Orientation: In today's volatile and dynamic business environment, organisations need to continuously seek opportunities to increase their competitiveness through the human capital they employ. A sound understanding of factors that influence manager credibility, strategic alignment and employee motivation could enable organisations to proactively implement interventions that improve their competitive stance. Research purpose: This study sought to examine the relationship between manager credibility, strategic alignment and motivation. The role of strategic alignment as a mediator between manager credibility and motivation was also explored. Motivation for the study: Organisations need to have employees that are motivated and have a strategic fit. Managers play a significant role in fostering such. More so, it is essential to highlight the vital role that managers play in strategic alignment and employee motivation. Research approach/design and method: A quantitative and cross-sectional research design was used. Non-probability sampling was employed, and data were collected by using established questionnaires from a sample of N = 3112. Participants of the study are employed within various industries based in South Africa, Southern Africa and the United States of America. The data were analysed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. Main findings: A positive relationship between all the variables were established. The three variables (manager credibility, strategic alignment and motivation) were found to be significantly positively correlated. Manager credibility influences motivation and strategic alignment. Manager credibility and strategic alignment were both found to have a statistically significant influence on employee motivation. The mediation analysis shows that strategic alignment plays a positive mediating role between manager credibility and motivation. Practical/managerial implications: Recommendations are schematically presented in the form of a model, which, when implemented, have the potential to enhance employee motivation. Contribution/value-add: The study provided insight into the influence of manager credibility and strategic alignment on employee motivation.


Rationale Pulmonary complications are common after Orthotopic Liver Transplant (OLT). The aim of study was to establish the incidence of pulmonary complications and associated mortality in first year after liver transplants in children at King's College Hospital, London, one of the largest Paediatric Liver transplant centres in Europe. Methods This was a retrospective study on children with OLT who developed pulmonary complications in the post transplant period. Medical records and radiology reports of children who had liver transplants from 2009–2011 were evaluated and incidence and outcome of acute pulmonary complications were determined. These complications were pleural effusion, atelectasis, consolidation, pulmonary oedema, pulmonary haemorrhage and diaphragmatic dysfunction. The association between these and mortality within one year was assessed. The incidence of chronic cough, new onset asthma and sleep related problems were also analysed during the one-year follow up. Results The study included 146 children who underwent a total of 151 liver transplantations. Medical records were available for 148 transplant episodes. Median age was 2.5 years with an Inter Quartile Range (IQR) of 1.0 – 8.9 years. Out of 148 transplants, 74 (50%) developed pleural effusion (95% CI of OR 1.3 –2.3), 44/148 had atelectasis while more than half (78/148) had evidence of infiltrates or lobar consolidation (95% CI of OR 0.8 –1.7). Thirty-two had pulmonary oedema while only 3 had pulmonary hypertension or pulmonary haemorrhage. Twelve children died at the end of 1 year with a 92% survival rate. Amongst different causes of liver transplant, acute liver failure was statistically significant to cause pleural effusion, and a major cause of mortality. Pulmonary complications were independent of the medical condition at the time of occurrence, and did not predict mortality. The number of children with documented new onset asthma, chronic cough or sleep disordered breathing during the first year of follow up period was 3/148 (1.3%). Conclusion Pulmonary complications are common after OLT. The mortality rate due to these pulmonary complications is lower than in previously reported studies. A study with a larger sample size and a long term follow up that primarily focuses on acute liver failure will confirm the association between the acute complications and mortality.


Since 1987 Hungary has been operating a two-level bank system. The formation of commercial banks has created a great need for experts in a formerly closed and highly respected, yet poorly remunerated profession. It is particular to Hungary, that due to the low incomes, men previously avoided this sector of business. The rise of prestige of this profession has contributed to the rise of prestige of people engaged in this profession as well. This is not an ordinary turn in the case of professions cultivated primarily by women. Therefore, my investigation explores how women have been able to convert the gains obtained from an urgent need on the labor market into other sorts of advantage. I have drawn information, above all, from my own survey that I completed in the first halt of 1992. The survey questioned the managers of savings and commercial banks in the countryside. Due to the small size of my sample (108 questionnaires), I only raise some general questions and form initial hypotheses. My results show that men have three times higher chance to get into the top managerial strata. As opposed to men, those women, who are nominated into higher positions, have usually climbed the hierarchy within this particular sector of business. As far as marital status is concerned, three times more women appear to be single than men among the managers. There are also less divorced among men than among women. One can draw the consequence that for women career conveys private uncertainties and disadvantage while men in top positions usually enjoy a stable family background. Women in the management usually do not have husbands in a highly paid profession; therefore, these families could not afford to hire domestic help. Moreover, in these families the division of household labour follows a conventional pattern. In contrast, men in the management of financial business are supported by their wives' larger shares in the household burdens. It is a promising experience that in the families of younger professionals a more just division of labour is in progress.


The aim of this paper is to analyse and discuss the heterogeneity level between the old and new EU member states in terms of welfare state development. In order to discuss the research questions, we performed the cluster analysis that provides the overall survey of the welfare state development and besides that, the results were divided into four dimensions: demographic, economic, institutional and social. In comparison with the thematic literature, we modified the dimensions, including our original institutional dimension, and added a dynamic point of view. The cluster analysis resulted in the existence of three clusters: Core cluster, Periphery cluster and Eastern cluster. The Eastern cluster is still relatively stable and covers in a total of nine of the ten Central and Eastern European countries that were included in the analysis: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia (hence apart from Slovenia). On the other hand, using the dimensional approach, the CEE countries were grouped together with the old EU member countries, both from the Core cluster and from the Periphery cluster, within the economic and institutional dimensions. Therefore, we conclude that the new EU member countries, nowadays, do not form an internally homogenous group in terms of the features of their welfare state.


We present one-dimensional models of the hot gas in dark matter haloes, which both predict the existence of cool cores and explain their structure. Our models are directly applicable to semi-analytic models of galaxy formation. We have previously argued that filaments of cold (∼104 K) gas condense out of the intracluster medium (ICM) in hydrostatic and thermal equilibrium when the ratio of the thermal instability time-scale to the free-fall time tTI/tff falls below 5–10. This criterion corresponds to an upper limit on the density of the ICM and motivates a model in which a density core forms wherever tTI/tff ≲ 10. Consistent with observations and numerical simulations, this model predicts larger and more tenuous cores for lower mass haloes – while the core density in a cluster may be as large as ∼0.1 cm−3, the core density in the Galactic halo should not exceed ∼10−4 cm−3. We can also explain the large densities in smaller mass haloes (galactic 'coronae') if we include the contribution of the central galaxy to the gravitational potential. Our models produce a favourable match to the observational X-ray luminosity–temperature (LX–TX) relation. For halo masses ≲1013 M⊙ the core size approaches the virial radius. Thus, most of the baryons in such haloes cannot be in the hot ICM, but either in the form of stars or in the form of hot gas beyond the virial radius. Because of the smaller mass in the ICM and much larger mass available for star formation, the majority of the baryons in low-mass haloes (≲1013 M⊙) can be expelled beyond the virial radius due to supernova feedback. This can account for the baryons 'missing' from low-mass haloes, such as the Galactic halo.


A 14 category degree-of-readiness classification scheme was developed for foods used in at-home consumption. The codes were further aggregated to three categories: no preparation, some preparation and considerable preparation. The classification system was tested with two groups of consumers and was found to be acceptable both by experienced and inexperienced food preparers. When nationwide household food consumption data were categorized by this system, the majority of most frequently reported foods required no preparation in the home prior to consumption.


I offer a phenomenological description of undocumented immigrant reason, provisionally understood as a sort of historical reason grounded on undocumented immigrant life. That is, the categories of undocumented immigrant reason are resources for undocumented immigrant existence and are inscribed in the historical memory of immigration (they are shared and communal), accessed by immigrants in stories, anecdotes, and interpersonal trauma. Abstracting from personal experience, testimony, popular culture, and elsewhere, I propose a fragmentary list of these categories of undocumented immigrant reason, a list that includes journeying, crossing/nepantla, uncertainty/zozobra, nostalgia, and return. These categories, which structure undocumented immigrant reason, are reflected in beliefs and attitudes about migration, belonging, the contingency of life, the centrality of memory, and the meaning of death. Constitutive of immigrant rationality are beliefs and ways of being that lend meaning to immigrant life, including those beliefs and ways of being that place immigrants in closer proximity to fundamental human truths.


For pulse trigger way and the energy injection rate according to PET ( ) function, indeed, human body condition, period of dormancy in this research about this back correctly adjustment possible and designed harmless micro carrying along style hair exclusion so that can design and manufacture and run special quality examination and Xenon flash lamp to crawl in human body. Because creating individual's skin model to do stable treatment by light transmission way by skin impedance and measure, must embody treatment special quality of most suitable that draw skin color, energy, wave length, approximately, transmission time, pulse delay etc. and want. Specially, saved standard of war treatment pulse modeling by skin impedance, and manufacture pulse modeling system of most suitable by skin subordinate, and embody suitable treatment pulse. Specially, embody as could do root of a hair exclusion being emitted in pulse form using multi wave length of 560nm, 590nm, 640nm, 755nm and embodied clinical data. If become research repletion furthermore little more, is seen that can approximate in commercialization.


