factors in a systematic way ( Lucas, Bayley, & Valli, 2001 ; Schembri, McKee, McKee, Pivac, Johnston, & Goswell, 2009 ). A comparison of findings across these four languages is presented and discussed. The results of the present study suggest that a set of forehead-located signs that express the names of deaf schools may have affected results due to their salience. The work environment (i.e., sign language related work roles) of participants may also affect 'careful' versus lowered production of forehead signs.


Photoinduced electron transfer is central to many biological processes and technological applications, such as the harvesting of solar energy and molecular electronics. The electron donor and acceptor units involved in electron transfer are often held in place by covalent bonds, p – p interactions or hydrogen bonds. Here, using time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio calculations, we reveal the existence of a new, low-energy, photoinduced electron-transfer mechanism in molecules held together by an NH ? p bond. Specifically, we capture the electron-transfer process in a pyrrole dimer, from the excited p -system of the donor pyrrole to a Rydberg orbital localized on the N-atom of the acceptor pyrrole, mediated by an N–H stretch on the acceptor molecule. The resulting charge-transfer state is surprisingly long lived and leads to efficient electronic relaxation. We propose that this relaxation pathway plays an important role in biological and technological systems containing the pyrrole building block.


The extraction of timber and firewood by rural localities within the area of influence of the Nevado de Toluca National Park shows a marked increase, of which the actual amounts of extraction are unknown. As a result, there is a need to know which forest species have a higher degree of extraction, identify percentages and determine forms of use. The methodology was carried out through a stratified random sampling in pine (Pinus hartwegii), fir (Abies religiosa), alder (Alnus jorullensis) and oak (Quercus laurina) forests; 30 sampling sites of 20 x 50 meters (1000 m) pine (10), fir (10), alder (5) and oak (5), were placed in the field, and variables such as tree diameter and height were measured in the case of individuals with a normal diameter (ND) greater than 2.5 cm, and so was the basal diameter (BD) of those with cutting evidence. In addition, a survey was carried out in which variables such as the following were considered: type of forest cover, use of materials, diameters for each use, extraction time, extraction volume and weight in kg of the loads of firewood or wood species from five locations (Agua Blanca, Calimaya, Raíces, San Miguel Oxtotilpan and Santiago Tlacotepec). The results indicate that most of the harvest trees in all tree species are concentrated in less than 30 cm ND, used as firewood, in the following quality order: oak, fir, pine and alder. However, extraction of adult tree is more common in the oak (31%) and pine (29%), the first used for coal and the second for furniture.


The residual stress-tensor components in amorphous ferromagnetic wire produced by an 'in-rotating-water' spinning process are calculated on the basis of the theory of viscoelasticity. The viscoelastic behaviour of the solidifying wire near the point of vitrification is studied and the effect of the relaxation process on the residual quenching stresses is clearly elucidated. The radial dependence of the residual stress-tensor components obtained is consistent with the magnetic behaviour of amorphous wire with small negative saturation magnetostriction. The residual stress amplitude is investigated as the function of wire radius and the parameters of the cooling process.


Randomised trials in pediatric ALL show that multiple doses of E Coli Asparaginase (ASP) are associated with better outcome. In the EORTC 58951 protocol, all the patients except those with high risk features (HR or VHR) had 8 IV doses of ASP during induction Ia and were randomized during induction Ib to receive or not ASP (8 IV doses vs 0) and protocol II (8 IV doses vs 4), respectively long arm and short arm. The aim of this study was to report on safety, asparagine (ASN) depletion and antibody production in 28 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed previously untreated ALL. Methods. Twenty-eight patients included in the EORTC 58951 protocol were analyzed: one had very low risk features, 22 were average risk patients and 6 had HR features. Thirteen patients were randomized in the short ASP arm and 9 in the long ASP arm. ASN levels were assessed on days 35 of Ia, 27of Ib and 22 of IIa. The amino acid assays employed the HPLC method. Serum samples were taken for antibody titers against ASP analyzed by ELISA on days 12 and 35 of Ia, 17 and 27 of Ib (long arm only) and 8 and 22 of IIa, and before the start of maintenance therapy. Results. Twenty-eight patients aged 1year 3 months to 14 years 6 months (median 6 years) with newly diagnosed ALL (precursor B-cell: 25 ; T-cell: 3) were assessable. All patients achieved CR after induction phase Ia. Four patients had allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in first CR because of VHR features. Two other patients with HR features had intensified chemotherapy. Preliminary data showed that ASN depletion was obtained in all patients at the end of phase Ia, in all the patients "long arm" at the end of Ib and in one patient " short arm" at the end of Ib All patients had depletion of ASN after protocol IIa We observed very few severe clinical allergic reactions in this series of patients (10%). Two patients were switched to Erwinia asparaginase because of clinical hypersensitivity. Investigation on correlation between the antibody production against ASP, clinical allergic reaction and depletion of ASN are in progress. Conclusions. Multiple doses of ASP given intravenously were well tolerated in this series of 28 consecutive patients with previously untreated ALL. Preliminary results reveal that the rate of antibodies production was low and depletion of ASN was obtained in near all the patients. Some patients presented with clinical allergic reactions but had low levels of ASN and no appearance of anti ASP antibodies. Other had antibodies without clinical allergy and with depletion of ASN.


