Labombo Beach as a beach tourism object saves quite a variety of attractions. Recreational beach tourism activities are the most dominant type of activity at Labombo Beach. Recreational activities utilize coastal resources such as white sand, stretches of beach, views and coastal waters. Tourism potential in Labombo Beach is fully managed by the Regional Government, both preparing the management of alternative areas with interesting objects and attractions, thus affecting the interest / motivation of visiting tourists. This study aims to describe the perceptions of tourists regarding the Labombo Coast Area in Palopo City. Sampling in this study was carried out to tourists visiting the Labombo Coast Area as many as 30 people using the accidental sampling method. Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed through descriptive analysis. The results showed that tourists' perceptions of Labombo Beach were very good in terms of facilities, comfort, safety and natural scenery. According to visitors' perceptions of transportation facilities to Labombo Beach tourist sites is still lacking, as seen from 87% of visitors said that the transportation facilities were lacking, and as many as 13% of visitors said enough. This is due to the lack of public transportation to tourist sites, although there are public transportation such as taxis in general, the fees charged are expensive for visitors.


The evolution of e-commerce and On-line Social Networks has contributed to the increase of the information available, making the task of analyzing the reviews manually almost impossible for the buying a product or service decisionmaking process. Due to the amount of information, the creation of automatic methods of knowledge extraction and data mining has become necessary. Currently, to facilitate the analysis of reviews some websites use filters such as votes by utility or by stars. However, the use of these filters is not a good practice because they may exclude reviews that have recently been submitted to the voting process, besides the possibility of the user overestimate or underestimate the review with attribution of stars. One possible solution is to filter the reviews based on their textual descriptions, author information and others measures. Sousa [1] proposed an approach, called TOP(X), to estimate the degree of importance of reviews using a Fuzzy System with three input variables: author reputation, extraction of tuples  and richness analyzer and an output variable: degree of importance of the review. Although the approach presented good results, some problems were pending of resolution and improvements, besides the possibility to change the computational model used. This work proposes adaptations in two input variables, namely: quantity of tuples and vocabulary richness and the building of new approaches using computational models based on Fuzzy Systems and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). In addition, a comparison was made among the proposed approaches through statistical measures. Experiments performed in the hotel-domain showed that the approach using Fuzzy System obtained better results when detecting the most important reviews, without considering the semantic orientation of the comments. However, the approach using Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) Artificial Neural Networks obtained better results when is known the semantic orientation of the review.


This study examined the differences in intracycle velocity variation and arm coordination in front crawl in swimmers with Down syndrome in three breathing conditions. International swimmers with Down syndrome (N = 16) performed 3 × 20 m front crawl at 50 m race speed: without breathing, breathing to the preferred side, and breathing to the nonpreferred side. A two dimensional video movement analysis was performed using the APASystem. Breathing conditions were compared using Repeated Measures ANOVA. Swimming velocity was higher without breathing and intracyclic velocity variation was higher while breathing. Swimmers tended to a catch up arm coordination mode for both breathing conditions and a superposition mode when not breathing. These data reflect arm coordination compromising swimming performance, particularly when comparing with non disabled swimmers in literature. The physical and perhaps cognitive impairment associated with Down syndrome may result in a disadvantage in both propulsion and drag, more evident when breathing.


One of the major consequences of the deregulation period in the sugar and ethanol industry was the creation of ethanol trading groups. Ethanol producers adopted this strategy to defend themselves against the market power of fuel distributors, which, at that time, imposed very unfavorable price conditions to the production segment. However, coordination problems have always been a characteristic of this industry, which raise doubts about the success of the trading groups to coordinate sales and maintain group cohesion. Based on this point, this paper aims to examine the coordination and cohesion of ethanol trading groups. For this purpose, a multiple case study was conducted, with three of the four trading groups operating in the Central-Southern region in Brazil. The conclusion was that although there are coordination problems, groups, each of them with their characteristics, are successful and allow to balance the power game between manufacturers and distributors.


A 2003 initiative to develop a crime prevention strategy for the Central Karoo District Municipality helped formulate the 'life cycle' that perpetuates crime and violence, which is discussed in this article. Children's developmental needs are obvious and logical if we are to raise young people with good self esteem, who are capable and prepared to contribute to society in a constructive manner. Yet in the Central Karoo (and many other communities) our children's needs are being ignored. As a result, children learn to fend for themselves and some quickly tip over from being vulnerable victims to becoming young offenders. This article shows that as long as we ignore children's needs, we can never build a criminal justice system that will adequately address crime and violence in South Africa. It demonstrates why safety is an issue for society as a whole and not just for the police, courts and prisons.


The pervasive influence of organicism in the Renaissance is especially discernible in religious controversies that distinguished between the visible and invisible church. In Milton's antiprelatical tracts, the body is seen from the points of view of liturgy, as reflected in the communion, and investiture, as reflected in the controversies regarding ministerial dress. Those controversies express symbolically the Puritan desire to "divest" and "tear" the body, on the one hand, and the Anglican desire to "invest" and keep it whole, on the other. Integral to the Puritan and Anglican responses to the church are their responses to the state. Whereas the Anglican impulse is to unite the political body and the ecclesiastical body under one head, the Puritan impulse is to sever the two bodies. Thus Milton associates the body politic with outward concerns, the body ecclesiastical with inward ones. When the two bodies are unnaturally joined, a monster results, and the body can only be re-formed and returned to health through proper amputation of the corrupt limbs. Milton's organicist views, therefore, reflect not a desire to destroy, as might be charged, but a desire to make whole.


The codelivery of drugs and genes by stimuli-responsive nanocarriers is a promising strategy for achieving an effective cancer treatment. In this study, an adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-responsive nanosystem was constructed to codeliver doxorubicin (DOX) and p53 gene based on an ATP-triggered aptamer and polyethyleneimine (PEI). In this system, DOX interacts with the GC-rich motif of duplex formed by the aptamer and its cDNA sequence. Then, a ternary nanocomplex DOX-Duplex/PEI/p53 was constructed using cationic carrier PEI25K for facilitating the intracellular delivery and release of p53 gene and DOX. The DOX-Duplex/PEI/p53 nanocomplex was found to possess an efficient anticancer effect, which was attributed to the ability of the system to trigger cell apoptosis and meanwhile block the cell cycle at G2 phase. The favorable antiproliferative effect was found to be associated with the rapid DOX and p53 gene release in response to the intracellular ATP concentration and the synergistic effect of therapeutic drug and gene.


In this paper we use multiple microphone arrays to fuse the location estimate from each microphone array which yields an improved estimate of the positions and velocities of multiple, simultaneously active, moving speakers based on time delay of arrivals (TDOAs). Our approach: 1) incorporates kinematic information of moving speakers by using an interacting multiple model (IMM) estimator for each speaker in order to constrain the evolution of the location measurements; 2) fuses the location estimates of the same speaker from multiple microphone arrays for better acoustical coverage of the sensed environment, and 3) directly accounts for the measurement origin uncertainty, i.e., which measurement comes from which speaker by using the probabilistic data association (PDA) technique with the IMM estimator. We demonstrate that a network of arrays combined with the estimation technique widely used in multisensor multitarget tracking area provides a consistent and coherent way to reduce the uncertainty and ambiguity of measurements. The effectiveness of our approach is illustrated by extensive simulation study on tracking a single moving speaker and two closely-spaced speakers with a crossing segment in their trajectories.


The paper deals with the parameter identification of nonlinear dynamic systems using three-block cascade models with static input and dynamic output nonlinearities. Multiple application of a decomposition technique provides an output equation for the corresponding nonlinear model description that is linear in parameters but includes more internal variables. An iterative technique allows estimation of all the model parameters and all the immeasurable internal variables based on measured input/output data. An illustrative example is included.


This paper describes a method for collecting living, undamaged Agapeta zoegana (L.) moths, especially recently mated females. The objective was to gather this potential biological control agent for subsequent distribution to land infested with knapweeds ( Centaurea spp.) Sweep-netting and baiting techniques were inappropriate collection methods, because the moths were delicate and did not appear to forage. The moths did not move to the plant tops at particular temperatures or times of day and therefore could not easily be collected by aspiration. However, males and virgin and mated females within large field cages were attracted to UV light and, during their daily period of reproductive activity from dusk to midnight, could be collected in a Heliothis trap (Sentry) illuminated by a blacklight. In the open, neither this method nor a mobileblacklight technique were successful in 1988, but both warrant further work. Results are discussed in the context of A. zoegana establishment in B.C.


The paper presents the guiding ideas behind our culturally responsive approach to teacher professional development and an overview of how those tenets inform, tacitly and directly, our efforts to realize the promise of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' five Process Standards. A review of the primary obstacles teachers face in implementing these standards in their own teaching and learning is followed by a description of the design elements in a university-based professional development program. Our goal is to provide an example of the foundations upon which an evolving approach to culturally responsive professional development planning has grown. We discuss research on what constitutes effective teacher professional development while noting the paucity of programs that embrace recognized needs. We do not give a prescription for effective teacher development. Instead, we speak as teacher-educators about the necessary philosophical and self-evaluative underpinnings to effective professional development and our approach to creating an environment where it is safe to leave the isolation of forced autonomy and it is valued to be reflective about community, mathematical activity, and intellectual engagement.


Explanations in Human-AI Interaction are communicated to human decision makers through interfaces. Yet, it is not clear what consequences the exact representation of such explanations as part of decision support systems (DSS) and working on machine learning (ML) models has on human decision making. We observe a need for research methods that allow for measuring the effect different eXplainable AI (XAI) interface designs have on people's decision making. In this paper, we argue for adopting research approaches from decision theory for HCI research on XAI interface design. We outline how we used estimation tasks in human-grounded design research in order to introduce a method and measurement for collecting evidence on XAI interface effects. To this end, we investigated representations of LIME explanations in an estimation task online study as proof-of-concept for our proposal.