Armed interventions of the past decades demonstrate that strategic leadership can give way to lofty campaign plans, conflicting strategic narratives and concern with tactical, as opposed to strategic, issues. The intervention debate rightfully emphasizes the need for both leadership and institution-building to rectify this situation, but then breaks down into discord: some critics argue that stronger leadership by big nations is necessary, others that this type of leadership wrecks the collective institutions that are needed in a new age of multilateralism and interdependence. This article argues instead that strategic leadership grows out of the effort to connect the three distinct political arenas that have come to dominate armed interventions: coalitions, institutions and big tent diplomacy. Strategic leadership is not about choosing between coalitions or institutions; it is about building bridges among these political arenas. The article embeds this argument within the strategic literature and demonstrates how it emerges from an engagement with modern armed interventions. It engages in two in-depth assessments of NATO's experiences in Afghanistan and Libya and then undertakes a more general discussion of the steps that can be taken to encourage strategic leadership.


Why should I close my browser when I am done? Generally speaking, it is a good practice to close your web browser after accessing website that requires a username and password. It is especially any important when you are on a public computer. It ensures that the next person to use that computer won't be surfing the net as you. When you log in to CAS, a cookie is stored in your browser that allows you to be automatically logged in to other sites. This cookie is set to expire at the end of your browser's session. So, when you close your browser, this cookie no longer exists and you can no longer be automatically be logged in to any more sites without specifying your password again.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Abstract This paper discusses a topic rarely addressed in the literature on profit theory over the decades. In empirical work on subjects like growth, efficiency and welfare in mainstream or Islamic economics business profits at times appear as one of the determinants. Such studies perforce use profit data reported in the accounting records. This data is invariably at variance in important ways with the economists' theoretical view of profit. The cause of divergence is the cosmopolitan forward looking ex ante view of entrepreneurism the economists take in the matter as opposed to the narrow conservative ex post focus of the accountants needed to protect the interest of business proprietors who pay them for the job. There is a need to narrow this gap to improve the results of empirical explorations. This paper identifies and examines some issues like maintenance of capital, evaluation of inventories and the impact of conservatism as causes of divergence as focal points for reducing the gap. It concludes that the economists are obliged more to take cognizance of accounting compulsions than the other way round in the reconciliation process.


Ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by cerebellar ataxia, oculocutaneous telangiectasia, and variable degrees of humoral and cellular immunodeficiency. Affected individuals are known to exhibit a high incidence of lymphoma and leukemia. Because of increased chemosensitivity, the treatment of A-T patients with malignancies requires extremely careful planning and caution with respect to the use of chemotherapy. The authors report on a 12-year-old boy with A-T who developed B-cell lymphoma. He received a half-dose of the drugs administered according to the acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) protocol issued by our children's cancer study group (9104 Standard Risk Protocol, Tokai Pediatric Oncology Study Group). As a result, he continues to be in complete remission and free of treatment complications 32 months after the diagnosis of B-cell lymphoma.


It is shown that the ambiguity which appears in the evolution of spacetimes with colliding waves arises from an incomplete physical treatment of the problem in which only the gravitational field is considered. For several representative cases, it is shown that the ambiguity disappears completely when the underlying physical equations for the matter content are taken into consideration. It is also argued that the transformation of colliding null dusts into other forms of matter is unrealisable.


In this paper, we consider an uplink satellite multiterrestrial relay network, which employs a single-antenna user to communicate with a satellite via multiple decode-and-forward (DF) terrestrial relays. Due to the spectrum sharing policy, terrestrial relays are interfered by cochannel interference (CCI). For inevitable radio frequency (RF) front-end imperfections, the interconnected nodes of the whole network are always impaired by inherent hardware impairments (HIs). Specifically, in order to improve the overall system performance, a partial relay selection scheme is used to enhance the system performance by improving the spatial diversity. On this foundation, we have derived the closed-form expressions for the outage probability (OP) and throughput of the considered system, where both the satellite and terrestrial channels are under independent nonidentical distributions. To get better insights at high signal-to-noise-ratios (SNRs), the asymptotic behaviors for the system performance are also derived. From the asymptotic results, the impacts of CCI and the HIs on the system performance are quantitatively analyzed. Especially, the OP and throughput will have bounds when the system is under HIs. Monte Carlo (MC) simulation results corroborate the theoretical analysis and illustrate the joint effects of CCI and HIs on the considered system.


Osteoblast-activating peptide (OBAP) is a novel protein affecting osteoblast proliferation and differentiation, but its ovarian expression is yet to be reported. Osteoporosis is a common disease, caused mainly by low estrogen levels in females. We investigated whether OBAP regulates estrogen synthesis and osteoporosis. Using immunohistochemical analyses, we studied the distribution of OBAP in different parts of the mouse ovary. We also attempted to clarify the correlation of OBAP with ovarian steroids and calcium-regulating factors in the same ovarian tissues, including aromatase (CYP19), 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD), estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (RANK), calmodulin, calbindin, and calcium-sensing receptor. The ovarian interstitial endocrine cells (IC) showed the greatest localization of OBAP, followed by the mature corpus luteum and the oocytes of mature Graafian follicles (MGF), while there were strong negative correlations of OBAP with CYP19. Strong positive correlations with 3β-HSD (except MGF), RANK (except IC), and calmodulin (except MGF and IC) were demonstrated. OBAP also showed partially positive correlations with ER and PR in the corpus luteum and with IC and calbindin in the MGF. We conclude that OBAP might be related to estrogen synthesis and calcium homeostasis.


INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: In the last century major changes within the population structure can be observed. Our aim was to explore its possible impact on the identification of prostate cancer (PCa) patients with a positive family history. We also investigated how many and what types of other cancers occurred in patients and their first-degree relatives depending on a positive/negative first-degree PCa family history (FH). METHODS: 19,540 patients in the nationwide research project "Familial prostate cancer" were divided into four birth cohorts: A: 1925-1934 (n=4411), B: 1935-1944 (n=10563), C 1945-1954 (n=3744), D: 1955-1964 (n=822). They were analyzed regarding their family structure including family size and type of kinship as well as their fathers' age of death. Second primary cancer and cancer of first-degree relatives were evaluated depending on a first-degree PCa-FH and classified according to ICD-10. RESULTS: The amount of PCa patients with ≥2 sons showed a downward trend from cohort A (28.9%) to D (21.6%). The percentage of patients with ≥1 brother decreased from cohort A (64.2%) to cohort B (61.8%) and increased to cohort C (63.4%) and D (69.0%). The proportion of patients whose fathers became ≥65 years showed an increase from cohort B (64.2%) to C (71.4%) and D (73,0%). Patients with a negative first-degree PCa-FH had fathers with a 7.5 lower mean age of death than patients with a positive first-degree PCa-FH. 7.7% of patients reported a diagnosis of at least one other cancer. 46.4% of patients at least had one first-degree relative with another type of cancer than PCa. CONCLUSIONS: A positive family history of prostate cancer is the most important risk factor for the development of the disease in addition to age. Interfering factors to identify patients at risk are small family sizes, early deceased fathers and a high number of sporadic cases. Therefore, a detailed anamnesis of the family history should be recommended in order to assess the risk of developing PCa. As a result, it is important to evaluate not only the number and age of the affected, but also the number and age of the healthy first-degree relatives to avoid a misclassification of the patient as familiarly not burdened. Source of Funding: none


Local anesthesia is more commonly used in dentistry to facilitate a painless treatment experience for a patient during surgical procedures involving bone and soft tissue. Hence, to facilitate a painless treatment experience for a patient should know ideal requirements before administering a dose. This study aims to assess the mastery of local anesthesia by students by evaluating the amount used for single tooth extraction. In this retrospective study, data were obtained from hospital records. The study aimed to evaluate the mastery of local anesthesia by students by evaluating the amount used for single tooth extraction. The data was obtained from the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery from June 2019 - April 2020. A total of 2100 patient details were evaluated. The current study is done in a university setting. Ethical approval was obtained. The collected data were tabulated and statistically analysed using SPSS software (Version 21: IBM Corporation NY USA). Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) were calculated to explore the general features of the data. Pearson chi square test was done to statistically analyze the data. Patients of all age groups were included in this study. Around 14.5% of the patients were below 30 years, 40.7% of the patients were between the age of 30-50 years, and 55.2% of the patients were above 50 years old. Around 95.9%, 3.1%, 0.9% and 0.1 % were administered with 2, 3, 4 and 5 ml respectively, of which 55% and 45% were male and female patients respectively. Within the limits of this study, 95.9% were administered with 2ml for extracting a single tooth. 95.9% use ideal recommended dose and concentration for performing a single tooth extraction.


Lung cancer is one of the major causes of cancer deaths worldwide and only 30% of patients survive the disease for at least one year after diagnosis. Patients are often too frail to receive systemic chemotherapy and there is an urgent need for less toxic, efficacious, targeted therapies. Despite recent efforts with large-scale genomics data we still lack knowledge about driver mutations for the majority of lung cancers. Increasingly, cancer researchers are using online cancer genomic databases to identify novel targets to investigate. A comparison of two prominent databases from different institutes (CCLE and COSMIC) revealed marked discrepancies in the detection of missense mutations in identical cell lines (57.38% conformity). A major reason for this discrepancy is inadequate sequencing of GC-rich areas. This is a significant issue for lung cancer, with a mutation signature predominantly affecting guanine and cytosine nucleotides and therefore preferring GC-rich regions. We have therefore focused on GC-rich regions that next-generation-sequencing struggle to cover and discovered over 400 of these regions (cold-spots) in Cancer Consensus and kinase genes alone. We demonstrate how a PAK4 mutation, found in a GC-rich cold-spot in a lung adenocarcinoma cell line, activates the pERK pathway. This suggests that specific targeting of GC-rich regions may be required to uncover further oncogenes and tumour suppressors in lung cancer. The high mutational burden of lung cancer creates additional challenges in distinguishing driver mutations from a multitude of passenger mutations. One solution is to use siRNA knockdown screens on all genes that are mutated in a cell line and assess cell viability. However we demonstrate that inconsistencies in mutational profiling of cell lines and passaging effects have the potential to influence these types of studies. These limitations also offer new explanations for the discrepancies seen when comparing pharmacogenomics studies. Citation Format: Andrew M. Hudson, Tim Yates, Chris Wirth, Yaoyong Li, Wendy Trotter, Shameem Fawdar, Crispin Miller, John Brognard. The challenges of using large-scale genomics data to identify novel drivers of lung cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Translation of the Cancer Genome; Feb 7-9, 2015; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(22 Suppl 1):Abstract nr A2-18.


