BACKGROUND
Predialysis psychoeducational interventions increase patient knowledge about chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its treatment and extend time to dialysis therapy without compromising physical well-being in the short run. The present research examines long-term survival after predialysis psychoeducational intervention. In addition, we examined whether survival differed because of early (ie, > or = 3 months) versus late referral to nephrology.

METHODS
We collected follow-up data for patients with CKD who participated in a multicenter randomized controlled trial of predialysis psychoeducational interventions in the mid-1980s. We gathered 20-year survival data from clinical records and databases.

RESULTS
Participants included 335 patients with CKD, including 172 patients randomly assigned to receive predialysis psychoeducational interventions (63.0% men; mean age, 50.8 years) and 163 patients assigned to usual care (62.1% men; mean age, 52.7 years). Two hundred forty-six patients (66.8%) died during the course of the study. Mean duration of follow-up was 8.5 +/- 7.23 (SD) years. Analyses were by intention to treat. Adjusting for age, general nonrenal health at inception, and time between identification and predialysis psychoeducational intervention or usual care, Cox proportional hazards multiple regression analyses indicated that median survival was 2.25 years longer after patients with CKD received predialysis psychoeducational interventions compared with usual care (chi-square-change [1] = 3.75; P = 0.053; hazard ratio, 1.32; 95% confidence interval, 1.0 to 1.74). Predialysis psychoeducational intervention recipients survived a median of 8.0 months longer than usual-care patients after the initiation of dialysis therapy (chi-square-change [1] = 4.39; P = 0.036; hazard ratio, 1.35; 95% confidence interval, 1.02 to 1.775). No significant survival advantage was evident for early referral to nephrology or the combination of early referral plus predialysis psychoeducational interventions.

CONCLUSION
Predialysis psychoeducational intervention is a safe and useful intervention that contributes valuably to multidisciplinary predialysis care.


A determination of the vehicle states and tire forces is critical to the stability of vehicle dynamic behavior and to designing automotive control systems. Researchers have studied estimation methods for the vehicle statevectors and tire forces. However, the accuracy of the estimation methods is closely related to the employed model. In this paper, tire lag dynamics is introduced in the model. Also application of estimation methods in order to improve the model accuracy is presented. The model is developed by using the global searching algorithm, a Genetic Algorithm, so that the model can be used in the nonlinear range. The extended Kalman filter and sliding mode observer theory are applied to estimate the vehicle state vectors and tire forces. The obtained results are compared with measurements and the outputs from the ADAMS full vehicle model.


Aims. When selecting flux-limited cluster samples, the detection efficiency of X-ray instruments is not the same for centrally-peaked and flat objects, which introduces a bias in flux-limited cluster samples. We quantify this effect in the case of a well-known cluster sample, HIFLUGCS. Methods. We simulate a population of X-ray clusters with various surface-brightness profiles, and use the instrumental characteristics of the ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS) to select flux-limited samples similar to the HIFLUGCS sample and predict the expected bias. For comparison, we also estimate observationally the bias in the HIFLUGCS sample using XMM-Newton and ROSAT data. Results. We find that the selection of X-ray cluster samples is significantly biased (∼29%) in favor of the peaked, cool-core (CC) objects, with respect to non-cool-core (NCC) systems. Interestingly, we find that the bias affects the low-mass, nearby objects (groups, poor clusters) much more than the more luminous objects (i.e massive clusters). We also note a moderate increase of the bias for the more distant systems. Conclusions. Observationally, we propose to select the objects according to their flux in a well-defined physical range excluding the cores, 0.2r500−r500, to get rid of the bias. From the fluxes in this range, we reject 13 clusters out of the 64 in the HIFLUGCS sample, none of which appears to be NCC. As a result, we estimate that less than half (35–37%) of the galaxy clusters in the local Universe are strong CC. In the paradigm where the CC objects trace relaxed clusters as opposed to unrelaxed, merging objects, this implies that to the present day the majority of the objects are not in a relaxed state. From this result, we estimate a rate of heating events of ∼1/ 3G yr −1 per dark-matter halo.


The purpose of this qualitative study was to design a respectful and responsible student program for the students and staff of Muffley Elementary School in Decatur, Illinois. It was designed to answer the question: What type of program may be instituted to lay the foundation of respect and responsibility education? This study has laid the foundation for addressing the issue at Muffley Elementary School. Several objectives were developed in order to meet the purpose of this study. The meeting of each objective lead to a component of the overall program. The first objective was the development of a booklet to provide the guidelines for the Triple Crown Program implementation. The second objective served to develop supplementary components that would encourage participation by parents and encourage students to meet the goals of the program. The third objective of this study resulted in the methodology of introducing the program to parents, students, and staff. The study had its roots in conversations with teachers who were dissatisfied with the current building respectful student program. Through informal conversations and surveys, ideas and suggestions were gathered to help direct the project. Existing programs, research of others, and literature on character education, and respect and responsibility, were researched and analyzed for information that would be beneficial in developing a program at Muffley. This information was synthesized into the Triple Crown Program which consisted of a program booklet, supplementary components, and in-servicing plans for staff, parents and students. Working with a building committee, the components were refined to form an entire program designed to be continually evaluated and improved. This study was not intended to be all comprehensive or all encompassing. Rather, the intention of this author was to produce a program that with continued refinement and development would, at a later time, produce results relative to improved building discipline and to positive effects on academic achievement.


Inclusive fitness benefits have been suggested as the selective force behind the evolution of cooperative breeding. Assessing the benefits accrued to individual males and females is crucial to understanding the sex-specific helping behavior observed in many cooperatively breeding species. We investigated the fitness consequences of male and female helping behavior in the Seychelles warbler (Acrocephalus sechellensis). Until 1988, the entire world population of Seychelles war- blers was confined to Cousin Island (29 ha), where the carrying capacity has been maintained since 1973. Due to intense competition for breeding vacancies, many young become subordinates within a territory and often help by provisioning non- descendent offspring. On high-quality territories, the benefits accrued by subordinates are higher for females than males. Female subordinates remain on their natal territory and obtain higher inclusive reproductive success by helping closely related relatives, by co-breeding within the group, and through experience in parenting. Males often become subordinates on non-natal territories and so do not gain indirect reproductive success by helping. They only rarely gain direct benefits through co-breeding, and do not gain through the eventual inheritance of the territory. The disparity in the benefits gained by each sex may explain why the majority of subordinates are female. It should be kept in mind that the benefits of cooperation may be later offset by competition between same-sex offspring, and that the balance between these forces determines the reproductive value of sons and daughters.


This study examines the perceptions of participants in a governmentinitiated program, TaLK (Teach and Learn in Korea), that aims to provide children in rural areas with English education opportunities with native-speaking instructors. The main goals of TaLK are 1) to lessen the English divide that exists in Korea by increasing English language proficiency among students in rural areas; 2) to offer opportunities for foreign college students to learn Korean language and culture; and 3) to offer Korean college students with opportunities to enhance their intercultural competence by interacting with foreign college students. Based on survey responses from 851 TaLK participants, 280 foreign college students, 398 Korean college students, and 173 English teachers, the analysis focused on the participants' perceptions of how well the implemented program reached its proposed goals and whether there was a difference in the perceptions across the three groups. Results show that TaLK was perceived by all participants to be somewhat successful, although the intense focus on the needs of foreign college students left


Physical therapists are frequently called upon to aid in the physical rehabilitation of cancer patients. They also share responsibility for the psychosocial aspects of care with other members of the treatment team. The objective of this paper is to provide guidelines to assist physical therapists in providing psychosocial support to cancer patients referred for therapy around the time of diagnosis or during the initial treatment period. Normal and pathological responses of patients faced with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, including shock, fear, anger, anxiety and depression, are noted. Special attention is given to the importance of common defense mechanisms--denial, regression, rationalization and projection--and the difficulties faced by caregivers in dealing with these defenses. Principles of psychosocial intervention appropriate for use by physical therapists are presented. Two general types are suggested: the first concerns the patient's responses and feelings about the disease and the second involves educating the patient about how to most effectively deal with the disease. Physical therapists have an obligation to provide more than physical restorative services for cancer patients; they should be able to offer psychosocial support in an effort to enhance successful rehabilitation and reintegration to normal living patterns.


Simulation of control system is mostly developed based on the use of ordinary differential equation (ODE). With the advancement of technologies especially in term of real time computation, the traditional numerical approaches seem outdated to fit in to the current real-time discrete systems. Numerical method such as Euler's approach has inaccurate approximation as compared to other methods such as Heun's (RK2), Runge-Kutta (RK4), and Adams-Bashforth (AB2) methods, and these methods on the other hands suffers from high calculation time. In this work, Hybrid Discretization (HD) method is proposed to solve both approximation accuracy and calculation speed of the discretization. HD adapts RK2 method to correct the approximation error for one-to-ten step depending on the sampling time. Later, the system will return to Forward Euler's method to maintain the calculation speed. The HD is applied to two first order ODE test functions and the result of this work shows a significance improvement in terms of the accuracy of the approximation and slight improvement in term of the calculation time. The accuracy of about 9% is obtained as compared to a similar step time in Euler's, and comparable calculation time is maintained. In conclusion, it is shown that this new technique of discretization has better approximation than its counterparts and the method can serve as an important simulation tool in modeling and control of dynamic system.


We performed an in vitro evaluation of the genotoxic potential of water extracts from four Hypoxis species (Hypoxis hemerocallidea, H. colchicifolia, H. rigidula, H. acuminata) and a commercial preparation thereof using the neutral red uptake (NRU) assay, the alkaline comet assay and the cytome assay in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. The relative cytotoxicity of these samples was established by determining their NI50 values (50% inhibition of NRU), and these results were used for dose‐finding in genotoxicity tests. None of the tested extracts were identified as genotoxic in both the alkaline comet assay and cytome assay. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


SCOPE
This study examined the associations of serum transferrin and metabolic disorders among Chinese population.

