This paper provides a new explanation for the narrowing and reversal of the gender education gap. It highlights the indirect effect of returns to human capital on parents' preferences for sons and the resulting demand for children and education. We assume that parents maximize the full income of their children and that males have an additional income, independently of their level of education. This additional income has two effects. First, it biases parental preferences towards sons. Second, it implies that females have relative advantage in producing income through education. We show that when the relative returns to human capital are sufficiently low, the bias in parents' preferences towards sons is relatively high, so that parents who have daughters first have more children. Daughters are born to larger families and hence receive less education. As returns to human capital increase, gender differences in producing income diminish, parents' bias towards sons declines, variation in family size falls and the positive correlation between family size and the number of daughters is weakened. When returns to human capital are sufficiently high, the relative advantage of females in education dominates differences in family size, triggering the reversal in gender education gap.


This project focuses on the differences between Solidago altissima and S. shortii , or the common and Short's goldenrods, respectively, and endeavors to provide an explanation for the narrow endemism of Short's goldenrod, relative to that of the common goldenrod.  The common goldenrod has a range spanning from Southern Canada to Northern Mexico, while the Short's is found only in two locations in Kentucky and Indiana. They are rather similar to the untrained eye, but further observation reveals drastic morphological differences between the seeds of the two species, with those of the Short's being far larger than those of the common goldenrod, despite the two species having pappi, or parachute-like tufts of hair, of virtually identical size.  This project examines data collected in the laboratory relating both to the morphology of the cypselae of the two species and behavior of the cypselae of the two species under conditions analogous to those seen in nature.  The achenes of the Short's goldenrod were observed to be statistically significantly longer and wider than those of the common goldenrod, but no significant differences observed in the length of the pappi of the two species.  The cypselae of the Short's goldenrod were observed to fall statistically significantly faster and be blown for a statistically significantly shorter distance than those of the common goldenrod.  This difference in the ability of the cypselae to be disseminated via wind may contribute to the rarity and endemism of the Short's goldenrod.


Pleomorphic Hyalinizing
Angiectatic Tumor (PHAT) is a rare mesenchymal neoplasma. It is a pathological
term describing a heterogeneous group of neoplasms of undetermined tumorigenesis
and undefined malignancy. Based only on the morphological findings of
histopathology, the biological potential of the tumor is indeterminate.
Determination of glucose metabolism using FDG-PET revealed mildly increased FDG
uptake in the tumor. We propose that FDG accumulation in the ectatic vessel,
increased uptake of the pleomorphic cells and/or associated inflammatory cells,
and increased permeability of the stroma lead to the imaging feature.


The chance of obtaining a fertilization and establishing a pregnancy increases with the number of motile spermatozoa that can reach and interact with the oocyte after the time of insemination. In an attempt to increase the recovery of freeze-thawed and motile spermatozoa, the swim-up medium was supplemented with prostasomes and some other effectors. Swim-up media supplemented with prostasomes were superior in comparison to the other effectors investigated in the recovery of motile spermatozoa for insemination. These results suggest that prostasome inclusion in swim-up medium might be of benefit in improving results in assisted reproductive technologies using freeze-thawed spermatozoa.


Monetary crises as well as disruptions of the financial system have been part of European history since the late Middle Ages. The essay argues that these developments reveal remarkable limitations to legal power and financial sovereignty: From the very beginning, the power to set monetary value was in the hands of the rulers, kings and queens, princes and even city councils. There were, however, legal limits to their discretion. These limits developed from the idea that the users of mints and money should not be at the mercy of their rulers when it came to monetary value, particularly concerning debasement and devaluation. While such legal rules did not always prove effective, fiscally driven devaluations were frequently without lasting impact due to the power of the market actors. Even when governments and rulers created intermediary entities like their own banks, their success on the financial markets was anything but certain. It was only with the establishment of central banks, not to mention international cooperation between central banks as well as governments, that states were finally able to achieve greater influence over market dynamics.


The authors propose an optimization procedure based on genetic algorithms (GAs) able to aid the design of indoor MV/LV substations, reducing the magnetic field pollution outside the cabin. In particular, coupling GAs with a 3D magnetic field calculation code, an attempt was made to mitigate the magnetic field outside the transformer substation by an active shield, consisting of a simple energized loop. The proposed algorithm has been initially applied to study a simplified 2D configuration, in order to test the efficiency and the reliability of the code; then, it has been extended to achieve a fully 3D solution of the problem. From the analysis of the results, it emerges that the proposed approach may be advantageously used in order to mitigate the magnetic flux density in target volumes located near MV/LV cabins.


The process of laser-induced melting of thin metal films is studied theoretically by numerical solution of the heat equation. The study was aimed at calculating the rate at which the melt front advances in the radial and axial directions. This rate is compared for a variety of systems in which the film thickness, laser intensity and substrate nature were changed.


Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth (LGBT) continue to face extreme discrimination within the school environment. Existing literature suggests that LGBT youth are at high risk for a number of health problems, including suicide ideation and attempts, harassment, substance abuse, homelessness, and declining school performance. This exploratory study consists of face-to-face interviews with 12 male and female participants, 18-21 years old, who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. The purpose of the study is to determine the types of social support (emotional, appraisal, instrumental and informational) available to these young adults in high school. In addition, the study examines the connection between social support and sexual identity development. Participants found non-family members, which included peers and non-family adults, to be more supportive than family members. More specifically, participants perceived heterosexual and LGBT-identified friends and non-family adults as providing emotional and instrumental support. However, participants perceived limitations to the emotional support they received from heterosexual peers to whom they disclosed their orientation. In addition to providing emotional support, peers and adults who also identified as LGBT provided valuable informational and appraisal, support. Finally, most participants did not disclose to their parents during high school and perceived their parents and family members as offering limited emotional, appraisal and informational support. Confronted with their own sense of alienation and confusion, as well as the overwhelmingly negative messages about homosexuality in their home and school environments, respondents described their sexual identity formation as a process characterized by varying degrees of denial and acceptance. The need for multiple resources emerged as a major theme from participant responses to questions about what types of services and support they would have valued from their high school.


ABSTRACT In many contexts, emotional ailments have been considered problems of religious or spiritual origin. Historically, religious groups were often the primary providers of mental health care. This changed over time with advances in medicine and Freud's writings framing religion/spirituality (R/S) as a sign of neurosis. In the early- to mid-twentieth century, mental health and R/S were often viewed by Western clinicians and patients as separate and antithetical. Recent decades have been marked by another shift in thought, with increased interest in the overlap between mental health and R/S, and recognition that R/S may in fact serve protective and healing roles in the face of emotional suffering. There has been a concomitant increase in research investigating the connections between R/S and mental health, along with increased development and application of clinical interventions addressing the two in combination. In this narrative review, we summarize the history of how mental health and R/S have been viewed as relating to one another, recent research evidence on the effects of R/S on mental health, and clinical implications of these findings. We conclude with a discussion of ongoing challenges and opportunities in the study and application of how mental health and R/S affect one another.


In this paper we inspect a difference between original sound recording and signal captured after streaming this original recording over a network loaded with a heavy traffic. There are several kinds of failures occurring in the captured recording caused by network congestion. We try to find a method how to evaluate correctness of streamed audio. Usually there are metrics based on a human perception of a signal such as "signal is clear, without audible failures", "signal is having some failures but it is understandable", or "signal is inarticulate". These approaches need to be statistically evaluated on a broad set of respondents, which is time and resource consuming. We try to propose some metrics based on signal properties allowing us to compare the original and captured recording. We use algorithm called Dynamic Time Warping (Muller, 2007) commonly used for time series comparison in this paper. Some other time series exploration approaches can be found in (Fejfar, 2011) and (Fejfar, 2012). The data was acquired in our network laboratory simulating network traffic by downloading files, streaming audio and video simultaneously. Our former experiment inspected Quality of Service (QoS) and its impact on failures of received audio data stream. This experiment is focused on the comparison of sound recordings rather than network mechanism.We focus, in this paper, on a real time audio stream such as a telephone call, where it is not possible to stream audio in advance to a "pool". Instead it is necessary to achieve as small delay as possible (between speaker voice recording and listener voice replay). We are using RTP protocol for streaming audio.


This paper investigates the influence of introversion-extraversion personality traits on the knowledge-sharing intention of online health communities (OHCs) using personality trait theory and social capital theory. This study investigates two types of users in OHCs—doctors and patients—and compares and analyses the knowledge-sharing paths of these two types of users. The results show that extraversion personality, interaction, and reciprocity positively influence the physicians' and patients' knowledge-sharing intention; for both types of users, interaction partially mediates between extraversion personality and knowledge-sharing intention, and reciprocity partially mediates between interaction and knowledge-sharing intention. Comparative analyses show that the physicians' introversion-extraversion personality traits have stronger positive effects on interaction, and interaction has stronger positive effects on trust and reciprocity than patients, the physicians' trust and reciprocity have stronger positive effects on knowledge-sharing intention than patients, and the physicians' introversion personality traits have stronger positive effects on knowledge-sharing intentions than patients. This study enriches the theory of user knowledge-sharing in OHCs while advancing the managers' understanding of what motivates users' knowledge-sharing intention.


BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity affects approximately 1.7 billion people, with increase in morbid obesity of 80% for women and 400% for men, since 1970. Metabolic syndrome is a complex disorder associated with insulin resistance and abdominal obesity, causing changes in glucose metabolism in various tissues and hyperinsulinemia. AIM: To verify changes in the pre and post-operative parameters in morbidly obese patients with metabolic syndrome who underwent to Roux-en-Y gastrointestinal bypass. METHOD: Seventy four patients with obesity with metabolic syndrome submitted to gastrointestinal bypass Roux-en-Y were included. All of them had measured waist-hip ratio, blood pressure, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides and fasting glucose pre-operatively and at the first and fourth month post-operatively. RESULTS: In the first post-operative month, happened a weight reduction of 7.96%, BMI of 8%, waist-hip ratio of 1.35%, total cholesterol of 17.95%, HDL of 14.5%, LDL of 15.31%, TAG's of 30.29% and 9.75% of glucose; on the fourth month was observed a weight reduction of 14.94%, BMI of 20.08%, waist-hip ratio of 5.96%, total cholesterol of 21.27%, HDL of 3.53%, LDL of 23.72%, TAG's of 29.6% and 10.34% of glucose. CONCLUSION: All the parameters evaluated in this study had a statistic significant improvement, with the exception of HDL-cholesterol.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the sensitivity and specificity of myometrial needle biopsies in the diagnosis of adenomyosis uteri in vitro.

DESIGN
Eight needle biopsies and 8 corresponding myometrial blocks were taken from 27 hysterectomy specimens with adenomyosis and 13 specimens with adenomyosis. Adenomyosis was graded on the basis of the depth of endometrial invasion into the myometrium: grade I, adenomyosis within the inner third of the myometrium; grade II, limited to the inner two thirds; and grade III, endometrial penetration into the outer one third of the myometrium. The sensitivity of 4 and 2 biopsies was calculated by conventional probability theory.

RESULTS
Taking 8 needle biopsies from each uterus yielded sensitivities for grade I, II, and III adenomyosis of 9%, 64%, and 100% respectively, but the calculated sensitivities of two biopsies, taken at random, were only 2.3%, 20%, and 56%, respectively. There were no false-positive biopsies.

CONCLUSIONS
Myometrial needle biopsy is a highly specific technique for the diagnosis of adenomyosis uteri but the sensitivity is low and dependent on the number of biopsies and the depth of adenomyosis.


The authors introduce an index of resolvability that is proved to bound the rate of convergence of minimum complexity density estimators as well as the information-theoretic redundancy of the corresponding total description length. The results on the index of resolvability demonstrate the statistical effectiveness of the minimum description-length principle as a method of inference. The minimum complexity estimator converges to true density nearly as fast as an estimator based on prior knowledge of the true subclass of densities. Interpretations and basic properties of minimum complexity estimators are discussed. Some regression and classification problems that can be examined from the minimum description-length framework are considered. >


A novel automatic change detection procedure has been developed using multi-spectral imagery for a number of important applications including the surveillance of enemy military installations, detection of military vehicle movements, battle damage assessments and monitoring of environmental changes. The proposed approach consists of key algorithm components that includes data normalization, image registration and distance measurement. The algorithm is selected based on performance and computational considerations for near real-time implementation. Limited study on real multi-spectral data has shown that the performance of our proposed change detection approach is far superior to that of standard techniques. Example results using M7 imagery are presented to illustrate the performance improvements of this approach over the other techniques.


Predictive engineering of antibodies exhibiting fast kinetic properties could provide reagents for biotechnological applications such as continuous monitoring of compounds or affinity chromatography. Based on covariance analysis of murine germline antibody variable domains, we selected position L34 (Kabat numbering) for mutational studies. This position is located at the VL/VH interface, at the base of the paratope but with limited antigen contacts, thus making it an attractive position for mild alterations of antigen binding properties. We introduced a serine at position L34 in two different antibodies: Fab (fragment antigen binding) 57P (Asn34Ser) and scFv (single chain fragment variable) 1F4 (Gln34Ser), that recognize peptides derived from the coat protein of tobacco mosaic virus and the oncoprotein E6, respectively. Both mutated antibodies exhibited similar properties: (i) expression levels of active fragments in Escherichia coli were markedly improved; (ii) thermostability was enhanced; and (iii) dissociation rate parameters (k(off)) were increased by 2- and at least 57-fold for scFv1F4 and Fab57P, respectively, while their association rate parameters (k(on)) remained unchanged. The L34 Ala and Thr mutants of both antibody fragments did not possess these properties. This first demontration of similar effects observed in two antibodies with different specificities may open the way to the predictive design of molecules with enhanced stability and fast dissociation rates.


The aim of this paper is to discover and describes the type of information technology (IT) units in bachelor degree of LIS education curriculum through the universities' official websites. This paper tries to find out what are the types of IT units in bachelor degree of LIS course in Indonesia. How does it fi tt he need of the information age? The research method is using curriculum observation through the universities official websites and interviewing some LIS coordinators. The author searched for IT units based on its name, description, and, cluster that available on the curriculum structure, and interviewed some LIS coordinators and lecturers regarding the curriculum structure. Following that, the data is classified into categories and finally each category is discussed. The research finding from 8 universities surveyed shows different portion of IT units. The range of the IT units offered in the curriculum is from 6 to 14 units. This is because each university has specialty that differ from one to another. However, those IT unit titles have similarity such as introduction to basic computer and information technology, information retrieval system, library automation, and digital library and web design. All of the IT units aim to support student skill in IT so they can help them handle the library and information job. This is only preliminary research, and there were still many areas that need to be covered. For further research, the involvement of the LIS course coordinators and IT lecturers is needed to discover and to gain in-depth information about the role of IT units in LIS education.


The goal of the SBS 2016 Suggestion Track is to evaluate approaches for supporting users in searching collections of books who express their information needs both in a query and through example books. The track investigates the complex nature of relevance in book search and the role of traditional and user-generated book metadata in retrieval. We consolidated last year's investigation into the nature of book suggestions from the LibraryThing forums and how they compare to book relevance judgements. Participants were encouraged to incorporate rich user profiles of both topic creators and other LibraryThing users to explore the relative value of recommendation and retrieval paradigms for book search. In terms of systems evaluation, the most effective systems include ...


The dynamics of proton binding to the extracellular and the cytoplasmic surfaces of the purple membrane were measured by laser-induced proton pulses. Purple membranes, selectively labeled by fluorescein at Lys-129 of bacteriorhodopsin, were pulsed by protons released in the aqueous bulk from excited pyranine (8-hydroxy-1,3,6-pyrenetrisulfonate) and the reaction of protons with the indicators was measured. Kinetic analysis of the data imply that the two faces of the membrane differ in their buffer capacities and in their rates of interaction with bulk protons. The extracellular surface of the purple membrane contains one anionic proton binding site per protein molecule with pK = 5.1. This site is within a Coulomb cage radius (approximately 15 A) from Lys-129. The cytoplasmic surface of the purple membrane bears 4-5 protonable moieties (pK = 5.1) that, due to close proximity, function as a common proton binding site. The reaction of the proton with this cluster is at a very fast rate (3.10(10) M-1.s-1). The proximity between the elements is sufficiently high that even in 100 mM NaCl they still function as a cluster. Extraction of the chromophore retinal from the protein has a marked effect on the carboxylates of the cytoplasmic surface, and two to three of them assume positions that almost bar their reaction with bulk protons. The protonation dynamics determined at the surface of the purple membrane is of relevance both for the vectorial proton transport mechanism of bacteriorhodopsin and for energy coupling, not only in halobacteria, but also in complex chemiosmotic systems such as mitochondrial and thylakoid membranes.


The paper proposes diagnostic technique for identifying rotor broken bar in speed sensorless three-phase induction motor drive system. Experimental data is collected for healthy and faulty motor with two rotor broken bar. The collected data is first processed using Wavelet packet 1-D transformation to extract the statistical information. The statistical information thus obtained is used to train the Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) which is used as fault classifier. The stator current space vector magnitude is used in conjunction with Wavelet transform as the current signature is the most effective method of fault diagnosis. The speed signal obtained from the observer system is directly used in ANFIS. The proposed synergy of Wavelet packet and ANFIS provide highly accurate and computationally efficient tool that can be used for on-line fault diagnosis.


In the present work, we report fabrication and field emission responses of 3D copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) nanotip arrays synthesized over nanotube walls by facile plasma treatment. Significant field emission enhancement is confirmed for a nanotip–nanotube hybrid system (turn-on field 4.2 V μm−1@10 μA cm−2) as compared to pristine CuPc nanotubes (turn-on field 6.8 V μm−1@10 μA cm−2). Root of the observed enhanced cold cathode emission performances is further probed by a finite element method based simulation protocol that computed local electric field distribution for a single tube without and with plasma etching in a manner parallel to the experimental setup. Our obtained results strongly suggest that CuPc nanotip–nanotube hybrid nanostructures are a major potential candidate as field emitters for vacuum nanoelectronics and cold cathode based emission display applications.


OBJECTIVE
The purposes of this article are to discuss the technical considerations for performing quantitative diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) mapping, examine the role of DWI in whole-body MRI, and review how DWI with ADC mapping can serve as an adjunct to information gleaned from conventional MRI in the radiologic evaluation of musculoskeletal lesions.

CONCLUSION
The primary role of whole-body DWI is in tumor detection; localized DWI is helpful in differentiating malignant bone and soft-tissue lesions. After treatment, an increase in tumor ADC values correlates with response to cytotoxic therapy. The use of DWI in the evaluation of musculoskeletal lesions requires knowledge of potential diagnostic pitfalls that stem from technical challenges and confounding biochemical factors that influence ADC maps but are unrelated to lesion cellularity.