Summary Background/Aim: The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is an immunologic entity, which is due to an RNA virus. AIDS is relatively easy transmitted and has a poor prognosis. The main mechanism of this Syndrome is characterized by the destruction and diminishing of T4 lymphocytes or helper/suppressor T-cells. Kaposi's sarcoma is a neoplasm due to human herpes HHV-8. Kaposi's sarcoma is one of the entities that determines the disease of AIDS. Kaposi's sarcoma appears as skin lesions and attacks the oral cavity and lymph nodes. Case report: A male patient, with HIV-syndrome, was referred to the Special Infection Clinic of the University Hospital with a chief complaint of having two lesions, in the oral cavity and in the right ear. The histological report revealed the diagnosis of vascular tumor having morphological and immuno-histochemical characteristics compatible with Kaposi's sarcoma. Conclusions: The doctor must be suspicious when lesions are observed, particularly in the oral cavity. A biopsy must be taken in order to obtain the correct diagnosis and examine the possibility of the presence of Kaposi's sarcoma or AIDS.


Peripheral blood and/or bone marrow lymphoblasts from 34 children and 11 adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) were evaluated with a monoclonal anti-Ia antibody and a monoclonal anti-pan T-cell antibody (T101) specific for a 65,000-dalton T-cell antigen (T65). Seventy-six per cent of cases were Ia+T65-, 20% were Ia-T65+ and the remaining 4% were Ia-T65-. Anti-Ia and T101 reactivity were mutually exclusive and no Ia+T65+ cases were identified. In childhood ALL, the Ia+T65- phenotype was associated with good prognostic factors and longer median disease-free survival than Ia-T65+ patients whose clinical parameters resembled those characteristic of high-risk T-cell ALL. Included in the Ia-T65+ group were three E-rosette negative cases with clinical features of T-cell disease. Our findings compare favorably with the results of other investigators utilizing polyclonal antisera and suggest that these monoclonal antibodies, which offer the advantages of monospecific standardized reagents, will prove useful in the immunologic characterization of ALL.


Recent events, such as the California energy crisis, the failures of the UK's railways, and the consequences of the third-generation (3G) mobile licence auctions, have called into question the European reliance on a strategy of network industry liberalization. Substantial concentration in energy and telecoms markets has also raised the issue of the consistency of competition policy with the creation of internal energy and communications markets. The paper considers the multiple market failures in these industries, and the problems raised by a series of national policy approaches which fail fully to reflect the economies of scale and scope and the European-level public goods. Security of supply in energy, the roll-out of broadband, and the gains for an overarching approach to climate change require a more European focus. This in turn will require institutional reform at the European level. Failure to address this Europe-wide agenda will leave Europe behind the USA. Copyright 2001, Oxford University Press.


In the tone reservation (TR) scheme, it is known that the set of randomly selected peak reduction tones (PRT's) performs better than the contiguous PRT set and the interleaved PRT set in the PAPR reduction of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). It is also known that finding the optimal PRT set corresponds to the secondary peak minimization problem in the TR scheme. However, the problem cannot be solved for the practical number of tones since it is NP-hard. In this paper, a new search algorithm for the near optimal PRT set is proposed based on the fact that the secondary peak value of the PRT set statistically tends to decrease asthe variance of the PRT set decreases.


The problem of
multidrug-resistant pathogens as bacteria, fungi and yeast in addition to the
restriction of using antibiotics as growth promoting substances in food has attracted the attention to looking for alternative sources instead of
conventional antibiotics like natural products which have antimicrobial
activity. Much interests and researches have been focused on using natural
antimicrobial peptides and chemicals extracted from animal secretions and some
insect's venoms as they exhibit antimicrobial activity against pathogens with
lower resistance and higher synergistic effects if they were given in
combination with blends of them. In this paper, some antimicrobial chemicals
extracted from giraffes are shown in addition to their activity against Aspergillus fumigatus species using
optical density analysis technique then their Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations
(MIC) will be determined as well as ICs 50 to measure the potency to inhibit a
biological function using programmes like Gene5, graph pad prism as well as
testing antimicrobial activity of some chemicals which are provided in animal
secretions.


Long-lived collisional orogens that formed over tens to hundreds of millions of years are common in the geologic record. The Trans−North China orogen marks the collision between the Eastern and Western blocks of the North China craton, and it preserves metamorphic rocks with ages between 1.98 Ga and 1.80 Ga. These units allow detailed assessment of the time scale and duration of crustal thickening, exhumation, and cooling associated with a major Proterozoic orogeny. In this study, we present integrated petrography, mineral chemistry, phase equilibria modeling, and texturally controlled in situ mass spectrometry of monazite U-Th-Pb and trace-element analyses performed on a suite of orthopyroxene-bearing pelitic granulites and garnet-biotite gneisses from the Fuping Complex within the Trans−North China orogen. These rocks record clockwise pressure-temperature (P-T) paths involving granulite-facies peak conditions of 9.9−11.0 kbar and 850−880 °C for pelitic granulites, and 10.9−11.6 kbar and 860−880 °C for garnet-biotite gneisses, followed by postpeak decompression to ∼8−9 kbar and later cooling, with final solidification of melt at <840 °C. Four monazite populations were identified in these samples. Group I grains are irregular and elongated and occur in contact with or embay garnet. They have high rare earth element (REE) and Y contents and metamorphic ages of 1.90−1.86 Ga, which correspond to the breakdown of garnet during postpeak decompression. Most monazite grains crystallized from melt are represented by groups II + III + IV and are associated with orthopyroxene, biotite, plagioclase, and quartz in the matrix. They have crystallization ages between 1.86 Ga and 1.76 Ga and relatively low REE and Y concentrations. These data imply a long-lived (>100 m.y.) postcollisional exhumation and cooling involving decompression from 10−12 kbar to ∼9 kbar during 1.90−1.86 Ga, followed by retrograde cooling from 1.86 to 1.76 Ga under prolonged residence in the middle to lower crust. Initial collision and peak metamorphism occurred before 1.90 Ga, ultimately leading to the final cratonization of the North China craton and its incorporation into the Columbia supercontinent.


Osteosarcoma, the most common primary tumor of the bones, causes many deaths due to its rapid proliferation and drug resistance. Recent studies have shown that cyclin D1 plays a key regulatory role during cell proliferation, and non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) act as crucial modulators of cyclin D1 (CCND1). The aim of the current study was to determine the role of miRNAs in controlling CCND1 expression and inducing cell apoptosis. CCND1 has been found to be a target of miR-15a and miR-16-1 through analysis of complementary sequences between microRNAs and CCND1 mRNA. The upregulation of miR-15a and miR-16-1 in the cell line SOSP-9607 induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Osteosarcoma cells transfected with miR-15a and miR-16-1 show slower proliferation curves. Moreover, the transcription of CCND1 is suppressed by miR-15a and miR-16-1 via direct binding to the CCND1 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR). The data presented here demonstrate that the CCND1 contributes to osteosarcoma cell proliferation, suggesting that repression of CCND1 by miR-15a and miR-16-1 could be used for osteosarcoma therapy.


A three year (2002, 2003 and 2004) field experiment was conducted with the main objective of achieving optimum cowpea grain yield without starter mineral nitrogen and inorganic pesticides. Three spatial arrangements were tested against three weeding frequency. The experiment was a factorial design with a Completely Randomized Block layout. The treatments were replicated three times. The effects of these cultural interventions were observed on cowpea srtiga count nodulation, net assimilation rate (NAR) and grain yield. Data collected were subjected to ANOVA and means were separated using LSD (P ≤ 0.05). NAR were enhanced (P≤0.05) by the interaction of weeding frequency and spatial arrangement. Weeding × spatial arrangements reduced (P ≤ 0.05) striga incidence on cowpea during 2003 and 2004. Weeding thrice × sowing 1:2 and weeding twice × sowing on the same hill gave a statistically similar result. Nodulation was enhanced by the interaction of weeding frequency and spatial arrangement. Weeding frequency × planting arrangement significantly increased (P ≤ 0.05) cowpeas grain yield during 2004. The highest grain yields (1344 and1347 Kg/ha) were recorded from weeding twice × sowing 1:2 and weeding thrice × sowing on the same hill. Based on these field data the frequency of weeding enhanced physical removal of weeds, minimized competetion for growth resources, improved soil conditioning for optimum aeration, increased soil air-water ratio for optimum mycorraler and other beneficial soil microbial activities; While intercropping possibly provided canopy coverage for moisture conservation and pest control.


