This history book describes the more gruesome side of the Stuart period. It tells why some Stuarts ate toads, snails and fleas, which king picked his nose and never washed his hands, and who wore fish on their feet. Facts about the revolting Roundheads and ghastly Guy Fawkes are given.


This paper describes experiments in auditory information processing. These experiments investigated the possibility of utilising structured auditory stimuli (environmental and musical) to communicate information about the layout of a building. For example, auditory stimuli communicated the number of levels (or floors), location of rooms, hallways, sections and types of access (windows or doors). The results of our investigation suggest that it is possible to communicate building layout using auditory stimuli. These findings have particular implications for visually impaired users and for user interfaces or multimedia systems, which need to rely on auditory stimuli as an output mode. There is evidence to suggest that the use of environmental sounds or auditory icons are particularly effective. The importance of considering the characteristics of the problem domain and their relations to each other as well as the allocation of suitable media appear to aid consistency in a multimedia-auditory design. The issues of structure, classification and presentation are also underlined as part of the design process.


Information Retrieval (IR) systems are currently facing a continuous challenge due to the increasing size of datasets. Extremely, large data from different aspects is gathered each day resulting in huge increase in the scale of the raw data available across the internet. Indexing, as the main function of IR systems, is becoming a time-consuming problem. Therefore, efficient indexing of a large volume of data is now a critical requirement of modern IR systems. High performance indexing is performed nowadays over the use of MapReduce programming model. MapReduce is a programming paradigm that enables massive processing and large collections distribution across multiple (hundreds or thousands) commodity computers. To shed some light on this issue, this paper presents a detailed performance analysis of distributed indexing for Solr, Katta and Terrier with the context of MapReduce. In particular, this study compares and analyzes the distributed indexing performance of three frameworks using 1GB, 3GB, 6GB, and 9GB subsets of TREC dataset as the processing power increase. The experiments measure the indexing average time, then throughput, speedup, and efficiency of indexing process. The results show that, Terrier performance is the best in the presence of large collections and scalable processing power. While, Solr performance is the best when having limited computing power and small document collections. Finally, the experimental results show that, Katta produced the worst indexing average time among the three frameworks but its speedup scales linearly with processing power and collection size.


The particle size distribution that results from steam flaking corn could be responsible for the difference in the chemical composition noted between steam-flaked corn and unprocessed grain. Steam-flaked corn processed to bulk densities of 283, 335, and 386 g/L (22, 26, and 30 lb/bu, respectively) was dry-sieved to determine the proportions in particle size fractions ranging from >8,000 to 8,000-µm fraction, with the smallest proportion associated with the 600-µm sieve fraction. The proportions of NDF, P, EE, and ash present in particles >8,000 µm decreased (P < 0.05) as flake bulk density decreased. In addition, the proportions of total starch within particle sizes of 4,760 to 8,000 µm and 1,180 to 2,360 µm were greater (P ≤ 0.02) for 283 g/L flakes than for 335 and 386 g/L flakes. Within the range of bulk density of steam-flaked corn evaluated, certain nutrients were more concentrated in the finer particles created during the steamflaking process. If smaller particles are disproportionately sampled, flaked corn will appear to differ chemically from the grain being flaked.


1. The abundance and species richness of butterflies on expanded-width uncropped arable field edges, which were subject to 10 contrasting, experimental management regimes, were measured using transects in 1989, 1990 and 1991. The effects of the management regimes on a number of botanical variables, likely to be of importance to butterflies, were measured. 2. On the experimental field edges, butterfly abundance and species richness fluctuated between years and peaked at different times each year. 3. Butterfly abundance and species richness differed between experimental treatments. Plots which were either cut in the spring and autumn, or not cut at all, attracted more individuals and species of butterfly than did plots cut in the summer. Sowing with a grass and wild flower seed mixture increased butterfly abundance. Butterfly abundance declined on swards sprayed once annually with herbicide. 4. Mowing, sowing and spraying had significant effects on mean flower abundance, on the annual and perennial components flowering in the sward, and on the abundance of commonly used nectar sources and larval host-plants. 5. Stepwise multiple regression analyses on butterfly and plant data showed that the abundance of adults of most butterfly species was most closely associated with the abundance of flowers of key nectar source species. 6. The results are discussed in relation to resource provision for larval and adult butterfly stages. Recommendations (emboldened in the text) are made for the conservation management of butterflies on arable farmland.


Background The Health Sector Evolution Plan (HSEP) was set up in Iran's health system to respond to some of the main problems in hospitals and other health sectors. We aimed to compare the effect of the HSEP on teaching hospital performance before and after the implementation of the HSEP through the interrupted time series (ITS) analysis. Methods With a cross-sectional design, data collection was performed in 17 teaching hospitals affiliated with the Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS). We used the existing data on three indicators of hospitalization rate (per 10,000 population), Emergency Department Visits (EDVs) (per 10,000 population), and in-hospital mortality (per 10,000 population). The monthly data from 2009 to 2019 was analyzed by the ITS method 60 months before and 61 months after the HSEP. Results We found a non-statistically significant decrease in the monthly trend of hospitalization rate relative to the period before the HSEP implementation (−0.084 per 10,000 population [95%CI: −0.269, 0.101](. There was a statistically significant increase in the monthly trend of EDVs rate compared to before the HSEP implementation (1.07 per 10,000 population [95%CI: 0.14, 2.01]). Also, a significant decrease in the monthly trend of in-hospital mortality compared to before the HSEP implementation [−0.003 per 10,000 population (95%CI: −0.006, −0.001)] was observed. Conclusion Our study demonstrated a significant increasing and decreasing trend for EDVs and in-hospital mortality following the HSEP implementation, respectively. Regarding the increase in hospitalization rate and EDVs after the implementation of HESP, it seems that there is a need to increase investment in healthcare and improve healthcare infrastructure, human resources-related indicators, and the quality of healthcare.


The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse from a theoretical perspective the compatibility of the African Union's (AU's) self-financing mechanism (SFM) with the rules and regulations of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) principle, which forms an integral part of the anti-discrimination provisions. The AU consists of 55 African countries, most of them members of the WTO. The SFM agreed is in the form of a 0.2 per cent levy applied to all eligible goods imported from a non-AU member state into the territory of an AU member state. As most of the AU member states (AUMSs) are WTO members, they must adhere to all the rules and regulations of the WTO. It is against this backdrop that this paper analyses the AU SFM against the relevant WTO rules and regulations. Most importantly this paper will provide recommendations for the compatibility of the AUs SFM in terms of the existing WTO rules and principles, such as the operation of the Differential and More Favourable Treatment, Reciprocity and Fuller Participation of Developing Countries, more commonly referred to as the Enabling Clause, given the WTOs general classification of all African countries as developing or least developed countries. The need for the AU to be self-sustainable financially in order for it to achieve its goals and objectives has most recently been reinforced.by the economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic both locally and internationally.


An experiment was conducted to predict the true metabolizable energy (TMEn) of compounded starter feeds of broiler chickens trough their chemical composition using precision-feeding method of Sibbald in male boilers. In the first, eight compounded feed samples provided from eight feed plants and their chemical composition determined in laboratory. Results of chemical composition showed that average values of dry matter, crude protein, ether extract, crude ash, crude fiber, calcium and phosphorus were 90.47, 20.99, 2.79, 2.88, 6.69, 1.08 and 0.49 percent, respectively with coefficient of variation between 2.01 to 13.29 percent. The average value of TMEn in compounded starter feeds was also obtained 3006 Kcal/kg with variation from 2884 to 3275 Kcal/kg and differences between them were significant. The variation between metabolizability values in the compounded feeds was 0.7 to 0.8 percent and differences between their values were not significant. The average value of dry matter true metabolizability in starter feeds was obtained as 54 percent and those having higher crude fiber, showed lower dry matter true metabolizability. The TME and TMEn values of compounded starter feeds showed a negative correlation as 0.38 and 0.59 percent with crude ash of feeds, so that the feeds containing higher crude ash had lower TME and TMEn values. Regression analysis showed that we can predict the TMEn value of broiler compounded starter feeds via regression equations from crude ash, crude protein, calcium and phosphorus contents of feeds from their crude ash, crude protein, calcium and phosphorus with R2 value as 0.67 (P=0.002).


Running contests has been an effective way to solicit efforts from a large pool of participants. Existing research mostly focuses on small contests that typically consist of two or several perfectly rational agents. In practice, however, agents are often founded in complex environments that involve large numbers of players, and they usually use thresholding policies to make decisions. Despite the fact, there is a surprising lack of understanding of how contest factors influence their outcomes. Here, we present the first simulation analysis on how parameters of the contest success function, the population dynamics, and the agents' cutoff policies influence the outcomes of the contests with thresholding agents that are non-cooperative. Experimental results demonstrate that stakeholders can design (approximately) optimal contests to satisfy both their interests and the agents' by choosing a relatively low bias factor. Our work brings new insights into how to design proper competitions to coordinate thresholding agents.


Changes in culturability and outer membrane protein profiles were investigated in Pseudomonas fluorescens DF57 and Pseudomonas putida DF14 during starvation for carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. P. fluorescens DF57 remained fully culturable for 4 days in all starvation regimes. The cell mass increased during starvation for nitrogen and phosphorus, indicating the accumulation of storage compounds, whereas it decreased slightly in carbon-starved cells. P. putida DF14 lost culturability during phosphorus starvation, and the mass of phosphate-starved cells did not increase. Analysis of additional P. fluorescens and P. putida strains, however, showed that the ability to preserve culturability during phosphorus starvation was not species but strain dependent. In DF57, an outer membrane protein of 55 kDa appeared during starvation for phosphorus, while another protein of 63 kDa was seen during all starvation conditions. DF14 induced two outer membrane proteins of 28 and 29 kDa during starvation for carbon and nitrogen, but no phosphorus-specific starvation protein could be detected. Therefore, starvation-induced outer membrane proteins do not seem to be conserved among the fluorescent pseudomonads and a unique starvation response might be found in individual strains.


