Using the traditional cuff based instruments to estimate the blood pressure (BP) values is inconvenient and difficult to have a continuous measurement. On the other hand, using the intelligent watch based instruments to perform the continuous BP estimation for monitoring the human health conditions is convenient and easy. This paper proposes a method for estimating the BP values continuously only using the photoplethysmogram (PPG). First, the PPGs are denoised by the discrete cosine transform (DCT). It is worth noting that the conventional DCT denoising approach only takes the low frequency DCT coefficients. On the other hand, this paper proposes a training based method for selecting the DCT AC coefficients. Here, the DCT AC coefficients refer to those nonDC DCT coefficients. Then, the features based on some specific points in the PPGs are extracted and the feature vectors are categriozed into two classes of the BP values using the random forest (RF) classifier. Third, for each class and each type of the BP values, three popular regressions including the support vector regression (SVR), the RF regression and the L1 norm criterion based linear regression are used to estimate the BP values. These three estimated BP values are fused together via an L2 norm based regression. It is worth noting that different classes and different types of the BP values are considered separately. Hence, each class and each type of the BP values can be estimated more accurately. Moreover, since the multi-model fusion is employed for combining these three regressions, the overall estimation results are more accurate. The computer numerical simulation results show that the average root mean squares errors (RMSEs) of the SBP and the DBP estimated by our proposed method are 9.12 and 8.19, respectively. In fact, our proposed multi-model fusion based BP estimation approach achieves a higher accuracy compared to the individual regressions.


In the diagnosis and follow-up of various hematologic and hepatic disorders, determinations of the fecal and urinary outputs of urobilinogen have often proved invaluable. In our own investigations this has been particularly true in the study of the hemolytic syndromes and in the differential diagnosis of hemolytic conditions from hepatic.1Although our study was at first largely confined to adults, the investigations which are the subject of this report have shown that these determinations are equally valuable in infancy and in childhood. Determinations of the bile pigments in the stools of infants and of children have only occasionally been performed. This is particularly true in the case of the fecal urobilinogen. Estimations of the bilirubin output have been more frequent, but the actual time of the disappearance of bilirubin from the newborn infant's stool has been but little studied. In most communications, little or no attention has been paid


While many studies have compared the technical efficiency of part-time and full-time farms, we add to the existing literature by extending this analysis to scale efficiency. Based on a sample of crop farms in Austria between 2010 and 2017, we find that part-time farms are more scale efficient when they are evaluated with respect to their production technology and the difference in scale efficiency between part-time and full-time farms increases over time. Although we do not find any significant difference in technical efficiency, full-time farms have a higher technological change. Furthermore, an analysis of the determinants of scale efficiency confirms that factors facilitating farm growth also increase scale efficiency.


Drawing primarily on the experience of the UK since 2001, this article examines the increasing prevalence of risk as an organizing concept for western defence and security planning and its implications for civil–military relations and strategy-making. It argues that there may be tensions between such approaches and the principles of good strategy-making, which aim to link means and resources to ends in a coherent manner. Not only does risk potentially blur the relationship between means and ends in the strategy-making process, it also exposes it to contestation, with multiple interpretations of what the risks actually are and the strategic priority (and commitment) which should be attached to them. The article examines these tensions at three levels of risk contestation for British defence: institutions, operations and military–society relations. In the case of the UK, it contends that the logic of risk has not been able to provide the same national motivation and sense of strategic purpose as the logic of threat. In this context, calls for a reinvigoration of traditional strategy-making or a renewed conception of national interest may be missing a more fundamental dissonance between defence policy, civil–military relations and the wider security context. More widely, the strategic ennui that some western states have been accused of may not simply be a product of somehow falling out of the habit of strategy-making or an absence of 'political will'. Instead, it may reflect deeper social and geostrategic trends which constrain and complicate the use of military force and obscure its utility in the public imagination.


The internal thoracic artery (ITA) arises from the subclavian artery and terminates as the musculophrenic and inferior epigastric arteries. During routine cadaveric dissection, an aberrant left ITA was discovered. A medial and a lateral branch of the ITA branched directly off the subclavian artery as opposed to bifurcating at the 6th or 7th intercostal space. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of this particular ITA variation arising from the third part of the subclavian artery. Additionally, such a variant might also be considered a high bifurcation of the ITA. Our report examines this variation and its potential implications for coronary artery bypass grafts where the ITA is commonly used.


Abstract This paper explores the term λeυστήρ applied to Kleisthenes of Sikyon by the Pythia in Hdt. 5.67.2, first by exploring the poetics of stoning and pollution in Ancient Greece, then by arguing for the validity of both the more predictable meaning, 'stoner', and the Suda's sometimes contested gloss on the word, 'worthy of being stoned'. While the argument has been suggested before, sufficient linguistic evidence for understanding λeυστήρ in this sense has not been presented in the past. The paper provides more conclusive evidence and also suggests that recent applications of the φαρµακός paradigm are inaccurate.


We present new Spitzer Space Telescope observations of the region NGC 2467, and use these observations to determine how the environment of an H ii region affects the process of star formation. Our observations comprise IRAC (3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 μm) and MIPS (24 μm) maps of the region, covering approximately 400 arcmin2. The images show a region of ionized gas pushing out into the surrounding molecular cloud, powered by an O6V star and two clusters of massive stars in the region. We have identified as candidate young stellar objects (YSOs) 45 sources in NGC 2467 with infrared excesses in at least two mid-infrared colors. We have constructed color–color diagrams of these sources and have quantified their spatial distribution within the region. We find that the YSOs are not randomly distributed in NGC 2467; rather, over 75% of the sources are distributed at the edge of the H ii region, along ionization fronts driven by the nearby massive stars. The high fraction of YSOs in NGC 2467 that are found in proximity to gas that has been compressed by ionization fronts supports the hypothesis that a significant fraction of the star formation in NGC 2467 is triggered by the massive stars and the expansion of the H ii region. At the current rate of star formation, we estimate at least 25%–50% of the total population of YSOs formed by this process.


Independent component analysis (ICA) is one of the most preferred methods for removing motion artifacts from functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data. In this method, fNIRS signal is separated into some components by ICA. The component which has high correlation between fNIRS signal and motion artifact is determined. This component is removed and fNIRS signal without motion artifact effect is derived. However, because of the influence of blood flow, fNIRS data are often delayed in time compared with the acceleration sensor data. Therefore, the correlation is reduced, and it is difficult to determine whether the component has been derived from the motion artifact. We here propose a method for removing the motion artifact using ICA, which considers the time delay in the fNIRS data. In this proposed method, ICA is performed multiple times, shifting the start time of the fNIRS data with each repeat. Then, only the best correlated result is adopted for comparison with the acceleration sensor data. To examine the effectiveness of this method, its results were compared with the results obtained without considering the time delay. It was found that the proposed method improved that accuracy of removing the motion artifact.