METHODS AND RESULTS
This study is based on nation-wide, population-based China Health and Nutrition survey including 8564 men and women aged 18 years or older. Anthropometric and fasting blood glucose, insulin, lipids, and transferrin data were collected. Elevated transferrin concentrations associated with higher body mass index, waist circumference, lipids, insulin, glucose (all p < 0.0001). Serum transferrin concentrations increased gradually with increasing numbers of metabolic syndrome (MetS) components among men and women (p = 0.0003). Elevated concentrations of transferrin were significantly related with higher risk of MetS (p = 0.0006), obesity (p = 0.0089), overweight (p < 0.0001). No associations between transferrin concentrations and risk of diabetes and high blood pressure were observed in both men and women.

CONCLUSION
Elevated transferrin concentrations were positively associated with risk of MetS and obesity, but not with risk of diabetes among Chinese.


Background It is widely accepted that CD4+ T cells are important contributors to the pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). The presence of activated T cells in the inflamed synovium, GWAS defined associations with HLA-DR4, ptpn22, ctla4 and cd28, together with the clinical success of CTLA-4-Ig, all implicate a significant contribution (1). Yet it remains unclear when and where CD4+ T cells mediate this pathogenic effect and whether the specificity of the cells is important. Objectives Characterise the specificity and function of the CD4+ T cells mediating the initiation of experimental arthritis. To relate this to an analysis of the migratory behaviour of CD4+ T cells in the inflamed articular environment thereby defining interactions with antigen presenting cells (APCs) that may control their activation in the joint. Methods Antigen-induced arthritis using ovalbumin (OVA) as the inciting challenge was used to model articular inflammation (2). Th1 OVA specific fluorescent (DsRed) OT-II TcR transgenic T cells were adoptively transferred and expanded in vivo by challenge with OVA/CFA. This allowed analysis and in tracking of antigen-specific T cells as they were recruited to the joint following periarticular injection of heat aggregated OVA (HAO). Flow cytometry allowed phentoyping of cells recruited to the inflamed articular environment. The T cell receptor (TcR) diversity of infiltrating endogenous T cells was assessed by PCR of Vβ genes. Dynamic interactions of responding DSRed T cells with joint residing YFP dendritic cells (DCs) were visualized using intravital multiphoton microscopy. Results Low numbers of the inciting OVA specific CD4+ T cells could be found in the joint tissue. However, a large influx of endogenous CD4+ T cells of unknown antigen specificity was also detected. This recruited articular T cell population expressed surface activation markers, exhibited a narrower range of T cell receptor Vβ usage and upon ex vivo restimulation produced TNFα and IFNγ. Intravital imaging of the inflamed joint revealed that a sub-population of this infiltrate demonstrated slower motility speeds and longer periods of contact with articular DCs, while others rapidly migrated throughout the tissue. Conclusions We define for the first time the in vivo kinetics of early T cell induction of articular inflammation. Numbers of the inciting antigen-specific population recruited to the joint tissue is small, but is associated with a subsequent influx of a large endogenous population of CD4+ T cells of unknown antigen specificity that acquired the ability to secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines. The narrower usage of TcR Vβ genes by the CD4+ T cells in the inflamed joint suggests some degree of antigen-specificity in recruitment while intravital imaging reveals that some of this infiltrate exhibits behaviour consistent with recognition of cognate peptide-MHCII. References Benson RA et al. Mechanisms of autoimmunity in human disease: a critcal review of current dogma. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2014; 26(2): 197 Maffia P et al. Inducing experimental arthritis and breaking self-tolerance to joint-specific antigens with trackable, ovalbumin-specific T cells. J Immunol. 2004;173(1):151 Acknowledgement This research is funded by Arthritis Research UK, and supported by Arthritis Research UK Rheumatoid Arthritis Pathogenesis Centre of Excellence – RACE Disclosure of Interest None declared


Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a useful coronary imaging tool for atherosclerotic plaque characterization and stent evaluation. However, proximal balloon inflation is required in order to reduce signal changes caused by red blood cells and to acquire a clear image. One rare acute complication related to proximal balloon occlusion is micro-thrombus formation. We report a case of multiple, acute micro-thrombi forming after an OCT procedure, despite the use of appropriate prevention for intracoronary thrombus formation. (Korean Circ J 2008;38:674-676)


The method of combining GRECO (graphical electromagnetic computing) to design shaped-beam reflect antenna containing single feeding source is first proposed. Shaped-beam reflect antenna in random shape is able to be designed easily by using NURBS (non-uniform rational basic spline), and the shape of a little part is able to be changed by changing the controlling points, so the phase of the reflect antenna is easily to be controlled to reach the best result. The reflect antenna is able to be divided into fragmentary parts automatically. By setting the fitting light model and light sources, the normal of the surface of the antenna is able to be gained in the case of not knowing the expression of the reflect antenna


Background: The study of regions with high prevalence of centenarians is motivated by a desire to find determinants of healthy ageing. While existing research has focused on selected candidate regions, we explore the existence of hotspots in the whole the Denmark, which is a small and homogeneous country. Methods: We performed a Kulldorff spatial scan across the whole of Denmark, searching for regions of birth and regions of residence at age 71 where a significantly increased percentage of the cohort born 1906-1915 became centenarians. We compared mortality hazards for the hotspot regions to the rest of the country by sex and residence at age 71. Results: We found a birth hotspot of 222 centenarians, 1.37 times more than the expected number, centered on a group of fairly remote rural islands. Mortality was lower for those born in the hotspot, and the advantage was strongest in those born and remaining in the hotspot. At age 71, we found one primary hotspot with 1.39 times the expected number of centenarians, located in the generally high-income suburbs of the Danish capital. Conclusion: We identified a Danish centenarian birth hotspot that persisted over a period of at least 30 years. Exactly what drives the appearance of this birth hotspot is unknown, but selection may explain hotspots based on residence at age 71.


When teh Guest Editors originally proposed this special issue topic to the IEEE, it was targeted for the Personal Communications magazine. Since that original proposal, IEEE Pervasive Computing came into existence and Personal Communications was renamed IEEE Wireless Communications. The editorial boards decided to spread the special issue across both magazines. We received a total of 24 submissions, and 12 were accepted (seven in IEEE Pervasive Computing and five in the Oct. 2002 IEEE Wireless Communications). The Guest Editors provide a brief summary of the articles included in tis Special Issue.


The macroscopic behavior of two microscopic unimolecular evaporation models is examined. The temperature dependences of bulk equilibrium vapor pressures deduced from the Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel (RRK) model and from the Weisskopf model, respectively, are compared. The bulk vapor pressures of sodium given by both models are compared, over a wide temperature range, with the experimental vapor pressures. The Weisskopf model is in better agreement with the experimental data than the RRK theory: from the melting temperature to the critical temperature (∼ 370 K–2500 K), the vapor pressures of sodium calculated using the Weisskopf model agree with experimental values within 2%, whereas the RRK theory leads to errors of more than 40%. The Weisskopf theory satisfying the detailed balance principle, whereas the RRK theory does not, may explain this result.


Intervention with drugs to reduce low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) has proven to decrease mortality. Here, we report the development of small molecules that lower LDL-C by targeting the ...


Nowadays, there is a strong tendency for the development of new Internet applications, many of which based on the overlay networks paradigm and oriented towards the goal of content sharing. However, as a consequence of this effective growth of overlay networks, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) infrastructures are overloaded with many Peer-to-Peer (P2P) related traffic, inducing more difficulties in the perspective of several ISP management and traffic engineering tasks. This work promotes the development of an overlay network based system allowing generic content sharing functionalities among the users, but with the ability to be controlled by the ISP. In the proposed system, the ISP is able to take advantage of specific P2P traffic control mechanisms, with the devised overlay architecture also supporting collaborative mechanisms with the ISP. Within this purpose, two basic contents transfer modes are supported by the system (client-server or P2P based ones). The devised overlay system also integrates two distinct application level routing strategies and several Traffic Engineering mechanisms that can be activated by the ISP. In particular, it is possible for the ISP to protect specific links and routers of the infrastructure from the overlay generated traffic. In a distinct perspective, it is also possible to prioritise specific links or routers of the network in order to be traversed by larger volumes of the overlay traffic. Such decisions can be permanently assumed, or activated by the ISP only during specific time periods. Additionally, the overall amount of P2P related traffic circulating in the overlay network can be also easily controlled by the ISP. A real prototype of the proposed collaborative system was implemented and tested in the Common Open Research Emulator (CORE).


The potential impact of irrigated agriculture on water‐related vector‐borne diseases has been an increasing source of concern for researchers from the bio‐medical sector. While most research on the potential impacts of irrigation on the health of local populations focuses on vector densities, levels of exposures, health services and technologies (prophylaxis, mosquito nets), we argue that it is essential to enlarge the scope of investigation and consider the complex mechanisms by which factors such as agriculture‐generated changes in ecosystems, gender repositioning in the family organization as a result of access to new crops, and production activities combine together in increasing disease risks and producing new scenarios in the management of disease. This paper presents the results of an investigation of how transformations induced on the local society by the intensification of inland valley irrigated rice cultivation influence malaria health care systems and modulate risks to the health of local populations, within well‐defined geographical boundaries in northern Côte d'Ivoire. Our results indicate that socio‐economic transformations and gender repositioning induced, or facilitated, by the intensification of inland valley irrigated rice cultivation lead to a reduction of the capacity of women to manage disease episodes, contributing therefore to increase malaria incidence among farming populations.


The classical demonstration experiment on acoustic beats using two signal generators and a dual trace oscilloscope is an important ingredient in teaching the subject.1 This short laboratory note aims to point out what may be the simplest demonstrative experiment on acoustic beats to carry out in a classroom without employing any lab apparatus.