The external geniculate body has been studied extensively in numerous investigations of the central visual system, but such research has been concerned largely with the anatomy of the fibers and the representation of the retina in the central nervous system. A consideration of the cellular pathology of this structure, particularly with regard to the effect produced by inflammatory, toxic or degenerative processes, was not found in a review of the literature. Since the external geniculate body is directly associated with the function of vision, the study of its cellular pathology reported here has revealed changes of both academic and clinical interest. MATERIAL AND METHODS OF STUDY The material from one hundred and forty-one cases of a wide variety of infectious, toxic and degenerative conditions was examined. In most of the cases the external geniculate body was sectioned from one side and stained by the Nissl, fat, myelin sheath, neurofibril and


SYNOPSIS. When parent-offspring relation"; in sexually reproducing species are viewed from the standpoint of the offspring as well as the parent, conflict is seen to be an expected feature of such relations. In particular, parent and offspring are expected to disagree over how long the period of parental investment should last, over the amount of parental investment that should be given, and over the altruistic and egoistic ten- dencies of the offspring as these tendencies affect other relatives. In addition, under certain conditions parents and offspring are expected to disagree over the preferred sex of the potential offspring. In general, parent-offspring conflict is expected to increase during the period of parental care, and offspring are expected to employ psychological weapons in order to compete with their parents. Detailed data on mother-offspring relations in mammals are consistent with the arguments presented. Conflict in some species, including the human species, is expected to extend to the adult reproductive role o£ the offspring: under certain conditions parents are expected to attempt to mold an offspring, against its better interests, into a permanent nonreproductive.


Due to its excellent performance, resistive random access memory (RRAM) has become one of the most appealing and promising types of memory. However, RRAM has significant problems concerning understanding and modelling the resistive-switching mechanism, despite being very promising from the perspectives of scalability and techniques. This paper presents an analysis of thermodynamic resistive switching and fundamentals of thermal energy flow in a ZnO-based RRAM stack. The field and thermal energy flow within the device are analysed using the thermodynamic process. The influence of parameter variations during the SET and RESET operations is shown and their effect on the switching characteristic is characterized. The real I-V characteristics show fixed current vibrations and field-driven ion transport is evidenced and more prominent at higher currents. It shows that the nucleation of the filament as well as the growth of the gap complements the increase in the free energy (FE) of the system. These studies contribute to better comprehension and account for SET-RESET characteristics, rightly unfolding the thermal energy flow during dynamic switching operations that causes device degradation and allowing stability for future data storage projections.


Saninten (Castanopsis argentea (Blume) A.DC.) is one of the member Fagaceae family which can produce wood and non-wood product. Micropropagation of saninten by in vitro has never been reported. This research aims to identify the growth response of saninten shoot by adding Plant Growth Regulator (PGR), they are 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and indole-3-acetic-acid (IAA) with different concentrations in propagation in vitro on woody plant medium (WPM). The research conducted a completely randomized design (CRD) factorial. They are PGR type and PGR concentration. The PGR type consist of two levels namely BAP and IAA. PGR concentration consist of three levels namely 0 mg/L BAP and IAA, 0.5 mg/L BAP or 0.1 mg/L IAA, and 1.0 mg/L BAP or 0.1 mg/L IAA. Parameters observed is the amount of shoot, shoot height, and callus growth. The combination of BAP (0, 0.5, 1 mg/L) and IAA (0, 0.1, 0.1 mg/L) haven't produce optimal growth of shoot. WPM medium with 0.5 mg/L BAP was able to produce the best of percentage of shoot, the number of shoots, and shoot height growth. WPM medium with IAA concentration of 0.1 and 0.2 mg/L produce explant with callus.Key words: 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), Castanopsis argentea, indole-3-acetic-acid (IAA), woody plant medium (WPM)


Witness tampering is a kind of obstruction of justice, but in the context of domestic violence, it falls under the category of crimes that are usually not punished. A mantle of family privacy which used to cover a spouses' assault, threats of physical violence, or rape, may make practitioners reticent to consider imposing criminal penalties for witness tampering. Prosecutors may lose the testimony of their star witness because an abuser, or his or her family, is encouraging a victim-witness to change her, or his, story, especially when coercion or threats come from a family member acting as a go-between for the abuser. I seek to examine the legal and social implications of this possible unspoken exception to the doctrine of witness tampering, and the consequences of failing to hold accountable batterers and their families in the wake of Giles, Davis, and Crawford. Formerly, prosecutors of domestic violence prosecutions could use evidence of domestic violence, such as statements to police about the incident, to prosecute even if the witness/ victim was uncooperative. Hearsay was admissible if probative and reliable, and the witness was unavailable. First, I would like to prove the existence of this and other obstacles to prosecuting perpetrators of domestic violence, and second, to explore the reasoning behind it. Is there a legal justification for prosecuting witness tampering in other contexts, such as mafia or gang prosecutions, but not when the tampering 3rd party is trying to preserve a family or marriage instead of an illegal enterprise? Is there a hidden mens rea requirement that allows selective prosecution of only certain group criminality? I see problematic implications to prosecuting only some witness tampering, and seek to explore possible solutions from other prosecutions against groups that seek to protect themselves, so that a prosecutor can continue their prosecution when a family has closed ranks.


In 1942, the Norwegian psychiatrist Eitinger drew attention to the fact that acute psychosis may be the presenting and major symptom of primary hyperparathyroidism. A case of this variety is reported. In the course of two months a 77-year old woman developed an acute psychosis characterized by apathy, amnesia, somatic delusions and hallucinations. Initially, the case was misinterpreted as senile dementia. The serum calcium level was 4.3 mmol/l. After parathyroidectomy her mental symptoms were completely relieved.


Recent efforts to understand aggregate student loan debt have shifted the focus away from undergraduate borrowing and toward dramatically rising debt among graduate and professional students. We suggest educational debt plays a key role in social stratification by either deterring bachelor's degree holders from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds from pursuing lucrative careers through advanced degree programs or imposing a high cost for entry. We speculate that the ongoing personal financing of advanced degrees, changes to funding in higher education, and increasing returns to and demand for postbaccalaureate degrees have created a perfect storm for those seeking degrees beyond college. We find that aggregate increases in borrowing among advanced degree students between 1996 and 2016 can be explained in part by increasing enrollment rates, particularly among master's degree students, and large, secular increases in graduate and professional students' undergraduate and graduate borrowing. In contrast to undergraduate debt alone, the burden of educational debt among graduate borrowers appears to have fallen on students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and historically underserved students of color more so than their more advantaged counterparts and on women more so than men. However, we also find that median advanced degree wage premia over those of bachelor's degree holders are substantial for many who graduate with advanced degrees but are particularly high for African American and low socioeconomic status graduates, complicating simple conclusions about the stratification of debt at the postgraduate level.


Objectives. Superoxide dismutase, acting as a scavenger of oxygen free radicals, has shown mixed results in increasing survival from burn wounds. We previously demonstrated that human recombinant copper-zinc superoxide dismutase could increase the survival of failing ischaemic flaps in a rat model. Because of the similar pathophysiology of tissue ischaemia in flaps and intermediate zone burns, we conducted a later study employing two groups of rats with standardized intermediate burns, to ascertain whether or not human recombinant copper-zinc superoxide dismutase could increase intermediate burn zone survival in rats. The results showed that post-burn human recombinant copper-zinc superoxide dismutase failed to improve intermediate burn zone survival. We decided to undertake a new study to ascertain whether there was a protective effect of human recombinant copper-zinc superoxide dismutase in intermediate burns. Methods. This controlled study employed two groups of rats, one of which received prophylactic treatment with human recombinant copper-zinc superoxide dismutase before the induction of standardized intermediate burns. Results. The results showed that pre-burn human recombinant copper-zinc superoxide dismutase also failed to improve intermediate burn zone survival. Conclusions. Further studies are needed to fully understand the effect of oxygen free radicals in burn wound pathophysiology and to determine whether human recombinant copper-zinc superoxide dismutase has a place in the clinical management of burns.


Uniquely for the Eph family of receptor tyrosine kinases, the EphB6 receptor is catalytically inactive due to the alteration of several critical residues in its kinase domain. This has cast doubt upon its ability to participate in cytoplasmic signaling events. We show here that despite its lack of kinase activity, EphB6 undergoes inducible tyrosine phosphorylation upon stimulation with the Eph-B receptor subfamily ligand ephrin-B1. We also demonstrate, for the first time, evidence of cross-talk between Eph receptors. Overexpression of a catalytically active member of the Eph-B subfamily, EphB1, resulted in increased EphB6 phosphorylation. EphB1-induced EphB6 phosphorylation was ligand-dependent and required the functional catalytic activity of EphB1. EphB1 not only transphosphorylated EphB6, but together they also formed a stable hetero-complex. In addition, we identify the proto-oncogene c-Cbl as an EphB6-binding protein. Although EphB6-Cbl association appeared to be constitutive, Cbl required a functional phosphotyrosine binding domain in order to bind the receptor, whereas its RING finger motif ubiquitin-transfer domain was not necessary. Our findings demonstrate that EphB6 is an actively signaling receptor that undergoes transphosphorylation upon ligand binding and that can initiate specific cytoplasmic signaling events.