This article contrasts Marx's critical appropriation of Hegel in his mature works with Georg Lukacs's brilliant interpretation of the relation of Marx and Hegel. Hegel and the Hegelian turn in Marxism, as powerfully represented by Lukacs, however, have been strongly criticized in recent decades by structuralist and post-structuralist thinkers for whom concepts central to Lukacs's project, such as totality and the historical Subject, are anti-emancipatory, expressions of domination. Nevertheless, the global historical transformations of recent decades – including the crisis of the Fordist/Keynesian welfare state, the collapse of Soviet Communism, and the emergence of a neo-liberal capitalist global order – have called into question the post-Marxist turn. These historical changes, then, suggest the need for a renewed theoretical concern with capitalism. Marx's critical appropriation of Hegel provides the basis for a critique both of Lukacs as well as of post-structuralism in ways that can avoid the weaknesses of each while incorporating their strengths.


STUDY OBJECTIVES
To examine the pattern of extracellular adenosine in the human brain during sleep deprivation, sleep, and normal wake.

DESIGN
Following recovery from implantation of clinical depth electrodes, epilepsy patients remained awake for 40 continuous hours, followed by a recovery sleep episode.

SETTING
Neurology ward at UCLA Medical Center.

PATIENTS OR PARTICIPANTS
Seven male epilepsy patients undergoing depth electrode localization of pharmacologically refractory seizures.

INTERVENTIONS
All subjects were implanted with depth electrodes, a subset of which were customized to contain microdialysis probes. Microdialysis samples were collected during normal sleep, sleep deprivation, and recovery sleep from human amygdalae (n = 8), hippocampus (n = 1), and cortex (n = 1).

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS
In none of the probes did we observe an increase in extracellular adenosine during the sleep deprivation. There was a significant, though very small, diurnal oscillation (2.5%) in 5 of the 8 amygdalae. There was no effect of epileptogenicity on the pattern of extracellular adenosine.

CONCLUSIONS
Our observations, along with those in animal studies, indicate that the role of extracellular adenosine in regulating sleep pressure is not a global brain phenomenon but is likely limited to specific basal forebrain areas. Thus, if energy homeostasis is a function of sleep, an increased rate of adenosine release into the extracellular milieu of the amygdala, cortex, or hippocampus is unlikely to be a marker of such a process.


I derive the correlation function for a general theory of two-valued spin variables that satisfy the fundamental conservation law of angular momentum. The unique theory-independent correlation function is identical to the quantum-mechanical correlation function. I prove that any theory of correlations of such discrete variables satisfying the fundamental conservation law of angular momentum violates Bell's inequalities. Taken together with Bell's theorem, this result has far-reaching implications. No theory satisfying Einstein locality, reality in the EPR-Bell sense, and the validity of the conservation law can be constructed. Therefore, all local hidden-variable theories are incompatible with fundamental symmetries and conservation laws.


Introduction The TELEKAT project ("Telehomecare, chronic patients and the integrated healthcare system") has developed a telerehabilitation programme enabling patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to perform preventive home monitoring across sectors. The goal of the project is to help patients avoid readmission to hospital, perform self-monitoring and to maintain rehabilitation activities in their homes. The study includes COPD patients with severe and very severe COPD (n=111). Nurses and doctors at a hospital, GPs, district nurses and nurses from a healthcare center have monitored COPD patients in the programme. Aim The aim of this paper is to discuss how telerehabilitation technology affects interaction between healthcare professionals in the Telekat network. Theory Inter-organisational theory and learning theory. Methods The case study approach was applied using a triangulation of data collection techniques. The data included documents, participant-observation (163 hours) and qualitative interviews with nurses and doctors at a hospital, GPs, district nurses, nurses and physiotherapists at a healthcare centre (n=40). All the interviews were transcribed and data were coded using Nvivo 8.0 software, as inspired by Kvale (2009). Results The healthcare professionals expressed the view that during the process of creating and testing the programme for telerehabilitation, they have created new roles in the cooperation between district nurses, GPs, nurses and doctors at hospital and healthcare centre. The roles have changed concerning counseling on rehabilitation issues. Through the process of developing the programme of telerehabilitation, mutual trust has emerged between the healthcare professionals, enhancing collaboration and coordination activities related to telerehabilitation of COPD patients across sectors. Video conferences between the healthcare professionals have facilitated knowledge-sharing and reflections on professionals' issues between experts and generalists. Finally, the healthcare professionals expressed the view that participation and interaction via the technology allows them to feel part of a community of telerehabilitation. Conclusion The telerehabilitation technology facilitates participation and interaction between the healthcare professionals across sectors, giving them a feeling of belonging to a part of a community of telerehabilitation.