We study an optically bistable scheme based on increasing absorption and equipped with multiple lateral feedbacks. These loopsappear as a result ofpartial feeding ofthe output beam back into the semiconductor crystal through its side surface perpendicularly tothe input beam. The cases of one-photon and two-photon absorption are considered. Using the mathematical model of the device wedemonstrate bistability and compare two possibilities of switching from one steady state to another. We propose a technique whichallows approximately fivefold reduction of the switching time and a decrease of energy consumption as compared with the existingdevices based only on the increasing absorption.


Aims Crohn's Disease is an inflammatory process affecting the entire alimentary canal, most typically the terminal ileum and has a variety of dermatological manifestations. We report a case which presented with genital and buccal mucosal lesions. Methods Case report and review of the literature Results A nine year old girl had a six month history of pain after defecation and a month's history of a labial abscess. There was no improvement in symptoms with flucloxacillin, penicillin v and metronidazole. Admission was therefore arranged for intravenous therapy. Her weight had decreased by 1.1 kg over a 2 month period. Inflammatory markers on admission showed an ESR of 60 and a CRP of 5 and her iron levels were low (<5 umol/L). Blood cultures were negative. Labial swabs grew mixed skin and coliform organisms only. On review, her buccal mucosa was noted to show a cobblestone appearance and anal skin tags were present. Referral was made to a tertiary gastroenterology centre who confirmed the working diagnosis of Crohn's Disease. The labial lesion and her anal skin tags improved, as did the other symptoms, on treatment with infliximab and azathioprine. Conclusion Crohn's Disease is a multisystemic inflammatory granulomatous disease which can present in many different ways. Extra intestinal signs often precede typical intestinal symptoms. Crohn's Disease should be included in the differential diagnosis of labial lesions1. Although oral involvement is a recognised presenting feature, lesions are usually painful and involve local swelling2. A discrete cobblestone appearance of the buccal mucosa is, however, an accepted but rare feature of Crohn's Disease2. It is therefore imperative that a detailed, systemic examination is undertaken as useful signposts to diagnosis can be easily missed.


This paper explores the effects of in-class level differentiation by making innovative use of an interactive whiteboard (SMARTboard) on math proficiency. Therefore, we evaluate the use of SMARTboard in class, in combination with teacher training, using a randomized field experiment among 199 pre-vocational students in 7th-grade in the Netherlands. During six weeks, students in the intervention group participated in math classes in which the SMARTboard was used to apply level differentiation. The teachers of these classes received a specific training (Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge" (TPACK)) in using the SMARTboard in class. Control classes were taught by teachers without the training, who did not use the SMARTboard in class. The results show that level differentiation in class, which was possible because of the efficient use of the SMARTboard, significantly increases math proficiency with 0.25 points.


We develop a Bayesian particle filter for tracking traffic flows that is capable of capturing non-linearities and discontinuities present in flow dynamics. Our model includes a hidden state variable that captures sudden regime shifts between traffic free flow, breakdown, and recovery. We develop an efficient particle learning algorithm for real time online inference of states and parameters. This requires a two-step approach, first resampling the current particles with a mixture predictive distribution and second propagation of states using the conditional posterior distribution. Particle learning of parameters follows from updating recursions for conditional sufficient statistics. To illustrate our methodology, we analyze the measurements of daily traffic flow from the Illinois Interstate I-55 highway system. We demonstrate how our filter can be used to infer the change of traffic flow regime on a highway road segment based on a measurement from freeway single-loop detectors. Finally, we conclude with directions for future research.


Efforts to include a broader set of actors, knowledges and values in environmental decision-making have been promoted as a key remedy to technocratic decision-making and environmental degradation, and as instrumental for better decisions and democratic empowerment. Yet, such inclusive efforts yield uncertain results and entail various theoretical and practical problems, not least when environmental problems are increasingly complex and transgress political-geographic boundaries. We therefore need to take a step back from the normative presupposition that public involvement will enhance environmental governance with a more agnostic approach to its outcomes in terms of legitimate actors and issues: How are alliances created between issues and actors in relation to specific problems? How are stakes recognized as legitimate and tied to specific groups of actors and scales? What is the relation between governments' inclusive approaches and visions of socio-technical progress and alternative socio-technical imaginaries of the future? This paper will discuss the contributions in this special issue in relation to these questions. The examples brought up by the authors can all be seen as practices in which legitimate participants and stakes are made real and with various scaling effects and possible futures as a result.


Previous research has documented only a modest success rate for imposed sanctions. By contrast, the success rate is higher in cases that are settled at the threat stage. In this article, the authors provide new insights about the circumstances under which sanctions cause behavioral change only after being imposed. First, the target must initially underestimate the impact of sanctions, miscalculate the sender's determination to impose them, or wrongly believe that sanctions will be imposed and maintained whether it yields or not. Second, the target's misperceptions must be corrected after sanctions are imposed. A game-theoretical model with incomplete information is used to develop and clarify the argument.


SPIRou is a near-IR (0.98-2.35μm), echelle spectropolarimeter / high precision velocimeter being designed as a nextgeneration instrument for the 3.6m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, with the main goals of detecting Earth-like planets around low-mass stars and magnetic fields of forming stars. The unique scientific and technical capabilities of SPIRou are described in a series of eight companion papers. In this paper, the means of controlling the instrument are discussed. Most of the instrument control is fairly normal, using off-the-shelf components where possible and reusing already available code for these components. Some aspects, however, are more challenging. In particular, the paper will focus on the challenges of doing fast (50 Hz) guiding with 30 mas repeatability using the object being observed as a reference and on thermally stabilizing a large optical bench to a very high precision (~1 mK).


Chilling is an environmental phenomenon that hampers the plant growth. Related studies are mainly on based on the aerial plant parts. While, below ground to rhizosphere microbiome have been neglected under low temperature stress. The overexpression of Lsi1 in Dular significantly enhances its proline concentration compared with wild type Dular. This overexpression phenomenon maintains the osmotic balance of cells through influx of Ca2+, K+, H+ and efflux of Na+. The calcium deposition and the activity of plasma membrane H+-ATPase determined in root tip was consistent with the obtained ion flux results. In addition, the high-throughput sequencing results showed significant variation among identified 84 genera in different rhizocompartments (rhizosphere, rhizoplane and endosphere). The identified bacteria were associated with photosynthesis, energy metabolism, nitrogen fixation and defense, which were significantly increased in overexpressed plant. While, the number of pathogenic microorganisms associating were significantly reduced. Our findings suggests that the stability of ion balance in overexpressed plant roots affects the structure of microbial community in soil. To conclude, the over expression of Lsi1 gene enhanced cold tolerance of rice and its underlying mechanisms were comprehensively analyzed which can further impart its role in the stress tolerant rice plants.


ABSTRACT This article describes the efforts made by the Israeli government to contain the spread of COVID-19, which were implemented amidst a constitutional crisis and a yearlong electoral impasse, under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was awaiting a trial for charges of fraud, bribery, and breach of trust. It thereafter draws on the disproportionate policy perspective to ascertain the ideas and sensitivities that placed key policy responses on trajectories which prioritized differential policy responses over general, nation-wide solutions (and vice versa), even though data in the public domain supported the selection of opposing policy solutions on epidemiological or social welfare grounds. The article also gauges the consequences and implications of the policy choices made in the fight against COVID-19 for the disproportionate policy perspective. It argues that Prime Minister Netanyahu employed disproportionate policy responses both at the rhetorical level and on the ground in the fight against COVID-19; that during the crisis, Netanyahu enjoyed wide political leeway to employ disproportionate policy responses, and the general public exhibited a willingness to tolerate this; and (iii) that ascertaining the occurrence of disproportionate policy responses is not solely a matter of perception.


J. L. Mackie famously argued that a commitment to non-existent objective values permeates ordinary moral thought and discourse. According to a standard interpretation, Mackie construed this commitment as a universal and indeed essential feature of moral judgments. In this paper I argue that we should rather ascribe to Mackie a form of semantic pluralism, according to which not all moral judgments involve the commitment to objective values. This interpretation not only makes better sense of what Mackie actually says, but also renders his error theory immune to a powerful objection.


A fully integrated RF front-end for 1.8 GHz wireless receiver is presented. The circuit is based on a single-conversion heterodyne architecture with a band-pass low noise amplifier and an image-reject mixer. Bootstrapped inductors are used to realize the high quality factor inductors of the tunable LC active filters in the variable gain low noise amplifier. The front-end, which has been designed for a 50 GHz bipolar process, presents an overall image-rejection greater than 62 dB at 100 MHz of intermediate frequency. The main characteristics of this design are a gain of 17.3 dB, a bandwidth of 45 MHz, a linearity range up to -20 dBm, a power consumption of 120 mW, a low area on die and a low cost, since no external components in the RF and IF signal paths are needed.