Aim: To study the effectiveness of 6 non-invasive methods in the evaluation of the presence of esophageal varices in chronic liver disease (CLD). Design: A prospective study of patients with chronic liver disease to detect the presence or absence of esophageal varices using non-invasive tests. Place and Duration: In the Gastroenterology Department of Services Hospital Lahore for one year duration from March 2019 to March 2020. Methods: Consecutive patients with clinical and paraclinical criteria of CLD with no upper GIT bleeding at presentation or in their past history were included in this study. Results: During the study 103 patients with CLD met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled in this study, 60 were men and 43 women. The age ranged from 16 to 81 years, with an average age of 42.69 ± 16.96 years. Of these 103 patients, 62 (59.95%) had esophageal varices, 36 (58%) were small and 26 (42%) were large. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV values of 6 examined paraclinical and biochemical variables were evaluated. The sensitivity and the specificity for spleen diameter was 79.7% and 33.3% respectively, for platelet count 26.6% and 87.2%, for P.V diameter 39% and 47.4%, for Rt. lobe diameter/albumin ratio 23.4% and 82%, for spleen diameter/platelet count ratio 37.5% and 74.4% and for AST/ALT ratio 53.1% and 51.3%. Conclusion: No one of the studied non-invasive tests had high predictive value or high sensitivity or specificity for prediction of esophageal varices, consequently upper GIT endoscopy is still the gold standard way in the diagnosis and grading of esophageal varices.


The relationship among stressful life events, coping strategies, self-efficacy in coping and depression in 544 participants of a study on successful aging involving elderly who reside in the community was assessed (74,6% women; age = 72.11; + 8.29; 42,1% age 60-69; 39% 70-79 and 18,9% 80-99). Stressful life events were classified into categories related to: finitude, problems concerning offspring, care, crisis and psychological well-being. Coping strategies generated five factors: negative emotions, environment control, religiosity, avoidance behaviors, and emotional inhibition. Self-efficacy of coping was evaluated between appropriate versus inappropriate. Mean score of depression assessed through CES-D was 10.24, + 8,66); prevalence was 32% to a cut-off score >11. Major risk for depression was associated with negative emotions, uncontrollable events, age 60-69 and inappropiate self-efficacy of coping. The stressful life events seemed less predictive of depression than the cognitive assessment and the coping did.


Annual molts and the subsequent plumages they produce are a ubiquitous element of avian life history. Research pertaining to the utility of molt and plumage has produced a robust framework of age-categorization for the vast majority of temperate avifauna. In comparison to temperate bird species, however, we know very little about resident topical bird molt and plumage. Published data pertaining to molt and plumage sequences are limited in scope, covering few species, and, to our knowledge, are not currently synthesized. Here we combine new information gathered from field and museum specimens


This article discusses why coordinated attempts by European institutions have failed to significantly influence the Israel-Palestine conflict. Having been effectively shutout of other realms of diplomacy, the Europeans were forced to use the economic sphere as a means for promoting peace. In spite of its laudable ambitions, the EU proved ineffective in these efforts. These failures take on one of two characteristics: failures to properly implement policies the EU believes in or the omission entirely of policy in areas where the EU could have made a difference. To reinforce why these mistakes were so severe, a series of plausible, alternative policies that the EU could have pursued will be presented. If different policies had been followed, the EU could have made a far greater contribution to peace in the region. Given the potential that existed to make a difference, the EU policy has to be consigned as a failure.


In a digital watermarking scheme, it is not convenient to carry the original image all the time in order to detect the owner's signature from the watermarked image. Moreover, for those applications that require different watermarks for different copies, it is preferred to utilize some kind of watermark-independent algorithm for extraction process i.e. dewatermarking. Watermark embedding is performed in the blue channel, as it is less sensitive to human visual system .This paper proposes a new color image watermarking method ,which adopts Blind Source Separation (BSS) technique for watermark extraction. Single level Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) is used for embedding . The novelty of our scheme lies in determining the mixing matrix for BSS model during embedding. The determination of mixing matrix using Quasi-Newton's (BFGS) technique is based on texture analysis which uses energy content of the image. This makes our method image adaptive to embed the watermark into original image so as not to bring about a perceptible change in the marked image. An effort is also made to check feasibility of proposed method in device dependent color spaces viz. YIQ,YCbCr and HSI . BSS based on joint diagonalization of the time delayed covariance matrices algorithm is used for the extraction of watermark. The proposed method, undergoing different experiments, has shown its robustness against many attacks including rotation, low pass filtering, salt n paper noise addition and compression. The robustness evaluation is also carried out with respect to the spatial domain embedding.


The level-3 trigger system for the CDF experiment runs on a farm of Linux PCs. Events that pass this trigger system are collected and logged to disk by a logger process running on an SGI Origin 200 GIGAchannel server. The system must support data logging at 75 Hz for 250 KB events. In addition, some fraction of events are sent to remote consumer processes for online monitoring. The Consumer-Server/Logger system inherently behaves like an intelligent hardware hub, maintaining connectivity between these large numbers (/spl sim/200) of Level-3 farm nodes, consumer processes, and the logging hardware. The farm nodes and the consumer processes are networked using multiple Fast Ethernet interfaces while the disk subsystem of 0.5-1 TB capacity is connected via dual Fibre Channel arbitrated loops. Different functions of the Consumer-Server/Logger are implemented as distinct state machines to keep each section of the code as simple and robust as possible. In this paper we describe the first implementation of the system and present initial performance results conducted at CDF.


Background Incorporation of adjuvants into local anesthetics could potentially aid in producing satisfactory prolonged postoperative analgesic duration and reducing postoperative adverse reactions associated with excessive systemic analgesic intake. The aim of this trial was to study the effect of incorporating magnesium sulfate as an adjuvant into lidocaine in an interscalene plexus block (ISPB) for arthroscopic acromioplasty. Materials and methods Sixty ASA I and II grade patients scheduled for elective arthroscopic acromioplasty under ultrasound guidance and peripheral nerve stimulation technique were allocated randomly to two groups: group L, which included patients who received 20 ml of lidocaine 2% with epinephrine 1 : 200 000 plus 5 ml 0.9% NaCl, and group LM, which included patients who received 20 ml of lidocaine 2% with epinephrine 1 : 200 000 plus 5 ml of 10% MgSO 4 (500 mg MgSO 4 ). The following data were collected: the onset of sensory block, the occurrence of satisfactory motor block, sensory block duration, Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) at the first analgesic dose, motor block duration, total morphine consumption in the first 24 h, and the presence of any adverse reactions. Results Patients in the magnesium sulfate group showed a prolonged postoperative analgesic duration, the NRS records decreased significantly on the first analgesic dose, and morphine consumption was reduced, and no adverse events related to its use in ISPB were recorded. Conclusion The addition of magnesium sulfate to lidocaine in ISPB significantly prolongs the analgesic duration and reduces the NRS score and postoperative opioid requirements in shoulder arthroscopic acromioplasty without side effects.


A study of material and optical characteristics of InGaAsPAnGaP lasers grown on GaAs (100) substrate, Operating at λ = 0.8μm was carried out. The main features of InGaAsPAnGaP lasers over the conventional AlGaAs/aCAs; ones were not only stable epitaxial layer growth due to the aluminum-free material, but also strong resistance to the degradation. The other benefits of InGaAsP/inGaP laser over AlGaAs/GaAs one was the quantum-well structure growth by a simple version of liquid-phase epitaxy (LPE), which might be irnispensable to the high power operation of a semiconductor laser. The separate confinement heterostructure single quantum weil(SCH-SQW) InGaAsP/nGaP lasers were fabricated for the material charaterization of quaternary systen. The local temperature rise at the mirror facet of a InGaAsP/InGaP laser, which is the barometer of a reliable operation, was less than 30°C under even above 500 mW CW operation. We presumably attribute this low local temperatur rise of the quaternary system to the fact that it has thenodynamically stable minor facet. The surface analysis of InGaAsP layer by ESCA showed that the formation of indium oxide would prevent the elemental segragation constituting dangling orbital, which is common to A1GaAs material systems.


The aim of the study was to evaluate the frequency of cytolitic vaginosis amongst women with symptoms that mimic vulvovaginal candidiasis. We include 1152 patients, which are microbiologically and citologically tested. We found in 3.9% cytolytic vaginosis. The clinical presentation is suggestive of vulvovaginal candidiasis. The differentiation of these two conditions is essential for appropriate treatment and resolution of chronic vaginal subjective complaints.


The engine containing a radical injector has been studied to improve the performances of efficiency and to reduce the exhaust emissions recently. The engine is far different from general compression ignition engines or spark ignition engines for the concept of combustion process. The inflow characteristic from main chamber into radical chamber during compression stroke is important because the radical chamber must have enough fresh air to generate appropriate radicals. The numerical simulation is performed in each specific shape and the engine speed by using KIVA code. The result shows that the fresh air inflow from main chamber into the radical chamber is the best at 45 degree of the hole angle.


Background/context This poster describes the development and implementation of an oral history service at St Luke's Hospice in Sheffield. Oral history involves an interviewer questioning and recording an interviewee. The service was modelled on a successful service at a local palliative care centre. Aim Patients using the hospice's day centre and in-patient unit would be offered the opportunity to make an audio recording of their life story. Patients would receive a copy of their story on CD and extra copies would be available to their family and friends with the patient's agreement. Approach used The service started with a pilot where two patients took part in an interview and then gave feedback. This was positive and so the service was launched. Initially, a member of staff who was a trained oral historian conducted the interviews, but demand for the service led to 20 volunteers being recruited to carry out the interviews. Volunteers were trained in areas such as interview technique, use of recording equipment, ethics, and working with seriously ill patients. Outcomes To date, 29 patients have used the service and 48 interviews have been recorded. Some patients have used the service to record final messages for family, and one has made a 'Desert Island Discs' style recording complete with music. Others have produced photo books to accompany recordings. The hospice is now able to offer the service to patients looked after at home by our Community nurses. It continues to receive positive feedback from patients and their relatives. Application to hospice practice The service's model could be used by other hospices to set up their own oral history service. The hospice is also participating in a research study which aims to provide empirical evidence as to the benefits of oral history in palliative care.