Heat flux sensors have potential in enabling applications that require tracking of direct and instantaneous thermal energy transfer. To facilitate their use, the sensors have to be robust and feasible to implement, while maintaining high sensitivity and a fast response time. However, most commercially available heat flux sensors are expensive to manufacture and have insufficient temporal responses. In this paper, a novel microelectromechanical heat flux sensor structure is proposed. The electrical performance of the prototype sensors is compared with commercially available heat flux sensors. Preliminary results show that our sensors have similar sensitivity and faster response compared to commercial sensors.


Noise emitted by construction machinery is one of the most important harmful factors having impact on human health. The noise emission risk comprises people working on the construction site but as well as other persons around the machine. The article concerns the issues of noise level and noise emission measurements applied in heavy machinery / construction machinery which are covered by the EU directive 2005/88/EC. The methods of noise testing during design and in the certification process has been described. The basic information about testing the noise emission to the environment has been presented. The reference documents and EU standards concerning this topic has been described. The noise testing methods has been presented based on the prototyping and R&D cycle of the Mista RD-165 FHAD grader which is subjected to the European noise limits. The results of noise measurements and sound power level determination has been presented. The testing procedure where implemented during two stages of R&D cycle. The article describes the effects of the improvements in the grader focused on noise emission limitation limits.


Three rSNPs (rs3125289, rs1877474 and rs11119982) in one intron of the activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) gene have been significantly associated with the human etiology of hypospadias and may be associated with human disease. These rSNP alleles alter the DNA landscape for potential transcriptional factors (TFs) to attach resulting in changes in transcriptional factor binding sites (TFBS). These TFBS changes are examined with respect to the human etiology of hypospadias which has been found to be significantly associated with the rSNPs.


Not long after her father died, Afsaneh Najmabadi discovered that her father had a secret second family and that she had a sister she never knew about. In Familial Undercurrents, Najmabadi uncovers her family's complex experiences of polygamous marriage to tell a larger story of the transformations of notions of love, marriage, and family life in mid-twentieth-century Iran. She traces how the idea of "marrying for love" and the desire for companionate, monogamous marriage acquired dominance in Tehran's emerging urban middle class. Considering the role played in that process by late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century romance novels, reformist newspapers, plays, and other literature, Najmabadi outlines the rituals and objects---such as wedding outfits, letter writing, and family portraits---that came to characterize the ideal companionate marriage. She reveals how in the course of one generation men's polygamy had evolved from an acceptable open practice to a taboo best kept secret. At the same time, she chronicles the urban transformations of Tehran and how its architecture and neighborhood social networks both influenced and became emblematic of the myriad forms of modern Iranian family life.


Dept. of Food Science and Technology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 720-701, KoreaAbstractPhysiological activities of mistletoe extracts were examined. Total polyphenol contents, electro-donating ability, SOD-like activity, nitrite-scavenging ability and tyrosinase of mistletoe extracted with water, 50%, and 100% ethanol were determined. Total polyphenol contents of powder extracts were higher than slice extracts. EDAs showed over 90% at powder extracts. Especially mistletoe extracts with 50% ethanol were higher than water extracts. SOD-like activities of water, 50% and 100% ethanol extracts of all samples were 23.71~33.4% lower than those of 1.0% and 0.1% L-ascorbate solutions. Nitrite-scavenging activities at pH 1.2 were the most effective in water, 50% and 100% ethanol extracts. The results will be useful for understanding the physiolosical activities of mistletoe extracts.Key words: mistletoe, physiological activity, electron donating ability, SOD-like activity


With the rise of urbanization and more job opportunities in the city, there is a common trend of the younger rural demographic migrating to the urban center seeking work to provide for their family. With modern cities growing at such a fast pace, the urban fabric is more so designed to express one's cities visual dominance. From this, cities are in a battle of who can build the biggest, more technical top of the line buildings. This leads to the neglection of traditional and cultural significance within the design of the buildings of such country. This is the current issue in the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. The current urban population of Cambodia is 22% as of 2019, which is a radical shift from 1975, when only 4.5% lived in the urban center due to the genocide that had Cambodia population relocated to the countryside to work on rice fields as a Utopian vision seen by the leader of Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot. In present days, Cambodia's rural population are making their way back into the urban center. Cambodia has been in the post-war rebuild stage for the last decade, and construction has been growing at an accelerated pace in the past few years. The majority of the buildings being constructed are foreign designed, mainly luxury condos or apartments and high risers, which in most cases lack 'Khmer style'. With this being the future of Cambodia's built environment, the country is moving in the direction of losing its cultural identity and values. For rural migrants coming into the city for the first time, acclimating to this new condition will be challenging. Lifestyle, rituals, traditions of their everyday life will be lost.
This thesis looks at an island situated in the heart of Phnom Penh, Koh Pich, which translates as Diamond Island. With humble beginnings of farmland and marsh, the folklore of how Koh Pich became an island was that about 50 years ago, a ship sank right where the island is now. This proceeded to build up of silt, creating the 700m wide island. By 1979, after the war, fishing families occupied the island and used the rich soil to grow rice. The island is the epitome of liminal as it is forever transforming and is transformative. As of 2004, Koh Pich is in high demand for luxury high rise apartments and mansions and is undergoing major construction. An island made for the wealthy, it sits where three rivers meet: the Bassac River, Mekong River, and Tonlé Sap River. Cambodia has a very strong water culture, and this island has been developed to help mitigate the floods to maximize occupation on the site, whereas traditional Cambodia has always learnt and adapted to being amphibious and lived as one with the water.
This thesis proposes a speculative design focusing on the liminal condition for rural migrants coming into the city for the first time. It argues that traditional rural migrants can also live within a contemporary city while maintaining their values. This thesis sets three main objectives to achieve this: to dive deep into the knowledge of traditional aspects of life in a rural sense that tradition arrived from as a form of recognition within the urban; to reintroduce the liminal of Koh Pich to engage the littoral zone to embrace the water's edge as a way that provides; and to be able to live off the land as they once did by enabling one to grow their own food to encourage a sustainable lifestyle in an urban condition.


OBJECTIVES
We investigated the influence of neighborhood and metropolitan area characteristics on body mass index (BMI) in urban Canada in 2001.

METHODS
We conducted a multilevel analysis with data collected from a cross-sectional survey of men and women nested in neighborhoods and metropolitan areas in urban Canada during 2001.

RESULTS
After we controlled for individual sociodemographic characteristics and behaviors, the average BMIs of residents of neighborhoods in which a large proportion of individuals had less than a high school education were higher than those BMIs of residents in neighborhoods with small proportions of such individuals (P< .01). Living in a neighborhood with a high proportion of recent immigrants was associated with lower BMI for men (P<.01), but not for women. Neighborhood dwelling density was not associated with BMI for either gender. Metropolitan sprawl was associated with higher BMI for men (P=.02), but the effect was not significant for women (P= .09).

CONCLUSIONS
BMI is strongly patterned by an individual's social position in urban Canada. A neighborhood's social condition has an incremental influence on the average BMI of its residents. However, BMI is not influenced by dwelling density. Metropolitan sprawl is associated with higher BMI for Canadian men, which supports recent evidence of this same association among American men. Individuals and their environments collectively influence BMI in urban Canada.


Transient operation of heat pipes is of interest to many space applications including thermal management and heat rejection radiators. Experiments were performed to investigate the trasient response of a water heat pipe to step changes in input power at different cooling rates. The copper heat pipe has a 393‐mm long evaporator, 37‐mm long adiabatic section, and 170‐mm long condenser and employes a double‐layered, 150 mesh copper screen wick. The evaporator section was uniformly heated while the condenser section was convectively cooled. Both the vapor and wall temperatures were measured at ten axial locations along the heat pipe. The time constants of the vapor temperature and the effective power throughput during heat‐up and cool‐down transients were determined as functions of the electric power input to the evaporator heater and the water flow in the cooling jacket of the condenser section.


This research aims to determine the semiotic's analysis of online media communication to improve tourism promotion of local wisdom in Bekasi Regency. The local wisdom of the community that was once carried out and preserved in decline is now beginning to shift and replaced by the influence of modern culture. This type of local wisdom is what still remains today, especially in the communities of the Betawi. Meanwhile, the people of Kranggan Village, are still maintaining strong and preserving cultural life and customs that are closely related to Sundanese tradition. They have a tradition that has been kept for generations. Based on the above description the study aims to obtain detailed and in-depth data from the Babarit tradition through Roland Barthes' semiotic analysis in local wisdom such as the values contained in the babarit tradition through ethnigraphic studies, analyzing the relationship of symbolic, paradigmatic, syntagmatic signs and language, speech and culture. Social media helps tourist attractions in interacting with their potential customers. Social media has a great impact on people's lives. Thus, it is very appropriate to promote tourism through content so that social media still has its function and purpose, has benefits in the life of every individual, it will help to form a good destination image, and increase the interest of tourists to visit. This research method has used a qualitative research paradigm, ethnography. Ethnography is a method used by researchers to study a social group through observation and active participation of the researchers themselves. Data collection techniques used in this research were literature review and participant observation, interviews, and documentation. The research instrument uses the results of interviews, while the observation guide is based on elements from Babarit.
Keywords: local wisdom, cultural awareness, semiotic analysis, social media content