More and more countries around the world are putting more focus on renewable energies due to the surging price of energy and highly concern about environment issues. Solar energy has significant growth and development in recent years, becoming one of the fastest growing sources of renewable energy worldwide. Countries in Middle East, has shown increasing interest in developing its solar energy sector. Iraqi government has launched several initiatives aimed at increasing the use of solar energy and is committed to developing the country's solar energy sector as a means of reducing its dependence on oil exports and meeting its growing energy demand.
 Faihaa Field 2.5 MW Solar Power Plant, which is located in Block 9 approximately 50 km north of Basra City, was invested and commissioned by Kuwait Energy Basra Limited. The power plant is an off-grid 2.5 MW PV solar power plant with 2.5 MWh battery energy storage system. After we put this plant into operation, it has already saved us 1,732 liters diesel per day. Additionally, solar energy is a zero emission energy, so it also help to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. This is the first off-grid solar power plant in Iraq, which is a notable milestone for solar energy development in this country. The solar energy industry in Iraq will benefit from this project's valuable experience and trained technical team.


This paper presents and discusses the design of SMA driving a micro biped wall-cLimbing robot. The robot has a symmetrical configuration, and its motion is controlled by shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator that replaces the traditional motor. SMA actuator overcomes the problems by traditional motor driver such as complex structure, quaLity. According to the DSP technology, design the DSP controller for shape memory alloy driving to achieve the motion of the robot and Check the feasibiLity that the micro biped wall-cLimbing robot actuated by SMA.


Deletions of the long arm of chromosome 20 (del 20q) are a recurring abnormality associated with haematological malignancy (Mitelman 1995, Sandberg 1991, Heim and Mitelman,1995, Asimakopoulos & Green, 1996). The 20q deletions are seen in approximately 10% of the cases with PV and IMF, 4% of cases with myelodyspalstic syndrome (MDS) (Fenaux et al., 1996), 1–2% of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) as well as other myeloproliferative disease (MPD) (Bench et al. 2000). Deletions of chromosome 20q are well recognised in myeloid disorders and have been seen alone or as part of a complex karyotype (Johansson et al, 1993, Schoch et al 2002). A common deleted region (CDR) of chromosome 20q was observed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) mapping within 20q11.2/q12 region (Roulston et al., 1993, Bench et al, 2000). The breakpoints within this CDR have been shown to be heterogeneous (Asimakopoulos et al., 1994) and more recently a considerable overlap of this region has been observed in myeloid malignancy (Douet-Guilbert et al, 2008). Previous studies have been performed on cases with simple deletions of chromosome 20q as assessed by G-banding and confirmed by FISH, to be interstitial and no other rearrangements involving 20q have been reported so far. Here we present 43 patients with non-random translocations of chromosome 20q that appear to have a common breakpoint within the 20q11.2 region. Karyotypically some of the cases presented with the classical del(20q) morphology while in other cases translocations were identified, such as t(1;20)(q21;q11.2). Of these cases 44% have been shown to carry an unbalanced chromosome rearrangement with loss of material at the region of the breakpoint at 20q11.2 both with and without loss material on the partner chromosome. An example of the latter is the rearrangement t(17;20)(p13;q11.2) where 20q11.2 loss was accompanied by a p53 deletion (17p13). FISH mapping located the 20q11.2 breakpoint to be within the BAC clone RP1-1J6, which covers only the sequences of one gene, Topoisomerase 1 (TOP1). This gene is reported to form a fusion with NUP98 in therapy related MDS. Indeed we confirmed by FISH the presence of this fusion in 6 of our cases, all of which carried the t(11;20)(p15;q11.2). Unexpectedly, the rest of the cases also showed breaks within the same BAC clone, where the partner chromosomes were Yp11, 1q21, 17p11 and 21q11. These findings highlight the consistent involvement of the TOP1 gene at 20q11.2 in rearrangements occurring in MDS and MPD.