Mobile Adhoc Networks (MANETs) is a wireless network which does not require any infrastructure and base station for communication. A routing protocol with less energy consumption is one of the main requirements of MANET because of limited bandwidth and battery power of each node. In this paper we have proposed a new algorithm called ECG_AODV (Energy Constraint Gossip based) routing protocol and analyzes its behavior under stochastic traffic. In one of our earlier communication we have analyzed the performance of this new protocol CBR traffic [1]. In the present paper we want to analyze its behavior under stochastic traffic (Pareto traffic) and compare the same with CBR traffic. The protocol works on current energy status of each node and Gossip technique. The simulation result of new protocol is compared with AODV protocol and it is obtained using Network Simulator NS-2 (Version 2.33). The performance parameters are energy consumption, routing overhead and delivery ratio. The simulation result shows that energy consumption and overhead is reduced up to 30%-40% with CBR traffic and 10%-25% with Pareto traffic without affecting the delivery ratio.


The number of control units within upper class vehicles has steadily increased over the last 15 years and is currently around 100 units. The majority of all innovations in the vehicle are generated by electronics and software. This makes software, on the one hand, one of the most important drivers of innovation for companies in the automotive industry. On the other hand, it involves a high risk potential: programming errors. With international standards and stricter requirements for software quality the industry is trying to counteract this risk. However, the complexity of the systems is growing due to the increasing diversity of variants in order to be able to fulfil all the wishes of the end customer individually. The testing of such software systems can only show the presence of errors, but not their absence. A guarantee that a system fulfils the requirements can be provided by formal methods. The approaches presented in this thesis help to improve and support software development in small and medium-sized enterprises by means of formal verification methods. In doing so, the advantages of small over large companies should be utilised and enhanced. This includes the close proximity to the customer as well as a high degree of flexibility and profitability. The system complexity of most projects as well as the process structures can positively contribute to the adoption of formal methods in the respective development process. The first approach deals with the analysis of timing requirements for embedded systems based on the formal method of model checking. In this case, a task system is modelled using Uppaal for an existing variant system for control units, and a schedulability analysis based on timed automata is presented. To manage the variants, a framework based on pure::variants was designed and an existing software platform was transformed into a product line. This allows companies to focus more on individual customer requirements and to reuse existing components efficiently and with high quality. The second approach to improve the quality of software is to verify the program code of embedded systems through the model checker Arcade. Specifically, the formalization of formal requirements and the applicability in the industrial environment were analysed. Errors in the program code could be localized as well as compliance with requirements were shown. The use of binary code verification can reduce the test effort, but will not replace it. The advantage for companies is, however, that this method can prove the absence of errors, which is not possible by conventional testing. Overall, an approach to the integration of formal methods into the development process of a small and medium-sized enterprise was presented, successfully implemented and evaluated with appropriate tool support. With the methods shown, it is possible to reduce the test effort and to increase the quality of automotive control systems at an early stage in the important phases of development.


This study was performed to obtain the good processing in the Rehmanniae Radix Preparata. In this study, we investigated the comparative analysis for steamed and hot-air dried Rehmanniae Radix Preparata. The results were obtained as follows : Through loss on drying analysis with each additional processing of Rehmanniae Radix preparata, there was gradual increase. Through ash analysis with each additional processing of Rehmanniae Radix preparata, there was slight increase. Rehmanniae Radix preparata had several inorganic components such as K, P, Mg, Ca, Cl, Al. P and Mg were increased gradually with each additional processing of Rehmanniae Radix Preparata. But Ca was decreased with each additional processing. We identitied 24 kinds of volatile components from extracts of various processed Rehmanniae Radix Preparata through componential analysis using GC/MS. From GC/MS analysis, we found out the content of 5-HMF Rehmanniae Radix Preparata steamed over 7 times was suitable. 5-HMF"s content of 9 times steamed Rehmanniae Radix Preparata gained from GC/MS analysis is 70-fold higher than gained from HPLC. The more it is repeating steamed and hot-air dried, the more toxic volatile compound of Rehmanniae Radix Preparata is removed. Taken together, these results suggested that Rehmanniae Radix Preparata had component(especially 5-HMF) changes according to different processed steaming and hot-air drying.


The use of tetracycline drugs in young children can cause discoloration of bone and dental hard tissues. Results show that more than half of patients treated were satisfied with their tooth color after bleaching.


In the last few decades, Pentecostalism has dramatically grown and spread worldwide. Currently it is the fastest-growing Christian movement. It is spreading mainly in urban areas, even though one can find it also in the rural ones. One of the leading factors, among others, which are pivotal for its development and spread is the flexibility of the idiom, which allow it to be consistent with the local contexts. Many scholars in the recent years have highlighted the nexus between neo-liberal perspective and Pentecostal doctrine, preaching and practices. Starting from the articles published in this section, the paper wants to resonate on the topics outlined above, focusing mainly on urban areas.


Hair represents an expendable, transient substance, proliferated in the skin by a remarkable complicated cellular system. It has been studied extensively, particularly in fur-bearing or wool-producing mammals. Now, more attention is being given to hair in man. Whole industries have waxed and waned around the styles of hair dress, of wigs, of fashions in cutting hair or letting it grow long. Hair dying not only has added to what milady thinks is real beauty but has introduced a new array of possibly toxic and harmful agents, occasionally causing distressing, spectacular, and sometimes dangerous forms of sensitivity. This book approaches the biology of hair from many different directions. It ranges over embryology, anatomy, histochemistry (including electron microscopy), the details of mitotic activity in the hair follicle, the chemistry of keratinization, the problem of hair pigment, the skin, its vascularity and their relationship to hair growth, nutritional factors, hormonal factors, age,


Cardiac conditions account for at least half of acute medical admissions. The provision of a comprehensive and responsive cardiological service in the UK is therefore pivotal to the manner in which the NHS continues to modernise. This article reviews recent developments in cardiology, describes the current provision of cardiac services for the more commonly encountered conditions, and explores future developments that will impact on the care patients presenting with heart disease receive.


The purposes of this study are to determine : 1) the influence of entrepreneurs personal factor to learning process in counseling, 2) the influence of extension officers capability to learning process in counseling,  3) the influence of learning process in counseling to the entrepreneurship competence, 4) the influence of entrepreneurs personal factor to entrepreneurship competence and 5) the influence of the extension officers capability to entrepreneurship competence.  This is descriptive quantitative study. The population of the sample was all small-scale entrepreneurs at Kab. Magelang who got counseling from the Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Department fiscal year 2013. 92 participants were randomly chosen. The instruments used in collecting data are questionnaire, interview and documentation. The data analysis was done through path analysis. The result of this study shows that 1) 19.1% entrepreneurs personal factor influenced the learning process of counseling directly, 2) 26.8% extension officers competence affected the learning process in counseling directly, 3) 5.88% learning process in counseling influenced the entrepreneurship competence directly, 4) 1.92% entrepreneurs personal factor affected the entrepreneurship competence indirectly, 5) 5.29% extension officers competence directly influenced the entrepreneurship competence. Keywords: entrepreneurs personal factor, extension officers capability, learning process in counseling, entrepreneurship competence, small-scale industry


This study examined the impact on speech processing of regional phonetic/phonological variation in the listener's native language. The perception of the /e/-/epsilon/ and /o/-/upside down c/ contrasts, produced by standard but not southern French native speakers, was investigated in these two populations. A repetition priming experiment showed that the latter but not the former perceived words such as /epe/ and /epepsilon/ as homophones. In contrast, both groups perceived the two words of /o/-/upside down c/ minimal pairs (/pom/-/p(uspide down c)m/) as being distinct. Thus, standard-French words can be perceived differently depending on the listener's regional accent.


Machine learning relies on the availability of a vast amount of data for training. However, in reality, most data are scattered across different organizations and cannot be easily integrated under many legal and practical constraints. In this paper, we introduce a new technique and framework, known as federated transfer learning (FTL), to improve statistical models under a data federation. The federation allows knowledge to be shared without compromising user privacy, and enables complimentary knowledge to be transferred in the network. As a result, a target-domain party can build more flexible and powerful models by leveraging rich labels from a source-domain party. A secure transfer cross validation approach is also proposed to guard the FTL performance under the federation. The framework requires minimal modifications to the existing model structure and provides the same level of accuracy as the non-privacy-preserving approach. This framework is very flexible and can be effectively adapted to various secure multi-party machine learning tasks.


The response of a neural population in cat primary visual cortex to the linear combination of two sinusoidal gratings (a plaid) can be well approximated by a weighted sum of the population responses to the individual gratings – a property we refer to as subspace invariance. We tested subspace invariance in mouse primary visual cortex by measuring the angle between the population response to a plaid and the plane spanned by the population responses to its individual components. We found robust violations of subspace invariance, represented by a median angular deviation of ~55 deg. The cause of this departure is a strong, negative correlation between the mean responses a neuron to the individual gratings and its response to the plaid. We suggest that an early nonlinearity may distort the power distribution of grating and plaid stimuli such that plaids have a prominent power component at ±45 deg off the fundamental orientations. We conclude that subspace invariance does not hold in mouse V1. This finding rules out a large class of possible models of population coding, including vector averaging and gain control.


In the last decade, a large theoretical and experimental works has been performed to conceive new devices able to reduce significantly the pressure drag of supersonic vehicles. Energy deposition by laser induced plasma seems one of the most promising ideas to modify the flow structure at high Mach number today. This work aims to study the energy deposition effects of a laser induced plasma column past a body and more specifically to estimate the energy transfer from the plasma to the flow. A model describing the flow and the plasma is proposed and analysed. The model is applied to the simulation of a cylindrical laser induced plasma energy deposition in a supersonic flow past a body. Results show the dynamic of the action of the plasma to the flow and demonstrate the potential effects on supersonic flow control. An analysis of the energy balance between power supply and consumption is also provided.