Trichogramma pretiosum Riley is a generalist egg parasitoid that is mass released in biological control programmes to control various insect pests on different plant species. The parasitism rates achieved by T. pretiosum vary across host species and across plant species, which suggests that the species of host and its host plant could both influence the host searching performance of this parasitoid. A comparative behavioural study across the eggs of two moth species, Helicoverpa armigera Hubner and Spodoptera litura Fabricius, was conducted because these two host eggs have different characteristics. Helicoverpa armigera eggs are laid singly, whereas S. litura eggs are laid in clusters and are covered with fine scales from the moth abdomen. I tested how these and other differences in host species affect the behaviour of T. pretiosum females towards their host species. The ovipositional responses of T. pretiosum females, from different natal hosts and of different ages since emergence, to eggs of H. armigera and S. litura were studied in choice and no choice tests. Helicoverpa armigera eggs were consistently preferred over S. litura eggs, regardless of the natal host and adult age. When only S. litura eggs were available as hosts, they were parasitized at statistically similar rates to H. armigera eggs. The adult lifespan and lifetime fecundity of T. pretiosum were variable but were significantly affected by natal host species and/or host species to which they were exposed. The ovigeny index (OI) was significantly lower in the parasitoids exposed to H. armigera eggs than in those exposed to S. litura eggs, regardless of the natal host, indicating that H. armigera eggs sustain the adult parasitoids better, through host feeding, than S. litura eggs. Trichogramma females, like other egg parasitoids, use chemical cues that originate not only from their host plants and host eggs, but also from the adult insects that deposit the hosts. These last include the scales left by the ovipositing moths. These host-associated cues are used by parasitoids over long and short distances to find their hosts. Olfactometer tests demonstrated that the odours from moth scales and host plants attracted T. pretiosum females significantly, and thus function as long range cues. By contrast, the odour from host eggs did not attract them in this way. The strength of attraction was similar across the scales from H. armigera and S. litura moths. The female parasitoids responded most strongly to odours from tomato and cabbage, whereas odour from corn was not such a strong attractant. A non-host plant tested did not attract the parasitoids at all. The odours of moth scales from both H. armigera and S. litura were more attractive to T. pretiosum females than was the odour of the host plants tested. When parasitoids have followed these long range cues to the nearby vicinity of their hosts, they respond to short range cues to localise the hosts. Moth scales did not attract female parasitoids over a short distance, but they did arrest their movement so that they remained longer in the area with scales. Trichogramma pretiosum females took significantly more time to localise S. litura eggs than it took for them to locate H. armigera eggs. Time to locate hosts did not increase significantly when the eggs had been washed with hexane, which suggests that cues other than chemicals are associated with the eggs and play a more significant role in host finding over short distances. On their emergence, parasitoids are confronted by several options, including mating, searching for hosts, and seeking food. Season influenced the daily pattern of T. pretiosum emergence, with cooler winter temperatures extending emergence over two days. In summer they emerged earlier in the day and all parasitoids in the tests emerged during the first day. Parasitoids left their emergence sites by walking before their wings expanded fully. Adults of T. pretiosum visit flowers, presumably for nectar. Olfactometer tests showed that both males and females of T. pretiosum were attracted to the odor of alyssum flowers. The attraction to flower odour was significant for males when they had had no access to nutrients for 24h, but was less significant when they had just emerged. On the contrary, the attraction to food was more significant in newly emerged females. For 1 day starved females, cues associated with host plants (tomato leaves) and food (alyssum flowers) were equally important. Nutritional sources influenced the adult lifespan and reproductive performance of the parasitoids. Honey was the best source of nutrition for adults of T. pretiosum, resulting in the longest lifespan and the highest reproductive output, followed by alyssum flowers, tomato leaves and water. The results are discussed in relation to (i) understanding the entire mechanism of host searching behaviour of egg parasitoids, (ii) interpreting the behavioural interaction between generalist parasitoids and their different host insects and plants, and (iii) the better use of egg parasitoids in biological control. Throughout the discussion suggestions are made for further research.


Members of the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) are important in medical, biotechnological, and agricultural disciplines. These bacteria naturally occur in soil and water environments and have adapted to survive in association with plants and animals including humans. All Bcc species are opportunistic pathogens including Burkholderia cenocepacia that causes infections in cystic fibrosis and chronic granulomatous disease patients. The adaptation of B. cenocepacia to the host environment was assessed in a rat chronic respiratory infection model and compared to that of high cell-density in vitro grown cultures using transcriptomics. The distribution of genes differentially expressed on chromosomes 1, 2, and 3 was relatively proportional to the size of each genomic element, whereas the proportion of plasmid-encoded genes differentially expressed was much higher relative to its size and most genes were induced in vivo. The majority of genes encoding known virulence factors, components of types II and III secretion systems and chromosome 2-encoded type IV secretion system were similarly expressed between in vitro and in vivo environments. Lower expression in vivo was detected for genes encoding N-acyl-homoserine lactone synthase CepI, orphan LuxR homolog CepR2, zinc metalloproteases ZmpA and ZmpB, LysR-type transcriptional regulator ShvR, nematocidal protein AidA, and genes associated with flagellar motility, Flp type pilus formation, and type VI secretion. Plasmid-encoded type IV secretion genes were markedly induced in vivo. Additional genes induced in vivo included genes predicted to be involved in osmotic stress adaptation or intracellular survival, metal ion, and nutrient transport, as well as those encoding outer membrane proteins. Genes identified in this study are potentially important for virulence during host–pathogen interactions and may be associated with survival and adaptation to the host environment during chronic lung infections.


The properties of ionic liquids depend on the chemical structure of the constituent ions. An important difference between molten inorganic salts and room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) is that in RTILs the charge is frequently not located at the center of mass. This paper describes a molecular dynamics investigation of the influence of charge location on the structure and transport properties of ionic liquids. The model considered consists of univalent spherical ions with the cation charge moved away from its center of mass. It is shown that the charge location has an important influence on the liquid properties. As the charge is moved off center, the electrical conductivity initially increases, and the shear viscosity decreases. However, when the charge exceeds a certain displacement, this behavior is reversed. With further charge displacement, the conductivity decreases sharply and the viscosity increases rapidly. This behavior reversal can be traced to the formation of directional ion pairs that are present in sufficient numbers, and have lifetimes sufficiently long to strongly influence the liquid properties. We suggest that the influence of directional ion pairing can explain what appear to be anomalously low conductivities and high viscosities observed for some RTILs. The rotational and reorientational motions of the cations are examined, and shown to be strongly influenced by ion-pair formation when the charge is far off center. The temperature dependence of the transport properties is considered for selected systems, and deviations from Arrhenius behavior are found to be most important for the conductivity. Based on our results, this possibly indicates that directional ion pairs create an additional "barrier" to charge transport in some ionic liquids.


Life history calendars (LHCs) are able to capture large-scale retrospective quantitative data, which can be utilized to learn about transitions of behavior change over time. The Testing and Risk History Calendar (TRHC) is a version of life history calendar (LHC) which correlates critical social, sexual and health variables with the timing of HIV testing. In order to fulfill the need for time-bound data regarding HIV testing and risk of older persons in South Africa, a pilot of the TRHC was performed using a paper fold-out grid format. Though the TRHC study in this format was effective as older persons were able to recall details about their HIV testing and risk contexts, the interview process was tedious as data were collected manually. Development of a tablet application for TRHC study will improve data quality and make data entry and collection more automated. This paper presents the development of the TRHC application prototype in order to collect TRHC data electronically and provides a platform for efficient large-scale life history calendar data collection.


This article tests the flows of rents during the Brazilian Imperial period. To achieve this goal, a Vector of Error Correction Model (VECM) was employed to test long-run and short-run relationships between government revenues and expenditures. The VECM was applied for the entire imperial period with data available (1836-1889) and for the period after the Law Alves Branco (1844-1889), which more than doubled tariffs on imports. A trivariate causality test fails to show a casual relationship among the variables in any direction, regardless of the period tested. When the augmented granger causality test is employed for the entire period, results show a unidirectional causality from government expenditures to revenues, a spend-to-tax model, and a bi-causality relationship for the 1844-1889 period.


In an environment in which sellers can reduce the probability of defective delivery through cooperative investment, and in which enforcement of default remedies for breach of contract is imperfect, an optimal performance standard grants buyers the option to reject goods for some but not all defects, in other words, when the delivery is sufficiently defective and the seller said to be in "material breach" of contract. This optimal performance standard implements efficient cooperative investment more often under a policy that, in addition, allows buyers to collect compensation for non-delivery of the good (upon rightful rejection) than a policy that limits buyers' compensation to the recovery of the price. While contracts with liquidated damages (i.e., a customized compensation function) can solve the investment problem as long as court enforcement is not too imperfect (in which case optimal liquidated damages are excessive and likely not enforced), the doctrine of material breach with an option to reject performs well as a default rule.