Mammalian iron homeostasis is maintained at the level of absorption from the gut lumen. Iron absorption is known to respond to changes in iron stores, erythropoiesis, and hypoxia. Normal individuals absorb approximately 1 mg of dietary iron daily. In mild to moderate iron deficiency, this value increases to 3-5 mg/day. Estimates of iron absorption during severe iron deficiency or anemia range from 30-40 mg/day. Hypoxia response appears to be intermediate. We asked how mice respond to differences in dietary iron content. Groups of 8 mice were weaned onto diets containing 2, 35, 120, 350, and 2,000 mg/kg carbonyl iron for 4 wk, following which iron stores, hematological parameters, iron absorption, and expression of iron-related genes were compared. Mean hepatic iron content was 52.7 ± 3.7 μg/g (wet wt) in mice fed the 2 mg/kg diet and increased to 560 ± 23.7 μg/g in mice fed the 2,000 mg/kg diet. There was no difference in hepatic iron in mice fed 35-350 mg/kg diets and averaged 110 ± 3 μg/g. Mean spleen iron content was 132 ± 12.2 μg/g (wet wt) in mice maintained on 2 mg/kg and increased to 598 ± 49 μg/g in mice fed the 2,000 mg/kg diet. There was no difference in spleen iron in mice maintained on intermediate iron diets (mean 359 ± 10 μg/g). These data indicate that iron stores remained constant over a 10-fold range in dietary iron content and changed only at the extremes. Erythropoietic demand did not change over the entire range of dietary iron as no differences between groups were noted in hematocrit, hemoglobin, and MCV. Iron absorption was measured as percent of a measured dose of 59 Fe (5 μg total) remaining in the carcass (minus the GI tract) 24 h after administration by gavage. Absorption was inversely proportional to dietary iron content. Mean absorption was 86% ± 4, 42% ± 3, 26% ± 7, 19% ± 4 and 6% ± 1 on the 2, 35, 120, 350, and 2,000 mg/kg iron diets respectively. Real-time PCR was used to measure liver hepcidin mRNA. Hepcidin expression was 20-fold greater in mice on the 2,000 mg/kg diet than in mice on the 2 mg/kg diet (3,900 ± 1,021 vs 198 ± 47 copies/actin copy). Hepcidin expression did not differ in mice on intermediate diets (745 ± 147 copies). These data indicate that under conditions where iron stores are not changing and there is no evidence of altered erythropoiesis, iron absorption remained exquisitely sensitive to dietary iron content. This result suggests that over a broad range of dietary iron content, normal iron homeostasis is regulated by a factor(s) intrinsic to the enterocyte and not by "downstream" effects of iron stores and erythropoiesis.


The properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-based graded-index polymer optical fiber (GI POF), including the thermal stability, thermal humidity, and mechanical properties, were studied for polymer optical fiber research and applications. The glass-transition temperature of the fiber core was 103°C in the presence of the dopant, which was close to that of the PMMA matrix without the dopant. A special refractive-index profile derived from the distribution of the dopant was stable at 60°C. Moreover, GI POF exhibited good mechanical properties. The excellent performance indicated that GI POF could be applied not only for indoor use but also for outdoor use. However, PMMA-based GI POF exhibited poor hot-water/humidity resistance. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 2330–2334, 2004


The present study investigated the configuration effect of human capital, social capital, and psychological capital on job performance. The human capital questionnaire, social capital scale, psychological capital scale, and job performance scale were used to survey 458 employees. Results revealed that four antecedent configurations could achieve high task performance, and three antecedent configurations can achieve high contextual performance. The high job performance driving path was characterized by "all roads lead to Rome." Human capital, social capital, and psychological capital affected job performance in the form of configuration, which reflected the asymmetric causal relationship.


Two different methods have been used for the purification of E. coli TRNA[Phe2]. Both methods involved initial fractionation of unpurified E. coli tRNA (either unlabelled, or uniformly labelled with [32]P) on Benzoylated DEAE-cellulose. The fractions containing TRNA[Phe2] (the second phenylalanine isoacceptor tRNA eluted from the Benzoylated DEAE-cellulose column on increasing the NaC1 concentration of the eluate) were then fractionated either after charging of the tRNA with phenylalanine on another Benzoylated DEAE-cellulose column, or Rhe on an RPC-5 column. After deacylation of purified Phe-tRNA[Phe2] the tRNA[Phe2] could not be charged with phenylalanine to the original extent. Purified tRNA[Phe2] obtained from an RPC-5 column was found to lose phenylalanine accepting activity on storage. Attempts were made to renature both inactivated forms of tRNA[Phe2] but they were not successful. Attempts to fully charge the inactivated tRNA[Phe2] by increasing the ligase concentration in the assay or by preincubating the tRNA[Phe2] with the ligase were equally unsuccessful. However, after investigation of the stability of tRNA[Phe2] under various conditions, it was found to be most stable in 10mr1 MgC12, 10mM tris-HC1, pH 7.0, in the presence of an equal amount of unpurified E. coli tRNA. The purified E. coli tRNA[Phe2] isolated was found to give identical T1 and Pancreatic RNase fingerprints to the E. coli tRNA[Phe] whose sequence was elucidated by Barrel & Sanger (1969). Treatment of E. coli tRNA[Phe2] with sodium bisulphite at 25


An initial-boundary value problem for the 2D Kawahara-Burgers equation posed on a channel-type strip was considered. The existence and uniqueness results for regular and weak solutions in weighted spaces as well as exponential decay of small solutions without restrictions on the width of a strip were proven both for regular solutions in an elevated norm and for weak solutions in the -norm.


Some unusual circuits have been devised which appear to produce a flux change without generating a corresponding induced potential difference, thus violating Faraday's law. What has been generated is a large amount of controversy and this article shows the cause of the dispute and its resolution.


Vast archives of legacy maps exist for most parts of the world, containing analog information on a variety of environmental and socioeconomic parameters, and often dating back to the nineteenth century. The information contained in those data, which is potentially of great utility in environmental change or demographic studies, has traditionally only been accessible through digitizing or visual map analysis. In this paper, we show how object-oriented analysis can be used to unlock such information. We demonstrate this on a 1962 map of Kenya, which shows population distribution using differently sized dots. The procedure developed extracts those population signatures accurately, despite size and color variations, dot bleeding, and conglutination, as well as overlap with other map elements. Over 39 000 dots were automatically extracted, corresponding to 99.6% of the published population figure, with an accuracy between 94.6% and 98.5% for the different symbol sizes. We also discuss the utility of the derived geographic-information-system-ready information, for example, to assess malaria exposure and calculate population change figures, using the 1999 census data at a detailed sublocation level.


In this paper, we present the design and implementation of modulator ASIC in direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) wireless local loop (WLL) system. Here we just consider the issues of design and implementation of the channel in the forward link. We proposed a new base band filter structure reducing hardware size to one-half of conventional circuits. The modulator ASIC is composed of four channels which include channel coding, block interleaving, pseudonoise (PN) spreading, and four baseband filters. The ASIC is fabricated using 0.6 /spl mu/m CMOS process with 40 k gates and is operated at 32 MHz. The implemented ASIC is successfully tested on WLL testbed system.


Recent evidence suggests that oxidative stress may be an important phenomenon in the pathophysiology of rosacea. Paraoxonase‐1 (PON1) is an antioxidant enzyme with three activities: paraoxonase, arylesterase and dyazoxonase. In this study, we evaluated serum paraoxonase and arylesterase activities, and serum lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH) levels in patients with rosacea in comparison to healthy controls.


An efficient Network on Chip (NoC) is proposed for the data communication of multispectral image analysis algorithms on an adaptive architecture. A Butterfly Fat Tree (BFT) topology is used in this NoC on FPGA. Since there are large amount of data with different sizes in the NoC, Virtual Channels (VC) with flit packet-switching is chosen. Two versions of the NoC are presented in this paper. The results of the implementations on Altera StratixII and Xilinx Virtex4 are analyzed. It is shown that the required resources are similar but the frequency on Xilinx is much faster than on Altera.


In this paper, the d/l-AP5-interfaces are firstly fabricated by attaching d-alanine-pillar[5]arene and l-alanine-pillar[5]arene (d/l-AP5) onto the gold surface, and they exhibit a significantly different chiral influence on the morphology and the adsorption quantity of the adsorbed ctDNA molecules. The research provides an ideal chiral platform for investigating chiral phenomena in biological systems.


The presence of interfaces and geometrical confinement can have a strong influence on the structure and morphology of thin films of semicrystalline polymers. Using surface-sensitive grazing incidence wide angle X-ray scattering and atomic force microscopy to investigate the vertical structure of thin films of poly(3-hexylthiophene) crystallized from the melt, we show that highly oriented crystallites are induced at the air/polymer interface and not as sometimes assumed at the interface to the substrate. These crystallites are oriented with their crystallographic a -axis perpendicular to the plane of the film. While the corresponding orientation dominates in thinner films, for sufficiently thick films (>60 nm) a layer containing unoriented crystals is present below the surface layer. Due to the anisotropic charge transport properties, the observed effects are expected to be of special relevance for potential applications of semiconductor polymers in the field of organic photovoltaics for which vertical transport in thicker films plays an important role.


Background: Severe acute malnutrition(SAM) is one of the major public health problems in developing countries including Ethiopia specifically in Afar having an overwhelming consequence on the survives of several children under five-years of age. This study intends to identify the determinants of SAM among 6-59 months of children at Dubti referral hospital, Afar Regional State, EthiopiaMethods: An institution-based unmatched case-control study was conducted in Dubti referral Hospital from March 1 to May 15, 2018. The sample size was calculated using Epi-InfoTM version 22.214.171.124 Statistical software. Using cases-control (1:2), the total sample size was 297(cases 99, controls 196). A systematic random sampling technique was used, data were collected using interviewer-administered structured questionnaire, entered in Epi-info TM, and analyzed using SPSS 21 version using binary logistic regression, with P < 0.05 considered significant. Result: The response rate was 100 % (297), mean age of the cases and controls was 14.8 months (SD ± 7.9) and 26.9 months (SD ± 15.9), respectively. Of the participants, 58.58% were male, 85.4% were Muslim, and 65.65% were of Afar ethnicity. SAM was significantly associated with children aged 6-11 months and 12-23 months adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=4.3, 95%CI 3.64-6.73, 11.2, 95% CI 7.89-14.5), respectively. Rural residences (AOR=2.8, 95% CI 2.62-5.73), and low monthly family income (<$30) (AOR=3.8, 95% CI 2.97-4.87) were independent predictors of SAM. This study revealed low ANC visits (32.2%), low exclusive breastfeeding practices (34.9%), and low vaccination coverage (29.6%). Conclusion: Children aged 12-23 months, rural dwellers, and low monthly family income (<$30) were identified as independent predictors of SAM. This study revealed low ANC visits, low exclusive breastfeeding practice, and low immunization coverage. Hence, cooperative efforts are needed to increase promotion of enhanced child caring practices specifically, child and maternal feeding practices, and ANC follow up and vaccination practice.