A lot of studies has shown that the addition of oils to some soils at 3% and 6% contaminations by dry weight resulted in an increase in the unsoaked California bearing ratio (CBR) of the soil. This paper presents the result of investigating the applicability of used engine oil at 3% contamination as a means of reuse in the production of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) stabilized soils. The soils which are classified as clayey Gravel (GC) and clayey Sand (SC) according to the unified soil classification system were subjected to classification tests, compaction tests, soaked and unsoaked CBR tests, X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction tests. The results show that there is a general reduction in the optimum moisture content of the oil contaminated soils while the effect of oil contamination on maximum dry density varied for the two types of soils under consideration. Furthermore, an increase of 130.45% and 240.37% were observed respectively in the CBR values of the oil contaminated soils after curing it for six days and soaking for 24hours in water at 8% OPC content.  The procedure for curing, soaking and CBR testing were all in line with the recommendation of the Nigerian general specification for roads and bridges. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v34i1.12


This article examines the possible directions of Soviet policy toward North and South Korea in the 1990s. That policy is seen to depend primarily on two factors: the continued expansion of perestroika and changes or lack of change on the Korean peninsula. Soviet policy toward North Korea in the near future will be based on the assumption that economic or political reform there, if any, will be slow to come. The South Korean model used by Soviet policy makers predicts continuing democratization and the need to undergo technological restructuring. Little prospect is seen for unification, and Soviet policy assumes the existence of two Koreas for the near future. Soviet-North Korean relations in the 1990s will seek new bases, structured around more effective economic assistance. The author foresees the establishing of Soviet-South Korean diplomatic relations and policy independent of Soviet-North Korean and Soviet-U.S. relations. The 1990s is seen to be a decade when the new political thinking in the USSR leads to a pragmatic overhaul of both Soviet-North Korean and Soviet-South Korean relations.


Were cash benefits and welfare services available to the unemployed sufficient to protect them from ill-health? Recent reappraisals have tended to magnify the influence of welfare provision. The present review draws on hitherto unexploited, confidential reports of the Ministry of Health and Board of Education, to point out that expert witnesses were increasingly concerned that unemployment relief and social services were inadequate to meet the needs of the community in 'Special Areas'. It is argued that the value of cash benefits was undermined by operation of the means test, and that welfare services were most inadequate where the need was greatest.


Abstract A new technique is examined for using Doppler radars to extract information about the size spectrum of cloud droplets too small to have terminal velocities large enough to be resolvable by the radar. If the drops are very small, motions of the drops are dominated by turbulent fluctuations in the medium rather than their fall velocity. Their motion is then the convolution of the terminal velocity with the turbulent velocity probability density function, and size information about the population can be obtained only by deconvolving the spectra. Doppler radars can extract this velocity and size information, as well as cloud liquid and liquid flux, using a surprisingly simple and accurate technique assuming some functional form (e.g., gamma) for the drop number density spectrum. The method also allows Doppler radars to extract drop size information independent of up-/downdrafts in the medium in which they are embedded. Various gamma and lognormal functions are compared, and finally, a "Stokes range" ...


This paper develops separate trade-off models for the valuation and financing of non-growth firms (cash cows) and growth firms that incorporate tax benefits, bankruptcy costs, and relevant agency costs. Cash cows generally have relatively high leverage, though firm value, leverage, and profitability are all affected by variations in the efficacy of both internal and external governance mechanisms to mitigate agency costs of managerial discretion. For growth firms, where agency costs of debt are relevant, we find that: 1) optimal leverage is generally relatively low; 2) the relationship between optimal leverage and Tobin's Q is negative and highly convex; and 3) optimal leverage increases with initial profitability. Our analysis helps to explain anomalous results documented in previous empirical tests of trade-off theory, specifically, relationships between leverage and both the market-to-book assets ratio and profitability.


The determination of blood mononuclear cell magnesium content may be a predictor of total body magnesium status. Separation techniques employing Ficoll-Hypaque have been used for this assay; however, Hypaque contains a significant concentration of iodine that may be toxic to the cell membrane and affect the results. We developed a different separation technique using arabinogalactan (Stractan) at concentrations of 13.0 and 17.7%. The blood from 16 normal volunteers was divided and assayed for mononuclear cell magnesium content using both methods. The results (mean +/- standard deviation) with the Ficoll-Hypaque method were 83.6 +/- 30.8 fg/cell, and with the arabinogalactan method they were 78.4 +/- 25.5 fg/cell. A paired sample t test comparing the results between the two methods gave a t value of 1.05 (P greater than .3). The purest population of blood mononuclear cells was obtained with the Ficoll-Hypaque method. Thus, these two separation materials do not have a significant effect on the blood mononuclear cell magnesium content, and the better separation of cells was obtained with Ficoll-Hypaque.