Cost Allocation Agreements have begun to play an important role for MNEs in order to make intellectual property available to foreign subsidiaries. Cost Allocation Arrangements based on the pool-concept are a form of allocation financing. In the international context, different wordings for Cost Allocation Agreements (e.g., Cost Sharing Arrangements) are used. This paper is concerned with Cost Allocation Agreements in the area of R&D, which are based on the pool-concept. Cost Allocation Agreements are not based on specific national or international legal basis, but are the result of national transfer pricing guidelines and the OECD TPG. Due to the missing special provision and binding source of law of Cost Allocation Arrangements in Austria, this paper analyses Cost Allocation Arrangements in the field of R&D and its special questions by interpreting the regulations of civil law, tax law and treaty law and with it the arm's-length principle.


The ability to mount effective immune responses declines with age, which correlates clinically with decreased vaccine efficacy and increased susceptibility to infection and cancer. As a result, new vaccines should be tested for efficacy in older individuals. Towards this end, young (5-6 years of age) and old (17-22 years) baboons were immunized with the LcrV candidate vaccine antigen from Yersinia pestis. Surprisingly, older baboons had a strong humoral response [JI 181:109] suggesting either that the baboon immune system is less affected by aging or that LcrV acts like a recall antigen. Thus, a second Y. pestis vaccine antigen, the F1 protein, was tested; F1 is unique to this bacterial species and would be seen as a "new" antigen. The antibody response to F1 did decline with age, but the T cell response did not. Thus, an analysis of the effects of aging on T cell fine specificity was undertaken. T cell proliferation and IFN-γ ELISpots were used to map which of 32 overlapping synthetic F1 peptides stimulated T cells from the immunized baboons. A Th1 response was observed for a few individual animals in response to whole both F1 antigen and specific peptides. ELISpots specific for IL-4 and IL-5 cytokines are currently being used to follow Th2 cells specific for F1. Future efforts will focus on generating F1-specific T cell clones using herpesvirus papio transformed B cell lines as antigen presenting cells.


Metabolic therapy involves the administration of a substance normally found in the human body to enhance cellular reactions involved in the pathogenesis of disease. Myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury represents a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, also in cardiovascular disease. Therapeutic strategies aimed at limiting cardiomyocyte death during the postischaemic reperfusion and in the perioperative settings are nowadays extensively studied. Conceived originally as a dietary constituent (known as vitamin B13) only, it is now apparent that most orotic acid is synthesized in the human body where it arises as an intermediate in the biosynthetic pathway of pyrimidine nucleotides. Previous investigations in the heart suggest that orotate and its derivatives could be of significant clinical benefit in the treatment of heart disease. The present brief review is concerned with the current knowledge of the major effects of these compounds in both experimental and clinical cardiology. The potential mechanisms and biochemical pathways responsible for cardioprotection are highlighted. Biomedical Reviews 2010; 21: 47-55.


Introduction: The New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit model is commonly used for the research of posterolateral intertransverse lumbar arthrodesis. The standard approach reported by many researchers are a muscle splitting approach through the intermuscular plane between multifidus and longissimus muscles. Methods: In this research the fusion bed was exposed by retracting the three groups of paraspinal muscles (multifidus, longissimus and iliocostalis) medially. Results: This alternative method showed good exposure of the transverse processes and intertransverse membrane with less bleeding from the muscles observed. No death due to surgical complication was observed out of twenty-four rabbits operated. Conclusion: An easy and safe method for performing posterolateral intertransverse lumbar arthrodesis was demonstrated and recommended as an alternative approach for surgery on New Zealand White rabbits.


Background To fabricate strontium (Sr)-incorporated titanium (Ti) surfaces by a novel 1-step phase-transited lysozyme (PTL) treatment, and investigate the effects of the prepared samples on osteogenesis and osteoimmunoregulation. Material/Methods Five groups of titanium specimens were prepared, including Ti, PTL, PTL@10Sr (PTL coating with 10 mg/mL Sr), PTL@20Sr PTL coating with 20 mg/mL Sr), and PTL@50Sr (PTL coating with 50 mg/mL Sr) groups. Behaviors of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) such as initial attachment, spread, proliferation, and migration, on different surfaces were examined by immunofluorescence, MTS assay, and Transwell system. Then the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs was detected. When an immune response was factored in, the polarization of macrophages induced by the prepared surfaces was detected by real-time PCR, and the response of BMSCs to macrophage-conditioned medium was assessed in terms of cell migration and osteogenic differentiation. Finally, an in vivo study was performed, using the rat femora implant model, to evaluate the potential for osteogenic induction and osteoimmunoregulation of materials. Results Our in vitro experiments indicated that PTL coating could improve cell spread and adhesion, and the stable Sr release of PTL@Sr layers could promote cell migration and osteogenesis. Moreover, PTL@Sr surface could regulate the immune response of macrophages resulting in enhanced BMSCs recruitment and osteogenic differentiation. The in vivo evaluation showed less inflammatory infiltration and improved bone formation in the PTL@20Sr group. Conclusions The Sr-loaded PTL layers have greater potential for the induction of osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, meanwhile Sr-loaded PTL layers could adjust the immune response and thus promote osteogenesis both in vitro and in vivo.


We describe a previously unrecognized syndrome in two unrelated patients with congenital cataracts, sensorineural deafness, distinctive facial appearance, skeletal changes, postnatal short stature, and mental retardation.


The influenza virus can evade the acquired long term immunity in the human population through changes in its antigenic profile. Understanding the antigenic evolution is crucial to the selection of vaccine strains, which should provide immunity against dominant influenza strain next season. For this purpose, antigenic cartography has been developed to map the changes of the virus over time, using Hemagglutination Inhibition (HI) assay data. Here we present a simple model for the antigenic evolution of the influenza virus, based on a high dimensional random walk in Euclidean space. Using this model we simulate HI assay data which we use to construct antigenic maps through antigenic cartography. Our analysis shows that, although the clustered structure of the data is preserved, the number of dimensions required to describe the data is greatly underestimated. This means that the techniques used in antigenic cartography to assert the dimension required to describe the HI assay datasets does not give conclusive results about the actual dimension of the shape space in which the antigenic evolution takes place. The assumption that the antigenic evolution of influenza is influenced by long term immunity in the human population can therefore not be verified using HI assay data. Our analysis shows that directionless evolution through a high dimensional shape space forms a parsimonious explanation for the observed pattern of influenza evolution.


This Special Issue is the condensation of an author-meets-critics double panel organized for the African Studies Association meeting in Washington, D.C., in November 2005, on Jane Guyer's challenging book Marginal Gains—Monetary Transactions in Atlantic Africa. The book was published in the first half of 2004, and when the three of us met in the fall of that year, we all felt it was a text that lent itself especially well to such a session. One of the elements that makes the book so compelling is Guyer's particular style of theorizing: Starting from a painstaking effort to discover regular patterns in empirical data, she moves to the positing and testing of theoretical notions—but in a way that does not strive to produce closure or systematicity. On the contrary, the book can sometimes be confusing because it leaves so much open. But precisely because Guyer continues to create new openings, it is an inspiring piece of work, constantly offering novel starting points for further research and reflection.


Macrocyclic lactones (MLs) have many anti-parasitic applications in small companion animal medicine. They were first developed as chemoprophylactics against heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infection to be applied monthly for retroactive killing of third- and fourth-stage larvae. ML-containing products formulated for oral (ivermectin, milbemycin oxime), topical (selamectin, moxidectin) or injectable sustained release (moxidectin, ivermectin) are approved for heartworm prevention in dogs or cats. Clearance of microfilariae and gradual or "soft" killing of adult heartworms constitute increasingly prevalent extra-label uses of MLs against D. immitis. Some commercial ML formulations contain sufficient levels of active ingredient (milbemycin oxime, selamectin, moxidectin) to support additional label claims against gastrointestinal nematode parasites such as hookworms (Ancylostoma spp.) and ascarid round worms (Toxocara spp. and Toxascaris leonina). Beyond these approved applications, safe, extra-label uses of MLs against nematodes parasitizing the urinary tract, such as Capillaria spp., and parasites of the tissues, such as Dipetalonema reconditum, Dirofilaria repens, Thelazia spp. and Spirocerca lupi, in dogs and cats as well as exotic pets have been reported. MLs as a group have intrinsic insecticidal and acaricidal activity, and topical or otic formulations of certain compounds (selamectin, moxidectin, milbemycin oxime or ivermectin) are approved for treatment and control of fleas, certain ixodid ticks, sarcoptiform and demodectic mange mites and psoroptiform ear mites. Extra-label applications of MLs against ectoparasites include notoedric mange mites, dermanyssids such as Ornythonussus bacoti, numerous species of fur mite (e.g. Cheyletiella spp. and Lynxacarus) and trombiculids ("chiggers") in cats, dogs and nontraditional or exotic pets.