Recent demand and initiatives in brain research have driven significant interest toward developing chronically implantable neural interface systems with high spatiotemporal resolution and spatial coverage extending to the whole brain. Electroencephalography-based systems are noninvasive and cost efficient in monitoring neural activity across the brain, but suffer from fundamental limitations in spatiotemporal resolution. On the other hand, neural spike and local field potential (LFP) monitoring with penetrating electrodes offer higher resolution, but are highly invasive and inadequate for long-term use in humans due to unreliability in long-term data recording and risk for infection and inflammation. Alternatively, electrocorticography (ECoG) promises a minimally invasive, chronically implantable neural interface with resolution and spatial coverage capabilities that, with future technology scaling, may meet the needs of recently proposed brain initiatives. In this paper, we discuss the challenges and state-of-the-art technologies that are enabling next-generation fully implantable high-density ECoG interfaces, including details on electrodes, data acquisition front-ends, stimulation drivers, and circuits and antennas for wireless communications and power delivery. Along with state-of-the-art implantable ECoG interface systems, we introduce a modular ECoG system concept based on a fully encapsulated neural interfacing acquisition chip (ENIAC). Multiple ENIACs can be placed across the cortical surface, enabling dense coverage over wide area with high spatiotemporal resolution. The circuit and system level details of ENIAC are presented, along with measurement results.


We apply the adiabatic approximation to investigate the low energy dynamics of vortices in the parity invariant double self-dual Higgs model with only mutual Chern-Simons interaction. When distances between solitons are large they are particles subject to the mutual interaction. The dual formulation of the model is derived to explain the sign of the statistical interaction. When vortices of different types pass one through another they behave like charged particles in magnetic field. They can form a bound state due to the mutual magnetic trapping. Vortices of the same type exhibit no statistical interaction. Their short range interactions are analysed. Possible quantum effects due to the finite width of vortices are discussed.


Presented herein is a newly developed quantitative approach for assessing potential ecological risk resulting from long-term degradation of deep-sea plastic-containing infrastructure. The risk characterisation involves four iterations of modelled 'risk' through forward or backward calculation of a deterministic hazard quotient, mathematically defined as the ratio of estimated exposure to a reference dose (or concentration) for a similar exposure period. The assessment focuses on direct effects of microplastics exposure, wherein exposure concentrations are based on modelled estimates of microplastic mass formation resulting from structure deterioration over time. Predicted no effect concentrations (PNECs) protective of slightly-to-moderately disturbed ecosystems and ecosystems of high conservation value were determined based on a species sensitivity distribution (SSD), in accordance with the current Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality. Each iteration of risk characterisation is performed irrespective of burial, with varying exposure unit dimensions (i.e. geographically localised and broader regions of microplastic dispersal) and degrees of plastic degradation, designed to conservatively bound the risk characterisation. Additionally, two SSDs derived from different ecotoxicological data sets prioritising either particle shape or marine species are also provided for a sensitivity analysis of the PNEC. Thus, the bounding exercise encompasses all possible outcomes. The risk characterisation approach is reviewed for a case study of two larger plastic-containing flowline assets in an oil production field offshore of Australia. The outcome of the risk assessment is the same for all model iterations: degradation of the subsea plastic-containing flowlines does not pose a risk to the local marine community.


Carbon source in the medium is considered to be an essential component for the high production costs of callus and plantlets in tissue culture. We report here the establishment of an efficient tissue culture cycle (callus induction and plant regeneration) for Datura stramonium by adjusting carbon sources and concentrations. Embryo explants of D. stramonium L. were cultured in vitro with six different carbon sources (sucrose, glucose, fructose, galactose, maltose and lactose) and four concentrations (1, 2, 3 and 4%) for callus induction. After that, the best carbon sources for regeneration were investigated with four different carbon sources (sucrose, glucose, fructose and sorbitol) and four concentrations (1, 2, 3 and 4%). The best sugar for callus induction was 2% lactose. The medium containing 3% glucose shows the higher regeneration. Key words: Datura stramonium L., carbon source, callus induction, plant regeneration and embryo culture.


UK policy discourse presents technology as a solution to challenges facing care services, including issues of quality and the mismatch between care workforce supply and demand. This discourse characterises technology as 'transformative', homogenous and wholly positive for care delivery, eliding the diversity of digital devices and systems and their varied uses. Our paper draws on data gathered through 34 interviews with care sector stakeholders and four in-depth case studies of UK homecare providers to comparatively analyse 'storylines' of technological solutions expressed by policy (macro-level), sector stakeholders (meso-level) and homecare managers and care workers (micro-level) alongside enacted experiences of technology-in-use. The 'storylines' presented by care sector stakeholders and homecare managers converged with those of the policy discourse, emphasising technology's capacity to enhance quality and efficiency. Our case studies however highlighted several implications for care work and organisational practice in homecare provision: the technologies we observed sometimes produced additional tasks and responsibilities, undermining the efficiency and quality storylines. The experiences of care providers and workers engaging with technologies in homecare warrant further investigation and greater prominence to challenge a discourse which is at times overly simplistic and optimistic.


The Diccionario Valenciano by Josep Pla i Costa (1817?-1890) is a bilingual Catalan-Spanish Dictionnary left unpublished. The article attempts to outline the main characteristics of this interesting work.


This paper presents the control of non-regular or singular nonlinear systems applying non-linear predictive controllers. The systems treated here have the relative degree not well defined thus feedback linearization is not applicable due to singularities in the input-output linearizing control law. An alternative controller capable of dealing with non-regular systems is the NCGPC (Nonlinear Continuous Time Generalized Predictive Control). The NCGPC is successfully applied to the standard "ball and beam" non-linear nonregular process.


Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) is a multisystem disease and immunoglobulin A-mediated vasculitis with a self-limited course affecting the skin, joints, gastrointestinal tract, and kidneys. Severe renal and central nervous system disease may lead to life-threatening conditions, and immunosuppressive agents and plasmapheresis may be needed. We report successful management of a 6-year-old patient with HSP for drainage of cervical lymphadenitis.


Re-opening Sardar Sarovar Issue Significant Gain of Narmada Struggle Sanjay Sangvai ON December 16, 1994, the twenty-five day-old indefinite fast by Medha Patkar, Seetarambhai and Kamlabehn of Narmada Bachao Andolan ended in Bhopal, after the declaration by the Madhya Pradesh chief minister that his state would call for immediate stoppage of the construction work on the controversial Sardar Sarovar dam if the tribals below the dam level of 80.03 metres are not resettled till December 31, 1994, He also declared, "since we are no more bound by the stipulations of Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal (NWDT) accord as per the order of Supreme Court, on December 13 we would press for further lower height." The chief minister announced that they would press for reconsideration on all issues and submit a separate affidavit in Supreme Court regarding stand of Madhya Pradesh. This is a significant victory of 10- year old struggle in Narmada valley. At last, the much awaited review report on the Sardar Sarovar project has seen the light of the day. The Supreme Court had ordered the report to be made public, and all the concerned state governments and the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) to respond to its recommendations within four weeks.


The education of the students, with or without educational special needs, doesn't depend on, at least only, the specific pedagogic ways in order to be applied with determined students and in several situations, but above all on the ability of the school of generating an educational model of school that proportions the necessary curriculum width so that all the students can enter it, and for which the attitudes and the perceptions of the several participants in the educational process is something essential. This article tries to show how the attitudes of the people involved in the teaching-learning process influence in the forms of integration of the students with special needs.


A highly ordered anodic aluminum oxide template was prepared, the mixture of phosphate and chromic acid was used to remove the oxide layer, regular pits array on the surface of the aluminum was obtained, then AC electrodeposit method was used to get fluffy nano silver structure, which was tested with SEM. Melamine was chosen as the probe molecule, the Raman peaks of melamine with 10(-12) g x mL(-1) were successfully detected, and the molecule number of the melamine is about 3.8 x 10(-6) at this concentration and laser spot through calculation, which is beyond the detection level of monolayer. The enhancement factor reached 1.41 x 10(11).


Background and objectives: Bevacizumab, used in combination with chemotherapy has demonstrated efficacy in randomized trials in MBC. Hypertension, congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy have been reported in trials of bevacizumab in breast cancer. The aim of this systematic review and meta analysis is to determine the overall risk of grade 3-4 hypertension (HTN), left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) and venous (VT) and arterial thromboembolic events (ATE) related to Bevacizumab in patients with MBC. Methods: We selected randomized phase III trials which compared chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab in MBC as first or second line therapy. Data extraction was carried out from results published in the literature or from conference proceedings of the selected studies. For the analysis, we used a fixed-effects and random effects models to calculate the pooled event-based relative risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). The Cochran9s Q statistic and I 2 statistics were first calculated to assess the heterogeneity among the proportions of the included trials. We collected all grade 3-4 events reported in these trials in relation to cardiovascular events: HTN, LVD, congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, VT and ATE. Results: Five trials were included in the meta-analysis: E2100, AVADO, RIBBON-1, RIBBON-2 and Miller et al study (capecitabine alone or plus bevacizumab in previously treated MBC). In total 2126 patients received chemotherapy in combination with bevacizumab and 1444 chemotherapy alone. When there was tendency for heterogeneity, random-effects models were used. Thromboembolic events were pooled together as VT and ATE as information was not clear in some of the reported studies. CHF and cardiomyopathy were considered for LVD events in the Miller study as LVD was not reported. Patients treated with bevacizumab-containing regimens had a RR for HTN of 10.32 (95% CI, 4.23- 24.79; p Conclusion: HTN is a recognized side effect of bevacizumab therapy. The risk of LVD is also significantly higher with bevacizumab therapy (RR 2.58) as shown in this pooled analysis, but the risk of thrombotic events is not increased. Figure available in online version. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-12-01.