Objective: Attachment to host matrix is an important provisory step for the institution of any fungal infection. The present study investigates the role of glycoproteins of Epicoccum purpurascens in host-fungal adherence. Methods:Epicoccum spore-mycelial extract was fractionated on a concanavalin A-Sepharose column. Three glycoproteins of 12, 17 and 33 kDa (Epi p 1) were electroeluted and checked for hemagglutination and hemagglutination inhibition. The monosaccharide content of the highly potent protein Epi p 1 was determined by high-performance anion exchange chromatography and pulsed amperometric detection. The interaction of Epi p 1 with mannose-binding lectin (MBL) leading to the activation of the complement system was studied by immunoblot, ELISA and ELISA inhibition techniques. Immunoblot and immunoblot inhibition were carried out with culture filtrate to determine the nature of Epi p 1. Results: 33 (Epi p 1)-, 17- and 12-kDa proteins were 58, 46 and 38 times more potent than crude extract in hemagglutination activity (HA). The HA of Epi p 1 was inhibited by N-acetyl glucosamine, glucose and laminin. Epi p 1 had a high mannose content, showed MBL binding in ion-dependent manner and caused complement activation. The protein was detected in culture filtrate and thus seems to play a significant role in fungal invasion. Conclusion: Epi p 1, an allergenic glycoprotein of E. purpurascens, is involved in host-fungal interactions through MBL.


Understanding of ruminant placental structure and function is essential for veterinarians and researchers. The ruminant placenta is classified as cotyledonary and synepitheliochorial on the bases of its gross anatomical features and histological characteristics respectively. The richly vascularized embryonic chorioallantois is lined on its outer surface by cells of the trophectodermal epithelium. These cells which assume specialized functions are referred to as trophoblast cells. Two morphologically and functionally distinct cell types have been recognized in the trophectoderm of the placenta of ruminant animals. These are the mononucleate trophoblast cells and the binucleate trophoblast cells. The occurrence, morphological characteristics, and specialized functions of these trophoblast cells, in relation to conceptus nutrition and survival in utero are discussed in this review.


Background : Incidence of head injuries/ traumatic brain injuris(TBI) is increasing day by day,and this is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries.

Objectives : To evaluate the incidence ,nature of injury and clinical outcomes of head injuries in North eastern part of India.

Material and Methods : 1300 patients of head injury were included in the study. On presentation a patients clinical status is grossly assessed with the Glasgow Coma Scales (GCS). X-ray cervical spine in suspicious cases and Non contrast computed tomography scan was done of all head injury patients .

Result : 21-40 years age group (40.0%) was most commonly affected and most of patients (74%) were male . Road traffic accident (47.07%) was most common cause of head injury followed by fall from height (32%) . Overall mortality in total head injury patient was 13% . According to GCS al 368 (43.5%) patients of severe head injury patient expired while mortality in moderate grade injury was 5.6% and 100% of mild head injury patients were saved . A total of 532 (40.92%) patients had skull bone fracture and among bone fracture simple bone fracture was most common.

Conclusion : Most of the injuries occur more commonly in certain age groups, at certain localities and mostly in male. So the knowledge about the causes and pattern of head injury may be extremely helpful in making preventive policies.
Key words : head injury, Road traffic accident, GCS


GaN smart power chip technology has been realized using a GaN-on-Si HEMT platform, featuring monolithically integrated high-voltage power devices and low-voltage peripheral devices for mixed-signal functional blocks. In particular, this brief presents the imperative analog functional block-voltage reference generator for smart power applications with wide-temperature-range stability. The circuit is capable of proper functions within a wide temperature range from room temperature up to 250°C , illustrating the unique advantage of the wide-bandgap GaN in high-temperature operation. The voltage reference generator was designed with an AlGaN/GaN HEMT and Schottky diodes, and the devices were operated in the subthreshold regime to obtain low power consumption. The voltage reference generator achieved an average drift of less than 0.5 mV/°C and can be used as a reference voltage in various biasing and sensing circuits.


Objectives To evaluate the reporting quality of randomised controlled trial (RCT) abstracts presented at a leading international conference in sleep medicine (the SLEEP Annual Meeting), and to investigate the association between potential predictors and the reporting quality of trial abstracts in this field. Design Cross-sectional, research on research study. Methods A handsearch of the 2016–2018 SLEEP Annual Meeting abstract books was carried out to identify abstracts describing RCTs. Quality of reporting was assessed with the original 17-item CONSORT for Abstracts checklist. Univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to identify significant predictors of reporting quality. In addition, risk ratios were used to analyse the adequate reporting rate of each quality item by type of intervention and funding status. Primary and secondary outcome measures The overall quality score (OQS, range 0–17) in accordance with the CONSORT for Abstracts checklist (primary outcome), and the adequate reporting rate of each checklist item (secondary outcome). Results A total of 176 RCT abstracts were included and assessed. The mean OQS was 5.53 (95% CI 5.30 to 5.76). Only three quality items (objective, conclusions and funding) were adequately reported in most abstracts (>75%). None of the abstracts adequately reported authors, randomisation or outcome in the results section. According to the multivariable analysis, pharmacological interventions (p=0.018) and funding from the industry (p=0.025) were significantly associated with better reporting quality. Conclusions The reporting quality of RCT abstracts presented at SLEEP Annual Meetings was suboptimal. Pharmacological intervention and funding from industry were significant predictors of better reporting quality. Joint efforts by authors and conference committees are needed to enhance the reporting quality of RCT abstracts presented at sleep medicine conferences, and thereby reduce relevant research waste in this field.