Rescue actions of volunteer firefighters during rescue operations organised and managed by State FirefightersThere are several kinds of entities responsible for fire protection strictly related to public safety of the Republic of Poland: public administration organs and specialised units. Furthermore, fire protection is provided by non-government organisations and citizens themselves. The latter associate as, for example, members of volunteer firefighters who gather deliberately to take civil responsibility  for both individual and local safety risked by fire and other dangers. The aim of this paper is to present the legal aspects of volunteer firefighters rescue actions and to indicate their position and significance in operations organised and managed by State Firefighters to provide fire protection of the Republic of Poland.


Background: Conventional IVF and ICSI are two common techniques to achieve fertilization. IVF has long been used for treatment of infertility, although it is not an effective treatment in severe male infertility. The use of ICSI has been expanded in severe male factor and fertilization failure after IVF cycle. In spite of the widespread use of ICSI in patients with non-male factor infertility, there is still little evidence to confirm its effectiveness in this population. Objective: To evaluate assisted reproductive technology outcomes between IVF and ICSI cycles in non-male factor, normoresponder patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 220 non-male factors, normoresponder patients who were indicated for ART were enrolled in this study. The patients received standard long GnRH agonist or GnRH antagonist protocols for ovarian stimulation and after oocytes retrieval, the patients were divided into two groups (IVF and ICSI groups). In IVF group (n=112), all of retrieved oocytes were treated by conventional IVF and in ICSI group (n=88), microinjection (ICSI) was done on all of retrieved oocytes. Results: In IVF group, fertilization and implantation rates were significantly higher than ICSI group (66.22% and 16.67% in IVF group versus 57.46% and 11.17% in ICSI group, respectively). Chemical and clinical pregnancy rates were statistically higher in IVF group as compared with the ICSI group (42.9% vs. 27.3% and 35.7% vs. 21.5%, respectively). Conclusion: According to our study, the routine use of ICSI is not improved fertilization, implantation and chemical pregnancy rates and is not recommended in non-male factor, normozoospermic patients.


The intestinal mucosa is continuously inundated with foreign antigens. Therefore, immune cells need to be tightly regulated to maintain tolerance against harmless dietary antigens and microbiota while responding to pathogens. Intestinal dendritic cells (DCs) play an integral role in regulating immunity and tolerance because of their unique position at the interface of innate and adaptive immunity. Multiple populations of intestinal DCs have been reported based on the expression of CD103, CD11b, and CX3CR1. However, the mechanism by which different DC subsets regulate intestinal homeostasis is still unclear. Heat shock protein gp96 is an essential chaperone for most TLRs, integrins, and other proteins important for DC functions. However, the role of DC-intrinsic gp96 in regulating gut tolerance has not been studied. By a genetic strategy, we discovered that selective deletion of gp96 from CD11c+ cells in mice results in alteration of DC and T cell subsets in the gut as well as the loss of antigen-specific regulatory T cell (Treg) induction. Strikingly DC-specific gp96 knockout mice develop spontaneous colitis by 24 weeks of age. Furthermore, differentiation of murine bone marrow-derived DCs revealed that gp96 depletion selectively decreased cell maturation in response to FLT3L compared to CSF2. Also, gp96 depletion reduced DC migration and cross-presentation. Taken together, our results demonstrated that gp96 depletion from CD11c+ cells selectively inhibits tolerogenic DCs in the gut leading to decreased Treg cells, which indicates that DC-intrinsic gp96 plays essential roles in maintaining gut tolerance.


This study aims to determine the physical quality characteristics of pure and impure honey bee Trigona. The material used in this research is pure honey and impure honey. This study consisted of 2 treatments with five replications where X1 (pure honey) and X2 (unpure honey). Parameters observed included soluble test, heating test, hexagon test, and ant test. Data analysis using t-test. Based on the results of the analysis of variance, it shows that each soluble test is X1 = 1.6 and X2 = 3.8, the heating test is X1 = 4.6 and X2 = 2.4, the hexagon test is X1 = 2 and X2 = 1, 8, the ant test is X1 = 3.2 and X2 = 4.2. The study results can be concluded that the effectiveness of the honey purity test using several simple methods that most meet the requirements are the soluble test method, the heating test method, and the ant test. In contrast, the hexagon test does not give a response at all.


Summary.  Efficient probabilistic forecasts of integer‐valued random variables are derived. The optimality is achieved by estimating the forecast distribution non‐parametrically over a given broad model class and proving asymptotic (non‐parametric) efficiency in that setting. The method is developed within the context of the integer auto‐regressive class of models, which is a suitable class for any count data that can be interpreted as a queue, stock, birth‐and‐death process or branching process. The theoretical proofs of asymptotic efficiency are supplemented by simulation results that demonstrate the overall superiority of the non‐parametric estimator relative to a misspecified parametric alternative, in large but finite samples. The method is applied to counts of stock market iceberg orders. A subsampling method is used to assess sampling variation in the full estimated forecast distribution and a proof of its validity is given.


We study Schur-type upper triangular forms for elements, T, of von Neumann algebras equipped with faithful, normal, tracial states. These were introduced in a paper of Dykema, Sukochev and Zanin; they are based on Haagerup-Schultz projections. We investigate when the s.o.t.-quasinilpotent part of this decomposition of T is actually quasinilpotent. We prove implications involving decomposability and strong decomposability of T. We show this is related to norm convergence properties of the sequence |T^n|^{1/n} which, by a result of Haagerup and Schultz, is known to converge in strong operator topology. We introduce a Borel decomposability, which is a property appropriate for elements of finite von Neumann algebras, and show that the circular operator is Borel decomposable. We also prove the existence of a thin-spectrum s.o.t.-quasinilpotent operator in the hyperfinite II_1-factor.


The versatile utilization of nanotechnology in a variety of products used in different spheres of daily life has made it quite popular. This is attributed due to the enhanced surface related properties of the nanoparticles. But these enhanced properties also make nanoparticles, biologically more active leading to unexpected and unanticipated consequences on interaction with biological systems which may be deleterious to the living organisms. There may be different kinds of pathological conditions arising due to the exposure of nanoparticles, depending on their type, size and route of exposure. Consequently for the risk assessment there is a need for safety evaluation procedure which should be based on various hazardous aspects. The safety evaluation and toxicological assessment of nanoparticles can be further improved by collaboration between the research groups working on similar aspects of nanotechnology, establishment of guidelines along with the standard protocols for developing uniformity in experimental approaches related to nanotoxicology studies, which will help in the development of safer nanoproducts for the benefits of mankind. Thus, safety issues need to be impressed upon the industries and regulators simultaneously, to reduce the lag phase for the development of sustainable nanotechnology.

 Keywords: Agglomeration, characterization, inflammation, nanotoxicology, nanoparticles, nanoencapsulation, reactive oxygen species.