The present study examines the representation of the Arab Spring in the American imprint media. The study analyzes principally from a critical discourse analysis approach how journalists employ discursive strategies and linguistic devices which may serve their own ideology and agenda in their news coverage of the Arab Spring. The analysis of newspapers suggests that the media's representation of Arabs and Muslims is saturated with discourses related to the ideology of Orientalism. In fact, a number of Orientalist themes appear in the majority of texts. The preliminary and common themes found in the coverage of the Arab Spring are that of violence in the Arab world (negative other – representation), Islamophobia (Islam as a threat), and Western superiority in comparison with Arabs (positive selfrepresentation). The results show that the American media coverage of the Arab Spring was biased and unjust. Besides, there is a reinforcement of the stereotypes by which the Orient is viewed.


Facilities management (FM) is a practice that contributes added value to organisations. An optimum FM service delivery can be achieved by giving more emphasis to the performance measurement (PM) aspect. The significant functions of PM in maximising the efficient productivity of organisations' service delivery have been acknowledged and proven globally. However, there is still a gap in the scope of PM in FM, especially in Malaysia, whereby its concept is still not as well- developed as it is in other industries. There is also a lack of an appropriate set of performance measures that can be used by FM practitioners in the industry. The literature review for this research has also shown that FM industry in Malaysia is still immature and in need of a step forward to be as competitive as other FM industries globally. This has driven this research to endeavour to discover and comprehend the effective key PM elements in measuring FM service performance. This research aimed to develop a framework that proposes appropriate FM performance measures that can be used by organisations in Malaysia. The qualitative methodology approach from the pilot study survey, case studies and interviews has shown significant findings on three levels of analysis. First, there is a gap in the literature about the FM industry in Malaysia, and a greater understanding of the FM service delivery needs to be further addressed and developed. Second, by using a comparison study, this research has demonstrated that the PM designs in the UK are comprehensive, detailed and customer-driven, whereas PM designs in Malaysia are simple and supplier driven, but not objective-oriented. Third, findings from the interviews, which aimed to evaluate the proposed framework, have demonstrated that the developed performance measurement framework (PERFM) in this research embeds positive qualities of an effective PM framework and is suitable to be implemented in FM practice in Malaysia. From the findings of this research, it is strongly anticipated that PERFM would enable the FM practitioners to better understand the FM service scopes and the performance specifications and targets that should be achieved within their capacities. PERFM is also expected to offer values and benefits and serve as a platform in bringing up the FM industry to a whole new level.


Forty-seven out of 49 patients with a histologically-proven diagnosis of medulloblastoma admitted to our institution between 1 January 1984 and 13 December 1990 were examined post-operatively using either myelography or gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in an attempt to detect clinically occult spinal metastatic disease. Spinal spread of the tumour was identified in nine (19%) patients. Of the 16 patients for whom a 5-year follow-up has been available 12 had no myelographic evidence of spinal disease and of these 10 (83%) remain disease-free. Of the six who have died during this period four had evidence of spinal metastases at presentation. Of all the children in the series with spinal spread identified at the time of their initial hospitalization, only one survives to date (15 months after diagnosis). The remainder had an average life expectancy of 18 months.


Near-infrared to visible (NIR-VIS) face recognition is the most common case in heterogeneous face recognition, which aims to match a pair of face images captured from two different modalities. Existing deep learning based methods have made remarkable progress in NIR-VIS face recognition, while it encounters certain newly-emerged difficulties during the pandemic of COVID-19, since people are supposed to wear facial masks to cut off the spread of the virus. We define this task as NIR-VIS masked face recognition, and find it problematic with the masked face in the NIR probe image. First, the lack of masked face data is a challenging issue for the network training. Second, most of the facial parts (cheeks, mouth, nose etc.) are fully occluded by the mask, which leads to a large amount of loss of information. Third, the domain gap still exists in the remaining facial parts. In such scenario, the existing methods suffer from significant performance degradation caused by the above issues. In this paper, we aim to address the challenge of NIR-VIS masked face recognition from the perspectives of training data and training method. Specifically, we propose a novel heterogeneous training method to maximize the mutual information shared by the face representation of two domains with the help of semi-siamese networks. In addition, a 3D face reconstruction based approach is employed to synthesize masked face from the existing NIR image. Resorting to these practices, our solution provides the domain-invariant face representation which is also robust to the mask occlusion. Extensive experiments on three NIR-VIS face datasets demonstrate the effectiveness and cross-dataset-generalization capacity of our method.


rRNA genes are thought unlikely to be laterally transferred, because rRNA must coevolve with a large number of cellular components to form the highly sophisticated translation apparatus and perform protein synthesis. In this paper, the authors first hypothesized that lateral gene transfer (LGT) might occur to rRNA genes via replacement of gene segments encoding individual domains of rRNA: the 'simplified complexity hypothesis'. Comparative sequence analyses of the 16S and 23S rRNA genes from a large number of actinomycete species frequently identified rRNA genes containing short segments with an abnormally high number of non-random base variations. These variations were nearly always characterized by complementing covariations of several paired bases within the stem of a hairpin. The nature of these base variations is not consistent with random mutations but satisfies well the predictions of the 'simplified complexity hypothesis'. The most parsimonious explanation for this phenomenon is the lateral transfer of rRNA gene segments between different bacterial species. This mode of LGT may create mosaic rRNA genes and occur repeatedly in different regions of a gene, gradually destroying the evolutionary history recorded in the nucleotide sequence.


Female and male mayors in Brazil responded differently to the COVID-19 crisis, with effects on mortality that varied over time. In the early months of the pandemic, female-led municipalities were less likely to close essential businesses and had higher COVID-19 death rates compared to male-led municipalities. Towards the end of the year 2020, however, female-led municipalities were more likely to close essential businesses and had fewer COVID-19 deaths than male-led municipalities. This suggests that female and male mayors handled the crisis in distinct ways, with implications for understanding gender differences in policymaking and crisis management.


Few reports were published on exhalation of a radioactive substance into the air from animals injected with it. For safe handling of iodine-125 in research using animals, we examined daily changes of airborne release of radioactivity from housing cages, containing mice treated with Na 125I or 125I labelled anti-mouse monoclonal IgG1κ. Airborne radioactivity was collected during 100 min with a flow rate of 10l/min with charcoal filters and measured every 24 h during the period of 4 days. Radioactivity in the removed organs was also measured after 96 h of the time when the mice were sacrificed. Different patterns were observed in airborne radioactivity for different chemical forms of injected radioisotope, i.e. Na125I or 125I labelled anti-mouse monoclonal IgG1κ. For Na 125I injection, the radioactive concentration in air was highest at 24 h after injection. The concentration decreased gradually from 24 to 96 h, to one seventh at 96 h. Contrary, in the 125I labelled anti-mouse monoclonal IgG1κ injection, the radioactivity was low at 24 h and became highest at 96 h. The radioactivity only in the thyroid gland was higher in the Na 125I than in 125I labelled anti-mouse monoclonal IgG1 κ injection. The radioactivity in the submaxillary gland, liver, kidney, stomach and lung was higher in the 125I labelled anti-mouse monoclonal IgG1κ than in Na 125I injection. These results indicate that the different chemical forms of 125I compounds show different patterns not only in the distribution in the organs but also in the exhalation.


Objective To systematically review and meta-analyze the effectiveness of family therapy compared to other active treatments for adolescents with depressive disorders or suicidal ideation. Method We conducted a systematic search of The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, AMED, CINAHL and Web of Science and performed two meta-analyses of outcomes for depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. Results We screened 5,940 records and identified 10 randomized controlled studies of family therapy for depressive disorder or suicidal ideation in adolescents with an active treatment comparison group. Nine studies reported outcome measures of depressive symptoms and four reported outcome measures of suicidal ideation. The meta-analysis showed no significant difference between family therapy and active comparison treatments for end-of-treatment levels of depression. For suicidal ideation our meta-analysis showed a significant effect in favour of family therapy over comparison treatments for suicidal ideation. Conclusions Based on the current body of research, we found that family therapy is not superior to other psychotherapies in the treatment of depressive disorder. However, family therapy leads to significantly improved outcomes for suicidal ideation, compared to other psychotherapies. The evidence for the treatment of depression is of low quality needs more research.


As the prevalence of obesity continues to rise, the world is facing a major public health concern. Obesity is a complex disease associated with an increase in several inflammatory markers, leading to chronic low-grade inflammation. Of multifactorial etiology, it is often used as a measurement of morbidity and mortality. There remains much unknown regarding the association between obesity and inflammation. This review seeks to compile scientific literature on obesity and its associated inflammatory markers in chronic disease and further discusses the role of adipose tissue, macrophages, B-cells, T-cells, fatty acids, amino acids, adipokines, and hormones in obesity. Data were obtained using PubMed and Google Scholar. Obesity, inflammation, immune cells, hormones, fatty acids, and others were search words used to acquire relevant articles. Studies suggest brown adipose tissue is negatively associated with body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage. Researchers also found the adipose tissue of lean individuals predominantly secretes anti-inflammatory markers, while in obese individuals more pro-inflammatory markers are secreted. Many studies found that adipose tissue in obese individuals showed a shift in immune cells from anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages to pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages, which was also correlated with insulin resistance. Obese individuals generally present with higher levels of hormones such as leptin, visfatin, and resistin. With obesity on the rise globally, it is predicted that severe obesity will become most common amongst low-income adults, black individuals, and women by 2030, making the need for intervention urgent. Further investigation into the association between obesity and inflammation is required to understand the mechanism behind this disease.


This paper proposes an advanced OFDM-MIMO reconfigurable architecture that uses an adaptive switching algorithm between diversity and spatial multiplexing. The transmitter blocs' specifications such as the MIMO technique and the modulation scheme are adjusted according to the channel state, which gives a practical cognitive radio strategy. The system cost- efficiency is performed by the application of the Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology. Based on the Demmel condition number criterion, an indicator bit exchange between the transmitter and the receiver allows selecting the adapted MIMO configuration and improving the whole system performances.