In Kenya people join savings and credit co-operative societies with an aim of improving their economic status. SACCOS have uplifted the economic standards of most of their members by assisting them with affordable loans and other products. This has led to the expansion and growth of SACCOs across the County. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of investment products on financial growth of SACCO members in Bungoma County. The target population for the study was 12, 000 members in Bungoma County from the following Savings and Credit Co-operative Societies; Ng'arisha, Mwalimu, Metropolitan and Mt. Elgon. A sample size of 387 members was selected using stratified random sampling. A descriptive survey research design was adopted and data was gathered by use of questionnaires and interview schedules. Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected using structured and unstructured questionnaires. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was employed on the quantitative data collected. Data was presented by use of graphs, tables and charts. From the study, it can be concluded that teachers SACCO provide their members with investment products for their financial growth. It is also evident that there is a higher positive correlation between investment products and financial growth of members. The study recommends that teachers SACCO should invest heavily in providing investment products to their members because they a higher financial growth of members. Keywords-Investment Products, SACCO, financial growth, County Government


This book describes the development of the loom from a crude wooden frame to a sophisticated electronic weaving machine. It introduces common textile terms and techniques and there is a description of primitive looms, such as Greek Tapestry and Navaho blanket weaving. Medieval craft guilds, the domestic system and Yeoman Weavers are dealt with, while handloom weaving is contrasted with the powerloom and the mill system. The authors examine the decorative fabrics such as brocades produced on early Chinese drawlooms and the introduction of Jacquard and dobby weaving in the nineteenth century. The reaction against industrialisation and William Morris's inauguration of the Arts and Crafts movement are discussed in relation to the craft revival of the twentieth century. This book continues the history of looms and weaving beyond the invention of the Northrop automatic to include special woven effects and twentieth-century technological development, including today's computer-based weaving machines.Anna Benson and Neil Warburton are weavers and textile historians, with an extensive collection of antique hand and power looms.


In this article, the synthesis of a series of conjugated rod–rod block copolymers based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly(phenyl isocyanide) (PPI) building blocks in a single pot is presented. Ni-catalyzed Grignard metathesis polymerization of 2,5-dibromo-3-hexylthiophene and subsequent addition of 4-isocyanobenzoyl-2-aminoisobutyric acid decyl ester in the presence of Ni(dppp)Cl2 as a single catalyst afford P3HT-b-PPI with tunable molecular weights and compositions. In solid state, microphase separation occurred as differential scanning calorimetric analysis of P3HT-b-PPI revealed two glass transition temperatures. In solutions, the copolymers can self-assemble into spherical aggregates with P3HT core and PPI shell in tetrahydrofuran and exhibit amorphous state in CHCl3. However, atomic force microscopy revealed that the block copolymers self-assemble into nanofibrils on the substrate. These unique features warrant the resultant conjugated rod–rod copolymers' potential study in organic photovoltaic and other electronic devices. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2939–2947


2Summary Increase of intracellular calcium concentration and tyrosine kinase involvement are pivotal in sperm capacitation. The aim was to determine the involvement of intracellular calcium and tyrosine kinases activity in frozen-thawed spermatozoa capacitated with heparin or quercetin. Genistein or PP2 (4-amino-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(t-butyl)pyrazolo3,4, pyrimidine) were used to inhibit tyrosine kinases, and methoxyverapamil to inhibit voltage dependent calcium channels. Capacitation was determined by chlortetracycline and calcium by fl spectrophotometry. Protein tyrosine-phosphorylation was determined by western blot. Pooled frozen semen samples from four bulls were used. In presence of heparin or quercetin capacitated spermatozoa percentage and intracellular calcium were greater (P<0.05) than in controls. Genistein, or PP2 addition in heparin treated samples decreased (P<0.05) capacitation and calcium, but not in quercetin treated samples. A differential inhibition of protein-phosphorylation pattern was observed in heparin or quercetin treated suspension in presence of genistein or PP2. Methoxyverapamil blocked calcium increase in heparin, but not in quercetin treated samples. Capacitated spermatozoa percentage and calcium increase were similar with both inductors suggesting that they are capable to provoke capacitation by different mechanisms that dependent or not dependent on voltage dependent calcium channels, thus different intracellular compartments may be involved. In cryopreserved bovine spermatozoa tyrosine kinases including SRC-isoform modulate capacitation.


An Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm is proposed to improve grid resource scheduling, for the performance of grid scheduling affects the applications of grid platform directly. According to the updating rule of local and global pheromone, ACO achieves load balance by incorporating resource-oriented trust mechanism. The evaluation criterion of system safety covers both direct and indirect trust of the resource nodes, thus increasing the reliability and validity of the grid system. The rescheduling mechanism is designed to guarantee the successful task completion at the single node failure, and increase the successful task ratio and fault-tolerant of the grid system.


The case of a middle-aged, male smoker who presented with progressive severe dyspnea is described. The cause of the progressive severe dyspnea remained unexplained after a comprehensive history, physical examination, chest radiograph, electrocardiogram and spirometry. Subsequent investigations resulted in a diagnosis of localized pulmonary emphysema. Detailed exercise testing helped uncover the physiological basis of the patient's extreme dyspnea.


This paper demonstrates the application of the Analytic Hierarchy Pro?cess
 (AHP) in assessing landscape plans using the option of abbreviated pair-wise
 comparisons to simplify the weight elicitation process for decision makers.
 Whereas the standard AHP elicitation procedure requires a full set of
 pairwise comparisons among all criteria at each node of the decision
 hierarchy in order to derive criterion weights for the decision model, the
 abbreviated pairwise method uses a minimal spanning set of pairwise
 comparisons, and remaining comparisons are then derived by transitivity
 rules. In this paper is presented the abbreviated pairwise method with a
 case study in which alternative management plans are evaluated for the
 Zvezdarska forest of Belgrade, Serbia. The analysis was performed with the
 Criterium DecisionPlus software, which fully implements the AHP methodology,
 and provides useful diagnostics on AHP decision models. As a conclusion,
 some of the key advantages and disadvantages of the abbreviated pairwise
 variant of the AHP method are demonstrated. One of the key qualities of the
 Criterium DecisionPlus software is a clear and easy graphical representation
 of the results.


PurposeThe purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of sport fans' team identification on their emotional experiences (i.e. vitality and game satisfaction) using two-wave data in a specific sport event during the declaration of the emergency statement in Japan. The study also aims to test the moderating effects of risk perceptions about COVID-19 and the game outcome on the relationship between team identification and vitality/game satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachThe present research was conducted in the context of a sport event in Tokyo (the Japanese Rugby Top League 2020–2021 Season Playoff Tournament Final) during the declaration of the emergency statement period in Japan. The data were collected through a two-wave design (before and after the game) from the spectators of the event.FindingsTeam identification significantly predicted higher vitality after the game but not game satisfaction. Additionally, the moderation test found that sport fans with high social risk perception about the COVID-19 showed a positive relationship between team identification and vitality but not for the fans with low social risk perception.Practical implicationsThe present results suggest that sport events can be advertised for sport fans as a tool to increase physical and psychological energy in their daily lives during the pandemic.Originality/valueThe present study demonstrated that team identification predicted greater vitality after the spectatorship during the COVID-19 outbreak. In particular, higher social risk perception was a significant catalyst to improve vitality after the game.


With the exception of Rangell's seminal work, hypocrisy is conceptualized exclusively in terms of pathological narcissism and/or compromised superego formation. Recent psychoanalytic investigations of shame offer an alternative to this view, elucidating the motives of so-called moral hypocrites (Batson, Kobrynowicz, Dinnerstein, Kampf, & Wilson, 1997) who meet the diagnostic criteria for neither antisocial nor narcissistic personality disorder and whose behavior deviates from the ethical standards they otherwise hold. Although the shame-vulnerable individual and hypocrite ultimately are distinguished, the former offers a deeper understanding of the latter. Specifically, this analysis illuminates why and for whom the mask is worn, suggesting that shame avoidance plays a critical role in the etiology and furtherance of hypocrisy.


This article will set out to elucidate the ways in which the philosophies of technology of Martin Heidegger and Bruno Latour seek to explain how the phenomenal world of nature, objects and tools come to presence as events through their interrelations with each other and with us. Both thinkers seek to overcome a subject/object divide that they both understand as characterising modernity in order to reveal a greater interdependence between nature and culture, human and machine. Not only do they both seek to deconstruct the subject/object divide that techno-science has imposed as a paradigm dictating how we as subjects understand the world, but they both use a similar strategy to do so, finding a better means of allowing phenomena to come to presence by turning to premodern culture, ancient Greece for Heidegger, 'primitive', non-modern cultures for Bruno Latour. And both find in art the link to move beyond the modern paradigm to reveal technology's hidden creative potential. By focusing on a shared problem, that of the subject/object divide that both thinkers understand as constitutive of modernity, and a shared strategy to resolve this problem, that of art, this article will set out to show how Heidegger and Latour's strategies for revealing the co-constitution of Dasein and World as co-dependent agencies are more similar than is commonly held. But through this analysis of co-dependency, a central divergence between the two thinkers will come to the fore, that of singularity (Heidegger) versus multiplicity (Latour). It is this crucial difference, I will hold, that will prove critical in envisioning the future of phenomenology. To the extent that we are now living amongst hybrid entities, cyborgs and forms of intelligent emergence where subject and object, nature and culture, can no longer be so easily differentiated, it seems as though opening ourselves to what presences may entail heeding Latour's call to embrace both mediations and multitudes. If subjects and objects have been replaced by mediations that can finally 'show themselves in themselves' and express their own agency, and transcendental consciousness has been abandoned for an emergence consciousness that is immanent, interdependent, and greater than the sum of all individual minds, we must finally question the impact of such a state of affairs on phenomenological perception itself.


Abstract. Sponges provide an array of ecological services and benefits for Caribbean coral reefs. They function as habitats for a bewildering variety of species, however limited attention has been paid in the systematics and distribution of sponge-associated fauna in the class Calcarea or for that matter of sponges in the Caribbean. The goal of this study was to characterize infaunal assemblages from a calcareous sponge, Clathrina lutea, across multiple reefs from the La Parguera Natural Reserve, Puerto Rico. The associated fauna from 43 C. lutea specimens yielded a total of 2,249 associated infauna distributed in seven invertebrate phyla. Arthropoda was the most abundant phylum accounting for 62.5% of total abundance, followed by Annelida (21.0%) and Nematoda (5.5%). Limited patterns of temporal or spatial variability were surmised due to the opportunistic sampling effort afforded to this investigation from the cryptic nature of this species. A concordance between our data set and those for the class Demospongiae were observed, with the most abundant associated fauna being copepods and polychaetes. However, when compared to other Calcarea, the present study found considerably more associated fauna.