Oscillatory critical amplitudes have been repeatedly observed in hierarchical models and, in the cases that have been taken into consideration, these oscillations are so small to be hardly detectable. Hierarchical models are tightly related to iteration of maps and, in fact, very similar phenomena have been repeatedly reported in many fields of mathematics, like combinatorial evaluations and discrete branching processes. It is precisely in the context of branching processes with bounded off-spring that T. Harris, in 1948, first set forth the possibility that the logarithm of the moment generating function of the rescaled population size, in the super-critical regime, does not grow near infinity as a power, but it has an oscillatory prefactor. These oscillations have been observed numerically only much later and, while the origin is clearly tied to the discrete character of the iteration, the amplitude size is not so well understood. The purpose of this note is to reconsider the issue for hierarchical models and in what is arguably the most elementary setting – the pinning model – that actually just boils down to iteration of polynomial maps (and, notably, quadratic maps). In this note we show that the oscillatory critical amplitude for pinning models and the oscillating pre factor connected to the Harris random variable coincide. Moreover we make explicit the link between these oscillatory functions and the geometry of the Julia set of the map, making thus rigorous and quantitative some ideas set forth in [10]. 2010 Mathematics Subject Classification: 82B27, 60J80, 37F10


We study a spin-1/2 SU(2) model on the honeycomb lattice with nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetic exchange J that favors Néel order and competing six-spin interactions Q that favor a valence-bond-solid (VBS) state in which the bond energies order at the "columnar" wave vector K=(2π/3,-2π/3). We present quantum Monte Carlo evidence for a direct continuous quantum phase transition between Néel and VBS states, with exponents and logarithmic violations of scaling consistent with those at analogous deconfined critical points on the square lattice. Although this strongly suggests a description in terms of deconfined criticality, the measured threefold anisotropy of the phase of the VBS order parameter shows unusual near-marginal behavior at the critical point.


The southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann) is one of pine's most destructive insect enemies in the Southern United States, Mexico, and Central America. Because populations build rapidly to outbreak proportions and large numbers of trees are killed, this insect generates considerable concern among managers of southern pine forests. The beetle occurs from Pennsylvania to Texas and from New Mexico and Arizona to Honduras (fig. 1). Periodic outbreaks commonly recur in fairly well-defined areas. During one outbreak in the Southern States in 1973-77, the southern pine beetle killed the equivalent of about 4.5 billion board feet of pine timber. Average annual tree mortality may exceed the equivalent of 100 million board feet of sawtimber and 20 million cubic feet of growing stock.


Ultrasound has been widely used in medical diagnostic and therapeutic. This is due to the safety, easiness and cost of this modality application. The existing ultrasound machine is able to visualize the human tissue as acoustic function in 4-dimension. This enables the fetus movement analysis during third trimester pregnancy. However, the dependency of operator causes difficulties to obtain the standard diagnostic image. Manual ultrasound marker measurements are easily prone to human error. The in-homogeneity of human tissue causes the noise of ultrasound image. In cases of low end ultrasound machine application, the images qualities are getting worse due to speckle noise. This book, therefore, provides the basic physics of ultrasound medical imaging. Image processing techniques covered from data acquisition, pre-processing, speckle noise reduction and segmentation are introduced. Several clinical applications of ultrasound image processing are described using Matlab programming implementation. This should be especially useful for students, lecturers or professional researchers in biomedical and image processing fields.


Hepatic carcinoma revealed by Budd Chiari syndrome in an eighty-four-year-old female patient is reported. With reference to this observation and to the twenty-two other cases previously reported in the medical literature, the specific pathological and clinical features of Budd Chiari syndrome caused by primary carcinoma of the liver are reviewed. Histological features of the liver tumour are discussed.


Dispersions of silica spheres (aerosil) in octylcyanobiphenyl (8CB) liquid crystal were investigated with deuteron NMR. For the lowest silica density dispersions, there is a field-induced liquid crystal alignment as the field anneals most elastic strains. Increasing the silica density, the molecular alignment is stabilized by the spheres and is retained after sample rotation in the field; in the process, a few silica strand links are broken by the field, which realigns some molecules. At higher densities, the aerosil dispersions are aerogel like and disordering effects are apparent.


The aim of the present work is to determine the optical absorption cross section for visible radiation of various types of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) having different dimensions through macroscopic optical measurements. This is achieved by dispersing MWCNTs in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and preparing composite films. Different percentages (0.0% to 1.5%) of each MWCNTs type were mixed into the PDMS matrix using high speed mechanical stirring (~1000 rpm) and ultrasonication (~37 kHz) to reach optimal dispersion. By using doctor blading technique, 100 µm thick uniform films were produced on glass. They were then thermally cured and detached from the glass to get flexible and self-standing films. Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) analysis of cryo-fractured composite samples was used to check the dispersion of MWCNTs in PDMS, while Raman spectroscopy and FTIR were employed to rule out possible structural changes of the polymer in the composite that would have altered its optical properties. Total and specular reflection and transmission spectra were measured for all films. The absorption coefficient, which represents the fractional absorption per unit length and is proportional to the concentration of absorbing sites (i.e., MWCNTs at photon energies upon which PDMS is non-absorbing), was extracted. For each MWCNTs type, the absorption cross section of an individual MWCNT was obtained from the slope of absorption coefficient versus MWCNTs number density curve. It was found to be related with MWCNT volume. This method can be applied to all other nanoparticles as far as they can be dispersed in a host transparent matrix.


As a locally resonant (LR) elastic system, a uniform Euler–Bernoulli beam suspended with force and moment resonators has complicated band-gap mechanisms and richer dispersive characteristics. In this paper, we consider the use of the force and moment resonators in a noncollocated manner. On the LR beam, the force-type vibrators and the moment-type vibrators are alternatingly arranged, with a separation distance. We present an analytical study of the dispersion characteristics of the LR system, especially the effects of the separation distance on further widening the frequency stop bands. In addition, the complex dispersion properties on the frequency axis are described using a formulation different from the common approach.


Herein, a systematic study of the morphology and local defect distribution in epitaxially laterally overgrown (ELO) AlN on c‐plane sapphire substrates with different off‐cut angles ranging from 0.08° to 0.23° is presented. Precise measurements of the off‐cut angle α, using a combination of optical alignment and X‐ray diffraction with an accuracy of ±5° for the off‐cut direction and ±0.015° for the off‐cut angle, are carried out. For ELO AlN growth, a transition from step flow growth at α < 0.14° with height undulations on the surface to step bunching with step heights up to 20 nm for α > 0.14° is observed. Furthermore, the terraces of the step‐bunched surface exhibit curved steps. An analysis of the local defect distribution by scanning transmission electron microscopy and a comparison with atomic force microscopy reveal a bunching of defects in line with the ELO pattern and a roughening of step edges in highly defective regions. In addition, a reduction in the threshold excitation power density for optically pumped ultraviolet‐C (UVC) lasers with smooth surface morphologies is observed.