A single letter or telephone call can be lifesaving! A few years ago, a clinician telephoned the Food and Drug Administration to voice his concern about potential dangers resulting from the use of benzyl alcohol in the treatment of neonates. Solutions used to flush intra-arterial lines contained small amounts of benzyl alcohol. This minimal amount was a lethal dosage for some of the tiny patients. The suspicions of the practicing pediatrician were correct, and his "spontaneous report" saved many lives. The dangers of using the drug ticrynafin were identified in a similar fashion, ie, by spontaneous telephone calls and letters from practicing physicians to the FDA. Accumulation of data from single case reports correctly identified serious liver damage as a potential danger of this agent, and the drug was removed from the market in the United States. Clinicians can provide invaluable data in the evaluation of drug effects in treating


The thesis scrutinizes an emerging phenomenon in international relations: the increase in functional overlaps among international regimes. I approach this young field of study in three consecutive parts. The first part conceptualizes regime overlaps as 'regime conflicts'. Following a broad sociological understanding of 'conflict', I define a regime conflict as an overlap among two or more international regimes, consisting of a significant contradiction of rules and / or rule-related behavior. This contradiction is based on a positional difference among actors over contested issues which fall into the jurisdictions of the involved regimes. I then develop an encompassing typology of regime conflicts. Two primary criteria target the behavioral nature of a conflict (latent or manifest) and the permissive or prohibitive character of the colliding rules (direct or indirect). Two sets of secondary criteria are: a) properties of the affected regimes: functions of the colliding rules (constitutive or operational); problem structures (single-domain or cross-domain); geographical scopes (global or regional); b) properties of the conflicts i.e. the positional difference: conflict arena (regime-internal or regime-external); conflict parties (governments, bureaucracies and / or non-state actors); intentionality (intended or non-intended). I illustrate the resulting types and sub-types with a series of brief case descriptions of conflicts among environmental and trade regimes. The first part concludes with definitions of two further terms, conflict transformation and conflict management. The second part establishes a theoretical framework to study the consequences of regime conflicts for the involved regimes. I adopt two independent variables from major theories of international regimes: the power structure and the knowledge structure in which the competing regimes are embedded. The dependent variable, regime prevalence, is framed as the stronger development of output (i.e. norms and rules) on the matters that are contested among the regimes. This prevalence is not only signaled by the output that the colliding regimes themselves produce, but also by rules and norms developed in third international institutions (inasmuch as they concern the contested issues). Indicators for the quality of output are its degrees of stringency, delegation and inclusiveness, the latter carrying the most weight. I introduce four context variables. The 'conflict structure' comprises the problem and situation structures of the contested issues. A benign conflict structure can support the causal effects of both independent variables, while a malign one may obstruct these effects. Another context variable, the decision structures of the colliding regimes, may only modify the consequences of the power structure. In turn, two other factors can alter the effects of the knowledge structure: the demand from regime parties for scientific input on the contested issue(s) as well as the openness of the involved regimes to scientific advice. Based on these various context factors, the independent and dependent variables, and the assumed causalities among them, I introduce two configurational hypothesis: 1. on the effect of the power structure, holding that, if context factors are favorable, the regime supported by the most powerful coalition of countries will prevail; 2. on the effect of the knowledge structure, holding that, if context factors are favorable, the regime supported by the stronger and more wide-spread basis of knowledge will prevail. I then establish conflict management as an intervening variable and discuss the causal mechanisms underlying the two hypotheses. Finally, two rival explanations are introduced: bureaucratic authority and leadership; and the influence of transnational civil society and business actors. Altogether, these elements constitute a three-layered research design to test the two hypotheses through 1. covariation analysis (of independent, dependent and context variables); 2. process analysis (of intervening variable and causal mechanisms); and 3. analysis of rival explanations. For the application of this framework, I choose the conflict between the UN climate regime and the world trade regime. I identify two major sets of contested issues among both regimes: trade-related policies and measures; and trade in emission allowances. The key finding of the in-depth analysis in the third part of the thesis is: the most powerful coalition of countries, led by the US, predominantly shaped the consequences of the regime conflict under scrutiny – leading to the prevalence of the World Trade Organization. The power-based hypothesis is confirmed in every analytical step, whereas the knowledge-based hypothesis does not pass the first hurdle of the covariation test. In the conclusions, I review these results and translate them into policy propositions: two options for issue-linking which could revive currently stalled management efforts for the climate-trade conflict. (Less)


Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapeutics such as bevacizumab, which are widely used in cancer treatment, commonly leads to hypertension. Moreover, bevacizumab-induced hypertension is associated with improved clinical outcomes in several cancers. We retrospectively analyzed 89 patients with histologically confirmed advanced gastric cancer who received the human monoclonal anti-VEGF receptor-2 antibody ramucirumab plus paclitaxel at our hospital between June 2015 and October 2016 to evaluate the impact of treatment-associated hypertension occurring within the first two treatment cycles ("early hypertension") on outcome. The objective response rate was 40%, median progression-free survival was 5.4 months, and overall survival was 10.4 months, which is similar to previous reports. Early hypertension in patients who received more than two cycles of ramucirumab + paclitaxel was associated with longer progression-free and overall survival. Objective response rates were also higher in patients with early hypertension. These data indicate that early hypertension may be predictive of better outcomes in gastric cancer patients who receive ramucirumab + paclitaxel treatment.


The properties of six biodegradable commercial plastic bags, including BioBag, Flushdoggy, Green Genius, Oxobiodegradable, Rascodog, and World Centric, were examined. The effects of UV radiation, moisture exposure, weathering and thermal degradation on the tensile properties were studied. The creep and tensile behavior of the bags were also investigated. Most of the bags exhibited mechanical properties similar to traditional bags. One bag that had extensively higher properties was the Flushdoggy bag, which is based on PVA. All the bags generally start to degrade thermally at around 400°C. BioBag and World Centric exhibited significant mass loss around this temperature. Other bags were not affected appreciably. Exposure to UV light did not have much of an effect on tensile properties. UV radiation, moisture, and weathering all had little effect on thermal degradation. Oxo-biodegrable and Flushdoggy became especially brittle after accelerated aging, although Flushdoggy still exhibited strong tensile properties. The data indicated that biodegradable plastic bags may offer an alternative to traditional plastic bags.


Abstract. Recurring transboundary haze from Indonesian wildfires in previous
decades significantly elevated particulate matter (PM) concentrations in
Southeast Asia. During that event on 10 to 31 October 2015, we conducted a
real-time observation of non-refractory submicron PM (NR-PM1) in
Singapore using an Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer. Simultaneously, we
characterized carbonaceous components and organic aerosol (OA) tracers from
fine PM (PM2.5) samples to support source apportionment of the online
measurements. The real-time analysis demonstrated that OA accounted for
approximately 80 % of NR-PM1 mass during the wildfire haze period.
Source apportionment analysis applied to the OA mass spectra using the
multilinear-engine (ME-2) approach resulted in four factors: hydrocarbon-like
OA (HOA), biomass burning OA (BBOA), peat burning OA (PBOA), and oxygenated
OA (OOA). The OOA can be considered as a surrogate of both secondary organic
aerosol (SOA) and oxidized primary organic aerosol (OPOA), while the other
factors are considered as surrogates of primary organic aerosol (POA). The
OOA accounted for approximately 50 % of the total OA mass in NR-PM1,
while POA subtypes from wildfires (BBOA and PBOA) contributed to
approximately 30 % of the total OA mass. Our findings highlight the
importance of atmospheric chemical processes, which likely include POA
oxidation and SOA formation from oxidation of gaseous precursors, to the OOA
concentration. As this research could not separately quantify the POA
oxidation and SOA formation processes, further studies should attempt to
investigate the contribution of gaseous precursor oxidation and POA aging to
the OOA formation in wildfire plumes.


Part 1 Technological decision making and national development: the technological project the technology transfer process the nature of technological mastery politics, policy and decision-making technological decisions and project analysis the project cycle and technological decision making technological decision-making, technology transfer and the project cycle. Part 2 Iron and steel in Turkish development: strategies of development the iron and steel sector the global scene Ataturk's development strategy the Karabuk plant the emergence of a multi-party system the arrival of national planning Turkey's development strategy and its consequences. Part 3 The decision to build Erdemir: the negotiations the design issues the impact issues the management issues the implementation. Part 4 Salvaging the project: Turkish perspectives the new studies the new loan the Sinter plant decision. Part 5 The expansion of Erdemir: project approval the design of the project management issues. Part 6 Isdemir, Sidemir, Karabuk - projects and comparative perspectives. Part 7 Technological decision making - retrospect and prospects: the quality of technological decisions the functioning of the transfer the nature of technological decision making the emergence of a new perspective.