We show how to learn a map that takes a content code, derived from a face image, and a randomly chosen style code to an anime image. We derive an adversarial loss from our simple and effective definitions of style and content. This adversarial loss guarantees the map is diverse -- a very wide range of anime can be produced from a single content code. Under plausible assumptions, the map is not just diverse, but also correctly represents the probability of an anime, conditioned on an input face. In contrast, current multimodal generation procedures cannot capture the complex styles that appear in anime. Extensive quantitative experiments support the idea the map is correct. Extensive qualitative results show that the method can generate a much more diverse range of styles than SOTA comparisons. Finally, we show that our formalization of content and style allows us to perform video to video translation without ever training on videos.


Discusses a software tool called the stereo optic disc analyzer (SODA) (patent pending ID:P09819, 1997), which has been developed for quantitative image processing of stereo optic-disc photographs to aid in the diagnosis and assessment of retinal disease. It is able to perform color matching and alignment of two images so that they are superimposed and viewed in 3-D sequential display by use of a pair of 3-D goggles. These 3-D images of the same patient are taken at different times, often over periods of several years. Measurements of optic-disc cupping, vertical and horizontal cup/disc ratio, cup and disc area, diameter, shape, and neuroretinal rim width can be determined using a predefined template placed over the image (one for the right eye and one for the left eye). Sequential display of stereo images (stereo flicker chronoscopy) and digital stereophotogrammetry provide sensitive methods for monitoring glaucomatous changes to the optic disc.


Thispaper highlights the role of school library in literacy attainment by attempting to construct a conceptual nexus between reading culture and reading skills of pupils. It further explains the components of learning process, literacy attainment, literacy needs. and outcome. The indispensability of the school library media resource as a learning andliteracy enabler was brought to fore, while the need to facilitate and encourage the useof school library media resources was also emphasized. It concluded with advocacy for school library project, training of library personnel and adequate funding of school libraries that would be capable of producing desirable literacy outcome. Keywords: Literacy equation, School library media resources


The prevalence of myopia and high myopia has significantly increased worldwide and in the United States. The serious implications of these trends are being recognized. Myopia is not just a minor inconvenience requiring vision correction with glasses or contact lenses, but a disease process creating significant risk of serious vision-threatening eye disease. Various methods of treatment for myopia and myopic progression have been prescribed and studied in effort to find one that is effective, safe, and that patients will be compliant with. Numerous peer-reviewed studies have shown orthokeratology (OrthoK) is effective in slowing myopic progression. This review article covers the development of OrthoK, its mechanism of action, its evolution, and refinement from a refractive option to its use as a mean of slowing myopic progression. After detailing patterns of myopia progression, a description of theories and studies as to how OrthoK slows myopia progression in children is also explained. The review will focus on progression of myopia and the use of OrthoK to slow myopia progression after myopia has been diagnosed.


The hydrophobic ionic liquid [C8mim][PF6] (1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate)-based bicontinuous microemulsion stabilized by the anionic surfactant [C4mim][AOT] (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate) was first tried as a medium for horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-triggered oxidative polymerization of aniline. The effects of the mass ratio of [C8mim][PF6]-to-water (α), the mass fraction of [C4mim][AOT] in the total mixture (γ), and temperature (T) on the enzymatic polymerization were investigated using UV–vis–NIR absorption, electron spin resonance, and small-angle X-ray scattering spectroscopy techniques. The bicontinuous microemulsion is demonstrated to play a template role in the biosynthesis of polyaniline (PANI). The conductivity of the resulting PANI depends on the microemulsion microstructure and the microstructure- and T-dependent catalytic properties of the solubilized HRP. With the increase in α, the conductivity of the synthesized PANI decreases due to the increase in the template curvature (decrease of the microdomain size) and the decrease in the activity and stability of HRP. Compared with α, γ has little effect on the microdomain size of the template; so, the γ-dependent change in the conductivity of PANI is mainly caused by the changes of the microstructure-dependent activity and stability of HRP. Over the range of 20–35 °C, T has little effect on the microdomain size, but it greatly changes the activity and stability of HRP. With the increase in T, the activity of HRP increases steadily, but its stability decreases significantly, which should be one of the reasons why the conductivity of PANI decreases with increasing T. In conclusion, lower values of α, γ, and T are favorable for the biosynthesis of conductive PANI. The present study not only deepens the insight into the role of the template in the process of PANI synthesis, but also opens up a green new way for the biosynthesis of the conducting polymer.


Abstract
This thesis analyzes Extravert personality types in the novel 'The Bookish Life Of Nina Hill'. The goals of this research is to find out what type of extravert personality that can be seen in the novel 'The Bookish Life Of Nina Hill' which is related to the personality approach using Carl Jung's personality theory. This research focuses on Nina Hill's personality. The reason is because Nina Hill's personality is a nerd girl who wants to change her life to become more open to the world. The method that is used for this thesis is a qualitative method by collecting data through library books and online data. The results show that extravert personality types found in the novel  are divided into four types namely Thinking, Feeling, Sensing, and Intuiting. The first is Extravert Thinking. It is a personality that She thinks logically so that She  is understanding and explaining things with logical rules. Second is Extravert Feeling. It is a personality that  shows She responds to something emotionally. She is rejecting opinions that do not suit her emotionally. Third is Extravert Sensing. It is a personality who seeks pleasure by enjoying her activities in her weekly activities. Furthermore, Extravert Intuiting. It is a personality that She has creativity and takes advantage of the opportunity by making new ideas and taking advantage of opportunities to increase her knowledge.


Multiple motile cilia are present on specialized epithelial cells lining the airways, reproductive ducts, and brain ventricles. Cilia beating contributes to fluid movement and particle transport along the multiciliated surfaces. Dysfunction of motile cilia leads to ciliopathies such as primary ciliary dyskinesia, which is mainly characterized by respiratory infections, infertility, and - in rare cases - hydrocephalus. Due to the diverse vital functions of motile cilia, multiciliogenesis must be tightly controlled at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional level. We recently identified the tumor suppressor and transcription factor TAp73 as a central regulator of airway multiciliogenesis by activating the transcription of several different pro-ciliogenic factors.
Here, we show that TAp73 elicits its pro-ciliogenic function not only in the airways but also in other multiciliated tissues, albeit to different extents. Depletion of TAp73 results in a profound loss of motile cilia accompanied by diminished expression of several pro-ciliogenic factors including Foxj1, Rfx2, Rfx3, and axonemal dyneins Dnai1 and Dnali1 in the murine male and female reproductive tracts. As male and female TAp73 KO mice are infertile, we propose that defective multiciliogenesis in these mice contributes to the infertility phenotype by preventing proper gamete and zygote transport. Interestingly, multiciliated cells of the brain ventricles of TAp73 KO mice maintain their multiciliogenesis program by upregulating two well-established drivers of multiciliogenesis, namely E2F4 and miR449. Consistently, mice depleted for both TAp73 and miR449 display defective brain multiciliogenesis as these mice possess less and shorter motile cilia in the choroid plexus, which might contribute to the observed hydrocephalus in these mice. In summary, our data show that the role of TAp73 in multiciliogenesis is tissue-dependent and the interplay between transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulators ensures the development of functional motile cilia.
As we have demonstrated that miR449 is involved in brain multiciliogenesis, we next aimed to evaluate the role of miR449 in another multiciliated tissue, namely the airways. Coordinated beating of airway cilia contributes to mucociliary clearance, thereby facilitating airway defense and ensuring proper respiratory function. Moreover, multiciliated cells also participate in bronchial epithelial regeneration, a process which is impaired in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in addition to a defective mucociliary clearance. Here, for the first time, we report a link between cilia-related genes and miR449 in COPD patients using genome-wide transcriptome analysis. Since miR449 is strongly upregulated during mucociliary differentiation and bronchial epithelial regeneration, miR449 depletion in mice results in an impaired ciliated epithelial regeneration upon exposure to various damaging challenges. This shows that miR449 is an important contributor to mucociliary regeneration and it does so by targeting Aurora kinase A (AURKA), a key player in the ciliary disassembly pathway. Consequently, deficiency of miR449 in mice increases AURKA levels, reduces airway cilia upon challenge and mucociliary clearance, which thereby triggers spontaneous emphysematous manifestations of COPD. Thus, our study provides a connection between miR449, defective cilia maintenance, and COPD development.
Altogether, our study shows that miRNAs and tumor suppressors form a gene regulatory network to protect multiciliogenesis in different organs, thereby preventing the onset of diseases.