There are two principal aims in this first manuscript, first, to compare five methods for calculating the marginal unit water cost of plant carbon gain (E/A) of leaves of two Australian tropical tree species, and second, to test the hypothesis that E/A of tropical tree leaves is constant when leaf-to-air vapour pressure difference (D) varies. Few differences in the absolute values of E/A or the form of the response were found between species. However differences did exist between methods of calculation. Importantly, E/A was rarely constant with changing D. Stomatal limitations of net photosynthesis caused by a reduction in internal carbon dioxide concentration as stomatal conductance declined caused E/A to increase when D was increased. Some methods are applicable to canopy scale field measurements whilst others could only be used in laboratory settings where sufficient control of the environment is possible. The best method of calculation of E/A varied according to the criteria used to judge best. However, overall, despite the large numbers of independent data sets required, Method 1 was judged best for calculating E/A for individual leaves as, although it relies on the largest number of independently derived relationships, it has the fewest assumptions. Methods 2 and 3 were applicable to the field when a number of simplifying assumptions were made.


The characterization of the kinematics and kinetics of anatomical joints is a central problem in biomechanics. Traditionally, the kinematics of the joint has been characterized using the helical axis of motion (HAM) and Euler angles. The estimation of these quantities from optical measurements of landmarks placed on the anatomical parts constituting the joint is difficult and often fraught with error.© 2009 ASME


Abstract. Marine oligochaetous clitellates are poorly investigated in the South Atlantic Ocean, especially along the east coast of South America. Closely related species are often difficult to distinguish based on morphology. The lack of specialists and modern identification guides have been pointed out as the main reasons for the scarcity of studies in the South Atlantic Ocean as a whole. To increase the knowledge of this group in the South Atlantic, the genetic diversity of a sample of marine oligochaetous clitellates from Brazil, South Africa and Antarctica was assessed by the Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD) and the generalised mixed Yule coalescent (GMYC) approaches. In total, 80 cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences were obtained, each with ∼658 bp, estimated to represent 32 distinct putative species. ABGD established a barcoding gap between 3% and 14% divergence for uncorrected p-distances and the estimates of GMYC were largely concordant. All the clusters or putative species were genetically associated with previously known species or genera. This study thus confirms the adequacy of the COI barcoding approach combined with a genetic divergence threshold at the order of 10% for marine oligochaetous clitellates.


Abstract: The Ready to Read series is an instructional reading series for young students provided free to schools by the New Zealand Ministry of Education. Established in 1963, the series was innovative in that it was based on the theory that students best learn to read by reading meaningful stories that are relevant to their lives. The vision of New Zealand materials for New Zealand students was of particular significance for young readers because in the 1960s there were almost no New Zealand picture books. The books that were available provided very much a Northern Hemisphere view of the world. The Ready to Read materials offered, for many children in the 1960s, their first opportunity to read about themselves. This article explores the portrayal of New Zealand children's "own worlds" within the 1963 Ready to Read series. It is part of a larger piece of research into the early years of the Ready to Read series (1963–1988) as New Zealand children's literature.


We report comparative study of ozone adsorption on pristine Single Walled Carbon Nanotube (SWCNT) (8, 0) and Silicon doped Single walled Carbon Nanotube (Si – SWCNT) by density functional theory calculations based on DeMol3 code. Importance is given to the effects of silicon doping in carbon nanotube for comparative study of adsorption of ozone. The results show that silicon doping keeps the semiconducting character of pure carbon nanotubes with reduction in band gap from 0.71 eV to 0.54 eV. The ozone gas molecule is physisorbed with binding energy 0.431eV and minute charge transfer of 0.013 e from pure carbon nanotube, consistent with the strong oxidizing nature of ozone. The binding energy and charge transfer indicate that the ozone adsorption on pure carbon nanotube is gentle and reversible. However, when ozone adsorbs on silicon doped carbon nanotube, a strong chemisorption occurs, leading to relevant structural relaxations and to the formation of a Si-O σ bond with binding energy 3.902 eV and charge transfer of 0.252 e. The band structure and density of states shows that the occupancy state in valence band near Fermi energy is completely altered due to ozone adsorption. The charge density analysis also shows formation of sigma bond between silicon and oxygen atoms. The charge density iso-surface shows the oxidation of silicon atom and dissociation of ozone molecule into silicon oxide and releasing of oxygen molecule.


We propose an efficient, hybrid Fourier-wavelet regularized deconvolution (ForWaRD) algorithm that performs noise regularization via scalar shrinkage in both the Fourier and wavelet domains. The Fourier shrinkage exploits the Fourier transform's economical representation of the colored noise inherent in deconvolution, whereas the wavelet shrinkage exploits the wavelet domain's economical representation of piecewise smooth signals and images. We derive the optimal balance between the amount of Fourier and wavelet regularization by optimizing an approximate mean-squared error (MSE) metric and find that signals with more economical wavelet representations require less Fourier shrinkage. ForWaRD is applicable to all ill-conditioned deconvolution problems, unlike the purely wavelet-based wavelet-vaguelette deconvolution (WVD); moreover, its estimate features minimal ringing, unlike the purely Fourier-based Wiener deconvolution. Even in problems for which the WVD was designed, we prove that ForWaRD's MSE decays with the optimal WVD rate as the number of samples increases. Further, we demonstrate that over a wide range of practical sample-lengths, ForWaRD improves on WVD's performance.


As an article published in the 2015 issue of the Communication Center Journal points out, "it would be useful to assess the different ways in which those [NACC Tutor Training Certification] guidelines might be implemented, and what variables should be considered in different contexts" (Turner, p. 5). The same article asks the question "how can we determine and improve the effectiveness of our training of tutors" (Turner, p.5). While not required, the National Association of Communication Centers (NACC) has a process in place to certify tutor training programs, but the application form is unclear in its definitions. This study aims to answer these and other questions so that it can be determined (1) if/how these best practices are implemented across the country and (2) evaluate if these best practices create a feeling of preparedness in tutors post-training. Two surveys were sent out, one to current/past tutors and one to directors asking them to reflect upon the training procedures at their respective universities. After data collection, it was found that the use of videos in training was the most strongly correlated to tutors' feelings of preparedness post training.