Oligofecorrhea is the term applied for infrequent defecation (2 or less stools per week). 146 patients with oligofecorrhea were studied. Investigations comprised radiologic, endoscopic, intestinal transit and rectal pressure studies. EMG for levator and sphincteric muscles as well as internal sphincter biopsy were done. The 146 patients could be categorized into 3 stages according to clinical and investigative results. However, the 3 stages share major abnormal findings which comprise high resting rectal neck pressure, reduced or absent recto-inhibitory reflex, internal sphincter hypertrophy and degeneration of the nerve plexus of the internal sphincter. A new theory of pathogenesis of oligofecorrhea is put forward. It is believed that innervation abnormalities of the internal sphincter interferes with the recto-inhibitory reflex action with a resulting failure of the internal sphincter to relax upon rectal distension. It seems that the degenerative changes of the nerve plexus affect mainly the parasympathetic supply leading to sympathetic overactivity. The latter leads to abnormal internal sphincter contraction which eventually results in muscle hypertrophy. Internal sphincter myotomy showed a mean improvement of 90.4% in all the cases. The stool frequency and rectal neck pressure were normalized.


Islamic finance plays an important role in sustainable development. Sharia offers a comprehensive approach to many elements of life, including transactions. Sharia provides moral standards for economic operations and transactions in addition to legal laws. It outlines the fundamental ideas of economic systems, such as property rights, contacts, economic activity, and the principles that govern the behaviour and activities of individuals, markets, and the economy. Where Islamic financial instruments focus on implementing a vision that lies in three aspects: economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection. In this context, the goals of Islam are in line with the objectives of the sustainable development agenda (SDGs) which are to increase economic growth and realize a prosperous life and eliminate poverty. This study aims to determine the development of research trends in Islamic Finance and Sustainable Development Goals published by leading journals on Islamic financial economics. The data analyzed consisted of 79 indexed research publications. The data is then processed and analyzed using the VoS viewer application to find out the bibliometric map of the development of Islamic Finance and Sustainable Development Goals research.


Recurrent angioedema (RecA) is a frequent clinical problem characterized by suddenly occurring cutaneous and/or mucosal swellings. Depending on their location, RecA may be painful, hindering, disfiguring, or even life‐threatening. The assessment of disease activity in affected patients is important to guide treatment decisions. Currently, however, there is no standardized and validated outcome measure available to do so.


Introduction: The aim of our study was to determine if the gender influences the clinical presentation and/or the outcome of the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Tunisian population. Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study including 143 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection, admitted in the Pneumology Department of the Military Hospital of Tunis between September 2020 and January 2021, during the first infection-wave. Results: There were 99 men (69.2%) and 44 women (30.8%) with a mean age of 61.66 years: 61.66 years for men and 61.68 years for women, and a sex-ratio of 2.25. The clinical presentation of the infection was significantly more severe in men: Tachycardia>100 bpm (15.2% Vs 2.3%, p=0.034), neurological symptoms (5.1% Vs 4.5%, p=0.008) and oxygen desaturation<90% (19.2% vs. 20.5%, p=0.002). Radiologically, pulmonary involvement was more severe in men with significantly more bilateral damage: 75.8% Vs 59.1%, p=0.048, and pulmonary embolism: 9.1% Vs 6.8%, p=0.045. Men have received more second-line antibiotic (ATB) treatment (Quinolones, Tetracyclines…) with a prolonged ATB course duration. Furthermore, they needed more systemic corticosteroids compared to women. Severe complications, Intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and in-hospital mortality were significantly higher in men compared to women: 16.2% Vs 15.9%, p=0.006, 21.2% Vs 22.7%, p=0.017, and 10.1% Vs 6.8%, p =0.055 respectively. Conclusion: In our study, men affected with COVID-19 were more prone to severe infection forms, leading to higher ICU admissions, severe radiological lesions, greater use of antibiotics and worse outcomes.


We have isolated a part of the gene for the pituitary glycoprotein hormone common alpha subunit (PGHalpha) and the whole gene for the follicle-stimulating hormone beta subunit (FSHbeta) in the Japanese crested ibis (Nipponia nippon), a critically endangered bird species in East Asia. The nucleotide sequence of a part of the PGHalpha gene (5026 bp) contained three exons holding the whole coding and 3' untranslated regions, but lacked a 5' untranslated region. Its exon-intron structure was similar to that in mammals, but different from that in teleosts in the location of the second intron. For the FSHbeta gene, the nucleotide sequence of 7633 bp was assembled from two phage clones. The exon-intron structure of three exons and two introns was similar to that observed in mammals and teleosts. In the putative promoter region of the ibis FSHbeta gene, a progesterone responsive element (PRE)-like sequence and two AP-1 responsive element-like sequences reported in the ovine FSHbeta gene were not conserved in complete form. The increased number of ATTTA motifs in the putative 3' untranslated region in comparison with those in Japanese quail and chicken FSHbeta cDNA suggested that more rapid degradation of FSHbeta mRNA occurs in this species. Deduced amino acid sequences of the ibis PGHalpha and FSHbeta showed high similarities with those of the corresponding subunits of other avian species. This is the first report on the genomic sequences of the PGHalpha and FSHbeta in an avian species.


The revolution of sound recording, synthesis and transformation (commenced in 1948 with concrete music and in 1950 with electronic music), followed by the birth of computer music (since 1957), caused the natural emergence of a new professional profile – someone who can work in the phase of researching, writing, creating new instruments, recording and/or performing live during concerts. From the early days, laboratories and electronic music studios have involved the presence of different individuals with diverse but intertwined competencies. This is true for the Milan, Cologne, Paris and San Francisco centres during the first analogue generation; this has continued with the digital revolution (at CCRMA in Stanford and other centres in the United States, in France, Italy, Great Britain, Germany, East Asia, to name a few).
Although books and essays dedicated to the history of Computer Music do agree, in principle, on the interdisciplinary nature of this music and the importance of collaboration,3 and the field of music collaboration starts at last being investigated,4 the existence of the musical assitant has been often unreasonably neglected. In both the musical score and the program notes, or in written sources (a least in the published ones), his/her presence remains hidden most of the time, and literature on the collaboration composer/musical assistant is scattered.
I've been studying collaboration in computer music for a few years.5 Previous results have allowed me to trace the history of the name of this profession as it developed at IRCAM (Musical Assistant and RIM, Realisateur en Informatique Musicale) [Zattra 2013a], to outline the analysis of an anonymous survey submitted to different musical assistants all over the world [Zattra 2013b] and to report findings from semi-structured interviews (Musical Assistants' self-knowledge, role and visibility: Zattra 2015).
In this communication I will report findings from a study based on primary and secondary sources and administrative documents, conserved at three computer music centres: the IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique) in Paris, the CCRMA (Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics) at Stanford University and the CSC (Centro di Sonologia Computazionale) in Padova. The analysis will examine two points: 1) institutionalisation and recognition: I would investigate the presence (or absence or understatement, as the case may be) of an express concern for the theme of collaboration and the role of the musical assistant; 2) the presence of passages inside the sources, describing the ways in which this collaboration was undertaken between musical assistants and composers.
My study covers the technological historical period which runs from the early computer programs until the first real time experiments. It is intended to enlighen the hidden art-science collaboration, the emergence of a profession, the traces remaining from the habitually wordless communication between a composer and an assistant, in the early era of computer music. It introduces questions about cooperation and the way it could induce dilemmas when considering authorship. The choice of these three centres is motivated by the close historical, musical, organisational, scientific and technological connections, and by the numerous technical, cultural and scientific exchanges between the three.


Pharmacology, the science of drug action, has helped to elucidate many basic physiological and pathological mechanisms in health and disease. Various animal experimental models have been designed to study the effect of drugs on living organisms and isolated tissues. These give an insight about where and how a drug acts, the mode of action of a drug, its effect on various body systems and probable adverse effects before administration of a drug. Therefore, the object of pharmacology is to provide such scientific data in animals as well as humans, which forms the basis of rational therapeutics.
The  Jalamahabhuta is fundamental base of origin for kapha  dosha and mootra. These are supposed to have Asray-Asrayi Sambandha . It means these are directly proportional to each other. So by using the drug which is having the mootrala property Kapha may be controlled. Here an effort is made to prove this concept with modern parameters like immunomodulation, anti-inflammatory and antihistaminic activity.


(i) The nervous and muscular activity pattern produced in an abdominal segment by a single giant-fibre impulse when all peripheral reflexes are abolished is described.

(ii) This description depends on criteria for the identification of efferent neurones to the tail muscles. These are discussed and the identification of the inhibitor to the fast flexor muscles is established by anatomical homology.

(iii) The pattern of response to a giant-fibre impulse is summarized in Fig. 4.

(iv) Inhibition of the fast flexors, the lack of an extension command, the slow flexor contraction, the accessory neurone discharge and central nervous inhibition during the escape movement are among the features discussed.

Partly supported by a U.S. Public Health Service Cardiovascular traineeship in the Zoology Department, University of California Los Angeles.


Tuberous sclerosis (TSC) is an autosomal dominant inherited disorder with cutaneous lesions of ash leaf hypopigmented macules, shagreen patches, periungual fibromas, facial angiofibromas, forehead fibrous plaques, confetti hypopigmentation, and poliosis. Multiple facial angiofibromas are a pathognomonic feature of TSC. Unilateral facial angiofibromas, however, represent a rare variant of TSC, as only 6 cases are reported in the literature. We describe a case of a 52-year-old man who presented with unilateral facial angiofibromas and poliosis without other features of TSC.