Non-cirrhotic portal hypertension (NCPH) forms an important subset of portal hypertension in children. Variceal bleed and splenomegaly are their predominant presentation. Laboratory features show cytopenias (hypersplenism) and preserved hepatic synthetic functions. Repeated sessions of endoscopic variceal ligation or endoscopic sclerotherapy eradicate esophageal varices in almost all cases. After variceal eradication, there is an increased risk of other complications like secondary gastric varices, cholangiopathy, colopathy, growth failure, especially in extra-hepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO). Massive splenomegaly-related pain and early satiety cause poor quality of life (QoL). Meso-Rex bypass is the definitive therapy when the procedure is anatomically feasible in EHPVO. Other portosystemic shunt surgeries with splenectomy are indicated when patients present late and spleen-related issues predominate. Shunt surgeries prevent rebleed, improve growth and QoL. Non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis (NCPF) is a less common cause of portal hypertension in children in developing nations. Presentation in the second decade, massive splenomegaly and patent portal vein are discriminating features of NCPF. Shunt surgery is required in severe cases when endotherapy is insufficient for the varices. Congenital hepatic fibrosis (CHF) presents with firm palpable liver and splenomegaly. Ductal plate malformation forms the histological hallmark of CHF. CHF is commonly associated with Caroli's disease, renal cysts, and syndromes associated with neurological defects. Isolated CHF has a favourable prognosis requiring endotherapy. Liver transplantation is required when there is decompensation or recurrent cholangitis, especially in Caroli's syndrome. Combined liver-kidney transplantation is indicated when both liver and renal issues are present.


Energy Consumption is a challenging problem in wireless sensor networks. The efficient use of energy in sensors nodes is the important considerations in wireless sensor network which is used to increase the network lifetime. Clustering mechanism is the important approach used to minimize the sensor's energy consumption. This paper proposes an energy-efficient emulsion mechanism called EEEM, to determine efficient sensor network. The EEEM primarily considers link condition, transmission range and node status and uses a clustering parameter metric called Efficacious Transmission count (ETX), to identify the quality of nodes for CH selection to construct clusters and also sleep scheduling and mobile robot mechanisms are to used to minimizing energy consumption. Simulation results shows that our proposed mechanism is effective in prolong network lifetime interms of energy consumption.


Tumors in the retrorectal area are rare. Surgical approaches to retrorectal tumors include posterior, anterior, or combined approaches. We have encountered a case of a 56- year-old woman with a retrorectal tumor. She had a solid tumor, 3 cm in size, in the posterior midline rectum 7 cm above the anal verge. The tumor was successfully resected by using a posterior (transsacral) approach with a partial sacrectomy and was diagnosed as being a neurofibroma. There were no postoperative complications.


There are two major defects in type 2 diabetes: 1) insulin resistance and 2) insulin deficiency due to loss of (cid:3) -cell function. Here we demonstrated that treatment with muraglitazar (a dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (cid:1) / (cid:2) activator), when initiated before or after the onset of diabetes in mice, is effective against both defects. In study 1, prediabetic db/db mice were treated for 12 weeks. The control mice developed diabetes, as evidenced by hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, reduced insulin levels in the pancreas, blunted insulin response to glucose, and impaired glucose tolerance. The muraglitazar-treated mice had normal plasma glucose, and insulin levels, equivalent or higher pancreatic insulin content than normal mice, showed a robust insulin response to glucose and exhibited greater glucose tolerance.


The present investigation was undertaken to study the hybrid vigour of parents and crosses respectively. The experimental material comprised of six lines viz., 2012/COPBVAR-2, 2012/COPBVAR-3, 2012/ COPBVAR-5, 2014/COPBVAR-4, 2014/COPBVAR-5 and 2014/COPBVAR-6 and four testers of cowpea viz. Gomti, Pusa Komal, Kashi Kanchan and Arka Garima. The analysis of variance revealed significant differences between parents and hybrids as well indicating presence of sufficient amount of variability in all the characters studied. Eight hybrids recorded significant negative heterosis for days to 50% flowering. Five hybrids recorded significant positive heterobeltiosis and produced more number of flowers per cluster. Among them, 2012/COPBVAR-3 x Kashi Kanchan recorded the highest positive significant heterobeltiosis for flowers per cluster. Heterosis for length of pod, in general relatively low in all hybrids, but only four hybrids recorded positively significant for length of pod. Among the twenty four hybrids, 9 and 2 hybrids recorded significant positive better parent heterosis for pods per plant and number of seeds per pod respectively. Among the hybrids, 2012/COPBVAR-2 x Arka Garima and 2012/COPBVAR-3 x Arka Garima recorded the highest positive significant heterosis for number of pods per plant and seeds per pod respectively. Only nine and two hybrids exhibited significant positive relative heterosis and heterobeltiosis for pod yield per plant respectively. The highest heterobeltiosis for green pod yield per plant was recorded by 2012/COPBVAR-2 x Arka Garima followed by 2012/COPBVAR-2 x Kashi Kanchan.


The ultrashort laser pulse photoacoustic method has been used to characterise the physical properties of spin-coated PMMA layers onto Si wafers with thicknesses from 586 to 13 nm, . Acoustic speeds of polymer films were derived from the measured time of flight of acoustic waves in polymers and from their calculated visco-elastic properties. A 12% increase, in comparison to the PMMA bulk value, of the acoustic speeds was measured for polymer films with thicknesses below 80 nm, which corresponds to an increase in Young's modulus of 26%. In addition, we found that adding a hexamethyldisilazane primer monolayer between the polymer film and the Si substrate lessen the increase in Young's modulus, suggesting that the nanoscale changes are due to interface effects.


Electric vehicles can convert the kinetic energy of the vehicle into electric energy for recycling. A reasonable braking force distribution strategy is the key to ensure braking stability and the energy recovery rate. For an electric vehicle, based on the ECE regulation curve and ideal braking force distribution (I curve), the braking force distribution strategy of the front and rear axles is designed to study the braking energy recovery control strategy. The fuzzy control method is adopted while the charging power limit of the battery is considered to correct the regenerative braking torque of the motor, the ratio of the regenerative braking force of the motor to the front axle braking force is designed according to different braking strengths, then the braking force distribution and braking energy recovery control strategies for regenerative braking and friction braking are developed. The simulation model of combined vehicle and energy recovery control strategy is established by Simulink and Cruise software. The braking energy recovery control strategy of this article is verified under different braking conditions and New European Driving Cycle conditions. The results show that the control strategy proposed in this article meets the requirements of braking stability. Under the condition of initial state of charge of 75%, the variation of state of charge of braking control strategy in this article is reduced by 8.22%, and the state of charge of braking strategy based on I curve reduces by 9.12%. The braking force distribution curves of the front and rear axle are in line with the braking characteristics, can effectively recover the braking energy, and improve the battery state of charge. Taking the using range of 95%–5% of battery state of charge as calculation target, the cruising range of vehicle with braking control strategy of this article increases to 136.64 km, which showed that the braking control strategy in this article could increase the cruising range of the electric vehicle.


There is growing awareness that there needs to be a reorientation of the nursing profession towards the fundamentals of care (Feo et al., 2019). These fundamentals often receive a low priority in clinical practice settings (Feo et al., 2019), and gaps in fundamental care provision are being exposed in nursing care internationally (McSherry et al., 2018). The concern is significant worldwide, and for this reason, many initiatives are developing to tackle the issue. The International Learning Collaborative (ILC) (2021), a global social learning and lobbying network, is leading the way on this. This network is committed to improving the delivery of person-centred and safe fundamental care, promoting excellence of fundamental care through the integration of clinical practice, research and education, and share the best evidence of Fundamentals of Care (FoC) (International Learning Collaborate 2021, Kitson 2018).


The current article is an applied study that conducted on 480 Egyptian Millennials who randomly volunteered as participants. The main objective of the research is to test the effect of social media usage on the level of political expression and consequently on online and offline participation. A self-administered questionnaire has been used to collect responses to be analyzed and the results show that there is no significance of relation between social media and political expression and participation for the sample units of the study. Also, findings confirmed the significant correlation between expression and participation in its two forms; online and offline.


Olive pomace is a semisolid by-product of olive oil production and represents a valuable source of functional phytocompounds. The valorization of agro-food chain by-products represents a key factor in reducing production costs, providing benefits related to their reuse. On this ground, we herein investigate extraction methods with supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) of functional phytocompounds from olive pomace samples subjected to two different drying methods, i.e., freeze drying and hot-air drying. Olive pomace was produced using the two most common industrial olive oil production processes, one based on the two-phase (2P) decanter and one based on the three-phase (3P) decanter. Our results show that freeze drying more efficiently preserves phytocompounds such as α-tocopherol, carotenoids, chlorophylls, and polyphenols, whereas hot-air drying does not compromise the β-sitosterol content and the extraction of squalene is not dependent on the drying method used. Moreover, higher amounts of α-tocopherol and polyphenols were extracted from 2P olive pomace, while β-sitosterol, chlorophylls, and carotenoids were more concentrated in 3P olive pomace. Finally, tocopherol and pigment/polyphenol fractions exerted antioxidant activity in vitro and in accelerated oxidative conditions. These results highlight the potential of olive pomace to be upcycled by extracting from it, with green methods, functional phytocompounds for reuse in food and pharmaceutical industries.


In the paper ''Analytical Model for Computing Residence Times near a Pumping Well,'' Simpson et al. (2003) derived, discussed, and numerically validated an analytic solution to calculate the residence time t for fluid flowing to a pumping well. The problem was posed with t given as a function of the hydraulic head h, the radial coordinate r, the saturated hydraulic conductivity K, and the porosity h. In the hypothetical test case, the following parameters were chosen: rw = 0.1 m, rr = 10.0 m, hw = 3.5 m, hr = 4.0 m, K = 50.0 m/d, and h = 0.3. The corresponding steadystate pumping rate (Equation 1 in Simpson et al. 2003) is Qw = 128 m3/d (to the nearest whole unit). Unfortunately, the value of Qw appeared mistakenly in Simpson et al. (2003) as Qw = 28 m3/d. It is important to point out this error since t can also be written as a function of Qw. Clearly, if the incorrect value of Qw is used to reevaluate the calculation in Simpson et al. (2003), then the results will be different. This typographical error does not imply any error in the solution presented by Simpson et al. (2003) and does not cause any difficulty when t is calculated without direct reference to Qw.