By using the elastodynamic equations rather than wave equations for seismogram synthesis, multi-attribute wave fields can be computed in a single execution of one program. In the present implementation, for 2-D models, the wave fields and seismograms produced include any or all of the following: two components of each of particle acceleration, particle velocity, and particle displacement; two components of normal strain; shear strain; two components of normal stress; shear stress; and the dilatation and curl of the particle displacement. If flexible source and receiver configurations are also included, a single piece of software can be used for most seismic modeling applications. This significantly reduces the need for development and maintenance of separate programs. The algorithm is illustrated using waves synthesized for an explosive source in a layered medium. Snapshots and seismograms at both surface and borehole arrays are presented.


This study aims to explore the impact of industry-university collaboration on enterprises' intellectual capital. From the perspective of industry-university collaboration relationship management, to explore the influence of different industry-university collaboration relationship on the enterprises' intellectual capital. Survey was used to collect the data from 406 Zhejiang province hi-tech enterprises' entrepreneur and senior executives of the industry-university collaboration project using purposive sampling. Quantitative methods were used to analyze the variables and to test hypothesis. Industry-university collaboration itself is a systematic project that needs close collaboration and coordination between the society and relevant units. The relationship between universities and enterprises plays an important role in collaboration. It has become an important obstacle of industry-university collaboration and a restriction factor of knowledge transfer. Therefore, industry-university collaboration cross-organizational management has gradually become a research hotpots for scholars. Taking high-tech enterprises in Zhejiang province as an example, this study studies the different effects of industry-university collaborative relations on enterprises' intellectual capital from the perspective of industry-university collaborative relations, and improves enterprises' intellectual capital through scientific and effective management of industry-university collaborative relations. On the basis of Tijssen, Perkmann, Walsh and other research achievements, this study divides International Journal of Human Resource Studies ISSN 2162-3058 2020, Vol. 10, No. 1 http://ijhrs.macrothink.org 350 the industry-university collaboration into two types of relationship: related type and transactional type. Quantitative research method is adopted to analyze the variables and verify the hypothesis. According to the data analysis results, draw a conclusion: Industry-university collaboration relationship should be based on the related relationship, the enterprise with strong related relationship has higher intellectual capital performance. Finally, according to the research results, some Suggestions on the management of industry-university collaborative relationship are put forward for the reference of local governments and future researchers.


This paper deals with the relationship between regional disparities and fi nancing of regional policy. The Czech Republic and the Convergence goal of cohesion policy were chosen as a case study. Four themes are discussed in this regard. First, the spatial distribution of funds is analyzed with respect to the disparity goal of regional policy. Second, the coherence of regional policy on different regional levels is evaluated. Third, the differences in evaluations based on the seat of applicants on one hand and place of realization on the other are discussed. Finally, some thematic issues are considered. Our fi ndings point at some ambivalent conclusions with respect to both, the disparity goal and the coherence of regional policy on different regional levels. In addition, the differences in the both forms of evaluations are emphasized.


ABSTRACTThe preference for usernames whose oral pronunciation implies inward wandering articulatory movements over those involving outward movements - the in-out effect - has been shown to shape person perception judgments. Across three studies, we further tested the boundary conditions to this effect by combining the manipulation of the articulation direction of mock online usernames with one of the most critical cues for interpersonal judgments - facial expressions. As expected, users displaying smiling faces were rated as warmer and more competent than those displaying angry expressions. Notably, even in the presence of such diagnostic cues for social judgment, the articulatory activity involved in pronouncing a person's name still affected the impressions formed, particularly in the warmth dimension. These results show that the in-out effect did not vanish even when highly diagnostic visual information was available. Overall, the current work further emphasises the role of sensorimotor experience in person perception while providing additional evidence for the in-out effect, its boundary conditions, and potential mechanisms.