Bipolar disorder and Parkinson's disease are two distinct neurological conditions that share common features related to dopaminergic dysfunction. This article presents a comprehensive review of the existing literature to investigate the association between bipolar disorder and Parkinson's disease, focusing on the dopaminergic hypothesis and potential therapeutic options. The dopaminergic hypothesis suggests that both bipolar disorder and Parkinson's disease involve impairments in the nigrostriatal or mesolimbic dopaminergic pathways. Studies have demonstrated alterations in dopamine regulation during manic and depressive phases of bipolar disorder. Similarly, Parkinson's disease is characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, resulting in motor symptoms. Recent analyses have highlighted a predisposition to Parkinson's disease in individuals with bipolar disorder. Longitudinal studies and meta-analyses have demonstrated an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease in patients with bipolar disorder. However, differentiating idiopathic Parkinson's disease from parkinsonism induced by medications used in bipolar disorder can be challenging. Dopamine transporter (DAT) scans can aid in making a differential diagnosis. Treatment options for patients with both bipolar disorder and Parkinson's disease are limited. Neuroleptics, commonly used to manage psychotic symptoms in Parkinson's disease, may worsen motor symptoms and have limitations in bipolar disorder patients. Clozapine has shown efficacy in treating psychosis without worsening motor symptoms. Pimavanserin, an inverse agonist of the 5-HT2A receptor can offer new opportunities. However, its efficacy in bipolar disorder patients with Parkinson's disease remains unexplored. In conclusion, the association between bipolar disorder and Parkinson's disease is supported by the involvement of the dopaminergic system in both conditions. The identification of shared mechanisms opens new avenues for potential therapeutic interventions. Further research is needed to investigate the efficacy of pimavanserin and explore other treatment options for individuals with both bipolar disorder and Parkinson's disease.


A novel gene, At1g77960, from Arabidopsis thaliana was characterized. At1g77960 transcripts accumulate to very high levels in plants ectopically overexpressing the Golden2-like1 (GLK1) transcription factor and is designated as a Response to GLK1 Overexpression (RGO) gene. RGO encodes a protein with domains of tandem QH and QN repeats. Transcripts and promoter GUS reporter analyses indicated that RGO is expressed in roots, leaves, stems, floral and siliques tissues but not in seeds. Expression of the RGO:YFP fusion protein demonstrated that RGO is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum. MicroRNA mediated silencing of RGO resulted in severe reductions in vegetative and root growth, delayed flowering and reduced seed yield and viability, suggesting that RGO is essential for plant development. Conversely, ectopic overexpression of RGO resulted in enhanced vegetative growth including increased axillary bud formation and a 20% higher seed yield. Stable overexpression of RGO in Brassica napus also produced a similar increase in seed yield. Cytokinin (CK) response assays including root growth, green calli formation from excised hypocotyls and chlorophyll retention during dark-induced senescence suggest that one role of RGO is to mediate CK responses in plant development. These results suggest that RGO could be a target gene for increasing crop seed yields. One-sentence summary RGO, a novel gene from Arabidopsis, is essential for plant development, mediates CK signaling and increases seed yield in Arabidopsis and rapeseed when overexpressed.


This study examines iron level in groundwater from boreholes and their spatial distribution across rural communities of Benue State. Water samples were collected from 26 boreholes and analyesd for iron concentrations as it affect the quality of drinking water as prescribed by WHO standards. The analyses were done according to standard method of water examination. The results of analyses show 35% of the boreholes have high iron concentrations above WHO guide limit for drinking water. The concentration level was also found to vary spatially across the study area. The iron concentrations in the boreholes ranged between 0.03-2.38mg/l with a mean and coefficient of variation of 0.82mg/l, CV81.71% respectively. The presence of iron in rural groundwater in study area may be traced to the local environment of the boreholes.These include the geology, dissolution of iron minerals from rock and soil, precipitation/run off and infiltration activities, use of galvanized materials in handpump construction and agricultural landuse activities. Although iron concentrations at objectionable level were noted in some of the boreholes villagers were found using them for drinking in the absence of any other alternative.Some form of treatment like filtering and or Reverse Osmosis if can be afforded may be required to reduce the risk to health over time. The study has demonstrated the need for groundwater quality monitoring and management in the rural areas to ensure the safety of water being provided.


1) The aim of this research is to classify the concept expressed in the mobility of la différant play, and supplement logic, which is process of the changeability of fashion style. The specific research questions are as follows: first question deals with the relationship between changeability and la différant images, and how la différant images are divided by each phase and how their circumduction play is proceeded. The second question is about the important features of the mobility of la différant play and the method of la différance play. The last topic of this study covers the supplement logic and the condition, and how supplement logic has been applied in the process of changeability of fashion style. This paper deploys a qualitative research method providing a systematic review of the previous studies. To sum it up, the mobility of la différant play is the root of power, which is controlling the changeability of fashion style, and the objective of the play is to outline new la différant images through spatialization of time. In addition, supplement logicis the method of la différant play and the purpose of the logic is to harmonize 'ultimate la différant image', which is the phenomenological construction stratum in the state of sub-conscious changeability, and 'immediate la différant image', which is the structural construction level stratum in the state of external changeability. This research proves that the intrinsic attribute of changeability is contained the mobility of la différant play and supplement logic.


Germinomas represent the most frequent tumour type in the pineal region. However, the synchronous involvement of the suprasellar region, frequently termed bifocal intracranial germinoma (BFG) is quite rare. A literature search identified a further of 48 pediatric cases with a median age of 12.9 years. BFG is known to be highly radiosensitive. We presented a clinical case of pediatric bifocal germinoma. A 14-year-old boy presented with clinical features of progressive headaches since three months associated with vomits. MR showed two distinct lesions in the pineal and suprasellar regions. Neuroaxis spine MR was normal. Tumor markers for germ cell tumors from blood and cerebrospinal fluid were within the normal range. An endoscopic procedure was performed to treat the hydrocephalus (endoscopic third ventriculostomy) and, in the same procedure the suprasellar lesion was biopsied and the histology revealed a germinoma. She received chemotherapy and a focal radiotherapy covering the sites of primary disease and the ventricular system. Three months after the completion of treatment, the patient achieved a complete clinical and radiological response, which was maintained during the 5-years follow-up period. The optimum management of primary intracranial pineal and suprasellar (bifocal) germinomas still remains controversial. The definition as either localized or disseminated disease has major implications on required treatment and its associated late morbidity. Prospective studies with large cooperative groups worldwide and consensus meetings may reduce uncertainties regarding available management options.


Abstract Fluvial processes in large subsiding sedimentary basins (e.g. tectonic foredeeps) must be adjusted in the long term to distribute sedimentation areally, although in the short term deposition is localized along the river courses. This means that the major long-term characteristic of the river pattern is that it is avulsion-dominated. Individual channels in an avulsive system display one of the conventional pattern types (e.g. meandering, braiding), but these patterns may reflect the behavioural relationships between the 'dominant' and 'secondary' channels in the system. These relationships change through time as aggradation along the dominant channel encourages avulsion into the course of former secondary channels, and the channels exchange roles. Thus, channel system behaviour is not explained by the variation of stream power used to analyse the behaviour of individual (meandering or braided) rivers, and palaeohydrological reconstructions for individual channels within such a system are of limited significance. Examples of avulsive systems are noted, including the northern Gangetic Plain.


This article presents the main risks that have to be faced in an individually funded pension system and describes the regulations that enable these to be mitigated in the case of Chile. One of these main risks refers to the investment of the funds and an analysis is made of the support that a life-cycle investment strategy might provide in this respect. On evaluating these strategies, there is discussion as to which is the most suitable risk measurement for consideration..


Codes based on sparse matrices have good performance and can be efficiently decoded by belief-propagation (BP). Decoding binary stabilizer codes needs a quaternary BP for (additive) codes over GF(4), which has a higher check-node complexity compared to a binary BP for codes over GF(2). Moreover, BP decoding of stabilizer codes suffers a performance loss from the short cycles in the underlying Tanner graph. In this paper, we propose a refined BP algorithm for decoding quantum codes by passing scalar messages. For a given error syndrome, this algorithm decodes to the same output as the conventional quaternary BP but with a check-node complexity the same as binary BP. As every message is a scalar, the message normalization can be naturally applied to improve the performance. Another observation is that the message-update schedule affects the BP decoding performance against short cycles. We show that running BP with message normalization according to a serial schedule (or other schedules) may significantly improve the decoding performance and error-floor in computer simulation.


An edge detection algorithm allows to extract the edge points which will be joined in a further stage to form lines. When performed on a single image of a scene this edge detection is difficult because it is not obvious to distinguish in the image what is the essential information (linked to the shapes to recover) and what are contingent details; then meaningful edge points may be missed or, on the contrary, some superfluous contours may be selected. If multispectral images were available the separation between essential and contingent information would be more easy to get. The essential information may be considered as common to the different spectral images. It is like if to characterize a "species" we get not only a member of the species but a population. The proposed method for edge detection of multispectral images relies on the fusion of statistics computed within small corresponding neigbourhoods of the images; the statistics are related to similarities between images and the particularity of the method comes from the fact these statistics are only meaningful when all the corresponding neighbourhoods are considered; the same parameters for one single spectral image are not so meaningful and don't lead to right decision. This hidden information at monochromatic level and which is revealed at multispectral level is called genetic information. That is why the proposed method is called "genetic fusion". As an example, genetic fusion is applied to edge detection of SPOT multispectral images.


Distributional thesauri are useful in many tasks of Natural Language Processing. In this paper, we address the problem of building and evaluating such thesauri with the help of Information Retrieval (IR) concepts. Two main contributions are proposed. First, following the work of [8], we show how IR tools and concepts can be used with success to build a thesaurus. Through several experiments and by evaluating directly the results with reference lexicons, we show that some IR models outperform state-of-the-art systems. Secondly, we use IR as an applicative framework to indirectly evaluate the generated thesaurus. Here again, this task-based evaluation validates the IR approach used to build the thesaurus. Moreover, it allows us to compare these results with those from the direct evaluation framework used in the literature. The observed differences bring these evaluation habits into question.