Traumatic ulcerative granuloma with stromal eosinophilia (TUGSE) is an ulcerative lesion on oral mucosa featuring as a benign mass of self-limiting growth. It can be easily misdiagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) due to its long healing period and elevated or rolled-up margin. A 57-year old male patient who visited our department was diagnosed as SCC according to the clinical features, results of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the oral lesion. However, after performing incisional biopsy, histopathologically, there were no atypical cells, but eosinophil and CD 30+ T-cells were clustered in subcutaneous and muscle tissue. It is very significant to consider this reactive lesion in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery because of its possibility of mistaken as malignant disease. Here, we will report a couple of cases of TUGSE with references and limit of radiographic tools used for diagnosis of head and neck cancer.


A nuclear structure model
of "ring plus extra nucleon" is proposed. For nuclei larger than 4He,
protons (P) and neutrons (N) are basically bound alternatively to form a ZP + ZN
ring. The ring folds with a "bond angle" of 90° for every 3 continuous nucleons
to make the nucleons packed densely. Extra N('s) can bind to ring-P with the
same "bond angle" and "bond distance". When 2 or more P's are geometrically
available, the extra N tends to be stable. Extra P can bind with ring N in a
similar way when the ratio of N/P -Z rings, as
well as normal even-even nuclei, always have superimposed gravity centers of P
and N; while for odd-Z rings, as well
as all odd-A (A: number of nucleon) nuclei, the centers of P and N must be
eccentric. The eccentricity results in a depression of binding energy (EB) and therefore odd and
even Z dependent zigzag features of EB/A. This can be well explained by the shift of eccentricity by extra
nucleons. Symmetrical center may present in even-Z rings and normal even-even nuclei. While for odd-Z ring, only antisymmetric center
(every P can find an N through the center and vice versa) is possible. Based on this model, a pair of mirror
nuclei, PX+nNX and PXNX+n, should be equivalent in packing structure just like
black-white photo and the negative film. Therefore, an identical spin and
parity was confirmed for any pair. In addition, the EB/A difference of mirror nuclei pair is nearly a constant of 0.184n MeV. Many other facts can also be
easily understood from this model, such as the neutron halo, the unusual stability
sequence of 9Be, 7Be and 8Be and so on.


A ventilated disc brake having spirally fluted surface has been proposed to improve the thermal judder by way of heat transfer enhancement. The local heat transfer coefficients were measured in the flow passage of disc brake. These measured local heat transfer data were utilized to do the finite element numerical analysis which predicts the maximum temperatures on the disc brake. The results show that the maximum temperatures on the disc surface with spirally fluted surface are approximately 26.6% lower than those without them.


Species composition and body-size distribution were studied in the crustacean zooplankton communities of two limnologically similar lake localities situated 50 km apart in the Pasvik River System, northern Norway. A recent invasion and successive downstream expansion of vendace (Coregonus albula), a specialized zooplanktivorous fish, allowed comparisons between sites with different predation pressures. Vendace had established a high population density and was the dominant fish species in the pelagic of the upper locality, but had just invaded the lower locality with a small number of individuals. Whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus), a closely related but less specialized zooplanktivore species, dominated the native fish community of both lakes. The zooplankton community of the upper locality was dominated in June and August by Bosmina longirostris, the smallest zooplankton species represented in the water course, and in September by Daphnia cristata. The lower locality was dominated by the larger Holopedium gibberum and Eudiaptomus graciloides in June, by D.cristata in August, and by D.cristata and B.longirostris in September. The mean body size of the three most abundant cladoceran species was significantly smaller in the upper locality, compared to the lower locality. It was concluded that the invasion and establishment of a dense vendace population in the upper locality had increased the predation pressure in the pelagic, resulting in a reduction of body size and a shift towards smaller species in the zooplankton community.


Graphene exhibits extraordinary electrical properties and is therefore often envisioned to be the candidate material for post-silicon era as Silicon technology approaches fundamental scaling limits. Various Graphene based electronic devices and interconnects have been proposed in the past. In this paper, we explore the possibility of a hybrid fabric between CMOS and Graphene by implementing a novel Graphene Nanoribbon crossbar (xGNR) based volatile Tunneling RAM (GNT RAM) and integrating it with the 3D CMOS stack and layout. Detailed evaluation of GNT RAM circuits proposed show that they have considerable advantages in terms of power, area and write performance over 16nm CMOS SRAM. This work opens up other possibilities including multi-state memory fabrics and even an all-graphene fabric can be envisioned on the long term.


In his 1981 book, The Political Unconscious: Narrative as a Socially Symbolic Act, Fredric Jameson elaborated an influential position on ideology and critique. Jameson stressed the priority of political interpretation, arguing that "the political interpretation of literary texts … [is] the absolute horizon of all reading and all interpretation." After nearly forty years, we return to this text, situating it within Jameson's long career, in order to explore form, figuration, and utopia. Does Jameson provide a series of meditations on last philosophy?


Camera calibration is very improtant in 3D computer vision systems. In this paper, the camera model in OpenCV (open source computer vision library) is discussed, the non-linear distortion of the tangential and radial distortion aberration are considered. Based on these, we introduce the corner extraction of the Camera Calibration Toolbox for Matlab, and an arithmetic of camera calibration based on OpenCV is given. The proposed algorithm can achieve accurate results. It has features such as computational efficiency and good cross-platform portability. It is able to meet the needs of 3D computer vision systems. Experimental results show the feasibility of the proposed method.


For the early Arab cartographers it was the inner sea, and few seas have had such inner appeal to the imagination as the Mediterranean. Today a new Mediterraean is emerging, its tastes and habits now almost universal, from clothes to cookery, politics, design and organized crime - kebabs and cafe expresso, mohair suits, magic and mullahs. The sea and its people are now seeing the most dramatic changes in their history. Who are the new Mediterraneans? How do they see themselves and their future, and how will their world change ours? Robert Fox explores these questions in a journey to every country of the inner sea and the great islands scattered across its waters. In the past five years he has seen the mountains of Morocco, the deserts of Syria, and sylvan wasteland of Albania, the monasteries of Athos, the slums of Naples, Gaza in riot, Beirut in civil war, Cairo in celebration. He discovers each country and people as they see themselves, shares the lives and thoughts of poets and politicians, popes and peasants, bishops, brigands and barons. The Mediterranean is a world in fermentation, argues Robert Fox, and his journey records the signs of dramatic changes to come, the growth of populations in the south, the shift in climate, the revival of old religions in more fanatical form. The Mediterranean will hold threats and promises far beyond its own confines.


Claire MacDonald is a founding editor of Performance Research and a Visiting Assistant Professor in the College of Visual and Performing Arts at George Mason University in Northern Virginia. She teaches theatre and writing for performance and has held curatorial positions and fellowships in Britain, the USA and Holland. Her recent publications include 'Writing Outside the Mainstream' in The Cambridge Companion to Modern British Women Playwrights (2000).


Shorea javanica is an economically important dammar-producing tree, endemic to tropical lowland forest in Sumatra and Java, Indonesia. Total population size, however, is very limited and endangered. We sequenced three non-coding regions of chloroplast DNA and three nuclear genes, and genotyped seven microsatellite loci in six populations representing the current species distribution. There was no variation in the chloroplast DNA regions, except for one unique indel polymorphism. Mean silent site nucleotide diversity across three nuclear regions was 0.0011, which is much smaller than those of common dipterocarp species. Expected mean population heterozygosity in the microsatellite loci was 0.423, and the total heterozygosity was 0.477. These results show genetic variation in S. javanica is extremely low at both population and species levels. Genetic differentiation among populations was moderate (FST = 0.064 for nuclear genes and FST {ENA} = 0.076 for microsatellite loci), but this result is essentially caused by one isolated population in Oku. We suggest that conservation efforts should focus on promoting connectivity and augmenting population size across the species range. Ex-situ conservation should also be considered to provide insurance against catastrophic events and to facilitate for reintroduction.

 Key words: Shorea javanica, repong dammar, chloroplast DNA, nuclear genes, microsatellite markers.


Hydrophilically coated guide wires from two different manufacturers were tested in vitro for potential use in the fallopian tubes. Incubation of the guide wires and scrapings from the guide wires with sperm and with mouse embryos did not show any deleterious effect on sperm survivability or embryo development. These "slippery" guide wires may prove useful for fallopian tube catheterization.


In this paper, a method combining Bayesian statistical model with function of time slicing is presented, which is used for network anomaly detection. By using Bayesian statistical model with time function, the method is intended to find and determine anomaly in the computer network. Combining the advantages of Bayesian theorem when solving uncertain problems with the function whose network traffic change with time, the purpose is to establish anomaly intrusion detection model for the network activity so as to determine the occurrence of network anomaly by discovering the relationship among mass events and classifying network system behavior. It has been proved by a simulation experiment that anomaly behavior will be effectively analyzed by Bayesian statistical model with time slicing.