This study provides an account of my doctoral research with respect to the methodological choices that I have made. It focuses on the heuristic value of storytelling for English teachers within a postcolonial setting like Indonesia to construct meanings and understand their experiences 'consciously within and against accepted forms' (Miller, 1995, pp. 25-26). It inquires into the finding of ourselves - to understand who we are, who we have been and who we will become for the benefits of the young people in our care. First, I write and construct my autobiographical narrative and then solicit further stories from my teacher interviewees. Our stories allowed us to understand how our professional identities have been influenced and shaped by the social, political, cultural and historical contexts that surround our lives. Placing my study within a postcolonial framework, I was prompted to investigate the 'heteroglot' nature (Bakhtin, 1984) of Indonesia as a language community shaped by the history of colonization and the globalization of English. Our stories highlight our efforts to 'speak back' to not only our own habitual practices but also to the hierarchical structure of power perpetuated in English. They are not simply told in response to the 'imagined communities' of Indonesia as they shape the struggles of those who fought for independence from Dutch rule but are also in conflict with the New Order attempts to impose an 'official nationalism' (Anderson, 1991, p. 83) on Indonesians at the expense of any recognition of their regional languages, dialects and cultures. Key words /phrases :  storytelling, professional identities, English teachers, postcolonial framework, habitual practices,


ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to investigate the logic behind lay people's ideological position taking and how this is determined by class position. I therefore examine to what extent there exists a similarity between the configuration of the political field and the structure of the space of social classes. The paper includes a brief description of the two most salient political alignments today, namely the old economic alignment and the new cultural alignment, and an explanation of how this two-dimensional political structure pertains to the rise of the new middle class. Directly related to this, I also present a discussion on the importance of the ethical habitus to understand the mechanism behind class determined political position taking. Subsequently, based on survey data and using multiple correspondence analysis, I empirically reproduce this political structure for Flanders (Belgium). Finally, relying on the visualized regression technique, I demonstrate that there exists a clear structural similarity between the political field and the space of social classes, which is a strong indication that the class-engendered ethical habitus is, in fact, the underlying factor that gives structure to the variations in political attitudes.


Background and Aims To evaluate the association of self-reported race with major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and modification of this association by paraoxonase gene (PON1, PON2, and PON3) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Methods Included in this longitudinal study were 12,770 black or white participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort who completed a baseline visit (1987–1989) with PON genotyping. Demographic, behavioral, and health information was obtained at baseline. MACE was defined as first occurrence of myocardial infarction, stroke, or CHD-related death through 2004. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate the association between race and MACE after adjustment for age, gender, and other demographic and cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension. Modification of the association between PON SNPs and MACE was also assessed. Results Blacks comprised 24.6% of the ARIC cohort; overall, 14.0% of participants developed MACE. Compared with whites, blacks had 1.24 times greater hazard of MACE (OR = 1.24,95%CI = 1.10,1.39) than whites after adjusting for age, gender, BMI, cigarette and alcohol use, educational and marital status, and aspirin use. This association became nonsignificant after further adjustment for high cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension. None of the evaluated SNPs met the significance level (p < 0.001) after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Conclusions No association between race and MACE was identified after adjusting for high cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension, suggesting that comorbidities are major determinants of MACE; medical intervention with focus on lifestyle and health management could ameliorate the development of MACE. Further studies are needed to confirm this observation.


Background: Developing learning activities for interprofessional education (IPE) with a group of stakeholders often involves negotiation, collectivity, creativity, innovation, and unpredictable results. Theoretical approaches that can explain and support such emergent processes are needed. This case study explored the applicability of complexity science to explain the experiences of committee members as they developed learning experiences for an IPE placement in a non-acute care hospital. Methods and Findings: Data from a focus group with project steering committee members were re-analyzed through the lens of complexity science—specifically, three key principles of complex systems and five conditions for nurturing collective learning. Quotes were compared against each of these principles and conditions and, if there was a sufficient match, categorized accordingly into themes. These general themes were then sorted into clusters of sub-themes. Conclusions: Complexity science provides a useful framework for understanding the open-ended, unpredictable, and innovative IPE development process analyzed in this article. It also offers helpful practical guidelines for future learning activity and curriculum development.


Premise of the study: Viola elatior (Violaceae) is a Eurasian perennial plant species in which French populations are threatened by anthropogenic pressures. Microsatellite primers were developed to investigate its genetic structure and diversity. Methods and Results: Eight microsatellite markers were isolated using next-generation sequencing. Loci were amplified and screened for 138 individuals in 17 populations from France. Two of the eight polymorphic loci presented no variability across populations. The total number of alleles per locus varied from two to four. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.051 to 1.000. All primers amplified successfully in the closely related species V. pumila. Conclusions: This set of microsatellites offers a valuable tool for assessing population genetic diversity of the species to improve its conservation and base management efforts. High observed heterozygosity values probably reflect the particular mating system of the species and suggest an important tendency to clonality.


The amount of irrigation water can be calculated based on the irrigation schedule in irrigation manual. At present, the maximum irrigation manual, which was developed in 1999 for the maximum yield with maxmum irrigation, is using. Now the water saving irrigation manual for red pepper, without decrease of crop yield, has been developded in 45 areas of korea. Among 45 regions, 9 regions which were selected respectively from 9 Provinces of Korea, were used for this study. The water saving irrigation manual has been used easily without soil sampling and measurement of soil water status. The objective of this study is to assess the possibility of the saving of irrigation water compared to the maximum irrigation manual. The average potential evapo-transpiration (PET) during 30 years in 9 region for the red pepper cultivation was a 2.69 mm day -1 . The saving amount of irrigation water for red pepper cultivation by saving irrigation manual compared to the maximum irrigation manual in a year was 309.4 mm, 303.3 mm and 309.5 mm in the soil of Sandy Loam (SL), Loam (L) and Silty Loam (SiL), respectively. The average saving amount of irrigation water for red pepper cultivation by saving irrigation manual compared to the maximum irrigation manual in a year was 307.4 mm.


This article describes the development and psychometric properties of the Aggression Scale. The scale consists of 11 items designed to measure self-reported aggressive behaviors among middle school students (sixth, seventh, and eighth graders). The scale was evaluated in two independent samples of young adolescents (n = 253 and n = 8,695). Reliability scores were high in both samples, and did not vary significantly by gender, ethnicity, or grade level in school. Aggression scores also were stable in a 2-year follow-up study. Mean scores on the Aggression Scale were associated positively with teachers' independent rating of student aggression, other measures of aggression, and known predictors of aggression. The scale is brief, is easy to administer, and focuses on overt behaviors. Thus, the Aggression Scale could be a useful tool for program evaluation and for further research on violence prevention in schools.


Virtualization technology becomes a hot IT technology with the popu-larity of Cloud Computing. However, new security issues arise with it. Specifically, the resources sharing and data communication in virtual machines are most concerned. In this paper an access control model is proposed which combines the Chinese Wall and BLP model. BLP multi-level security model is introduced with corresponding improvement based on PCW (Prioritized Chinese Wall) security model. This model can be used to safely control the resources and event behaviors in virtual machines. Experimental results show its effectiveness and safety.