The psychological and sociological situation of 15cases of deafness after acquirement of the language is analysed. Following deafness, a severe crisis starts sooner or later. The further life of the d


Background Effective cardiac compressions (CC) with a full relaxation phase ensure adequate coronary artery blood flow by increasing coronary perfusion pressure (CPP). CC during neonatal resuscitations are rare thus requiring them to be practiced in simulation training. No studies have explored the efficacy of CC during preterm simulations. Aims 1) Develop a preterm manikin simulation system for CC training 2) Define key measures of effective CC in this preterm simulation Methods We used the Laerdel term and LifeForm preterm (~25 week gestation, 0.8kg) manikins with an in-house developed calibrated CC measurement system (accuracy ±3%). NLS trained neonatal staff randomly performed 2 finger or 2 thumb (circling) CC resuscitation simulations. Compression rate, depth (>1/3 AP diameter of chest) and release (>75% release of compression distance) were measured. Results 30 participants each performed 8 simulations (total 23,340 CC). Median CC rate was 93/min(IQR 84–111). For both term and preterm simulations, the 2 thumb technique achieved more adequate depth CC than the 2 finger technique (P < 0.0001). Incomplete release was significantly worse in the 2 thumb group especially in the preterm simulations. With increasing CC rate, incomplete release increased significantly from 8% in the 60–84 CC/min rising to 52% in the 112–140 CC/min (P < 0.0001, see Figure). Conclusion We have developed a useful CC preterm training simulator with important feedback measures. These simulations demonstrate the quality of CC decreases with increasing rate above NLS recommended guidelines. In clinical practice, this would reduce CPP and delay the restoration of an adequate cardiac output. Abstract O-120 Figure 1 Percentage of compressions with inadequate release during the simulated cardiac compressions


Plant leaves collectively represent the largest above-ground surface area of plant material in virtually all environments. Their optical properties determine where and how energy and gas exchange occurs, which in turn drives the energy budget of the planet, and defines its ecology and habitability. This book reviews the state-of-the-art research on leaf optics. Topics covered include leaf traits, the anatomy and structure of leaves, leaf colour, biophysics and spectroscopy, radiometry, radiative transfer models, and remote and proximal sensing. A physical approach is emphasised throughout, providing the necessary foundations in physics, chemistry and biology to make the context accessible to readers from various subject backgrounds. It is a valuable resource for advanced students, researchers and government agency practitioners in remote sensing, plant physiology, ecology, resource management and conservation.


In January 2017, the International Seabed Authority released a discussion paper on the development of Environmental Regulations for deep-sea mining within the Area Beyond National Jurisdiction (the 'Area'). With the release of this paper, the prospect for commercial mining in the Area within the next decade has become very real. Moreover, within nations' Exclusive Economic Zones, the exploitation of deep-sea mineral ore resources could take place on very much shorter time scales and, indeed, may have already started. However, potentially toxic metal mixtures may be released at sea during different stages of the mining process and in different physical phases (dissolved or particulate). As toxicants, metals can disrupt organism physiology and performance, and therefore may impact whole populations, leading to ecosystem scale effects. A challenge to the prediction of toxicity is that deep-sea ore deposits include complex mixtures of minerals, including potentially toxic metals such as copper, cadmium, zinc, and lead, as well as rare earth elements. Whereas the individual toxicity of some of these dissolved metals has been established in laboratory studies, the complex and variable mineral composition of seabed resources makes the a priori prediction of the toxic risk of deep-sea mining extremely challenging. Furthermore, although extensive data quantify the toxicity of metals in solution in shallow-water organisms, these may not be representative of the toxicity in deep-sea organisms, which may differ biochemically and physiologically and which will experience those toxicants under conditions of low temperature, high hydrostatic pressure, and potentially altered pH. In this synthesis, we present a summation of recent advances in our understanding of the potential toxic impacts of metal exposure to deep-sea meio- to megafauna at low temperature and high pressure, and consider the limitation of deriving lethal limits based on the paradigm of exposure to single metals in solution. We consider the potential for long-term and far-field impacts to key benthic invertebrates, including the very real prospect of sub-lethal impacts and behavioural perturbation of exposed species. In conclusion, we advocate the adoption of an existing practical framework for characterising bulk resource toxicity in advance of exploitation.


BACKGROUND
Doctors and nurses do not usually take a collaborative approach to the ethical challenges of the critical care environment. This leads to the stresses that produce moral anguish and burnout -- both for nursing and medical staff. A more collegial relationship between nurses and physicians should improve patient care. If we are to promote this collegiality, one way to proceed is to investigate the interactions between health care professionals in order to develop an understanding of the barriers to, and supports for collaboration.

AIM
Subject positions theory offers a method of explaining and elucidating the interactions between nurse and physician in terms of power dynamics, mutual expectations and the discourse available to each individual. This paper aims to demonstrate how subject positions theory can facilitate the interpretation of the interactions between health professionals in terms of the power dynamics influencing those interactions.

DISCUSSION
This paper will use the example of a case study from my own research to demonstrate the application of this theory and its usefulness in the analysis of the interactions between health care professionals.

CONCLUSIONS
Application of this theory is used to demonstrate the author's argument that the current political and cultural structure of the health care system does not support the subject position - nurse advocate.


This work deals with a diagnosis system, based on a combined use of partial least squares regression (PLS) and neural network (NN). An application concerning the French railway track/vehicle transmission system illustrates this approach. It is shown that a reliable selection of a reduced set of relevant descriptors is made by the PLS regression. Moreover, the projection of the data on the first PLS plane allows to highlight trajectories of the evolution of the system state between different classes. The modeling of the process state is performed by a multilayer NN. In this case, the PLS algorithm provides also a suitable approach to initialize the NN weights and to determine the optimal number of hidden nodes.


DFT calculations carried out on zinc acetate and zinc hydroxamates using the Hartree-Fock and B3LYP methods with the 6-311+G basis set give a series of stable pseudotetrahedral chelates (ZnL(2)) (L = OAc, FA, AA, NMeAA, GA, SA). Addition of a water molecule to these chelates gives the hydrates, ZnL(2).H(2)O, which in all cases are energetically more stable than the corresponding chelate. Hydrates formed from O,O coordinated hydroxamate species with a five-membered chelate ring contain water molecules occupying vacant coordination sites of the zinc atom. In contrast, those formed from zinc chelates with four-membered chelate rings contain a water molecule inserted into the chelate ring to give a six-membered ring in which one hydrogen of the water molecule is H-bonded to an oxygen atom of the zinc chelate with the water oxygen strongly bonded to the zinc. A slight lengthening of the H-bonded O-H bond suggests incipient hydroxide activation of water by zinc. In contrast, the O,O bonded hydroxamates do not incorporate water into the chelate ring nor activate the water in accordance with the ability of hydroxamic acids to inhibit zinc containing metalloenzymes.


By taking landscape planning of the south side of library on Weiyang Campus,Xi'an Technological University for example,campus landscape planning concepts of ordnance universities were discussed.From the perspective of creating a campus environment with distinctive characteristics of universities,the integration of users and environment and the creation of a beautiful campus cultural environment were stressed.With an overall spatial pattern of "two centers,four axes,infiltration among different functional areas",the planning site was divided into the following 6 subareas:central landscape space,pavement landscape space,garden setting space,waterscape space,ordnance culture demonstration space,teaching and dormitory space.Its road systems and plant landscapes on campus were clearly organized.The authors aimed at providing useful references for the construction of new campuses by studying landscape planning of a part of Weiyang Campus,Xi'an Technological University.


This paper describes a singular value decomposition (SVD) technique for the analysis of experimental response curves. The SVD of a set of curves shows that curves can be decomposed to become a linear combination of some intrinsic-component patterns. The interpolation of curves can then be reduced to a simple interpolation of weighting coefficients. The SVD method is applied to an estimation problem of γ-ray response spectra, and a library of the response curves is constructed.


We propose a mechanism by which a number of useful all-optical operations, such as switches, diodes, and logic gates, can be performed with a single device. An effective potential well is obtained by modulating the coupling between the waveguides through their separations. Depending on the power of a control soliton injected through the potential well, an incoming soliton will either completely transmit or reflect forming a controllable switch. We show that two such switches can work as AND, OR, NAND, and NOR logic gates. Furthermore, the same device may also function as a perfect soliton diode with adjustable polarity. We discuss the feasibility of realising such devices with current experimental setups.


This book makes a significant contribution to contemporary debates on "globalization," culture and gender. Focusing on intersections of the local and the global in Africa, contributors elucidate how translocal and transnational cultural currents are mediated by gender, how they reshape gender constructs and relations, and how they both manifest and impinge on relations of power.