Hemophilia A (HA) is a X-linked bleeding disorder caused by deficiency of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII). Optimal clinical management centers on FVIII protein concentrate replacement. However, up to 30% of patients with severe HA develop neutralizing antibodies to FVIII (inhibitors) upon exposure to therapeutic FVIII. Inhibitors neutralize the infused FVIII and, thus, pose a significant challenge in the management of these patients. Immune tolerance induction (ITI) using high-dose FVIII infusions can eliminate inhibitors but is not effective at generating long-term eradication in all patients. Thus, we developed an immunotherapy to more effectively eliminate FVIII-specific B cells to induce lasting eradication of inhibitors.
 Adoptive T cell immunotherapies using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells (CARTs) are showing encouraging results in the treatment of cancer. We previously reported a proof-of-concept CART approach to eliminate autoantibodies to desmoglein-3, implicated in pemphigus vulgaris, by targeting non-malignant B cells. Here, using a similar strategy, we constructed two FVIII-based CARs using isolated FVIII A2 and C2 domains, which are commonly targeted by inhibitors
 Both FVIII fragments were used as the CAR extracellular domain followed by CD8a-derived hinge and transmembrane domains and intracellular signaling domains derived from 4-1BB and CD3z (BBz), as has been used in a recently FDA-approved CD19-targeted CAR (CART19) that have shown efficacy in patients. A2- and C2-CARs were introduced into primary human T cells using lentivirus vectors and were found to express on the cell surface. Primary expansion following anti-CD3/CD28 activation and lentivirus transduction yielded comparable population doublings of CART19 and A2-CARTs over 9-11 days (mean, 4.3 vs. 3.7; p=0.16). However, C2-CARTs consistently achieved fewer doublings compared to CART19 (mean 4.3 vs. 2.6; p=0.01). Additionally, C2-CARTs maintained larger cell volumes following initial activation compared to A2 and CART19, reminiscent of other CARs that demonstrate a high-level of ligand-independent basal activation. Consistent with hyper-activation and activation-induced cell death, flow cytometric analysis of C2-CART cultures showed prolonged expression of CD69, increased levels of cell death, and gradual loss of CAR+ cells compared to A2 and CART19 cultures. The FVIII C2 domain contains hydrophobic surfaces involved in binding to phospholipid membranes and von Willebrand Factor. We hypothesized that these hydrophobic regions may cause unfavorable interactions that result in CAR clustering and, in-turn, ligand-independent signaling. However, since these regions are also targeted by FVIII inhibitors, mutation of hydrophobic residues to improve CAR function would likely result in loss of binding to intended targets. Thus, we tested two independent strategies to improve function of C2-CARTs, both of which maintain native FVIII domain sequences. First, to block unfavorable interactions with C2 hydrophobic surfaces, we tested whether addition of C2 domain specific antibodies to the CART culture would improve expansion. Indeed, addition of anti-C2 antibodies improved C2-CART expansion by approximately one population doubling and reduced both cell volume and CD69 expression in C2-CARTs. As an alternate and perhaps more easily translatable approach, we replaced the BBz CAR signaling domain with a killer immunoglobulin receptor (KIR)-based multi-chain signaling system, which we previously utilized to improve function of a mesothelin-targeted CAR. KIR-based signaling effectively "rescued" the C2 CAR, and showed an expansion and activation profile comparable to CART19. Lastly, KIR-based FVIII CARs, demonstrated specific lysis of and cytokine response to target cells engineered to express surface anti-FVIII, even in the presence of soluble inhibitors.
 These data indicate that unfavorable interactions may be ameliorated directly by blocking agents or, indirectly, by altering intracellular signal transduction domains. These strategies have allowed us to construct optimized FVIII-based CARTs to target FVIII-specific B cells that are responsible for producing FVIII inhibitors in patients with HA.

 Doshi: Bayer Hemophilia Awards Program: Research Funding. Milone:Novartis: Patents & Royalties.


The vibrational relaxation times for F$sub 2$ in Ar and He and for H$sub 2$ and D$sub 2$ in He are calculated and compared with the data from shock tube experiments. The near-adiabatic approximation developed previously was employed to calculate the relaxation times. A comparison of these results with those from the SSH theory, which contain a ''static'' approximation, shows the current theory to be as accurate or more accurate than the SSH theory except for the systems dominated by impulsive collisions. Calculations treating transitions in addition to the 1 to 0 transition were also performed and discussed. (AIP)


Summary Background Surprisingly few delusional themes are known to recur in psychosis. However, cultural variables determine specific contents within the delusions. The terms "Truman syndrome" and "Truman Show delusion" have been used to describe a novel content emerging in Western civilization. We describe the first case outside of English-speaking countries that appears to exemplify the transition from prodromal syndrome to a full-blown psychotic disorder. Case report A male patient came to our attention several years after the beginning of symptoms who had never received prior psychiatric treatment. Initially suspicious and elusive, after partial response to antipsychotic treatment, he began to reveal a complex delusional system within which his life was captured by hidden cameras for a television show. Aside this general grandiose thematic, he believed his parents were not real but rather actors in a script like most of his relatives and friends. During acute symptomatic exacerbations he was convinced of being poisoned at home and led a withdrawn and isolated lifestyle. Although he never agreed with a formal diagnosis of schizophrenia and was rarely compliant to medication, he was able to doubt most of his delusions outside of the acute phase, and gave a detailed description of what can be viewed as the prodromal phase of his illness. The case is discussed with reference to currently available neurobiological and phenomenological explanations of the development of delusions.


Emerging smart infrastructures, such as Smart City, Smart Grid, Smart Health, and Smart Transportation, need smart wireless connectivity. However, the requirements of these smart infrastructures cannot be met with today's wireless networks. A new wireless infrastructure is needed to meet unprecedented needs in terms of agility, reliability, security, scalability, and partnerships.
We are at the beginning of a revolution in how we live with technology, resulting from a convergence of machine learning (ML), the Internet-of-Things (IoT), and robotics. A smart infrastructure monitors and processes a vast amount of data, collected from a dense and wide distribution of heterogeneous sensors (e.g., the IoT), as well as from web applications like social media. In real time, using machine learning, patterns and relationships in the data over space, time, and application can be detected and predictions can be made; on the basis of these, resources can be managed, decisions can be made, and devices can be actuated to optimize metrics, such as cost, health, safety, and convenience.


Cellulitis is a clinical condition which is characterised by reddishness, soreness, localized pain, erythema, swelling and formation of abscess in the leg, pyrexia and an increase in the heartbeat. It is the infection of the sub-cutaneous tissue and dermal layer usually found complicating a wound or ulcer. It is considered an infectious disease as it causes morbidity and mortality. It is also called skin diseases, as the skin is involved and lacks sharp demarcation from uninvolved skin. Cellulitis spreads rapidly and is pyogenic in nature and is frequently associated with lymphangitis and fever. Streptococci (streptococci pyogenes) and staphylococcus aureus are the two species which causes cellulitis. Five types of cellulitis can be classified they are facial cellulitis, periorbital cellulitis, breast cellulitis, perianal cellulitis. Diagnosis of cellulitis is based on morphological features of the lesion and a CT scan is required for determining cellulitis. By the visual inspection, the cellulitis is spotted. The common risk factor for cellulitis is oedema. If the cellulitis patient has Diabetes Mellitus or injury in the skin or any inflammation in the liver, they are considered to be in a dangerous state. Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs are prescribed to decrease the clinical features. Clindamycin, Dicloxacillin are antibiotics that are administered to cure cellulitis. This review discusses the general information regarding cellulitis, its clinical indications, pathophysiology, microbiology and its treatment.


Purpose To investigate whether the elastic energy stored in an eyeball at highest concavity (highest concavity energy; HCE), calculated with Corivs ST (CST, OCULUS), correlates with glaucomatous visual field (VF) progression. Methods 108 eyes from 70 primary open angle-glaucoma patients were studied. The HCE was calculated using CST parameters. For each eye, the mean total deviation (mTD) of the 52 test points in the 24–2 Humphrey Field Analyzer test pattern was calculated and the mTD progression rate was determined from eight reliable VFs. Eyes were subdivided into: subgroups with low- or high-whole eye motion maximal length (WEM-d) and subgroups with short- or long-time taken to reach WEM-d (WEM-t), as measured with CST. The associations between mTD progression rate and HCE and other ocular/systemic parameters including age, Goldmann applanation tonometry based-intraocular pressure [GAT-IOP], and corneal hysteresis [CH] from the Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA®, Reichert) were investigated using the linear mixed model. The optimal model to describe mTD progression rate was selected from all possible combinations according to the second order bias corrected Akaike Information Criterion index. Results Optimal models to describe mTD progression rate included: CH in the model for all eyes, age and HCE in the model for the WEM-d low group, HCE in the model for the WEM-t short group, mean GAT-IOP in the model for the WEM-d high group, and age in the model for the WEM-t long-group. Conclusions HCE was associated with glaucomatous VF progression in eyes with minimal whole eye motion (low WEM-d and WEM-t subgroups).


The neurophysins are proteins that bind the posterior pituitary hormones within the neurosecretory vesicles of the vertebrate neurohypophysis. In the pig, immunofluorescence localization of porcine neurophysin II suggests that this protein is stored with [8-lysine]-vasopressin (LVP). Gel electrophoresis and immunodiffusion of neurohypophysial proteins from two other Suiformes species, the hippopotamus and warthog, hitherto thought to contain LVP, reveal that the warthog has a protein electrophoretically and immunologically identical with porcine neurophysin II, whereas the neurohypophysial proteins of the hippopotamus do not cross-react with a rabbit antiserum specific to this protein. The vasopressins of the hippopotamus and warthog have been recharacterized by gel filtration and by thinlayer chromatography in two solvent systems not hitherto used for this purpose. The presence of LVP in the warthog has been confirmed, but only [8-arginine]-vasopressin (AVP) was detected in the hippopotamus. This suggests that the hippopotamus possesses only AVP, or that the occurrence of LVP in this species is sufficiently rare to make it undetectable by the above techniques. The two species of the Family Suidae studied, i. e. the pig and the warthog, thus seem to be closely related to the structure of their vasopressins and neurophysins, whereas the hippopotamus (Family Hippopotamidae) is less closely related, and seems in this respect to be more similar to other Artiodactyls. This contrasts with the earlier identification of the hippopotamus vasopressin as LVP, which gave biochemical support for the inclusion of the Hippopotamidae within the Suiformes. The weight of the biochemical evidence now favours a contrary view.


Ninety seven male patients attending the Leprosy clinic of the Dermatology Out-patients' Department were studied for the detection of Australia antigen. There was a 20% antigen positivity in patients suffering from Lepromatous Leprosy and 5.7% in the cases with Tuberculoid Leprosy. SGPT level was found to be significant in patients with Lepromatous Leprosy having Australia antigen as compared to other groups.