Abstract Nine of 74 American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) from a captive Florida herd of 3–4-m-long, 200–350-kg, adult males greater than 30 yr of age died within a 10-day period during 1995. Nonspecific clinical signs included anorexia, lethargy, muscle weakness, paraparesis, bilateral white ocular discharge, and various degrees of periocular, facial, cervical, and limb edema. Pneumonia, pericarditis, and arthritis were found on postmortem evaluation of the spontaneously dead and euthanatized alligators. Rapidly growing mycoplasmas were identified by culture, and mycoplasma nucleotide sequences were identified by polymerase chain reaction testing of fresh lung and synovial fluid from an affected alligator. Culture of banked frozen lung from necropsy specimens and fresh lung and fresh synovial fluid from newly affected alligators confirmed the presence of a new mycoplasma species in seven of eight individuals. Oxytetracycline was administered, but related deaths continued for 6 mo until only 14 of the initial alligators remained. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect antibody was developed, and the organism was transmitted experimentally to naive juvenile alligators, although the source of the organism, Mycoplasma sp. (ATCC 700619), has not been identified. The alligator isolate is a novel species in the mycoplasma family because its nucleotide sequence does not match those of over 75 characterized mycoplasma species. Such factors as population density, animal age, and mycoplasmal virulence likely contributed to the course of disease.


One of the greatest challenges facing advocates of the intellectual capital movement is finding ways to measure and report on its content and effect. Some consider the measurement of human intellectual capital (HIC) to be a daunting exercise. At the same time, mission statements represent the cornerstone of most organizational strategies. While much research has been conducted on what the HIC construct might contain, none has attempted to understand the link between mission statements and their impact on the HIC construct. The tentative results reported in this study begin to fill the void. They show that mission statements may indeed have a valid place in the measurement and reporting of an organization's intellectual capital and they demonstrate the need for more research in this regard.


We present the design, fabrication and experimental evaluation of the first thermostatted micro gas chromatography (μGC) column with an integrated micro thermal conductivity detector (μTCD). The chip contains on-chip sensors and heater on the backside to provide robust temperature programming capability. Our unique μTCD offers many advantages over previously reported designs including low dead volume, elimination of flow restrictors, and reduction of the number of fluidic interconnects from 4 to 2. The 2cm×4cm chip was fabricated using a 3-mask process. The temperature control capabilities allowed elevated temperature separation without interfering with the detection of the TCD operation. The coated column-detector chip has successfully separated 4-component representative hydrocarbons mixture at a temperature of 75°C in less than 1 minute.


Background The objectives of this study were to screen out cut-off age value and age-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) from Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Methods We selected 45,974 CCRCC patients from SEER and 530 RNA-seq data from TCGA database. The age cut-off value was de�ned using the X-tile program. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance the differences between young and old groups. Hazard ratio (HR) was applied to evaluate prognostic risk of age in different subgroups. Age-related DEGs were identi�ed via RNA-seq data. Survival analysis was used to assess the relationship between DEGs and prognosis. Results In this study, we divided the patients into young (n=14276) and old (n=31698) subgroups according to cut-off value (age=53). Age >53 years was indicated as independent risk factor for overall survival (OS) and cancer speci�c survival (CSS) of CCRCC before and after PSM. The prognosis of old group was worse than that in young group. 176 age-related DEGs were obtained by 530 CCRCC RNA-seq analysis result. The expression levels of KCNE5, CLDN6 and CACNG6 were related to prognosis of the elderly. Conclusion 53 years old was cut-off value in CCRCC. The prognosis of the elderly was worse than young people. KCNE5, CLDN6 and CACNG6 were age-related differential genes which might play an important role in the poor prognosis of elderly CCRCC patients.


This paper considers the problem of controller design fornetworked impulsive control systems(NICSs) with transmission delayand packet dropouts. The parameter uncertainty is assumed to be norm bounded. The problem to be addressed is the design of impulsive controllers such that the exponential stability of the resulting closed-loop system and asymptotical stability for admissible uncertainties are guaranteed. By applying Lyapunov function theory and Halanay Lemma, impulsive time-delay controller is derived through solving LMIs. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the application of the proposed method.


When it comes to empty names, we seem to have reached very little consensus. Still, we all seem to agree, first, that our semantics should assign truth to (one reading of) negative singular existence statements in which an empty name occurs and, second, that names are used in such statements. The purpose of this paper is to show that ruling out that the names are mentioned is harder than it has been thought. I will present a new metalinguistic account for negative singular existence statements in which an empty name occurs, and I will show that the account can deal both with the objections to the traditional metalinguistic account and with other objections that seem to target my new proposal.