This study examines the associations of drinking patterns and problems to injury vs noninjury status among emergency room (ER) patients. Data come from two distinctly different health care systems in the same county: (1) the county hospital and three community hospitals (N = 2,626) and (2) the three health maintenance organization (HMO) hospitals (N = 1,102). Results indicate that alcohol's role in injury cases seen in the ER differs from its contribution to noninjury cases. Further, the demographic characteristics of ER populations--and the associated drinking patterns--also vary from site to site, and these also affect the contribution of alcohol to events requiring ER treatment. Both studies used similar methods and data collection instruments. Probability samples of patients were breath analyzed and interviewed regarding self-reported consumption (within 6 hours prior to the injury or illness), usual drinking patterns and alcohol-related problems. In both samples injured were more likely than noninjured to have positive breath-analyzer readings and to report heavy drinking, more frequent drunkenness, prior alcohol-related accidents and prior treatment for an alcohol-related problem, but were no more likely to report harmful consequences of drinking or alcohol dependence experiences during the last year. Both injured and noninjured in the county/community sample reported higher rates of heavy and problem drinking than their counterparts in the HMO sample, while those in the HMO sample reported rates for heavy and problem drinking similar to those found in the general population of the county.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


We report on high-resolution imaging and spectral observations of eruptions of a spiral structure in the transition region, which were taken with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The eruption coincided with the appearance of two series of jets, with velocities comparable to the Alfvén speeds in their footpoints. Several pieces of evidence of magnetic braiding in the eruption are revealed, including localized bright knots, multiple well-separated jet threads, transition region explosive events, and the fact that all three of these are falling into the same locations within the eruptive structures. Through analysis of the extrapolated 3D magnetic field in the region, we found that the eruptive spiral structure corresponded well to locations of twisted magnetic flux tubes with varying curl values along their lengths. The eruption occurred where strong parallel currents, high squashing factors, and large twist numbers were obtained. The electron number density of the eruptive structure is found to be ∼3 × 1012 cm−3, indicating that a significant amount of mass could be pumped into the corona by the jets. Following the eruption, the extrapolations revealed a set of seemingly relaxed loops, which were visible in the AIA 94 Å channel, indicating temperatures of around 6.3 MK. With these observations, we suggest that magnetic braiding could be part of the mechanisms explaining the formation of solar eruption and the mass and energy supplement to the corona.


Interpolation in the complex plane is employed to handle microwave network functions. This yields an approximating rational function over a specified bandwidth, and leads to a lumped-circuit approximation for the microwave structure, which is used as a basis for the synthesis of matching networks. In various problems involving dissipative devices, the poles of the rational approximating function may satisfy special conditions. In such cases the ideal lumped matching network has a simple realizable form, and may be transformed into a suitable microwave structure. Applications of this method and experimental results are given for the synthesis of a new type broad-band coaxial "chimney" attenuator.


Background፡Trachoma is the neglected eye problem and the primary cause of preventable corneal blindness. In endemic areas, an initial infection can occur in early childhood, and when there is recurrence, it progresses to scarring and blindness. In the past certain decades, trachoma eliminated from developed countries through enhancements of hygiene and sanitation under immense commitments of the governments but still a problem of developing countries. Studies and reports also indicated that the Amhara region had the highest prevalence of trachoma of the other regions in Ethiopia. Thus, the aim of this study was to asse{Birlie, 2016 #48}ss prevalence and risk factors of active trachoma among rural preschool children in Wadla district, Amhara region, north Wollo zone, northern Ethiopia. Methods: Although the sample size was 583, a total of 596 children were screened for signs of active trachoma because of the sampling procedure nature, cluster sampling technique. Wadla district was had 150 rural villages, which were similar in topography and socio-demographic status. Of these villages, 30 were selected randomly as sites of data collection. An interview on the socio-demographic status with heads of households was held by health informatics professionals. The interview questioners were prepared through reviewing the literature and pretested in Meket Woreda. Eye examination was performed by integrated Eye care workers who were trained for one month for the purpose of trachoma screening. They were also involved in two national trachoma surveys as trachoma sign graders for Carter center-Ethiopia. Results - The prevalence of active trachoma among rural pre-school children in Wadla district was 130 (21.8%). On logistic regression, poor economic status (AOR (95% CI), (3.8 (1.3-11.4), being in 37- 48 months old (AOR (95% CI), (4.2 (1.5-12.0), lived in thatched house roof (AOR (95%CI), (4.4 (1.4-13.6), presence of fly in nearby home (AOR (95% CI), 4.6 (2.1-9.9), once weekly face washing frequency (AOR (95% CI), 8.6 (2.5-29.3), unwashed child's face for longer than a week (AOR (95% CI), 10.6 (2.9-37.7), not using soap while washing children's hand (AOR (95% CI), 4.5 (1.8-11.3), and absence of latrine (AOR (95% CI), 5.1 (2.0-12.9) were had association with active trachoma


Particle nucleation in silane plasmas has attracted interest for the past decade, both due to the basic problems of plasma chemistry involved and the importance of silane plasmas for many applications. A better understanding of particle nucleation may facilitate the avoidance of undesirable particle contamination as well as enable the controlled production of nanoparticles for novel applications. While understanding of particle nucleation has significantly advanced over the past years, a number of questions have not been resolved. Among these is the delay of particle nucleation with an increasing gas temperature, which has been observed in experiments in argon–silane plasmas. We have developed a quasi-one-dimensional model to simulate particle nucleation and growth in silane containing plasmas. In this paper we present a comparative study of the various effects that have been proposed as explanations for the nucleation delay. Our results suggest that the temperature dependence of the Brownian diffusion coefficient is the most important effect, as diffusion affects both the loss rate and growth rate of particles.


Summary (With Christy Fleet) Gibberellins (GAs) were initially identified as fungal compounds that caused strange effects in infected plants, and were subsequently discovered to be endogenously-produced plant growth hormones. "Green revolution" genes that can produce semi-dwarf, high yielding plants have been identified as GA synthesis or response genes. Ongoing research into GA accumulation and response promises further increases in yields. Recently, the DELLA proteins, whose stability is GA-dependent, were shown to be critical integrators of environmental factors that control plant growth responses.


Silicon-based materials are considered as strong candidates to next-generation lithium ion battery anodes because of their ultrahigh specific capacities. However, the pulverization and delamination of electrochemical active materials originated from the huge volume expansion (>300%) of silicon during the lithiation process results in rapid capacity fade, especially in high mass loading electrodes. Here we demonstrate that direct chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of vertical graphene nanosheets on commercial SiO microparticles can provide a stable conducting network via interconnected vertical graphene encapsulation during lithiation, thus remarkably improving the cycling stability in high mass loading SiO anodes. The vertical graphene encapsulated SiO (d-SiO@vG) anode exhibits a high capacity of 1600 mA h/g and a retention up to 93% after 100 cycles at a high areal mass loading of 1.5 mg/cm2. Furthermore, 5 wt % d-SiO@vG as additives increased the energy density of traditional graphite/NCA 18650 cell by ∼15%. We believe that the results strongly imply the important role of CVD-grown vertical graphene encapsulation in promoting the commercial application of silicon-based anodes.


ABSTRACT Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is frequently associated with learning disabilities. The present study examined the written composition of children with ADHD, which depends to a large degree on continuous self-regulation and attentional control skills for organizing information and maintaining the level of effort. Fifty children with ADHD and 50 normally developing children, matched on age and IQ, were assessed using a composition writing task. The results contribute to prior research findings by showing that the children with ADHD performed significantly worse than the comparison groups on the majority of the planning, translation, and revision process measures usually employed to assess the quality of written compositions. Deficiencies in executive functioning or poor linguistic and metalinguistic competence could account for the results found. More research is needed to clarify the underlying causes of the written composition performance profile of children with ADHD.