There is a growing interest in deploying multimedia services in mobile cellular networks. Call admission control (CAC) is a key factor in quality of service (QoS) provisioning for these services. We propose a CAC which maximizes the revenue by determining the call admission decisions for each state. A semi-Markov decision process is employed to model the cellular system. Also, the QoS requirement such as the handoff dropping probability is taken into consideration. Simulations reveal that our CAC outperforms the upper limit CAC while satisfying the QoS requirements.


The purpose of this service is to provide information, knowledge and skills to prospective teacher students regarding the effectiveness of using Anates to validate test instruments as a support for the implementation of learning evaluation in schools. The implementation methodology is designed in the form of a simple offline training involving prospective teacher students as participants, especially final year students who are or have participated in PPL activities or are preparing their final assignments at the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training. Bringing in resource persons who are proficient in the field of learning evaluation is carried out for 1 (one) day by providing materials related to evaluating student learning outcomes and using Anates software in order to analyze test items. The results of the community service carried out were training on using Anatest software which had been carried out for prospective teacher students of the Economics Education Study Program at the Tarbiyah and Teacher Training Faculty of UIN Suska Riau, so of the 30 participants who took part in the training it was seen that 25 students or 83% were able to operate the anatest software correctly , while 5 students still need guidance in operating the anatest software because they are still wrong in operating the anatest software. As for the ability to analyze the items, of the 30 students who attended the training, 27 students or 90% were able to analyze the items correctly and 3 students still needed further guidance.


Carbon nanotubes with encapsulated Co nanospheres (Co@CNTs) were prepared via a simple approach that exhibits promising control over the morphology and size distribution. The individual CNTs interweave with each other and form a three-dimensional network structure. Test results indicate that the presence of polarized interfaces between the Co spheres and CNTs, as well as an excellent impedance match, leads to a superior performance in electromagnetic wave absorption. A maximum reflection loss of -70.8 dB at 6.24 GHz is obtained for a paraffin containing a 30 wt% Co@CNT inclusion. In addition, the effective absorption bandwidth (with a reflection loss below -10 dB) is 12.95-17.7 GHz at a thickness of 1.9 mm, covering most Ku bands. In particular, such Co@CNT structures demonstrate superior and sustainable electromagnetic wave-absorption properties even in contact with concentrated acid or base, owing to their specific encapsulated structure. These findings could provide new guidelines for the preparation and employment of promising microwave absorption materials that can work under harsh environments through a simple and feasible strategy.


This paper describes the design of a circular microstrip patch antenna for 5.8 GHz ISM band applications which is fed by a microstrip line and a two element antenna array of the same. The corporate feeding Method is used to design an array. The industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio bands are radio bands (portions of the radio spectrum) reserved internationally for the use of radio frequency (RF) energy for industrial, scientific and medical purposes other than communications. A suitable microstrip patch antenna (MSA) and 2×1 array should be operating in the ISM band radio frequency range and also should have satisfactory radiation property. In start, the paper presents the single element antenna structure and its simulation results and afterwards the two element array. All the simulated results obtained are presented succinctly. High frequencies structure simulation software is used to simulate and optimize the performance of the antenna array.


This paper discusses the influences of a misaligned layer, a resin-rich slightly thicker layer, and a small thermal gradient on the thermally-induced deformations of large curved composite panels during cooldown fiom their cure temperature. The deformations represent warpage of the panels due to anomalies that occur during layup, consolidation, and cure. Two-dimensional finite element analyses are used The deformations are categorized as to their impact on circumferential and twist warpage metrics. The results are intended to highlight the sensitivity of manufactured panel shape to the various unwanted effects that can occur during manufacturing.


An incompressible, dissipative numerical code of the spectral type is used to follow the nonlinear evolution of a magnetohydrodynamic sheet pinch in two spatial dimensions. The evolution involves considerable turbulent activity in the electric current field, with the excited spatial scales ranging from the size of the containing volume down to the dissipation lengths of the magnetic and velocity fields. Strong current filamentation near magnetic X-points is observed, as is lsquo;jetting', or expulsion of magnetofluid from the vicinity of the X-point parallel to the current sheet.


Industry′s claim to create wealth serves to legitimize the independence of its policies and actions. Yet such a creation process is delusory in an interdependent and indeterminate world grounded in quantum physics, ecology and chaos theory. Contemporary corporate annual reports are prepared from the perspective of discrete industrial entities driven by the dynamic of unlimited growth. Most pressures being applied to change these reports seek merely to complicate, by adding information, rather than to revise by removing organizational boundaries and restating core beliefs. Recent corporate environmental reports, for example, confuse and are of limited use to company analysts; they do little to aid the fundamental transition to sustainable industry. However, a conception of industry as a wealth appropriator within the ecosphere can help, and this understanding gives rise to a new direction for accounting, auditing and environmental reporting. Examples of first steps taken by Denmark in this new direction ar...


I examine the ownership of Deutsche Bank between 1870 and 1930 by using shareholder lists of the general meetings from the archive in Berlin. I show that Deutsche Bank had more than 200 shareholders and was mainly widely held. The bank had no single dominant shareholder owning more than 25 percent of shares. However, attendance at general meetings was low and shareholders remained mostly anonymous. As a consequence, the general meetings of Deutsche Bank were dominated by banks and inside shareholders. Banks – holding shares predominantly as custodians of other investors – played an important role in affecting the outcome of the general meeting. JEL-Codes: G 1, G 2, G 3, G 30, G 32


The present work deals with the study of first three harmonics of cosmic ray intensity on geo-magnetically quiet days over the period 1981-1993 for Deep River and Inuvik neutron monitoring stations having mid and low cutoff rigidity. The amplitude of first harmonic remains high for Deep River having mid cutoff rigidity as compared to Inuvik neutron monitor having low cutoff rigidity on quiet days. The diurnal amplitude significantly decreases and phase shifts towards an earlier time during solar activity minimum years at both Deep River and Inuvik. The amplitude of second harmonic significantly enhanced during solar activity minimum as well as maximum at Deep River and remains low during solar activity maximum at Inuvik, whereas the phase shifts towards an earlier time during solar maximum for both the stations. The amplitude of the third harmonic significantly enhanced during solar activity minimum at Deep River and on solar activity minimum at Inuvik, whereas the phase does not show any significant characteristics and fluctuates quite frequently. The amplitude of semi/tri-diurnal anisotropy has a good positive correlation, while the others (i.e. amplitude and phase) have very weak correlation with solar wind velocity on quiet days at Deep River station during 1981-1993. The solar wind velocity significantly remains in the range 350 to 425 km/s i.e. being nearly average on quiet days. The amplitude and direction of the anisotropy on quiet days are weakly dependent on high-speed solar wind streams for two neutron monitoring station of mid and low cutoff rigidity threshold. The amplitude as well as direction of second harmonic has a good anti-correlation with IMF Bz and the product V x Bz on quiet days at Deep River station. However, the direction of second and third harmonic has a good anti-correlation with IMF Bz and the product V x Bz on quiet days at Inuvik station.


Background: Targeted intervention for subgroups is a promising approach for the management of patellofemoral pain. Hypothesis: Treatment designed according to subgroups will improve clinical outcomes in patients unresponsive to multimodal treatment. Study Design: Prospective crossover intervention. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: Patients with patellofemoral pain (PFP; n = 61; mean age, 27 ± 9 years) were enrolled. Patients with PFP received standard multimodal treatment 3 times a week for 6 weeks. Patients not responding to multimodal treatment were then classified into 1 of 3 subgroups (strong, weak and tight, and weak and pronated foot) using 6 simple clinical tests. They were subsequently administered 6 further weeks of targeted intervention, designed according to subgroup characteristics. Visual analog scale (VAS), perception of recovery scale (PRS), 5-Level European Quality 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D-5L), and self-reported version of the Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs scale (S-LANSS) were used to assess pain, knee function, and quality of life before and after the interventions. Results: In total, 34% (n = 21) of patients demonstrated recovery after multimodal treatment. However, over 70% (n = 29/40) of nonresponders demonstrated recovery after targeted treatment. The VAS, PRS, S-LANSS, and EQ-5D-5L scores improved significantly after targeted intervention compared with after multimodal treatment (P < 0.001). The VAS score at rest was significantly lower in the "weak and pronated foot" and the "weak and tight" subgroups (P = 0.011 and P = 0.008, respectively). Posttreatment pain intensity on activity was significantly lower in the "strong" subgroup (P = 0.006). Conclusion: Targeted treatment designed according to subgroup characteristics improves clinical outcomes in patients unresponsive to multimodal treatment. Clinical Relevance: Targeted intervention could be easily implemented after 6 simple clinical assessment tests to subgroup patients into 1 of 3 subgroups (strong, weak and tight, and weak and pronated foot). Targeted interventions applied according to the characteristics of these subgroups have more beneficial treatment effects than a current multimodal treatment program.


Biological control of mosquitoes can have unintended ecological consequences. One example is the introduction of the genus Gambusia Poey, 1854 into ponds and wetlands. Gambusia spp. are invasive in many parts of the world and have the potential to alter ecosystems by changing trophic interactions and extirpating amphibians. We sought to determine whether larval amphibians are capable of consuming larval mosquitoes as effectively as Gambusia spp. We tested the predation ability of larval Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum (Shaw, 1802); n = 13), Southern Leopard Frog (Rana sphenocephala Cope, 1886; n = 12) tadpoles, and western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis (Baird and Girard, 1853); n = 13) across a range of body sizes in laboratory experiments. Our results showed that over a 24 h period, salamander larvae (mean ± SE; 238 ± 14) and mosquitofish (195 ± 17) consumed a statistically equivalent number of mosquito larvae, whereas tadpoles consumed a large number (113 ± 14) but significantly less. All species had significant (or marginally significant) positive relationships between body size and rate of mosquito consumption. Further studies into the ability of native larval amphibians to consume mosquito larvae are needed to assess whether amphibians can be successful at mosquito control instead of introducing nonnative species to new areas.