Background: Wood dust is made of wood shavings from machining wood in sawmills and it becomes potential health problem when inhaled. This study assesses concentration of wood dust particulate matter resulting from wood processing in sawmills. Methods: It is a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out in 84 sawmills in Osun State, Nigeria in January, 2013. Samples of total suspended particulate matter of sizes 0.5 μm, 1 μm, and 5 μm were measured with GT-321 Particle Counter. Two samples were taken at 1 h interval from each sawmill sites during work hours. Air sampling was also done in 84 welder workshops to compare results. A walk through survey was conducted in 10 sawmills to assess the usage of personal protective equipment (PPE). Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 16. P value was set at


Objective: The aim of the present study was to adapt the Nurse-Nurse Collaboration (NNC) Scale to Turkish examining the reliability and validity of the scale among the staff nurses. Methods: The study was conducted with 352 volunteer staff nurses working in Usak Public Hospital. In the first instance language equivalence was analyzed, and then exploratory factor analysis, the internal consistency, confirmatory factor analysis and test-retest were employed. Results: The adapted Turkish Form of the NNC Scale consisted of 25 items. As a results of the explanatory factor analysis and content validity analysis, it was observed that items divided into 5 factors in accordance with the original scale and that loads of all factors were above 0.30. The overall Cronbach alfa for the scale was 0.90 and for the individual subscales were ranging from 0.62-0.90. According to the fit index of confirmatory factor analysis and test-retest scores of the NNC Scale, it can be said that the scale is reliable. Conclusion: The adapted Turkish form of the NNC Scale is a valid and reliable scale for measuring the level of NNC in staff nurses.


This paper discusses the fundamental mechanisms of vortex–droplet interactions leading to flow distortion, droplet dispersion and breakup in a complex swirling gas flow field. In particular, the way in which the location of droplet injection determines the degree of inhomogeneous dispersion and breakup modes has been elucidated in detail using high-fidelity laser diagnostics. The droplets are injected as monodispersed streams at various spatial locations such as the vortex breakdown bubble and the shear layers (inner and outer) exhibited by the swirling flow. Simultaneous time-resolved particle image velocimetry ( $3500~\text{frames}~\text{s}^{-1}$ ) and high-speed shadowgraphy measurements are employed to delineate the two-phase interaction dynamics. These measurements have been used to evaluate the fluctuations in instantaneous circulation strength $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}^{\prime }$ caused by the flow field eddies and the resultant angular dispersion in the droplet trajectories $\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}^{\prime }$ . The droplet–flow interactions show two-way coupling at low momentum ratios ( $MR$ ) and strong one-way coupling at high momentum ratios. The gas phase flow field is globally altered at low airflow rates (low $MR$ ) due to impact of droplets with the vortex core. The flow perturbation is found to be minimal and mainly local at high airflow rates (high $MR$ ). Spectral coherence analysis is carried out to understand the correlation between eddy circulation strength $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}^{\prime }$ and droplet dispersion $\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}^{\prime }$ . The droplet dispersion shows strong coherence with the flow in certain frequency bands. Subsequently, proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is implemented to elucidate the governing instability mechanism and frequency signatures associated with the turbulent coherent structures. The POD results suggest dominance of the Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) instability mode (axial and azimuthal shear). The frequency range pertaining to high coherence between dispersion and circulation shows good agreement with KH instability quantified from POD analysis. The droplets injected at the inner shear layer (ISL) and outer shear layer (OSL) show different interaction dynamics. For instance, droplet dispersion at the OSL exhibits secondary frequency (shedding mode) coupling in addition to the KH mode, whereas ISL injection couples only in a single narrow frequency band (i.e. KH mode). Further, high-speed shadow imaging ( $7500~\text{frames}~\text{s}^{-1}$ ) is employed to visualize the breakup dynamics of the droplets. The effect of coherent structures on the droplet breakup modes is shown as a function of the Weber number ( $We$ ) defined based on the circulation strength. The wide fluctuations caused in the instantaneous circulation strength lead to different breakup modes (bag, multimodal, shear thinning, catastrophic) even for fixed airflow rates. These fluctuations also lead to inhomogeneous spatial dispersion of the droplets in the swirling gas flow field. We are able to present the dispersion contours in terms of the Stokes number and a spatial homogeneity parameter. In essence, the dispersion inhomogeneity is found to be a strong function of the injection location, the phase relationship with the eddies and the momentum ratio ( $MR$ ).


In recent years, discussion of technology in the nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century colonial world has moved away from earlier insistence on the centrality of imperial agency and the instrumentality of empire's technological "tools" of conquest and exploitation. There has been a broad shift from diffusionist preoccupations with a one-way traffic in "technology transfers" that privileged Euro-American innovation and entrepreneurship, to consideration of the "social life of things" within the colony. This has corresponded with a move away from understanding technology through European representations of machines as the measure of the imperial self and colonized other, to rethinking technology's role in reconfiguring social hierarchies and cultural practices in colonized or semi-colonized non-Western societies. Without ignoring empire's importance in facilitating change or restricting the socio-economic parameters within which innovative technologies might operate, there has been a growing tendency to identify colonialism as a conduit for technological modernity rather than its primary embodiment. The colony is understood as a locally constituted, rather than merely imperially derivative, site for engagement with techno-modernity and its discontents. Scholars now commonly eschew emphasis on the implanting of "big technologies" such as railroads, telegraphs, steamships, modern weaponry, major irrigation works, and electrification systems (capital-intensive, often state-managed technologies that figured proudly in the rhetoric of imperial achievement), in favor of the ways in which these were understood, assimilated, and utilized by local agency. There has also been growing interest in small-scale, "everyday technologies," from the sewing machine, wristwatch, and radio, to the typewriter, camera, and bicycle. Colonial regimes were unable to monopolize or disinclined to control these, and they passed with relative ease into the work-regimes, recreational activities, social life, and cultural aspirations of colonized and postcolonial populations.


Absolute VUV optical absorption cross sections for ozone have been measured between 325 and 110 nm (3.0 - 11.3 eV) using a synchrotron radiation source. Vibrational fine structure is resolved in Rydberg bands and comparison of this with the limiting bands in the photoelectron spectrum confirms that the order (increasing ionization energy) of the three lowest ionization bands is . Near-threshold electron energy-loss spectra have also been recorded. In these, in addition to the known triplet states between 1 and 2 eV, a low-lying triplet state has been located around 3.4 eV and several others between 6 and 9 eV. Characterization of the valence states (both optically allowed and forbidden) are discussed in relation to the results of early theoretical computations which seem to give a good account of the ozone spectrum.


The photophysical properties of 4-cyano-(4′-methylthio)diphenylacetylene have been examined by quantum chemical methods. It is concluded that the lowest-energy, excited singlet state in a polar solvent like water corresponds to intramolecular charge transfer from the S-based donor to the benzonitrile unit. This excited state adopts a twisted geometry, in marked contrast to the planar ground state. Because of the structural change that follows from UV excitation there is a substantial Stokes shift, the magnitude of which depends on the polarity of the surrounding solvent. Indeed, formation of the twisted intramolecular charge-transfer state involves a significant increase in dipole moment. The charge transfer state decays via a combination of fluorescence, charge recombination and intersystem crossing. The calculations reveal values for the accompanying nuclear and solvent reorganisation energies and assign relative values for the electronic coupling matrix elements associated with formation of the ground and triplet states. Overall, the computed results remain in good agreement with the relevant experimental data.


Pressure locking and thermal binding represent potential common mode failure mechanisms that can cause safety-related power-operated gate valves to fail in the closed position, thus rendering redundant safety-related systems incapable of performing their safety functions. Supplement 6 to Generic Letter 89-10, {open_quotes}Safety-Related Motor-Operated Gate Valve Testing and Surveillance,{close_quotes} provided an acceptable approach to addressing pressure locking and thermal binding of gate valves. More recently, the NRC has issued Generic Letter 95-07, {open_quotes}Pressure Locking and Thermal Binding of Safety-Related Power-Operated Gate Valves,{close_quotes} to request that licensees take certain actions to ensure that safety-related power-operated gate valves that are susceptible to pressure locking or thermal binding are capable of performing their safety functions within the current licensing bases. Over the past two years, several plants in Region I determined that valves in certain systems were potentially susceptible to pressure locking and thermal binding, and have taken various corrective actions. The NRC Region I Systems Engineering Branch has been actively involved in the inspection of licensee actions in response to the pressure locking and thermal binding issue. Region I continues to maintain an active involvement in this area, including participation with the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation in reviewing licensee responses to Genericmore » Letter 95-07.« less


A new method has been developed by preparing complexes involving condensation of amino acids with 8-hydroxyquinaldine using various experimental conditions. The products so obtained are being investigated for identification and quantitative analysis using different spectroscopic techniques including fluorescence activity of newly synthesized products. In present studies the identification of amino acids in nano mole quantities has become possible by fluorometric activity of amino acids-quinaldine complex involving different excitation and emission wavelengths. This fluorometric activity of complexes is 10 to 100 times more sensitive method than assay method involving ninhydrin. 2methy1-8-hydroxyquinoline (8-hydroxyquinaldine) condensed with Alanine and Phenylalanine produced fluorescent complexes. The complexes separately have been investigated for identification and quantitative estimation of amino acids. The use of 8-hydroxyquinaldine for various purposes and its comparison to 8-hydroxyquinoline for similar purpose indicates decrease in fluorescence signal of 8-hydroxyquinaldineamino acid complexes.


This article discusses how public policies on transportation can be communicated to the community in West Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. It is important for the community because the development of transport services has a very close relationship with the social welfare and economic growth of a region. This can be demonstrated with an indication that the region has a complete transportation system works better than other regions, so that these regions tend to have better levels of social welfare and economic growth. Conversely, the less functioning transport would result in the emergence of social problems and environmental problems. The study here used a multiple case method. The cases consist of activities which is the implementation of the government's program of socialization to the people of West Bandung on transportation. This regency is an expansion of Bandung regency; therefore, there are things that are new in government services, including the field of transportation. Interviews, observation and document analyses were used to collect the data. Face to face interviews using a list of questions were also developed for this study. The findings of the study indicate that in addition to its own designing and implementing transportation development plan in West Bandung regency itself, there is also a transportation development involving West Java provincial government, even the national government of Indonesia. All of the transportation plan could be properly communicated to the public because it uses a variety of media, both traditional and modern.