Optimal control of reservoirs is a challenging task due to conflicting objectives, complex system structure, and uncertainties in the system. Real time control decisions suffer from streamflow forecast uncertainty. This study aims to use Probabilistic Streamflow Forecasts (PSFs) having a lead-time up to 48 h as input for the recurrent reservoir operation problem. A related technique for decision making is multi-stage stochastic optimization using scenario trees, referred to as Tree-based Model Predictive Control (TB-MPC). Deterministic Streamflow Forecasts (DSFs) are provided by applying random perturbations on perfect data. PSFs are synthetically generated from DSFs by a new approach which explicitly presents dynamic uncertainty evolution. We assessed different variables in the generation of stochasticity and compared the results using different scenarios. The developed real-time hourly flood control was applied to a test case which had limited reservoir storage and restricted downstream condition. According to hindcasting closed-loop experiment results, TB-MPC outperforms the deterministic counterpart in terms of decreased downstream flood risk according to different independent forecast scenarios. TB-MPC was also tested considering different number of tree branches, forecast horizons, and different inflow conditions. We conclude that using synthetic PSFs in TB-MPC can provide more robust solutions against forecast uncertainty by resolution of uncertainty in trees.


Three‐dimensional myocardial perfusion imaging requires significant acceleration of data acquisition to achieve whole‐heart coverage with adequate spatial and temporal resolution. The present article introduces a compartment‐based k‐t principal component analysis reconstruction approach, which permits three‐dimensional perfusion imaging at 10‐fold nominal acceleration. Using numerical simulations, it is shown that the compartment‐based method results in accurate representations of dynamic signal intensity changes with significant improvements of temporal fidelity in comparison to conventional k‐t principal component analysis reconstructions. Comparison of the two methods based on rest and stress three‐dimensional perfusion data acquired with 2.3 × 2.3 × 10 mm3 during a 225 msec acquisition window in patients confirms the findings and demonstrates the potential of compartment‐based k‐t principal component analysis for highly accelerated three‐dimensional perfusion imaging. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Many of the individuals who are affected come from marginalized groups, such as the LGTBQ community, ethnic minorities, and women. Because this disease is so politicized, many of these groups are ostracized, whether it be through discrimination or prejudice. While these individuals do suffer terribly, many social institutions are also affected. This article culls the literature and argues that cultural stereotypes, as well as domestic abuse, are two of the most important determining factors as to how HIV transmission risks will affect the family. Understanding the relationship between cultural stereotypes and abuse can further enhance present research regarding public health policies for HIV.


It was commonly reflected in the literature of 19 century that men assumed any stress in a woman's life was the direct result of her having acted outside of her domestic sphere . If a woman tried to partake in "male" activities, such as writing, or go beyond the norm, it was sure to have an ill effect on her, because she was designed to act solely as mother, wife and home-maker. Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" shows the status of nineteenth-century woman within the society, her feelings of fragmentation and rebellion against her confinement and submission to laws established by and for men. This research tries to show that madness works in this story to reveal the oppressive control of gender on woman of the nineteenth-century. The woman, in an attempt to escape her confinement, may flee into madness. This use of madness appears to transform the negative construct of female insanity into a necessary affirmation of the female self, breaking the shackles of isolation and oppression that enslaved her.


The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship of fine dust PM10 and heavy metals in PM10 in Asian dust flowing into Gwangju from 2013 to 2018. The migration pathways of Asian dust was analyzed by backward trajectory analysis using HYSPLIT (Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory) model, and the change of heavy metal concentration and heavy metal content per 1 μg/m3 of fine dust PM10 in Gwangju area were analyzed. Also, the characteristics of the heavy metals were analyzed using the correlation between the heavy metals in PM10. As a result of analyzing Asian dust entering the Gwangju region for 6 years, the average concentration of PM10 measured in Asian dust was 148 μg/m3, which was about 4.5 times higher than in non-Asian dust, 33 μg/m3. A total of 13 Asian dust flowed into the Gwangju during 6 years, and high concentration of PM10 and heavy metals in that were analyzed in the C path flowing through the Gobi/Loess Plateau-Korean Peninsula. As a result of the correlation analysis, in case of Asian dust, there was a high correlation between soil components in heavy metals, so Asian dust seems to have a large external inflow. On the other hand, in case of non-Asian dust, the correlation between find dust PM10 and artificial heavy metal components was high, indicating that the influence of industrial activities in Gwangju area was high.


The aim with this study was to investigate whether abundance of farmland birds on fields at forest edges were associated with (I) type of field (young set-aside vs arable fields), (n) the length and structure of the field-forest edge zone, and/or (m) with residual habitats such as habitat islands, ditches, roads etc Twenty-eight farmland bird species (all nesting and/or foraging on open fields) were censused during the breeding season on 48 plots (open fields with adjoining forest edges) in the central parts of Sweden, covering a total area of 595 ha Skylark Alauda arvensis, linnet Carduelis cannabina, whitethroat Sylvia communis and whinchat Saxicola rubetra were found in significantly higher numbers in set-aside-plots than cereal ones However, the most important factor explaining variation in the abundance of most species was the structure of the field-forest ecotone, with the length of shrubby southern deciduous forest edges being the most important factor in 7 of the species Mixed forest edges seemed to be of some importance for the abundance of 3 species, while associations between abundance and length of the other deciduous and coniferous field-forest ecotones only were significant for one species each Skylarks, white wagtails Motaalla alba and whinchats were positively associated to ditches and yellowhammers Emberiza citrinella and linnets were significantly associated to habitat islands The observed preferences for set-asides and shrubby field forest edges are suggested to be results of reduced predation risk and increased food abundance


In the foetal springbok skin, identifiable melanocytes are present before colour patterns are established. These pigment cells fail to appear in the pouch and belly areas, indicating that these zones are piebald and not albinotic. Areas of regional colour differences are sharply separated. Their distinctiveness is caused by a discontinuous change in brightness of the hairy coat. This is due to a stepwise shift in the average quanta of melanin in the hairs. The pigment itself does not alter its colour from one colour-zone to another, but the density of the pigment particles merely changes. It is suggested that the steps could correspond to a discontinuous difference in tissue dosage, resulting perhaps from differing activation among multiple melanizing genes. Anatomical peculiarities of the pouch area and horn rudiment are descriptionbed. A proposal is made that hair slope is brought about by traction from mobile superficial fibroblasts. These cells travel preferentially in the direction of the greatest tissue strain. By dragging the papillary layer components along behind them, such as the hair buds and arrector pili muscles, the hair streams could arise. The tips of the hair shafts will then point away from each direction of greatest internal expansion, which the fibroblasts strive to cover.


Brazilian spotted fever was detected for the first time in the State of S o Paulo in 1929. However, there is no systematic reporting of the disease in the State. In 1985, three cases of the disease occurred in the municipality of Pedreira, located in the Campinas Region, belonging to the 5th Administrative Region, in the Northeast part of the State, including 88 municipalities. An investigation was conducted at the time, but the lack of case registry limited its scope. The present study was undertaken with the aim of recovering the history of the disease in the Region. Data recovered from several public health services for 1985-2000 were used to analyze incidence patterns. It was observed that the transmission area expanded and the number of suspected cases increased, especially after 1996, when mandatory reporting was established. Deaths due to spotted fever were observed in most of the years under study. The study concluded that spotted fever incidence is increasing in the Campinas Region. Complementary bio-ecological studies are currently under way to better understand the epidemiology of this disease, recognized worldwide as an emerging public health problem.


Capacitive carbons are prepared by a molten salt carbonization (MSC) process from Chinese firwood biomass, and the effect of the biomass size (lengths ranging from 0.09 to 2 cm) on the carbon yield and the electrochemical capacitive performance of the carbonized samples is investigated. The mechanism of carbon treatment and structure–activity correlations are discussed. Compared with carbon prepared without the assistance of MS, MSC-derived carbon prepared from the same precursor size (i.e. 0.09 cm) shows a higher specific capacitance (189 vs. 165 F g−1 at 0.2 A g−1) and enhanced high-rate capability (85% vs. 70% capacitance retention upon increasing the charge–discharge current density from 0.2 to 2.0 A g−1). Upon decreasing the precursor size from 2.0 to 0.09 cm, the specific capacitance increases from 142 to 189 F g−1, with the high-rate capacitance retention increasing from 70% to 85%. These improvements highlight the merits of the MSC method and engineering the precursor sizes for the preparation and modification of enhanced capacitive carbon, which is promising for practical applications. It is also found that the production yield of the MSC method decreases upon decreasing the precursor size. Therefore, the precursor size should be prudently tailored to ensure a balance between the capacitive properties and production yield.


A marine kinetoplastid flagellate, Cryptobia eilatica n. sp., is described from the gills of cultured gilt-head sea bream Sparus aurata L. and wild black-spot sea bream Diplodus noct (Valenciennes) in the Red Sea. The trophozoite is elongated and lacks a contractile vacuole and undulating membrane. The body averages 13.5 x 4.1 microns, anterior flagellum 9.7 microns and free portion of recurrent flagellum 15.2 microns. The ultrastructural features of the species exhibit great similarity to various previously studied Cryptobiids. Cryptobia eilatica trophozoites feed on bacteria, show a preference for the branchial interlamellar crypts, and attach to the host epithelium by means of the recurrent flagellum. Neither penetration into the epithelial cells, nor any direct damage to host tissue was observed. Cryptobia eliatica inhabits a purely marine habitat, but its trophozoite tolerates salinities as low as 10 ppt.


Objective: To study the relationship between mental health and spiritual intelligence of parents of the premature neonates that are hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Materials and methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study included 152 fathers and mothers of premature neonates. A questionnaire was delivered containing demographic data and Goldberg's Assessment of Mental Health. A score of 23 or higher suggested the presence of mental disorders and scores lower than 23 indicated mental health. Results: There was a significant direct relationship between mothers' mental health and spiritual intelligence; that is, mothers with high spiritual intelligence had a higher level of mental health (p = 0.020, r = 0.225). The linear regression analysis of the mothers' mental health and spiritual intelligence was significant. Conclusion: Mothers with higher spiritual intelligence had a higher level of mental health, while there was no significant direct correlation between spiritual intelligence and mental health of the fathers.