The Caribbean region has the second highest prevalence of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world, with large differences in prevalence between countries. The Caribbean faces many barriers to reaching the UNAIDS "90-90-90: Treatment for All" goals. Identifying these gaps can improve HIV care services and contribute to the UNAIDS goal of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030. The objectives of this essay are to analyze the barriers to care at each step of the HIV care continuum in the Caribbean using the social ecological framework to guide the analysis of best practices and successful policies of other nations in achieving 90-90-90 targets and apply them to the context of the Caribbean. To achieve these objectives the author conducted an issue analysis supplemented by a literature review. The issue analysis focuses on identifying and analyzing standard policies and practices in the Caribbean that relate to HIV care and stigma in the region.
 Barriers to achieving the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets occur at policy, community, institutional, interpersonal, and individual levels. These barriers include polices that discriminate against sexual and gender minorities, widespread stigma, gender-based violence, different approaches to testing and linkage to care, and differences in accessibility of preventative measures. Policy change can be implemented in the Caribbean to include removal of discriminatory practices and addressing socioeconomic and structural barriers to HIV prevention, treatment and care to improve access and continuity of HIV care. Understanding barriers to each step of the HIV care continuum in any setting can identify gaps in services where improvements can be made to both reduce new HIV infections and eliminate this disease as a public health concern. Limitations include an overall lack of data and research about HIV in the Caribbean, qualitative data that relied on self-report measures, and inability to access certain data sources. All of these factors could have influenced the results of this analysis. The implications of this project will be to improve public health policy and practice in the Caribbean in areas related to HIV prevention, treatment, and care.


BACKGROUND
A mastoid cavity resulting from a canal wall down mastoidectomy can result in major morbidity for patients due to different open cavity problems. Mastoid obliteration with reconstruction of the bony external ear canal recreates the normal anatomy to avoid such morbidity.

METHODS
This retrospective observational study was conducted for 4 years (between 2008 - 2013) to determine if mastoid obliteration with bioactive glass (Bioglass®) following mastoidectomy overcomes the open cavity problems or not. Patients with cholesteatoma had subjected tomastoidectomy with primary or secondary mastoid obliteration, by using bioactive glass (Bioglass®),then our primary outcome measure.

RESULTS
Forty patients were interviewed. Forty of them were primary or secondary obliteration after canal wall down mastoidectomy of a primary cholesteatoma. The most frequent fate of obliteration or reconstruction of mastoid was Grade 1 (47.5%) then Grade 0 (30%). Postoperative hearing assessment showed that the average (mean) air conduction (0.5-4 KHz) was 31.1 dB and the average (mean) bone conduction (0.5-4 KHz) was 15.5 dB. The gain average in air conduction was 26 dB and in bone conduction it was 0.5 dB. Ear discharge was found in 36 patients (90%) preoperative and it was found only in 6 patients (15%) postoperative, in 4 patients (10%) cholesteatoma recidivism or recurrences was present.

CONCLUSION
This study shows that the bioactive glass (Bioglass®) is one of the beat materials used in mastoidectomy with obliteration of open mastoid cavity.


This article reviews the implications of traditional and novel anti-thrombotic medications in dentistry, focusing on areas relating to the prevalence of significant post procedure bleeding, measures that should be taken to minimize and manage bleeding; and current opinions regarding need for alteration of anti-thrombotic regimens prior to dental procedures in dentistry. Based on the current literature, discontinuation of anti-platelet medications, warfarin therapy, dabigatran and Factor Xa inhibitors is not needed in majority of in office dental procedures. However, it is important that treating clinician must use discretion based on the patient's risk profile (e.g. presence of comorbidities) and extensiveness of planned dental procedures to assess each patient's risk for significant bleeding.


Purpose. To compare near, intermediate, and distance vision and quality of vision, when refractive rotational multifocal intraocular lenses with 3.0 diopters or diffractive multifocal intraocular lenses with 2.5 diopters near addition are implanted. Methods. 41 eyes of 41 patients in whom rotational +3.0 diopters near addition IOLs were implanted and 30 eyes of 30 patients in whom diffractive +2.5 diopters near addition IOLs were implanted after cataract surgery were reviewed. Uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuity, intermediate visual acuity, near visual acuity, and patient satisfaction were evaluated 6 months later. Results. The corrected and uncorrected distance visual acuity were the same between both groups (p = 0.50 and p = 0.509, resp.). The uncorrected intermediate and corrected intermediate and near vision acuities were better in the +2.5 near vision added intraocular lens implanted group (p = 0.049, p = 0.005, and p = 0.001, resp.) and the uncorrected near vision acuity was better in the +3.0 near vision added intraocular lens implanted group (p = 0.001). The patient satisfactions of both groups were similar. Conclusion. The +2.5 diopters near addition could be a better choice in younger patients with more distance and intermediate visual requirements (driving, outdoor activities), whereas the + 3.0 diopters should be considered for patients with more near vision correction (reading).


In this paper, the impact mechanisms of a water droplet on hydrophobized micro-post array surfaces are examined and the influence of micro-post arrays spacing on the droplet behavior in terms of spreading, retraction, and rebounding is investigated. Impacting droplet behavior was recorded using a high-speed facility and flow generated in the droplet fluid was simulated in 3D geometry accommodating conditions of the experiments. Micro-post arrays were initially formed lithographically on silicon wafer surfaces and, later, replicated by polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The replicated micro-post arrays surfaces were hydrophobized through coating by functionalized nano-silica particles. Hydrophobized surfaces result in a contact angle of 153° ± 3° with a hysteresis of 3° ± 1°. The predictions of the temporal behavior of droplet wetting diameter during spreading agree with the experimental data. Increasing micro-post arrays spacing reduces the maximum spreading diameter on the surface; in this case, droplet fluid penetrated micro-posts spacing creates a pinning effect while lowering droplet kinetic energy during the spreading cycle. Flow circulation results inside the droplet fluid in the edge region of the droplet during the spreading period; however, opposing flow occurs from the outer region towards the droplet center during the retraction cycle. This creates a stagnation zone in the central region of the droplet, which extends towards the droplet surface onset of droplet rebounding. Impacting droplet mitigates dust from hydrophobized micro-post array surfaces, and increasing droplet Weber number increases the area of dust mitigated from micro-post arrays surfaces.


Commuting for work by rural women to urban areas is an important phenomenon in recent times. The commuters spend their daily life through three domains i.e. travelling, working and house environment. In these spheres they face different behaviour and experiences from the co-passengers, peer-groups, colleagues, family members and employers Gender-bias, inequalities and discriminations are commonly seen in these domains from the patriarchic society. Similarly the women commuter plays important role to the above stated domains for the betterment of their family as well as the society. The present paper is an endeavour of the authors to put focus on the rural women commuters' life and livelihoods. harassment, Social network, Sphere.


Manual preference and intermanual performance asymmetry have been approached from a multidimensional and dynamic perspective. A point of interest from that approach is the role of lateralized motor experiences on handedness. In this study, intermanual performance asymmetry in sport-specific movements and manual preference in daily living tasks were compared between Kung Fu athletes and novices. Analysis of movement time in the performance of interlaterally symmetric and asymmetric movement patterns showed smaller intermanual performance asymmetry in experts. Analysis of manual preference using the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory indicated that experts presented predominantly weak or moderate strength of right hand preference. Novices, conversely, were found to have predominantly strong right hand preference. These results suggest that extensive bimanual training by experts leads to a global shift of manual preference, affecting hand selection in distinct tasks.


A large giant magnetoresistance (GMR) value of 7.5% has been measured in simple NiFeCo(1)/Cu/NiFeCo(2) sandwich films grown on a 30 /spl Aring/ Cr seed layer. This spin-valve GMR effect is consistent with the differential switching of the two NiFeCo layers due to an enhanced coercivity of the NiFeCo(1) layer grown on the Cr seed layer. A change in growth texture of the NiFeCo(l) layer from fcc [111] to bcc [110] crystallographic orientation leads to an increase in magnetic anisotropy and an enhancement in coercivity. The GMR value increases to 8.7% when a thin CoFe interfacial enhancing layer is incorporated. Further enhancement in GMR values up to 14% is seen in the sandwich films by nano-oxide layer formation. The specular reflection at the oxide/magnetic layer interface further extends the mean free path of spin-polarized electrons.


Single photons are used as carriers for the experimental realization of 2-qubit states. One qubit is encoded in the photon's polarisation, the other one in its time of arrival or its spatial mode. It is therefore possible to prepare and analyse the desired states just with linear optical components. The preparation of a polarisation-time-entangled /spl Phi//sup +/-state is done with an asymmetric Mach-Zehnder-Interferometer (MZI) with polarising beamsplitters (PBS). With a subsequent polarisation rotation all eight basis states can be prepared.