A clip for aneurysm surgery has been designed with several unique features. The coil spring is fully hidden and protected within two hub sections so that it cannot be handled or become entrapped in tissue. The clip is milled from a piece of solid stock of nonmagnetic stainless steel to the desired size and shape by a computer milling process, thus avoiding the stresses and structural weaknesses caused by the bending, curling, and milling needed to prepare clips made from wire or sheet metal. The only means of opening the clip is by applying pressure to the solid milled surfaces, thus the spring cannot be weakened or bent by squeezing it or by trauma applied to the clip. The clip may be grasped in either a clip applier that holds the clip in one fixed position or in an applier that allows the clip to be rotated through an arc of 180 degrees.


This pilot study aimed to characterize the effect of participation in an international health elective (IHE) during the preclinical years on a student's interest in pursuing a career in family medicine and primary care specialties. 100 first- and second-year medical students were surveyed on their participation in IHEs and family medicine interest group (FMIG) and family medicine-related activities, meetings, and conferences. A total of 44 students responded to the survey. 35 students (79.5%) had participated in an IHE outside of the United States. The percentage of IHE participants who had attended at least one FMIG event was significantly higher than the percentage of IHE non-participants (80% versus 33.3%; p=0.006) but there was no significant difference in any other variable studied. Despite limitations, our pilot study suggests that first and second year medical school students participating in IHEs are more likely than those not participating to attend at least one FMIG event; however there is no difference in students reported interest in primary care or family medicine as a specialty choice. As previous reviews have noted a paucity of neutral or negative studies in the literature, we hope that our observations of a possible lack of effect of participation in IHEs in the preclinical years on students' interest in primary care adds to the existing literature.


Energy efficiency and power crises are the critical issues that the globe is facing nowadays. Generation diversification, Demand Response, renewable energy accommodation, and reduction of Carbon dioxide emission are some of the issues that cannot be covered within the limitation of the current grid system. Smart Grid has revolutionized the generation, Distribution, and Consumption of electricity by integrating intelligent control, sensing and communication in daily operation of the electric grid. The goal of the Smart Grid is to be environmentally sustainable, for the deployment of this trending technology is a must. This paper addresses the issues that would be faced in the implementation of the smart Grid technology, policy consideration to maximize the benefit of smart grid and enhance the benefit over cost ratio. It explains the three sectors where the smart grid applications can be seen with challenges in bottom-up design, and overview of Smart grid for utilities. A top-down scheme is presented which can help in eliminating the challenges and barriers in the smart grid implementation. Finally cost vs. benefit analysis is made to prove the effectiveness of this trending technology in the power sector.


digestion and decontamination was done by the NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide) -NALC (N-acetyl-L-cysteine) method, followed by centrifugation for 20 minutes at 3000 revolutions/minute. 0.5 ml of each concentrate was added into the 3 media. MGIT vials were monitored by the MGIT 960 system while the Bio FM and LJ media were examined upto 42 days and 56 days respectively for mycobacterial growth. Isolates were identiÞ ed by P-nitro-aacetylaminob-hydroxypropiophenone (NAP) testing. 17 of the 20 specimens turned culture positive while three smear negative specimens remained culture negative. All isolates were identiÞ ed as M. tuberculosis complex. Surprisingly, no discrepancy was seen in the recovery rates of the 3 media. The time to mycobacterial detection was shortest with MGIT and longest with LJ media [Table 1]. The detection time of BioFM was comparable with MGIT and outperformed the LJ media, similar to other international study Þ ndings.[4,5]


We use analytical, numerical and experimental methods to characterize the laminar flow inside a Tesla turbine rotor gap. A comparison based on one particular set of operating conditions mutually validates the three approaches. The simplicity of the analytical flow model allows for a cost efficient optimization of the underlying turbine parameters. Performance charts exhibit general trends and serve as a guide for preliminary turbine design and optimization. In terms of the ratio of half the gap width to inlet radius and the ratio of outletto inlet radius, the designer of a tesla turbine has to find a compromise between optimal efficiency and optimal power output.


Abstract Social media has become an almost permanent presence in our lives and in the business world. In the last two decades the marketing activity has changed greatly due to the development, of social interaction platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok. The usage of social media marketing has created new challenges for the marketing specialists which needed to adapt and adjust their strategies to meet the direction but the business environment is going. Among the challenges that the marketing world is facing when using social media is that of profiling the consumers (current and potential) in order to achieve a successful marketing strategy and therefore lead to higher financial gains. The current paper aims to bring forward the importance of social media profiling in the marketing activity while underlining some important theoretical aspects about social media and profiling and at the same time presenting the results over short secondary data analysis that shows some general profiles for Instagram and TikTok user, with a direct link to the evolution of the revenues generated by the advertising done on the two mentioned social media platforms.


We reexamine the theory of hadronic photon-nucleon interactions at the quark-gluon level. The possibility of multiple parton collisions in a single photon-nucleon collision requires an eikonal treatment of the high-energy scattering process. We give a general formulation of the theory in which the [gamma][ital p] cross section is expressed as a sum over properly eikonalized cross sections for the interaction of the virtual hadronic components of the photon with the proton, with each cross section weighted by the probability with which that component appears in the photon, and then develop a detailed model which includes contributions from light vector mesons and from excited virtual states described in a quark-gluon basis. The parton distribution functions which appear can be related approximately to those in the pion, while a weighted sum gives the distribution functions for the photon. We use the model to make improved QCD-based predictions for the total inelastic photon-nucleon and photon-nucleus cross sections at energies relevant for DESY HERA experiments and cosmic-ray observations. We emphasize the importance in this procedure of including a soft-scattering background such that the calculated cross sections join smoothly with low-energy data. Our results show clearly that high-energy measurements of the total inelastic [gamma][ital p]more » cross section can impose strong constraints on the gluon and quark distributions in the photon, and indirectly on those in the pion.« less


Melanoma is an aggressive cancer type with a high mortality rate and an elevated resistance to conventional treatment. Recently, promising new tools for anti-melanoma targeted therapy have emerged including inhibitors directed against frequently overexpressed receptors of growth factors implicated in the progression of this cancer. The ineffectiveness of single-targeted therapy prompted us to study the efficacy of treatment with a combination of foretinib, a MET (hepatocyte growth factor receptor) inhibitor, and gefitinib or lapatinib, EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) inhibitors. We observed a synergistic cytotoxic effect for the combination of foretinib and lapatinib on the viability and proliferation of the examined melanoma cell lines. This combination of inhibitors significantly decreased Akt and Erk phosphorylation, while the drugs used independently were insufficient. Additionally, after treatment with pairs of inhibitors, cells became larger, with more pronounced stress fibers and abnormally shaped nuclei. We also noticed the appearance of polyploid cells and massive enrichment in the G2/M phase. Therefore, combination treatment was much more effective against melanoma cells than a single-targeted approach. Based on our results, we conclude that both EGFR and MET receptors might be effective targets in melanoma therapy. However, variation in their levels in patients should be taken into consideration.


Abstract The series of La 1− x Sr x CoO 3− δ (0.5≤ x ≤0.9) perovskites have been prepared using the Pechini gel technique. The products were chemically oxidized by stirring in a sodium hypobromite solution. The samples have been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, iodometric titration, Co K edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy, temperature-dependent SQUID magnetic susceptibility, and temperature-dependent electrical resistivity. The Sr-rich samples ( x >0.7) have the brownmillerite-type structure prior to oxidation and the cubic perovskite structure after treatment with sodium hypobromite. Iodometric titration shows as much as a ∼14% increase in Co(IV) concentration in the Sr-rich samples after chemical oxidation. The Co K edge spectra show that there is very little change in the formal cobalt valence with increasing Sr content. The effective magnetic moments of the oxidized compounds level off with increasing Sr concentration. All of the chemically oxidized samples exhibit small-bandgap semiconducting behavior. The data lead to the postulation of an equilibrium between Co(IV) and O − in the series.


In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Puerarin on Hepatic Cytochrome P450-Mediated Drug Metabolism Sang-Bum Kim Department of Pharmaceutics The Graduate School Seoul National University Dissertation director: Prof. Dae-Duk Kim Puerarin (PU, 8-β-D-glucopyranosyl-7-hydroxy-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4H-1benzopyran-4-one) is a major pharmacological component of Puerariae Radix, the root of Pueraria lobata (Willd) Ohwi. The effect of PU on hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP)-mediated drug metabolism in rats and human was investigated. The in vitro CYP inhibitory effect of PU in human and rat liver microsomes (HLM and RLM, respectively) was evaluated using the following model CYP substrates; i.e., phenacetin (PHE) for CYP1A, diclofenac (DIC) for CYP2C, dextromethorphan (DEX) for CYP2D, and testosterone (TES) for CYP3A. The in vivo pharmacokinetics of intravenous and oral buspirone (BUS), a probe substrate for CYP3A, was studied with single simultaneous intravenous co-administration of PU in rats. In the in vitro CYP inhibition study, the rate of disappearance of TES was significantly reduced in the presence of 10-μM PU, while that of other CYP substrates was not significantly affected in both HLM and RLM, suggesting that PU inhibits the in vitro hepatic CYP3A-mediated metabolism in the human and rat systems (IC50 = 15.5 ± 3.9 μM). After intravenous administration of BUS with single simultaneous co-administration of intravenous PU at a dose of 10 mg/kg in rats, the AUC was increased while CL decreased. When BUS was orally administered in rats with the 10 mg/kg intravenous PU co-administration, both AUC and F were significantly increased. Therefore, results of the in vitro microsomal and in vivo pharmacokinetic studies suggest the possible inhibition of hepatic CYP3A-mediated drug metabolism by PU administration, potentially leading to metabolism-mediated herb–drug interactions with clinical significance.