Introduction: Leadership in Five Parts Michael G. Rumsey Part One: The Making of a Leader: Attributes, Training and Development 1. The Attributes of Successful Leaders: A Performance Requirements Approach Stephen J. Zaccaro, Kate LaPort, and Irwin Jose 2. Personality and Leadership Robert Hogan and Timothy Judge 3. The WICS Model of Leadership Robert J. Sternberg 4. What Makes Great Business Leaders? Edwin A. Locke and John A. Allison 5. Training and Developing Leaders: Theory and Research David V. Day 6. Commentary: A Way Ahead Michael G. Rumsey Part Two: Leadership in Context: General Issues 7. Leadership and Followership from a Social Cognition Perspective: A Dual Process Approach Douglas J. Brown 8. Inclusive Leadership and Idiosyncrasy Credit in Leader-follower Relations Edwin P. Hollander 9. Leading Teams: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives Marissa L. Shuffler, C. Shawn Burke, William S. Kramer, and Eduardo Salas 10. Overview of Future Research Directions for Team Leadership George B. Graen 11. Organizational Leadership and Complexity Mechanisms Russ Marion 12. A Five Dimensional Integrated Framework of Strategic Leadership Vipin Gupta 13. Cross-cultural Leadership Rajiv Kumar and Jagdeep S. Chhokar 14. Genes, Memes, and the Evolution of Human Leadership Robert Birnbaum 15. Commentary: When it Comes to Leadership, Context Matters Richard Klimoski Part Three: Leadership in Context: Special Settings 16. Leadership in the Profession of Arms Sean T. Hannah and Walter J. Sowden 17. Leadership in Higher Education Edwin P. Hollander 18. Presidential leadership: Performance Criteria and their Predictors Dean Keith Simonton 19. Commentary: Leadership in Context and Context in Leadership Studies Boas Shamir Part Four: The Dynamics of Leadership 20. The Missing Link in Network Dynamics George B. Graen 21. Charismatic Leadership Jay A. Conger 22. From Transactional and Transformational to Authentic Leadership Fred O. Walumbwa 23. Leadership, the Old, the New, and the Timeless: A Commentary John P. Campbell Part Five: Leadership Effectiveness 24. Leader Effectiveness: Who Really is the Leader? Michael D. Mumford and Jamie D. Barrett 25. Destructive Leadership S. Bartholomew Craig and Robert B. Kaiser 26. Final Words: The Elusive Science of Leadership Michael G. Rumsey


The deposition of large amounts of mixed-valence Fe minerals in iron formations during the Archean and Paleoproterozoic indicates that the Fe(II)aq (aqueous) content of coeval anoxic seawater was likely several hundred μM, compared to ca. 1 to 20 nM of the modern oxygenated ocean. It has been suggested that oxygen production along shallow marine continental shelves, which probably started several hundred million years before the rise of atmospheric oxygen, effectively oxidized Fe(II)aq from deeper seawater and removed it as Fe(III)ppt (poorly soluble precipitates). However, the reconstruction of the marine Fe cycle during the Archean is still incomplete, partly because of diagenetic redox processes that challenge the interpretation of Fe concentration and isotope signatures of sedimentary archives. In this study, we present new Fe concentrations and isotope compositions of carbonate and mudrock samples from the Neoarchean Campbellrand-Malmani carbonate platform (CMCP) in South Africa. These samples are from the shelf facies of the CMCP and in combination with previously published data of Czaja and others (2012) from carbonates and mudrocks of the slope facies, we show that different depositional settings and conditions resulted in different data distributions. Coupled δ56Fe values (−3.685 to +0.083 ‰) and iron concentrations (861–27672 μg g−1) of pure carbonates deposited during open marine conditions, can be explained by partial Fe(II) oxidation between ferruginous deeper water and oxygenated shallow water, leaving the residual Fe(II)aq pool isotopically light, although Fe(II) oxidation by anoxygenic phototrophy cannot be ruled out. Pure carbonates deposited in a peritidal setting, with less exposure to open ocean water, show a smaller Fe isotope variability with δ56Fe values of −1.207 to −0.204 permil and Fe concentration range from 388 to 5413 μg g−1, respectively. We propose that the Fe systematics of peritidal carbonates were dominated by early diagenetic Fe cycling between carbonates and adjacent mudrocks. Synchrotron based X-ray adsorption spectroscopy reveals a change in Fe speciation, where Fe(II)-bearing ankerite and Fe-sulfide dominate the carbonates in the lower part of the CMCP, whereas carbonates of the upper part of the CMCP mainly contain Fe(III)-(oxyhydr)oxides. The fact that Fe(III) phases are still preserved argues for a higher oxidation state on the shelf of the upper CMCP. This is likely because of a lower content of reductants in those settings, in particular organic carbon, sulfide species, as well as restricted influx of reducing species from the anoxic open ocean due to the formation of a rimmed margin. Nevertheless, more studies of similar carbonate settings are necessary to verify our model. We propose that unfractionated Fe(II)aq in seawater was about two to three times lower on the shelf (30–310 μM) than along the slope (61–928 μM), which implies that Fe(II)aq was removed from the water column closer to the continent, likely by oxidation and precipitation. Overall, the Fe isotope composition and Fe speciation of CMCP sediments support the presence of molecular oxygen in the shallow-marine system and emphasize the utility of Ca-Mg carbonates as proxies for iron cycling in the aqueous environment.


Abstract In order to test for cumulative effects of fire on Paspalum quadrifarium-dominated grasslands ('pajonal'), we analysed the impact of single and repeated fires on the community structure and post-fire recovery of canopy after a final, simultaneous fire event. Nine plots were defined within a homogeneous pajonal stand, and treatments of low (LF), medium (MF) and high frequency (HF) of fire were defined by the application of one, two or four cold-season burns, respectively, along a 6-yr period. Both burned and unburned plots were exposed to grazing by cattle during the summer following the first and the third years of that period. High cattle preference for burned sites conditioned fire temperature and vegetation responses to the following burning events. Cumulative effects between successive burning events were observed for the cover of basal area of the dominant and other sprouting species, the cover and thickness of the litter layer, the seed bank size of the principal recruiter species, and the floristic composition. While light interception by the canopy was positively related to fire frequency during the early growth season, further growth of P. quadrifarium determined a greater light interception in LF than in MF and HF. These patterns of light interception were associated with a faster occupation of the inter-tussock areas by opportunistic species in plots subjected to frequent fires (HF and MF) than in plots with low fire frequency (LF), and a more lasting regrowth of P. quadrifarium in the LF plot than in the HF ones. High fire frequencies reduced the dominance of P. quadrifarium. Percent of species classified as subordinated graminoids or forbs did not vary among treatments. However, the abundance of different forb species was differentially favoured by contrasting frequencies of fire, describing some coarse relationships between their specific responses and their dispersal strategies. Nomenclature:Cabrera & Zardini (1978); Bertiller & León (1975). Abbreviations: HF = High burning frequency; LF = Low burning frequency; MF = Medium burning frequency; PAR = Photosynthetically Active Radiation; TED = Tiller Effective Density; TIR = Tiller Increment Ratio; Tmax = Maximum temperature at ground level during fire.


This paper represents controlling and monitoring of machine failures that happen a lot over the industry; the injuries are due to the collapse of machines or monitoring, irregular checking, and machine controlling. These accidents are very harmful to individuals working in a factory environment. To handle such situations, machine failure and monitoring can be detected by using the SCADA system with the help of IOT, to handle the system parameter mechanically. This paper provides modern solutions for controlling and monitoring machine faults from anywhere, anytime by using the internet which will boost worker safety in the industries.


A cytogenetic study on 25 breast fibroadenomas from 17 women is reported. Seven tumors in five patients showed clonal structural chromosome changes. In three patients the breaks involved chromosome 12, occurring in two tumors in band 12p 12 and in band 12q 15 in all three tumors of one patient. The finding of an identical aberration, t(11;12)(q21;q15), in three adenomas from the same patient strongly suggests a clonal origin of multiple fibroadenomas of the breast.


The existence of diabetes mellitus has been postulated to have a deleterious effect on the outcome following lumbar spine surgery. We retrospectively examined the records and radiographs of 32 diabetic patients (mean age, 60 years) who underwent posterior lumbar fusions using transpedicular instrumentation and iliac crest autograft. Ten patients were insulin-dependent and 22 required oral hypoglycemic agents for at least 1 year prior to surgery. The minimum follow-up time was 2 years after surgery (mean, 2.5 years). Surgical indications included herniated lumbar disk, lumbar spinal stenosis, thoracolumbar trauma, and lumbar pseudarthrosis. Clinical results were evaluated by chart review and/or interview by using Odom's criteria. At follow-up, 75% of patients were graded as excellent or good, and 25% as fair or poor. Twenty-five of 32 patients (78%) had improvement of back pain. Twenty of 27 (74%) patients had improvement of leg pain. Eight of 15 (53%) patients had improvement in motor strength, and 6 of 11 (54%) had improvement in light-touch sensation. Insulin dependence and the presence of polyneuropathy were associated with a poorer outcome. The average time to radiographic fusion was 5 months. Twenty-nine of 32 patients (91%) developed solid fusion by strict radiographic criteria. The three patients with a pseudarthrosis had persistent back pain and a poor result. Ten of 32 (31%) of the patients experienced perioperative complications, including prolonged wound drainage (n = 5), deep wound infection (n = 1), superficial wound infection (n = 1), atrial fibrillation (n = 1), ruptured cerebral aneurysm (n = 1), and ulnar nerve neuropathy (n = 1). We conclude that posterolateral lumbar spinal fusion with internal fixation in diabetic patients yields clinical results comparable to those of nondiabetic patients, with similar risks of perioperative complications.