A numerical method for thermal hydraulic phenomena in a hemispherical narrow gap flow passage was developed to evaluate a cooling capability with gap formation between the molten core and the reactor pressure vessel.The gap cooling mechanism was modeled as gas-liquid two-phase flow in the narrow gap with two-dimensional spherical coordinate system. The analytical model is based on a modified drift flux model for multi-dimensional two-phase flow analysis. Numerical results showed that liquid phase intrusion into the gap in the counter direction of gas phase upward flow kept down a rise of void fraction as gap cooling phenomena. Under the high heat flux condition,expansion of the high void fraction region due to the counter-current flow limitation was reproduced as a dryout phenomenon. Characteristics of gap cooling limitation predicted by the numerical analyses were verified by comparison with various experimental data and correlations of critical heat flux.Copyright © 2002 by ASME


Coarse comminution test-work and modeling are powerful tools in the design and optimization of mineral processing plants and provide information on energy consumption. Additional information on mineral liberation characteristics can be used for assessing the potential of pre-concentration stages or screens in the plant design. In ores of high-value metals (e.g., Ta, W), standard techniques—such as the mineralogical quantification of grain mounts by quantitative evaluation of minerals by scanning electron microscopy (QEMSCAN) or chemical analysis by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) can be challenging, due to the low relative abundance of such valuable minerals. The cost of QEMSCAN is also a limiting factor, especially considering the large number of samples required for the optimization of coarse comminution. In this study, we present an extended analytical protocol to a well-established mechanical test of interparticle breakage to improve the assessment of coarse mineral liberation characteristics. The liberation of ore minerals is a function of the rock texture and the difference in size and mechanical properties of the valuable minerals relative to gangue minerals and they may fraction in certain grain sizes if they behave differently during comminution. By analyzing the bulk-chemistry of the different grain size fractions produced after compressional testing, and by generating element by size diagrams, it is possible to understand the liberation characteristics of an ore. We show, based on a case study performed on a tantalum ore deposit, that element distribution can be used to study the influence of mechanical parameters on mineral liberation. This information can direct further mineralogical investigation and test work.


Introduction: Steroid induced dermatoses on face are one of the common presentations in Dermatological practice. Objectives: 1) Understand the clinical patterns of adverse effects of long term abuse of topical steroid on face and 2) Assess the factor which promotes its abuse. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive exploratory cross-sectional study carried out from December, 2013 through November, 2014. A total of 39 patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled into the study. All the study variables were recorded using preformed structured questionnaire and analyzed. Results: The following effects of steroid abuse on face were seen: pruritus (38.5%), burning (15.4%), eythema (74.4%), telangiectasias (66.7%), acneiform eruptions (59%), comedones (35.9%), xerosis (55.1%), photosensitivity (51.3%), rebound phenomenon (38.5%) and others (38.5%). Most of them used steroids on recommendation of their friends (38.5%) and pharmacists (20.5%). All of them used steroid for different dermatoses on their face. Limitations: This is a hospital-based small-scale study and might not be true picture of problem in the community. Conclusion: Long term use of steroid on face results in different clinical presentations. Most of the patients used steroid on recommendation of their friends facilitated by easy availability of the drug overthe -counter.


Growth Hormone (GH) is a single polypeptide chain synthesised and secreted from anterior pituitary gland by somatroph cells. The product of GH gene hastens metabolism and promotes the growth of many organs and tissues especially bone, muscle and visceral organs. It also regulates growth, mammary gland development and lactation. Polymorphism in this gene is associated with increase in growth and development of many tissues in the body.
Aim: The objective of this study was to investigate the polymorphism of bovine growth hormone (bGH) gene in buffalo bulls (Bubalus bubalis) using the PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism) technique.
Design: Genomic DNA was extracted from a total of 10 bulls, consisting of Murrah – Swamp crossbred and pure Swamp buffalo bulls. A The 446 segment of the bGH gene was amplified. The DNA amplicons were detected in 2% agarose gel following 45 minutes of electrophoresis. They were thereafter digesting with AluI endonuclease restriction enzyme, and the digested DNA were detected in 2% agarose gel following electrophoresis for about 45minutes in all samples
Results: Similar bands of approximately 300 and 146-bp each, with no variation, were detected in 2% agarose gel following electrophoresis in all the animals tested.
Conclusion: Based on the Alu1 digestion result, all samples produced the same allele of the gene, with no polymorphism detected.


Learning sciences needs quantitative methods for comparing alternative theories of what students are learning. This study investigated the accuracy of a learning map and its utility to predict student responses. Our data included a learning map detailing a hierarchical prerequisite skill graph and student responses to questions developed specifically to assess the concepts and skills represented in the map. Each question aligned to one skill in the map, and each skill had one or more prerequisite skills. Our research goal was to seek improvements to the knowledge representation in the map using an iterative process. We applied a greedy iterative search algorithm to simplify the learning map by merging nodes together. Each successive merge resulted in a model with one skill less than the previous model. We share the results of the revised model, its reliability and reproducibility, and discuss the face validity of the most significant merges.


Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) is essential for B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling, a driver of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Covalent inhibitors bind C481 in the active site of BTK and have become a preferred CLL therapy. Disease progression on covalent BTK inhibitors is commonly associated with C481 mutations. Here, we investigated a targeted protein degrader, NRX-0492, that links a non-covalent BTK binding domain to cereblon, an adaptor protein of the E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. NRX-0492 selectively catalyzes ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation of BTK. In primary CLL cells, NRX-0492 induced rapid and sustained degradation of both wild-type and C481 mutant BTK at half maximal degradation concentration (DC50) of ≤0.2 nM and DC90 of ≤0.5 nM, respectively. Sustained degrader activity was maintained for at least 24 hours after washout and was equally observed in high-risk (deletion 17p) and standard-risk (deletion 13q only) CLL subtypes. In in vitro testing against treatment-naïve CLL samples, NRX-0492 was as effective as ibrutinib at inhibiting BCR mediated signaling, transcriptional programs, and chemokine secretion. In patient-derived xenografts, orally administered NRX-0492 induced BTK degradation and inhibited activation and proliferation of CLL cells in blood and spleen and remained efficacious against primary C481S mutant CLL cells collected from a patient progressing on ibrutinib. Oral bioavailability, >90% degradation of BTK at sub-nanomolar concentrations and sustained pharmacodynamic effects after drug clearance make this class of targeted protein degraders uniquely suitable for clinical translation, in particular as a strategy to overcome BTK inhibitor resistance. Clinical studies testing this approach have been initiated (NCT04830137, NCT05131022).