To get more information on the long term behaviour of technical textiles and on related degradation processes, the degradation of different synthetic fibres (polyester, PYC-coated polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamide 6 and 6.6, m-aramide) were investigated under the combined influence of pollution gases and light. Laboratory weathering experiments were performed in a specially designed climatic chamber, using different atmospheres such as normal air, zero air and zero air with pollution gases (NO2, SO2, O3, NO2/O3) added. Outdoor exposure tests are in progress at eight sites in Switzerland each having its specific meteorological conditions and typical environmental load. The exposure sites were chosen at locations of the Swiss National Air Pollution Monitoring Network (NABEL), where concentrations of air pollutants and climatic data are registered continuously. Results of tensile tests on laboratory and outdoor exposed samples are given. Comparison is made between laboratory ageing and outdoor exposure.


IFN-gamma is considered to be involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. In this study, the presence of T/A mutation at position -874 in IFN-gamma gene was assessed in patients with latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA), in patients with type 2 diabetes and in healthy individuals. Subsequently, an attempt was made to correlate the presence of this mutation with the ability of CD4+ or CD8+ lymphocytes from these individuals to release IFN-gamma following mitogenic stimulation. There were no significant differences in the distribution of genotypes and haplotypes in the three study groups. However, the frequency of the low IFN-gamma production allele (IFN-gamma 874( *)A) was significantly higher in type 2 diabetics compared to controls. CD4+ and CD8+ cells obtained from type 2 diabetics released significantly lower amounts of IFN-gamma in the intracellular space, compared to those released by cells obtained from LADA patients and healthy volunteers. Furthermore, even CD4+ and CD8+ from type 2 diabetics bearing the TT genotype (high producers) released significantly lower amounts of IFN-gamma than LADA patients carrying the same genotype, probably due to the activity of molecules directly or indirectly inhibiting IFN-gamma production. The results of this study indicate that IFN-gamma may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes, based on a combination of molecular and immunological observations.


Despite contemporary management, patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) remain at high risk for thrombotic events. Several randomized controlled trials have evaluated the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in patients with CAD, including in the setting of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and stable CAD, and in patients with concomitant atrial fibrillation. Trials of apixaban and dabigatran in patients with ACS demonstrate no benefit with an increased risk of bleeding. Conversely, rivaroxaban at a reduced dose of 2.5 mg twice daily reduced thrombotic events and all-cause mortality when added to dual antiplatelet therapy in patients with ACS. Similarly, the addition of low-dose rivaroxaban to acetylsalicylic acid reduced the risk of thrombotic events in patients with stable CAD. However, the addition of a DOAC to antiplatelet therapy increased the risk of major bleeding. In patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, dual-pathway or low-dose triple therapy regimens including dabigatran or rivaroxaban reduced bleeding risk compared to traditional warfarin-based triple therapy, although it remains unclear whether these regimens preserve antithrombotic efficacy. DOAC–based antithrombotic regimens prove useful in patients with CAD in various settings; however, careful selection of patients and regimens per trial protocols are critical to achieving net benefit.


Introduction We performed in vitro experiments using whole human blood without anticoagulants to clarify the activity of anticoagulant proteins on membranes coated with acrylate-copolymer (ACP) with a hydrophilic blood-contacting layer compared to those coated by immobilizing heparin (IHP) in extracorporeal circulation. Methods Whole human blood from healthy volunteers was recirculated in two types of experimental circuits with an ACP-coated reservoir and tubes and an ACP-coated or IHP-coated membrane. To compare the fluctuation of anticoagulant proteins, the circuit pressure at the inlet and outlet of the membrane was measured every 5 min; antithrombin antigen (ATQ), antithrombin activity, protein-C quantitation (PCQ), protein-C activity, protein-S free antigen (PSQ), and protein-S activity were measured at 0, 30, 60, 120, and 180 min in each experiment (n = 5). Results The time taken to achieve high circuit pressure (> 300 mmHg) at the inlet of the membrane was significantly shorter in the ACP-coated membrane circuit (28 ± 2.7 min) than in the IHP-coated membrane circuit (54 ± 24 min); however, the ATQ, PCQ, and PSQ at 180 min of recirculation were significantly higher in the former than in the latter (all p < .05). Conclusions ACP-coated membranes can prevent the consumption of anticoagulant proteins but cannot delay circuit thrombogenicity compared to IHP-coated membranes. Considering patient care during the post-extracorporeal circulation period, the use of ACP coating, which can preserve anticoagulant protein, is better in extracorporeal circulation circuits.


Rendering realistic cloud images is a challenging computational intensive task. The high computational demand makes physics-based on-the-fly rendering impossible for realtime applications on low-cost workstations. We present an approach to overcome this problem by using alpha-blended billboard textures. During a pre-processing step a series of pre-calculated images is generated for each cloud object of the scene. The images are showing each cloud object from different view points. For a given camera position on the ground the final cloud depiction is composed by an appropriate subset of alpha-blended images, assigned to billboard textures. In so doing, we are able to create a smooth transition between arbitrary camera positions on the ground.


All activities nowadays are  based on technology include in banking industry. One of the innovations that made banks which associated with the development of technology is the use of mobile banking. The aim of this study is to analyze whether electron ic service influence on customer satisfaction. The  sample  in  this  study  were  160  respondents  that had  used mobile banking, with non-probability samples with analytical method used is  multiple linier regression using SPSS 23. The results of this study showed that the five independent variables has a positive and significant to the dependent variables, realiability(0,217), responsiveness (0,264), Assurance (0,200), Empathy (0,204) and Tangibles (0,120) to customers satisfaction


Software development plays a crucial role in driving innovation and efficiency across modern societies. To meet the demands of this dynamic field, there is a growing need for an effective software development assistant. However, existing large language models represented by ChatGPT suffer from limited accessibility, including training data and model weights. Although other large open-source models like LLaMA have shown promise, they still struggle with understanding human intent. In this paper, we present SoTaNa, an open-source software development assistant. SoTaNa utilizes ChatGPT to generate high-quality instruction-based data for the domain of software engineering and employs a parameter-efficient fine-tuning approach to enhance the open-source foundation model, LLaMA. We evaluate the effectiveness of \our{} in answering Stack Overflow questions and demonstrate its capabilities. Additionally, we discuss its capabilities in code summarization and generation, as well as the impact of varying the volume of generated data on model performance. Notably, SoTaNa can run on a single GPU, making it accessible to a broader range of researchers. Our code, model weights, and data are public at \url{https://github.com/DeepSoftwareAnalytics/SoTaNa}.


This study aimed at assessing the effect of radiation emitted from two brands of cell phones; in both (talking) and (non-talking) status, on the germination rate and the embryonic stem length of Wheat seeds (Triticum aestivum) following varying durations of exposure (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 up to 30 minutes) and from different distances from the cell phone (5cm, 10cm and 15cm). Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS 16. Regression models were used to estimate the adjusted predictability of germination rate and embryonic stem length. Exposure to cell phone radiation was found to have an inhibitory effect on germination rate and embryonic stem length of Wheat seeds (Triticum aestivum). As for germination rate, the inhibitory effect was not statistically significant for duration of exposure up to 30 minutes, a distance from the cell phone as close as 5 cm and with exposure to two different cell phone brands. On the other hand, significant decline in number of germinated seeds compared to control group was observed when cell phone was used in the (non-talking) status than in the (talking) status (p = .006). A logistic regression was performed to ascertain the effects of different variables on the likelihood of germination. According to the model, seeds exposed to cell phone brand B were .8 times less likely to germinate than those exposed to cell phone brand A. In addition, seeds exposed to cell phone in the non-talking status were .714 times less likely to germinate than those exposed to a talking cell phone. Concerning the effect on embryonic stem length, distance from cell phone, cell phone brand, and cell phone status (talking/non-talking) had statistically significant inhibitory effects on embryonic stem length of exposed seeds as determined by one-way ANOVA (p = .001, .000 and .007 respectively). A linear regression was performed to ascertain the effects of different variables. According to the model, distance from cell phone and cell phone brand negatively predicted embryonic stem length (B= -.218 and -.636 respectively). Cell phone brand was stronger predictor than distance from cell phone (p = .000 and .007 respectively). Based on the results obtained, one can conclude that there is a certain effect on germination rate and embryonic stem length from exposure to cell phone radiation. Such effect might be affecting human beings using cell phones. More studies are needed to clarify the basis of these effects in order to be able to prevent negative ones.


Transient spiral waves of moderate amplitude cause substantial changes to the angular momenta of many stars in a galaxy disk. Stars near to corotation are affected most strongly: for a wave of ~20% overdensity, the rms change for particles near to corotation is ~18% of their initial angular momenta. Yet these changes produce no increase in random motion near corotation, while the same wave causes mild heating near its Lindblad resonances. The direction of radial migration depends both on initial location relative to corotation and on azimuth. Streamlines of cold gas become very significantly distorted before they cross, suggesting that gas is also mixed radially by this mechanism. Such continuous churning of the disk has profound implications for abundance gradients in galaxies. Furthermore, it is quite possible that the Sun has migrated significantly from its radius of birth, consistent with the claims of Wielen et al.