Background The number of clinical SpA-features plays an important role in the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) modified Berlin algorithm for the diagnostic work-up of patients (pts) with a suspicion of axial SpA (axSpA). Objectives To investigate whether all pts with short duration chronic back pain (CBP) and multiple SpA-features are always diagnosed as axSpA by the rheumatologist and to describe the features of these patients. Methods The SPondyloArthritis Caught Early (SPACE)-cohort includes CBP pts (≥3 months, ≤2 years, onset <45 years) from various European rheumatology centres. Baseline data were used for the analyses. Following a fixed protocol all pts underwent a full diagnostic work-up consisting of performance of MRI and radiographs of sacroiliac joints (MRI-SI and X-SI), acute phase reactants, HLA-B27 testing, and assessment of other SpA-features (inflammatory back pain (IBP), good response to NSAIDs, family history for SpA, peripheral arthritis, dactylitis, enthesitis, uveitis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and psoriasis). Local radiologists or rheumatologists from the different centres interpreted MRI-SI and X-SI on presence of sacroiliitis (yes/no) using global assessment as part of routine clinical practice. Total number of SpA-features was calculated excluding sacroiliac imaging and HLA-B27 status. The treating rheumatologist provided clinical diagnosis of pts and the ASAS-criteria for axSpA were used for classification. Results A total of 522 pts were analysed in this study: before sacroiliac imaging and HLA-B27 testing 164/522 (31.4%) pts had no or 1 SpA-feature, 148/522 (28.4%) pts had 2 SpA-features, 85/522 (16.3%) pts had 3 SpA-features, and 125/522 (23.9%) pts had ≥4 SpA-features respectively. IBP, good response to NSAIDs, and positive family history for SpA were most common in all subgroups (0 or 1 feature: 26.8%, 8.5%, and 16.5% of pts; 2 features: 72.3%, 34.5%, 39.9%; 3 features: 87.1%, 60.0%, 54.1%; ≥4 features: 94.4%, 83.2%, 68.0% respectively). Of the pts with 2 and 3 SpA-features with negative X-SI 20/132 (15.2%) and 9/78 (11.5%) did not have axSpA diagnosis despite being HLA-B27+ (Figure 1). All pts with ≥4 SpA-features and X-SI+ (n=28) were diagnosed with axSpA. In contrast to what would be expected by following the modified Berlin algorithm for pts with ≥4 SpA-features, 18/94 pts (19.1%) with negative imaging (of which 4 HLA-B27+), were not diagnosed with axSpA by their rheumatologist. Multivariate regression analysis of presence of SpA-features identified MRI-SI+ (OR 41.7;95%CI 17.3.1–100.5), X-SI+ (OR 31.5;95%CI 3.1–321.0), HLA-B27+ (OR 4.7;95%CI 2.5–8.6), uveitis (OR 4.3;95%CI 1.5–12.7), IBP (OR 2.5;95%CI 1.4–4.7), heel enthesitis (OR 5.5;95%CI 2.7–11.4), IBD (OR 3.2;95%CI 1.2–8.8), elevated CRP/ESR (OR 2.7;95%CI 1.4–5.3), and psoriasis (OR 2.5;95%CI 1.0–6.0) as significant independent predictors of axSpA diagnosis. Conclusions In this cohort of pts with CBP having numerous SpA-features did not automatically lead to a clinical axSpA diagnosis but positive imaging was the main driving factor to diagnosis of axSpA. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Purpose: DNA fragmentation in spermatozoa has been associated with poor semen quality, low fertilization rates, impaired preimplantation development, and high miscarriage rates. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the use of non-apoptotic MACS-selected spermatozoa in ICSI cycles, compared to those ICSI cycles in patients with normal sperm DNA fragmentation.
Methods: A total of 134 cycles of ICSI were included in the study. The study group consisted of patients with high DNA fragmentation and their spermatozoa were selected by MACS (n=57); and the control group, of patients with normal DNA fragmentation and their spermatozoa were selected by classic morphological characteristics. The fertilization rate, cleavage rate, embryo quality, pregnancy rate (PR), implantation rate (IR) and miscarriage rate (MR) were compared between groups.
Results: There was no difference in the fertilization rate (74.5 and 76.5%), cleavage rate and good embryo quality at Day 3 (98.3 and 89.1%; 88.4 and 83.7%) or blastocyst formation rate (50.8 and 41.1%) for the study and control groups, respectively. PRs, IRs and MRs were similar for the study group compared to the control group (PR: 63.2 versus 45.5%; IR: 37.4 versus 28.1%; MR: 8.3 versus 17.1). The women were distributed into three groups: <35 years, 35-39 years and ≥ 40 years. Pregnancy, implantation and miscarriage rates were similar in the three evaluated groups (P: NS).
Conclusions: By selecting non-apoptotic sperm by MACS, we can achieve very acceptable pregnancy and implantation rates; being a good option for couples with high sperm DNA fragmentation and repeated assisted reproduction failures.


PURPOSE
To evaluate the diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging-estimated proton density fat fraction (PDFF) for assessing hepatic steatosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by using centrally scored histopathologic validation as the reference standard.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This prospectively designed, cross-sectional, internal review board-approved, HIPAA-compliant study was conducted in 77 patients who had NAFLD and liver biopsy. MR imaging-PDFF was estimated from magnitude-based low flip angle multiecho gradient-recalled echo images after T2* correction and multifrequency fat modeling. Histopathologic scoring was obtained by consensus of the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) Clinical Research Network Pathology Committee. Spearman correlation, additivity and variance stabilization for regression for exploring the effect of a number of potential confounders, and receiver operating characteristic analyses were performed.

RESULTS
Liver MR imaging-PDFF was systematically higher, with higher histologic steatosis grade (P < .001), and was significantly correlated with histologic steatosis grade (ρ = 0.69, P < .001). The correlation was not confounded by age, sex, lobular inflammation, hepatocellular ballooning, NASH diagnosis, fibrosis, or magnetic field strength (P = .65). Area under the receiver operating characteristic curves was 0.989 (95% confidence interval: 0.968, 1.000) for distinguishing patients with steatosis grade 0 (n = 5) from those with grade 1 or higher (n = 72), 0.825 (95% confidence interval: 0.734, 0.915) to distinguish those with grade 1 or lower (n = 31) from those with grade 2 or higher (n = 46), and 0.893 (95% confidence interval: 0.809, 0.977) to distinguish those with grade 2 or lower (n = 58) from those with grade 3 (n = 19).

CONCLUSION
MR imaging-PDFF showed promise for assessment of hepatic steatosis grade in patients with NAFLD. For validation, further studies with larger sample sizes are needed.


This study sought to reappraise the study Referral counselling method and financial counselling method among mothers in Cross River State, Nigeria. The study was purely a sampling and purposive sampling technique. The questionnaire called (SMCQ) was the instrument used for data collection. The instrument was subjected to face validity by one expert in Guidance and Counselling and two experts in measurement and evaluation in the Faculty of Education, University of Calabar. The reliability estimate of the instrument was established through the Cronbach Alfa reliability method. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was the statistical analysis technique adopted to test the hypotheses under study. All hypotheses were subjected to testing at a .05 level of significance. The study showed that women whose referral counselling method were low were significantly different in their safe motherhood practices among women of reproductive age from those whose referral counselling method was either moderate or high. Also, women whose referral counselling method was moderate were significantly different from those who were high in safe motherhood practices among women of reproductive age. From the data analysis, the researcher found that: referral counselling methods and financial counselling methods significantly influence safe motherhood practices among women of reproductive age. The financial counselling method had a significant influence on safe motherhood practices among women of reproductive age, a post hoc analysis was employed using Fishers' Least Significant Difference (LSD) multiple comparison analysis. Based on the findings of the study the researcher recommended among others that disrespectful treatment of mother would discourage them from taking counselling classes and practising safe motherhood and the researcher suggest that perhaps maternal referral counselling usage is low because of the delays mothers encounter in the facilities in the facilities they are referred.


A nonlinear adaptive filter for use in steel mill applications is described. This filter takes the form of a generalised regression network and is used to remove eccentricities from a steel mill force signal. Online adaptation is achieved by means of standard recursive parameter update algorithms suitable for linear regression type models. It is demonstrated that second order methods can lead to severe parameter biasing effects and a more serious effect known as bursting, whereby the parameter estimation becomes numerically unstable. This paper discusses the above effects form a theoretical and practical viewpoint, and considers the suitability of several learning algorithms for the eccentricity filtering application. This analysis leads to a numerically robust filtering structure, the efficacy of which is demonstrated by means of results from a real steel rolling mill.


Sexual differentiation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is induced by the consecutive action of two extrinsic cues--nitrogen deprivation and blue light. The definition of a blue light-dependent step in gamete formation provided a basis for the isolation of mutants altered in the signal transduction pathway by which light controls sexual differentiation. In one mutant (lrg1), gamete formation has become light independent. In the other mutant (lrg2), perception or transduction of the light signal appears to be partially impaired. In both mutants, the expression of genes activated by light in the late phase of gamete formation is affected. Genetic analyses showed that genes LRG1 and LRG2 are linked. The recessive nature of the lrg1-1 mutation implies that the gene encodes a negative factor or a protein that controls the activity of a negative factor. In the case of lrg2-1, neither wild-type nor mutant allele was dominant. Rather, two copies of the lrg2-1 gene simulate a wild-type phenotype. The identification of genetic loci in the pathway for blue light-mediated differentiation provides a basis for the isolation of signal transduction genes in Chlamydomonas.


We developed a novel small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery system using a ternary complex with polyethyleneimine (PEI) and γ-polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA), which showed silencing effect and no cytotoxicity. The binary complexes of siRNA with PEI were approximately 73-102 nm in particle size and 45-52 mV in ζ-potential. The silencing effect of siRNA/PEI complexes increased with an increase of PEI, and siRNA/PEI complexes with a charge ratio greater than 16 showed significant luciferase knockdown in a mouse colon carcinoma cell line regularly expressing luciferase (Colon26/Luc cells). However, strong cytotoxicity and blood agglutination were observed in the siRNA/Lipofectamine complex and siRNA/PEI16 complex. Recharging cationic complexes with an anionic compound was reported to be a promising method for overcoming these toxicities. We therefore prepared ternary complexes of siRNA with PEI (charge ratio 16) by the addition of γ-PGA to reduce cytotoxicity and deliver siRNA. As expected, the cytotoxicity of the ternary complexes decreased with an increase of γ-PGA content, which decreased the ζ-potential of the complexes. A strong silencing effect comparable to siRNA/Lipofectamine complex was discovered in ternary complexes including γ-PGA with an anionic surface charge. The high incorporation of ternary complexes into Colon26/Luc cells was confirmed with fluorescence microcopy. Having achieved knockdown of an exogenously transfected gene, the ability of the complex to mediate knockdown of an endogenous housekeeping gene, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), was assessed in B16-F10 cells. The ternary complex (siRNA/PEI16/γ-PGA12 complex) exhibited a significant GAPDH knockdown effect. Thus, we developed a useful siRNA delivery system.