Background: Healthcare professionals including psychiatry trainees experience high amounts of occupational stress. This pilot study aims to assess the impacts and feasibility of a mindfulness-based intervention program as an occupational intervention in a metropolitan hospital. Method: Psychiatry trainees participated in an mindfulness-based intervention training program consisting of 1-h weekly sessions over 8 weeks. Levels of psychological distress and mindfulness were measured pre and post-intervention. Qualitative data through an open-ended feedback survey were also collected. Results There was an improved level of mindfulness and a decreased level of burnout among trainees post-intervention. Advantages of the program included having a compassionate facilitator and the program being tailored to healthcare staff. Limiting factors included time restraints and clinical responsibilities. Conclusion: Psychiatry trainees can benefit from an occupational MBI program. This can positively impact their health as well as improve their work performance. A number of factors important for implementation of a mindfulness-based intervention program were also identified.


Background: Tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF) is one of the main pathological features of various progressive renal damages and chronic kidney diseases. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been verified with significant improvement in the therapy of fibrosis diseases, but the mechanism is still unclear. We attempted to explore the new mechanism and therapeutic target of MSCs against renal fibrosis based on renal proteomics.Methods: TIF model was induced by adenine gavage. Bone marrow derived MSCs was injected by tail vein after modeling. Fibrosis biomarkers or extracellular matrix proteins and histopathological change were assessed by Masson staining, Sirius red staining, immunohistochemistry, and western blot. Renal proteomics was analyzed using iTRAQ-based mass spectrometry.Results: MSCs treatment clearly decreased the expression of α-SMA, collagen type I, II, III, TGF-β1, p-Smad2/3, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNFα compared with model rats, while p38 MAPK increased. 6,213 proteins were identified, but only 40 proteins exhibited significant differences (30 upregulated, 10 downregulated) compared MSCs group with the model group. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that these proteins play important roles in the proliferation, inflammatory and immune responses, apoptosis, phagosome, etc. According to literatures and bioinformatics analysis, the most markedly downregulated protein, galectin3, was further assessed by quantitative PCR and western blot in renal tissues. Galectin3 levels were downregulated in adenine-induced renal tissues and TGF-β1 induced tubular epithelial cells and interstitial fibroblasts in consistent with iTRAQ after MSCs treatment.Conclusion: The founds suggest that galectin3 maybe involves in the antifibrotic mechanisms of MSCs therapy for tubulointerstitial fibrosis as well as a possible therapeutic target.


Meta-learning aims to develop algorithms that can learn from other learning algorithms to adapt to new and changing environments. This requires a model of how other learning algorithms operate and perform in different contexts, which is similar to representing and reasoning about mental states in the theory of mind. Furthermore, the problem of uncertainty in the predictions of conventional deep neural networks highlights the partial predictability of the world, requiring the representation of multiple predictions simultaneously. This is facilitated by coordination among neural modules, where different modules' beliefs and desires are attributed to others. The neural coordination among modular and decentralized neural networks is a fundamental prerequisite for building autonomous intelligence machines that can interact flexibly and adaptively. In this work, several pieces of evidence demonstrate a new avenue for tackling the problems above, termed Meta Neural Coordination. We discuss the potential advancements required to build biologically-inspired machine intelligence, drawing from both machine learning and cognitive science communities.


The practice of physical activity during pregnancy plays an important role related to improvement how women perceive their health status. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived quality of life during pregnancy and the practice of physical activity during leisure time. It is a cross-sectional study of 187 postpartum women. A retrospective questionnaire was administered to obtain information regarding pregnancy, being evaluated the pattern of physical activity and health status. To evaluate the aspects related to quality of life we used the SF-12 questionnaire. The statistical analysis were t-test, chi-square and multiple linear regression analysis. From the results it was observed that mothers who were active during pregnancy considered their good or excellent health compared do non active (p=0.005, 35.9% and 15.5% respectively). Active women had higher mental component when compared to those who did not practice (p=0.035). There was a relationship between mental component with the private health service, income, education level, disease and presence of a partner. The physical component was related to maternal age, low birth weight, obesity, and smoking during pregnancy. Despite univariate analysis showed a positive association between physical activity during leisure time and the mental component of quality of life related to health, this association lost significance when included age and care health sectors. Longitudinal studies should be developed to measure effects of physical activity in quality of life.


Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a public health menace responsible for millions of fatalities and disabilities. Numerous drugs available provide symptomatic relief but cannot stop the progress of secondary injury; thus, it is required to discover newer therapeutic agents that protect neuronal damage after trauma, predominantly in secondary injury. Thus the present study was designed to study the pharmacological potential of zonisamide and Nigella sativa (NS) per se and in combination, using high‐impact trauma device (HIT)‐induced TBI model in Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies). Oregon R+ strains of fruit flies were pre‐treated, 24 h before TBI, with different concentrations of zonisamide, NS, and their combination. The mortality rate was observed at 0 h, 6 h, and 24 h, followed by measurement of locomotor activity using climbing assay after 6 h and 24 h of TBI. Furthermore, the level of AChE and various neurotransmitters were measured along with different oxidative stress parameters at 24 h after the injury. Administration of zonisamide and NS significantly reduced mortality rate and improved locomotor activity. Both zonisamide and NS elevate levels of AChE, GABA, serotonin, and dopamine level in fruit flies, along with a significant reduction in glutamate levels. Moreover, a concentration‐dependent elevation in SOD, GSH, and catalase level and a decrease in MDA and nitrite levels were observed. Co‐administration of zonisamide and NS showed tremendous neuroprotective potential by lowering behavior impairments, oxidative damages, and restoring altered neurotransmitter levels in fruit flies compared with individual administration and thus can employ as a better therapeutic medicine for the treatment of TBI.


The relationship between disease and yield is most often summarized as a simple empirical model that describes average crop performances is the presence of a pathogen. Such models may be robust and useful for surveys but their use is usually constrained to the specific conditions under which the modal was developed. Changes in production system usually invalidate the relationship. The alternative is to base the relationship on an epidemiological analysis of the pathogen population and a physiological concept of host growth and development. This review provides the knowledge and conceptual basis and discusses the limitations to progress in the development of such models. It is shown that a host-based assessment of disease is well suited to yield investigations and to multiple pest constraints, and that disease is logically related to yield via radiation interceptions and radiation use efficiency.


Very large-scale integrated circuit design, based on today's CMOS technologies, are facing various challenges. Shrinking transistor dimensions, reduction in threshold voltage, and lowering power supply voltage, cause new concerns such as high leakage current, and increase in radiation sensitivity. As a solution for such design challenges, hybrid MTJ/CMOS based design can resolve the issue of leakage power and bring the advantage of nonvolatility. However, radiation-induced soft error is still an issue in such new designs as they need peripheral CMOS components. As a result, these magnetic-based circuits are still susceptive to radiation effects. This paper proposes a radiation hardened and low power magnetic full-adder (MFA) for advanced microprocessors. Comparing with the previous work, the proposed MFA is capable of tolerating any particle strike regardless of the induced charge. Besides, our MFA circuit offers a lower energy consumption in write operation as compared with previous counterparts. We also suggest an incremental modification to the proposed MFA circuit to give it the advantage of full nonvolatility for future nonvolatile microprocessors.


Using cell dynamics system simulation, we provide a simple way to form differently ordered patterns in a photosensitive, immiscible ABC ternary blend. The first pattern is established by irradiating the sample through a mask, which serves to pin the non-photoactivity C regions and thereby promotes the self-assembly of A and B into ordered domains. When the mask is removed, the photoactivity of the AB blend leads to different periodic patterns. Thus, the use of one mask permits the creation of multiple ordered morphologies, which can be stable for a long time by quenching the system at the appropriate time or choosing a suitable composition ratio and mask shape. Furthermore, the influence on the morphology of the composition ratio, the shape of the mask, and the illumination intensity are studied systematically.


The idea of inspection of the abdominal and other cavities in humans is not and invention recent years but dates back to the early 20th century. However, technical limitations prevented the widespread use of the technique. Along with technical progress laparoscopy became a tool of increasing popularity, but its use was mainly limited to diagnostic inspection of the abdomen for gynaecological and gastroenterological indications. The breakthrough of laparoscopic surgery was the development of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which within few years was established as the golden standard approach. In these early days, laparoscopy was still far away from being standard of care in the field of urology. In 1989, the first cases of laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy in prostate cancer patients have been performed and published be Schuessler et al (Schuessler et al., 1991). In the early 1990s, some centres advocated laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy prior to radical prostatectomy or radiotherapy for prostate cancer, since treatment with curative intent was indicated only in cases with histologically negative nodes. Meanwhile along with the development of laparoscopic and robot-assisted prostatectomy, pelvic lymph node dissection if indicated is usually performed together with radical prostatectomy in the same session. In 1990, the first laparoscopic varicocele repair has been performed, followed by the first laparoscopic nephrectomy performed and published by Clayman and co-workers in 1991 (Clayman et al., 1991). In the pioneer times of laparoscopy, varicocele repair was one of the most frequently used indications to establish this novel technique. However, this indication has been widely abandoned due to more restrictive indications with regard to surgery in varicoceles in general (Diegidio et al., 2011). Moreover, a clear advantage of laparoscopy compared with the small incision of open surgery could not be demonstrated. Subsequently the laparoscopic approach became increasingly accepted by the urological community. Nephrectomy for primary benign and furthermore also for malignant diseases, via either transperitoneal or retroperitoneal approach, performed with or without morcellation, became more and more accepted. Hand-assisted laparoscopy was developed to facilitate surgery especially during the learning curve in these pioneer days. Indications for the laparoscopic approach were expanded towards cryptorchidism, adrenalectomy, nephroureterectomy, retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for testis cancer, renal cyst decortication, nephropexy, or lymphocele fenestration. Adrenalectomy for adrenal tumours has been developed in the early days of laparoscopy and has been established and maintained as golden standard approach in adrenal surgery