Five short reports are presented that direct attention to problem areas being worked on by various Working Groups and Task Forces of the System Operations Subcommittee. Two reports deal with problems associated with the replacement of energy management systems (EMS) and predicting resource requirements. One report describes the problem of making EMS alarming effective. Another focuses on problems in the design, development, and delivery of quality system-operator training programs. The final report lists and explains a number of challenges in restoration of the bulk supply system following a major blackout. >


Successful mycorrhization of potato plants cv. Golden Wonder was achieved with three commercial preparations of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF): Vaminoc (mixed-isolate inoculum) and two of its components, Glomus intraradices and Glomus mosseae. Potato cyst nematode hatching assays were conducted on the potato root leachate (PRL) produced by inoculated and non-inoculated potato plants to examine the effect of AMF inoculation on the hatching response of the two PCN species, Globodera rostochiensis and G. pallida. The overall hatch response of G. rostochiensis to the potato root leachate was greater than G. pallida. Root leachates from Vaminoc- and G. mosseae-inoculated plants were found to stimulate the hatch of G. pallida in the first 3 weeks after shoot emergence. Fractionation of root leachates with standardised carbon content by Sephadex G-10 chromatography revealed multiple AMF effects on hatching factor (HF) production. Root leachates from Vaminoc-inoculated plants contained markedly more G. pallida-active HF than all other treatments; by contrast, PRL from the three AMF treatments exhibited little variation in the quantity of G. rostochiensis-active HF produced. Several HF were PCN species-specific or species-selective, with those resolved from the G. intraradices and G. mosseae PRL profiles exhibiting an apparent preference for G. rostochiensis rather than G. pallida. Mycorrhization also significantly increased the root dry weight of plants.


Experiencing unemployment increases individuals' risk of substance use, however, little is known about personal characteristics that may increase or decrease the vulnerability of unemployed adults to this use. Therefore, the present study draws on attachment theory to explore associations between attachment patterns and substance use amongst unemployed job seekers. Ninety-five unemployed adults accessing an employment support service in Australia completed the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ), the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ), and a questionnaire about frequency of emotional eating, smoking, and use of alcohol and illicit drugs. The majority of participants (71.6%) reported an insecure attachment style. Results revealed that attachment security was inversely associated with substance use, while both attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety were positively associated with substance use. Further, adult attachment patterns moderated associations between unemployment time and drug use. Together, findings offer new insights into the associations between attachment patterns, time spent unemployed and substance use. Implications for provision of services are discussed.


Employees are the important asset of any organization. They make the organization a successful and renowned in the environment and among competitors. Success and smooth functioning of the organization can be maintained by minimizing employee turnover. Employee turnover can be curtailed preferably by using cybernetics approach. Organizations must consider environmental circumstances, employees' needs and wants while formulating/designing strategies and policies so that the ratio of employee turnover can be minimized. Some time employee turnover is beneficial for the parent organization and mostly it is harmful because it reduces the effective performance of the organization. The objective of this study was to investigate the reasons which affect employees to switch over job, factors which motivate them to join another competitive organization and ways to reduce employee's turnover in turbulent environment of Library and Information Science (LIS) profession. In this quantitative study, a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants. Population of the study was LIS professionals across Pakistan, who have proper accounts on social media like Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin etc. A convenient sampling technique was used to the get the data from the participants. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the gathered data. Market based inadequate salary, lack of proper appreciation/acknowledgment, job dissatisfaction and demotivation were four major factors which force and compel an employee to leave one system or organization. Better opportunities, satisfactory salary package, bright future and professional development/growth were the four major factors which could be opted to reduce employee turnover in turbulent environment of the organization as these were noted the motivating factors which attract the employee to join another system (organization). Findings of the study are helpful for competent authorities of the organization, administration of the libraries and policy makers to minimize employee turnover and also helpful for organization's management to understand leading mechanism to manage employees efficiently and effectively.


Argument Unit Recognition and Classification aims at identifying argument units from text and classifying them as pro or against. One of the design choices that need to be made when developing systems for this task is what the unit of classification should be: segments of tokens or full sentences. Previous research suggests that fine-tuning language models on the token-level yields more robust results for classifying sentences compared to training on sentences directly. We reproduce the study that originally made this claim and further investigate what exactly token-based systems learned better compared to sentence-based ones. We develop systematic tests for analysing the behavioural differences between the token-based and the sentence-based system. Our results show that token-based models are generally more robust than sentence-based models both on manually perturbed examples and on specific subpopulations of the data.


A report on adult and pediatric respirology manpower in Canada was prepared from data supplied by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), and from program directors (and other colleagues) at universities across Canada. The data support a significant deficiency of adult respirologists in Canada, which is estimated to be from 10%, based on a 10-year-old outdated RCPSC recommendation, to 20%, based on equalization with the 'best' province, to as high as 50%, based on long waiting lists, particularly for respiratory sleep problems, and estimates obtained from academic centres across Canada. Although there are less data available for pediatric respirology, a similar approach suggests a 50% to 100% shortfall in pediatric respirologists. Output from Canadian training programs in adult and pediatric respirology is not likely to meet this need. We recommend that steps be taken urgently to provide sufficient resources for training adult and pediatric respirologists, and to ensure that funding is provided for subspecialist positions in the community.