Stormwater runoff is an important avenue for pollutant transport from impermeable surfaces to surface waters. Consequently, stormwater pollutions require additional treatment processes to achieve water quality goals. Natural sorbents have been demanded and studied for using in water treatment because of their low cost and safety. In this study the use of Acorus Calamus, row Hemp, and procedure Hemp in stormwater treatment was investigated. Results of study in all sorbents with different concentrations and dosage indicated high efficiency to reduce pH. The use of Acorus Calamus for Turbidity, Phosphorus, conductivity and colour resulted increasing amount in different Dosage. In another experiments, using row Hemp, procedure Hemp and Linseed as natural sorbents indicated high efficiency to reduce turbidity of stormwater. Also it is obtained that procedure Hemp has high efficiency to reduce conductivity of stormwater.


Fitness-for-service (FFS) assessments are quantitative engineering evaluations which are required to be preformed periodically in accordance with the published codes and standards to demonstrate the structural integrity of in-service components. This report summarizes the results of nondestructive in-service-inspection (ISI) of pressurized components conducted for condition assessment of the Dakhani Gas Processing Plant of Oil and Gas Development Corporation Ltd. (OGDCL) for the first time since its commissioning in December,1989. The non-destructive evaluation of the plant was required because of concerns for occurrence of sulphide-stress-cracking. Hydrogen embrittlement, hydrogen-including-cracking, weight-loss-corrosion, sulphur-stress-corrosion due to determental service conditions at Dakhani having low PH, High H2S, high chlorides and pressure of CO2.The results have shown that microstructural changes associated with first and second stage of hydrogen attack have occurred in almost all of the pipe joints and pressure vessels. Hardness of some vessels has even exceeded the NACE limit of 220 HB. Effect of second stage of hydrogen attack are dominant in pipe joints, resulting in loss of hardness and strength because of decarburization. The results based on ultrasonic attenuation monitoring also indicate degradation of components. Random rounded indications have also been observed in some pipe joints during X-Ray radiographic testing that could serve as sites for failure initiation. The corrosion-under-insulation is observed for joints of piping spreading over a significant length. Localized corrosion and pitting is also observed in some locations of pressure vessels and piping. Ultrasonic thickness gauging has shown a significant variation in thickness for dish end and shell of some pressure vessels as well as for various joints of piping. In absence of periodic ISI data for the plant and keeping in view the results of non-destructive evaluation summarized above, the end-of-life (EOL) assessment of pressure vessels and piping is not possible and operation of the plant should be continued with a degree of caution. Any estimate of safe life assessment of the plant made at this stage would require revision on the basis of observed level of degradation through essential periodic in-service monitoring. In order to cope with the situation, it is recommended that monitoring of further degradation of microstructure and hardness along with flaw growth should be carried out after a period of 8x103 hours. Necessary remedial measures for rectification of flaws are requested. Non-destructive strain gauging is recommended to estimate data for safe life assessment of pressure vessels. Thermographic scanning of on-line in-service insulated pipelines is proposed for monitoring corrosion-under-insulation during plant operation.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


In this paper an attempt is made to understand and analyze consumer perception on khazana jewellery, their strategies and influencing factors to purchase jewellery in khazana. Merchants aim to increase their sales by determining what drives their customers' purchase decisions. Consumer perception theory attempts to explain consumer behavior by analyzing motivations for buying -- or not buying -- particular items. Three areas of consumer perception theory relate to consumer perception theory: self perception, price perception and perception of a benefit to quality of life. Consumer perception applies the concept of sensory perception to marketing and advertising. Just as sensory perception relates to how humans perceive and process sensory stimuli through their five senses, consumer perception pertains to how individuals form opinions about companies and the merchandise they offer through the purchases they make. Merchants apply consumer perception theory to determine how their customers perceive them. They also use consumer perception theory to develop marketing and advertising strategies intended to retain current customers -- and attract new ones.


Variabilities in tropical cyclone (TC) activity are commonly interpreted in individual TC basins. We identify an anti-phase decadal variation in TC genesis between the western North Pacific (WNP) and North Atlantic (NA). An inactive (active) WNP TC genesis concurs with an enhanced (suppressed) NA TC genesis. We propose that the trans-basin TC connection results from a subtropical east-west 'relay' teleconnection triggered by Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO), involving a chain atmosphere-ocean interaction in the North Pacific. During a negative AMO phase, the tropical NA cooling suppresses local convective heating that further stimulates a descending low-level anti-cyclonic circulation in the tropical NA and eastern North Pacific as a Rossby wave response, inhibiting the NA TC genesis. Meanwhile, the anomalous southwesterly to the western flank of the anomalous anti-cyclonic circulation tends to weaken the surface evaporation and warm the SST over the subtropical eastern North Pacific (southwest-northeast oriented zone from the tropical central Pacific to the subtropical west coast of North America). The SST warming further sustains a cyclonic circulation anomaly over the WNP by local atmosphere-ocean interaction and the Bjerknes feedback, promoting the WNP TC genesis. This trans-basin linkage helps us interpret the moderate amplitude of variations in TC genesis frequency in the Northern Hemisphere.


ABSTRACT Introduction Atypical visual and social attention has often been associated with clinically diagnosed autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and with the broader autism phenotype. Atypical social attention is of particular research interest given the importance of facial expressions for social communication, with faces tending to attract and hold attention in neurotypical individuals. In autism, this is not necessarily so, where there is debate about the temporal differences in the ability to disengage attention from a face. Method Thus, we have used eye-tracking to record saccadic latencies as a measure of time to disengage attention from a central task-irrelevant face before orienting to a newly presented peripheral nonsocial target during a gap-overlap task. Neurotypical participants with higher or lower autism-like traits (AT) completed the task that included central stimuli with varied expressions of facial emotion as well as an inverted face. Results High AT participants demonstrated faster saccadic responses to detect the nonsocial target than low AT participants when disengaging attention from a face. Furthermore, faster saccadic responses were recorded when comparing disengagement from upright to inverted faces in low AT but not in high AT participants. Conclusions Together, these results extend findings of atypical social attention disengagement in autism and highlight how differences in attention to faces in the broader autism phenotype can lead to apparently superior task performance under certain conditions. Specifically, autism traits were linked to faster attention orienting to a nonsocial target due to the reduced attentional hold of the task irrelevant face stimuli. The absence of an inversion effect in high AT participants also reinforces the suggestion that they process upright or inverted faces similarly, unlike low AT participants for whom inverted faces are thought to be less socially engaging, thus allowing faster disengagement.


Grey cast iron belongs to materials for casting production, which have wide application for different industry branches. Wide spectrum of properties of these materials is given by the structure of base metal matrix, which can be influenced with heat treatment. Processes of annealing can be applied for grey cast iron without problems. During heat treatment processes, where higher cooling rates are used, the thermal and structural strains become important. Usage and conditions of such heat treatment for grey cast iron castings of common production are the subject of evaluation of this article.


The Archean Horne 5 deposit, located in the Rouyn-Noranda district in the southern Abitibi greenstone belt, Canada, contains a total resource of 172.4 t Au (5.6 Moz) from 112.7 Mt of ore grading at 1.53 g/t Au. The deposit is part of the Au-rich Horne volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) complex that also includes the past-producing Horne mine (i.e., the Upper and Lower H zones plus small subsidiary lenses) that yielded 325.4 t Au (10.5 Moz Au) from 53.7 Mt of ore grading at 6.06 g/t Au. Combined, the Horne mine and Horne 5 deposit contain ~500 t Au (16 Moz), making them the world's single largest accumulation of VMS-related Au.
 The Horne 5 deposit consists of stacked lenses of massive to semimassive sulfides alternating with extensive zones of disseminated and stringer sulfides. The mineralization is hosted within thick accumulations of steeply dipping dacitic to rhyodacitic volcaniclastic units of transitional to calc-alkaline magmatic affinity. Dacitic-rhyodacitic synvolcanic units (lobes, sills, and/or domes) intrude the host succession, which is also crosscut by a series of post-ore mafic and younger intermediate to felsic feldspar ± quartz porphyry dikes.
 A broad and diffuse halo of distal sericite-chlorite-epidote alteration extends outboard of intensely sericite-altered zones proximal to the sulfide lenses. Gold is interpreted to be synvolcanic on the basis of Au-rich massive sulfide clasts in the volcaniclastic units, the presence of preserved Au-rich primary pyrite, Au zones limited to the sulfide envelope, crosscutting deformed but unaltered and barren dikes, and the absence of typical syndeformation, orogenic-style alteration and mineralization despite overprinting high-strain corridors and faults. Gold is spatially associated with pyrite, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite, and its distribution is largely controlled by the higher porosity and permeability of the volcaniclastic host rocks, which are interpreted to have facilitated hydrothermal fluid circulation in the subseafloor environment. Synvolcanic intrusions and fine-grained tuffs overlying auriferous zones also influenced the distribution of the mineralization by acting as cap rocks to ascending fluids. Evidence suggests that Au enrichment at the Horne 5 deposit is due to efficient transport and precipitation of Au in the subseafloor environment, a favorable geodynamic setting (transitional to calc-alkaline magmatism over thick crust), and possible input of magmatic fluids as suggested by high Te and Cu in the mineralization. Minor and very local remobilization of metals occurred in response to regional deformation and associated greenschist facies metamorphism.
 The detailed study of the Horne 5 deposit geology and a review of the available information on the Horne mine and recent 3-D modeling indicate that the Horne 5 deposit may have formed higher in the stratigraphy than the Upper and Lower H orebodies of the former Horne mine, which originally formed a single lens. Therefore, the Horne Au-rich VMS complex originally formed as a stacked system in which the Horne 5 deposit was deposited above the Upper and Lower H zones and not in a distal or lateral position as previously proposed, indicating that a robust hydrothermal system was responsible for the formation of the world's largest Au-rich VMS complex.