Background: Anemia is a global public health problem affecting the majority of the population of the world in
 both developed and developing countries with major consequences on human health as well as social and economic
 development. It is the world's second leading cause of disability of the whole global disease burden. It affects 1.62
 billion (24.8%) of the population among them it is affecting 305 million (25.4%) school age children (SAC).
Objectives: The main objective of this study was assess prevalence and factors associated with anemia among schoolage
 children in primary schools in Burao city, Somaliland, 2020.
Materials & Methods: A school based cross sectional study design was done in four primary schools in Burao,
 Somaliland. About 285 school age children with in the age group between 6-14 years were selected with respondent
 rate of 93.4%. Random sampling was used to select schools and systemic random sampling used to identify
 children from the selected schools. Sociaodemographic data was collected by using questionnaire & interview
 of respondents in addition to anthropometric measurement, hemoglobin measurement and stool examination.
 Complete Blood Counting (CBC) was used to determine the mean corpuscular (kor-PUS-kyu-lar) volume (MCV)
 and hematocrit (HMC) levels to detect of hemoglobin status of the children. Data was entered and analyzed using
 SPSS statistical software for Windows version 21. Anthropometric data was analyzed using WHO Anthro Plus.
 Bivariate logistic regression and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify independent predictors
 of anemia in-school adolescent girls. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05.
Results: A total of 285 school age children were included in this study. The overall prevalence of anemia was (
 23.1%) (CI: 18.1%, 28.1%) with the mean and standard deviation of (12.7±1.59). Out of the anemic children,
 20.4% were mild and 2.3% and 0.4% of them were moderate and severe respectively. Children's from illiterate
 mothers was (AOR = 2.37; 95%CI: 1.14, 4.94), consuming organ meat less than once a week (AOR = 2.19; 95%CI:
 1.05, 4.43) and having parasites on stool were identified as statistically independent associated factors of anemia in
 school age children's from Burao, Somaliland.
Conclusion: Prevalence of anemia in Burao city, Somaliland primary schools was moderate public health problem
 in the current study area. Nutrition education, iron folic acid supplementation program, deworming, good hygiene
 and sanitation are play important role in the prevalence of anemia and we recommend to give them more attention
 from ministry education and ministry of health in Somaliland.


Scattered trees dominate smallholder agricultural landscapes in Ethiopia, as in large parts of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). While the integration of scattered trees with crops could provide a viable pathway for sustainable intensification of these farming systems, they also lead to trade- offs. Trade-off minimization and benefit maximization from these trees in the system require the processes that underlie tree-crop interactions to be unravelled. This study explored tree- based pathways for the sustainable intensification (SI) smallholder crop production systems in contrasting agroecologies of Ethiopia. Combination of methodologies from agronomy, socio- economics and conservation sciences were utilized to understand the potential roles of scattered trees in smallholder farming systems. Results indicated that farmers maintained on-farm trees because of their direct timber, fencing, fuelwood, and charcoal production values, regardless of their effect on crop productivity. A trade-off analysis revealed that economic gains from trees were not large enough to compensate for tree-induced crop yield penalties in tree-crop mixed farming systems. Under farmers' practices, most scattered trees generally had a significant negative effect on maize yield. For example, mean maize grain yields were 59%, 42% and 26% less under the canopies of Cordia africana, Croton macrostachyus and Acacia tortilis, respectively, compared with corresponding open field yields. The yield reductions dropped to as low as 5% under 'good agronomic practices', such as early planting, variety selection, improved weed management, fine seedbed preparation and higher rates of nitrogen fertilizer. Similar yield reduction was observed in maize under the canopy of Grevillea robusta. Application of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers to under canopy maize in Grevillea robusta and Acacia tortilis improved crop yields, compared with non-fertilized maize under the canopies of these tree species. However, recommended rates of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers produced significantly less maize yields compared with the open fields. Faidherbia albida is an exceptional scattered tree species that improved soil water, nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiencies, leading to significantly higher yields in wheat gunder tree crown. Available N was 35-55% larger close to the crowns of Faidherbia compared with open fields, apparently contributing as much as 64 kg ha-1 yr-1 mineral N. In addition, this tree significantly reduced photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), reaching the canopy to optimum levels for wheat growth and development. Under the crowns, midday temperature was about 6oC less compared with nearby open fields. Regardless of the triple-win effects (crop production, adaptation and mitigation) of this tree species, over-utilization caused tree population decline. Under the current management, Faidherbia population would decline to a critical density of less than one tree ha-1 within six decades. The current study underlined that conservation of scattered trees can never be achieved through promotions based on neither the trade-offs nor crop productivity benefits involved. Scattered trees can be maintained even when trade-offs with crop production are overriding. Contrarily, these trees may be endangered even if they provide all-round benefits. Thus, a 'whole sale' approach that advocates scattered trees on their theoretical environmental and crop production values could jeopardize both conservation and crop production goals. A 'process-based' rather than 'technology-based' recommendation is required to harness the promising potential that scattered trees offer as a starting point for sustainable intensification of smallholder farming systems.


The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) lists nutrient conditions, thermal conditions, and quantity and dynamics of flow as required quality elements for measuring ecological status in rivers. This document provides guidelines on developing upper and lower boundaries of GES thresholds for these three elements, but does not set out fixed thresholds to follow, as each member state differs by climatic and geographic features, and there are no universal standards that can be applied to all rivers across Europe. We report on information received from 18 out of 28 Member States, that revealed missing established thresholds, as well as a lack of consistent measurement.
Separate typologies may need to be developed for each quality element according to the relationship between river typology and the characteristics of the element. A flexible system of nutrient monitoring and thresholds is needed, such as the method for phosphorus monitoring developed by UKTAG that uses site-specific values of alkalinity and altitude. Many Member States currently use the standards set out for rivers in the Nitrates Directive as a default for nitrate monitoring. However, the values set out in the Nitrates Directive may not be suitable for every river basin to achieve GES and Member States must work to develop thresholds that will allow them to meet the goals of the WFD. Co-limitation of nitrogen and phosphorus is an important process to consider when developing management plans. Relevant temperature thresholds and monitoring systems for rivers must go beyond static values applied to all rivers and specific to only one taxon (fish), and move towards more dynamic approaches such as using species sensitivity distribution curves. The development of environmental flow standards has been largely overlooked thus far and almost no Member States have set these thresholds. Incorporating methods such as look-up tables and functional analysis approaches like the building block method are currently the most promising methods for developing dynamic and effective flow standards for EU rivers.


Being prepared with accurate, credible, and timely information during a disaster can help individuals make informed decisions about taking appropriate actions. Unfortunately, many people have difficulty understanding health and risk-related resources. This exploratory, mixed methods study assessed disaster information seeking behaviors and comprehension of public health disaster preparedness resources by individuals with low literacy. A convenience pilot sample of 20 adult learners (mean age: 53.1) attending a local literacy center were recruited. Health literacy was assessed using Newest Vital Sign (NVS) and modified Cloze (multiple choice) tests on biological terrorism and Avian influenza. In-person interviews were conducted to determine participants' knowledge, perceptions, and information needs about disasters. Thematic analysis of interviews was conducted using NVivo7. Mean NVS was 3.11/6.00 implying poor health literacy. Mean Cloze scores revealed marginal disaster comprehension (Avian flu: .46/1.00; Biological terrorism: .48/1.00). Over half of participants with inadequate Cloze comprehension self-rated their understanding as "good." Key themes emerging from interviews were: misperceptions about disasters, limited access to preparedness resources, need for visuals and plain language information, and importance of knowing where to go during a disaster. Study findings advocate for multimedia, plain language, and visual communication to improve adult learners' self-efficacy in interpreting instructions and acting appropriately in preparing for and responding to disasters.


What is the impact of caseload on judicial decision-making? Is increasing judicial staff effective in improving judicial services? To address these questions, we exploit a natural, near-randomized experiment in the Israeli judiciary. In 2012, six senior registrars were appointed in two of the six magistrate's court districts. The choice of districts was motivated by reasons unrelated to judicial performance. In these two districts, the civil caseload per judge was substantially reduced. We find that the reduction had a significant impact on the process and outcomes of judicial decision-making. Judges working in courts with reduced caseload invested more resources in resolving each case. The effect is mostly to the advantage of plaintiffs, who were more likely to win, recover a larger fraction of their claim, and be reimbursed for litigation costs. We discuss the implications for judicial management and theories about judicial decision-making.


Biosensors have grown from a tiny, niche activity in the 1980's into a major, US$13 billion, worldwide industry. At the heart of this success lies the art of interfacing biology and electronics, which enables the exquisite specificity and sensitivity of natural systems to be integrated with modern microelectronics. Novel electronic materials, nanomaterials and engineering design are playing key roles in this development, not only in sensors and diagnostics, but also in sectors such as telecommunications, paper and textiles. Biological sensing is a fundamental tool for understanding living systems, but also finds practical application in medicine, drug discovery, process control, food safety, environmental monitoring, defence and personal security. Moreover, a deeper understanding of the bio/electronic interface leads us towards new horizons in areas such as bionics, power generation and computing. Advances in telecommunications, expert systems and distributed diagnostics prompts us to question the current ways we deliver healthcare, while robust industrial sensors enable new paradigms in R&D and production. Personalisation of everything from medicine to environmental control gives new impetus to consumer choice and ownership of information, and will inevitably generate new payment structures and business models. Wearable, mobile and integrated sensors are becoming common place, but most current products have taken the easy path of incorporating physical sensors for parameters such as temperature, pressure, orientation or position. There is a glaring absence of suitably robust and convenient sensors for body chemistries and herein lies the real opportunities for progress. This tutorial overview will examine the origins and current trajectories of the key biosensor technologies that are fuelling scientific discovery and underpinning new products to enhance the length and quality of our lives. The convergence of skills and knowledge taking place at the moment paves the way for an exciting, person-orientated future that takes into proper account individual needs in a new outcomes-driven paradigm.Turner, A.P.F. (2013), Biosensors: sense and sensibility. Chemical Society Reviews 42 (8), 3184-3196.