Diabetic macular edema is very important medical and social problem and major cause of severe and permanent visual acuity depression in the working-age population. Rapid diagnostics with optical coherence tomography, color fundus photography, fluorescein angiography and appropriate treatment in patients with diabetes stops or retards progress of diabetic macular edema.


The author categorizes application security concerns into four specific issues: input streams, output production, internal data, and algorithms and computation. The first two concerns - input and output - are related to the environment in which applications execute. The last two - data and algorithms - are related to an application's awareness of its own internal secrets. Those secrets could be the data an application stores or the algorithm it uses to perform its work. All four issues relate to awareness: secure software must always be aware of what is going on, both inside its perimeter and out to respond effectively to malicious threats.


A survey was carried out to determine the presence of vices in commercial chickens in Maiduguri, Borno State, between Marchto July, 2005. Types, causes, and possible control measures were also investigated. Forty flocks were randomly selected and studied. These included institutional, government and private (small and large) farms. The use of questionnaires, farm records and scheduled interviews with the farm managers and farm owners were employed for data collection. Out of the 40 flocks examined, 18(45%) were layers, 7(17.5%) were chicks, 8(20%) were growers and 7(17.5%), consist of various breeds of chickens such as ISA Brown, white Leghorn, Black Harco and Shika brown breeds. Thirty (75%) out of the total flocks exhibited various kinds of vices ranging from cannibalism, vent pecking, feather pulling, toe pecking, head pecking and egg eating. Out of these thirty flocks, ISA brown flocks recorded the highest incidence of vices with 40%, followed by white Leghorn with 30%, Black Harco with 27% and Shika brown breeds constituting 3%. Layers displayed a high level (94%) of vices in their flocks compared to layers (75%), chicks (57%) while broilers exhibited the lowest degree of vices (43%). Management system employed on the farm played a major role in outbreak of vices observed in the flocks. Birds managed under intensive system showed a high level of vices when compared to those managed under semi- intensive and extensive methods. The nature of feed given to the birds showed positive correlation with vices. Debeaking, combination of debeaking with mineral and vitamin supplement in the feeds, and culling were the best and effective strategies for controlling outbreak of vices in the flock. Key words: Vices, chickens, causes, intervention strategies, Maiduguri, Nigeria


Over the past several years, there has been a steadily increasing interest in self-ligating bracket systems in the orthodontic profession. There are several different types of these systems and the most important factor differentiating one from another is their functioning mode. It is this functioning mode and its impact on the management of patient care that the orthodontist must first evaluate to determine which type of self-ligating bracket best fits his/her practice philosophy. The purpose of this article is to provide a perspective on the operating mode of the Time interactive self-ligating bracket. A treated patient is presented who is representative of results typically obtained with the system by a practitioner after 10 years of exclusive use of this system.


PURPOSE
We evaluated the results obtained by 130 Italian radiologists undergoing a proficiency test of clinical mammography.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Radiologists were invited to report a series of 100 mammograms (two views), including 32 cancers and 78 non-cancers, with limited information regarding age, subjective symptoms, and findings at palpation. Sensitivity and specificity were then calculated. The test was validated by a panel of experts, and standards for test sufficiency were established on that basis (sensitivity > 80%, specificity > 85%). The tested radiologists differed by mammographic practice (average = 5.7 years, range 0.5-18), total number of mammograms read (average = 8,784, range 300-50,000) and per year (average = 1,535 range 300-5,000).

RESULTS
Sensitivity (standard > 80%, average 81.1%, range 39-100%) and specificity (standard > 85%, average 84.0%, range 38-98%) standards were reached by 79 (60.8%) and 81 (62.3%) radiologists, respectively. Overall, only 37 (28.5%) radiologists passed the test (reached both standards). Mammographic practice (years of experience) (chi 2 for trend 5.26, p = 0.02), total mammograms read (chi 2 5.86, p = 0.05), and mammograms read per year (chi 2 8.07, p = 0.01) significantly correlated with a sufficient test.

DISCUSSION
The evaluated sample is rather large but not necessarily representative of Italian radiologists. Had the sample been selected, there is no way to know if the results would have been biased towards a better or worse figure with respect to the national average. A significant correlation was found with reading experience (the best results were obtained by operators with > 10,000 films read and with > 2,000 films read/year), as which is important because most Italian radiologists reporting mammography usually read a limited number of cases.

CONCLUSIONS
These results on such a wide sample of radiologists, possibly representative of the national average, are disappointing, and suggest that the average quality of mammography reporting in Italy may not be up to standards. Thus, we suggest that quality control program for clinical mammography not only test the equipment but include training and accreditation of radiologists.


Objective: To determine the efficacy of ultrasound guided tube drainage of Perinephric abscess. Study Design: Observational study. Setting: Surgical Unit-II and Urology Ward Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College Teaching Hospital Sukkur & Mustafia Hospital Sukkur. Period: February 2016 to January 2020. Material & Methods: 70 cases with Perinephric abscess underwent ultrasound guided tube drainage. Diagnosis was established by history, clinical examination, investigations like ultrasound & CT scan. Patients with emphysematous kidney & chronic sinus formation and with small abscess were excluded from the study. Patients were followed up for 4 weeks for complete regression of abscess cavity on ultrasound. Results: Out of 70 Patients 61.4% were male and 35% were female. 58.5% of the patients had right sided Perinephric abscess. Majority of the patients(42.8%)  belonged to age group 41-50 years. 31.4% of the patients were diabetic. Clinically 95.7% of the patients reported with fever and 88.5% with flank pain. Ultrasound guided tube drainage was successful in 65(92.8%) while in 5(7.1%) patients it failed and open drainage was performed. Conclusion: Ultrasound guided tube drainage is an effective way to treat Perinephric abscess with very few minor complications as compared to open drainage.


Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are highly conserved proteins and have cytoprotective role for maintaining cellular protein conformation. Hsps not only keep proteins in their native state but also involve in several essential biochemical process. This review summarizes structural properties of Hsps (Hsp70, Hsp4, Hsp90, Hsp10, Hsp60, sHsps, and Nucleotide Exchange Factors) and explains their roles in aging, apoptosis, cancer, neurodegeneration, cardio-vascular diseases, obesity and diabetes mellitus, and housekeeping.


Hospital discharge is a complex, multi-stakeholder event, and evidence suggests that the quality of that transition directly relates to mortality, readmissions, and postdischarge quality of life and functional status.1 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services call for team-based and patient-centered discharge planning,2 yet the process for achieving this is poorly defined. In this issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine, Manges et al3 use shared mental models (SMM) as a conceptual framework to describe differences in how care team members and patients perceive hospital discharge readiness. While our understanding of factors associated with safe and patient-centered hospital discharges is still growing, the authors focus on one critical component: lack of agreement between patients and interprofessional teams regarding discharge readiness. Manges et al3 measured whether interprofessional team members agree, or converge, on their assessment of a patient's discharge readiness (team-SMM convergence) and whether that assessment converges with the patient's self-assessment (team-patient SMM convergence). They found good teamSMM convergence regarding the patient's discharge readiness, yet teams overestimated readiness compared with the patient's self-assessment nearly half (48.4%) of the time. A clinical trial found that clinician assessments of discharge readiness were poorly predictive of readmissions unless they were combined with a patient's self-assessment.4 Manges et al's study findings, while of limited generalizability, enhance our understanding of a potential gap in achieving patient-centered care as outlined in the Institute of Medicine's Crossing the Quality Chasm,5 which urges clinicians to see patients and families as partners in improving care. The authors also found that higher team-patient convergence was associated with teams that reported high-quality teamwork and those having more baccalaureate degree− educated nurses (BSN). While Manges et al3 did not elucidate the mechanism by which this occurs, their findings align with existing literature showing that patients receiving care from a higher proportion of BSN-prepared nurses experience an 18.7% reduction in odds of readmission.6 Further research investigating the link between team communication, registered nurse education, and discharge outcomes may reveal additional opportunities for interventions to improve discharge quality. The lack of patient outcomes and the limited diversity of the patient population are substantial limitations of the study. The authors did not assess the relationship between SMMs and important outcomes like readmission or adverse events. Furthermore, most of the patients were White and Englishspeaking, precluding assessment of factors that disproportionately impact patient populations that already experience disparities in a multitude of health outcomes. In summary, Manges et al3 highlight challenges and opportunities in optimizing clinician communication and ensuring that the team's and the patient's self-assessments align and inform discharge planning. Their findings suggest the theoretical framework of SMM holds promise in identifying and evaluating some of the complex determinants involved in highquality, patient-centered hospital discharges.


In a hyper-relational knowledge graph, a triplet can be associated with a set of qualifiers, where a qualifier is composed of a relation and an entity, providing auxiliary information for the triplet. While existing hyper-relational knowledge graph embedding methods assume that the entities are discrete objects, some information should be represented using numeric values, e.g., (J.R.R., was born in, 1892). Also, a triplet (J.R.R., educated at, Oxford Univ.) can be associated with a qualifier such as (start time, 1911). In this paper, we propose a unified framework named HyNT that learns representations of a hyper-relational knowledge graph containing numeric literals in either triplets or qualifiers. We define a context transformer and a prediction transformer to learn the representations based not only on the correlations between a triplet and its qualifiers but also on the numeric information. By learning compact representations of triplets and qualifiers and feeding them into the transformers, we reduce the computation cost of using transformers. Using HyNT, we can predict missing numeric values in addition to missing entities or relations in a hyper-relational knowledge graph. Experimental results show that HyNT significantly outperforms state-of-the-art methods on real-world datasets.