We present the discovery of 3 quasar lenses in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), selected using two novel photometry-based selection techniques. The J0941+0518 system, with two point sources separated by 5.46" on either side of a galaxy, has source and lens redshifts $z_s = 1.54$ and $z_l = 0.343$. The AO-assisted images of J2211+1929 show two point sources separated by 1.04", corresponding to the same quasar at $z_s = 1.07,$ besides the lens galaxy and Einstein ring. Images of J2257+2349 show two point sources separated by 1.67" on either side of an E/S0 galaxy. The extracted spectra show two images of the same quasar at redshift $z_s = 2.10$. In total, the two selection techniques identified 309 lens candidates, including 47 known lenses, and 6 previously ruled out candidates. 55 of the remaining candidates were observed using NIRC2 and ESI at Keck Observatory, EFOSC2 at the ESO-NTT (La Silla), and SAM and the Goodman spectrograph at SOAR. Of the candidates observed, 3 were confirmed as lenses, 36 were ruled out, and 16 remain inconclusive. Taking into account that we recovered known lenses, this gives us a success rate of at least 50/309 (16%). This initial campaign demonstrates the power of purely photometric selection techniques in finding lensed quasars. Developing and refining these techniques is essential for efficient identification of these rare lenses in ongoing and future photometric surveys.


BACKGROUND
Some authors evaluated the effect of VD on hyperglycemia in T1DM, but the results remain controversial. This study aims to analyze the effects of high-dose VD supplementation on T1DM patients' glycemic levels, maintaining stable doses of insulin.

METHODS
Prospective, 12-week clinical trial including 67 T1DM patients, who were supplemented with high doses of cholecalciferol according to participants' VD value. Patients with VD levels below 30 ng/mL received 10,000 IU/day; those with levels between 30-60 ng/mL received 4,000 IU/day. Patients who had not achieved 25(OH)D levels > 30 ng/ml or presented insulin dose variation during the study were not analyzed.

RESULTS
Only 46 out of 67 patients accomplished the criteria at the end of the study. There was no general improvement in the glycemic control evaluated by HbA1c (9.4 ± 2.4 vs 9.4 ± 2.6, p=NS) after VD supplementation. However, a posthoc analysis, based on HbA1c variation, identified patients who had HbA1c reduced at least 0.6% (group 1, N = 13 (28%)). In addition, a correlation between 25(OH)D levels with HbA1c and total insulin dose at the end of the study was observed (r = -0.3, p<0.05; r=-0.4, p<0.05, respectively) and a regression model demonstrated that 25(OH)D was independent of BMI, duration of T1DM and final total insulin dose, being capable of determining 9.2% of HbA1c final levels (Unstandardized B coefficient = -0.033 (CI 95%: -0.064 to -0.002), r² = 0.1, p <0.05).

CONCLUSION
Our data suggests that VD is not widely recommended for glycemic control. Nevertheless, specific patients might benefit from this approach.


Abstract In order to better estimate urban influence on local climate, mean temperature series were corrected for biases and heterogeneities. Annual, January and July mean temperatures for 21 stations in and around Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota were adjusted for background climate, differences in observation time, and changes in station location. The effect of the adjustments on the spatial structure of the urban heat island was judged by comparing isopleth analyses of the adjusted and unadjusted temperatures for each of the three time periods. Adjusted temperature data depict a larger heat island that conforms more closely to the urban structure. The influence of the adjustments on the strength of the heat island was estimated by comparing urban-rural temperature differences calculated from both data sets for the three time periods. The mean urban minus mean rural temperature differences calculated from the adjusted data are as much as 5017o larger than the differences calculated from the unadjusted data.


Abstract Mite communities inhabiting crops are influenced by several environmental factors, e.g. rainfall, seasonality and the presence of weeds within the plantation. In this study, we seek to clarify the seasonality patterns of mite communities present in physic nut crops, Jatropha curcas L. (Euphorbiaceae), by evaluating the influence of these factors on the most abundant species found. We verified that Polyphagotarsonemus latus Banks (Tarsonemidae) and Tetranychus bastosi Tuttle, Baker & Sales (Tetranychidae), the most abundant phytophagous species, had random seasonality patterns in the physic nut crops. In the field, predatory species of natural occurrence were not able to control the population growth of phytophagous mite species. Also, the presence of weeds among physic nut crops increased the number of potential predators and the diversity of mite species in the agroecosystem.


This research focuses on developing an automatic flight control system for a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using a software-in-the-loop method in which the PID controller is implemented in National Instruments LabVIEW software and the flight dynamics of the fixed-wing UAV are simulated using the X-Plane flight simulator. The fixed-wing UAV model is created using the Plane Maker software and is based on existing geometry and propulsion data from the literature. Gain tuning for the PID controller is accomplished using the pole placement technique. In this approach, the controller gain can be calculated using the dynamic parameters in the transfer function model and the desired characteristic equation. The proposed controller designs' performance is validated using attitude, altitude, and velocity hold simulations. The results demonstrate that the technique can be an effective tool for researchers to validate their UAV control algorithms by utilising the realistic UAV or manned aircraft models available in the X-Plane flight simulator.


Examination of the calcareous nannofossils contained in the bit cuttings from parts of four deep wells of the Miocene of south Louisiana allows differentiation of shale types based on the relative percentage of in-place and reworked forms. A marine shale containing 68 to 69 percent autochthonous nannofossils is present in the three wells which are assumed to have been on depositional strike during deposition of the interval of interest. The equivalent shale in a presumed downdip well contains 100 percent autochthonous nannofossils. These shale units are correlative on electric logs and results are consistent with a benthic foraminiferal zone "pick." Preliminary results indicate that this method is widely applicable in Cenozoic siliciclastic sequences.


The aim of the study was to check the ability of microorganisms of Pseudomonas genus to form silver nanoparticles. Among the studied strains, Pseudomonas stutzeri showed the highest level of activity. Maximal amount of extracellular nanoparticles formation was observed after addition of 100 mg/l of silver ions. It is shown that the shape and size of the formed nanoparticles depends on the initial concentration of Ag+. Addition of the silver ions (in concentration 25-100 mg/l) to the bacterial culture medium leads to the appearance of the nanoparticles with the sizes varying from 20 nm to 300 nm which then form agglomerates, their sizes vary from 150 nm to 500 nm.


Cognitive Decision-Making is an interdisciplinary collection of essays in psychology, philosophy, neuroscience and biology about decision-making. While it has been a topic for economists, logicians and psychologists for many years, decision-making is gaining more attention now from a diverse array of approaches. In 2005, a conference was held at the UniversitE du QuEbec at Montreal (UQAM) and allowed researchers from various fields to interact and discuss such issues. Cognitio 2005 was an occasion for philosophers, cognitive scientists and biologists to present the latest development in their discipline, and this book aims at providing a general overview of current research in the field of cognitive decision-making. This book is intended for scholars interested in the nature, modeling, evolution and substrate of decision-making.


This study aimed to assess the impacts of soil salinity on the crop production system and to describe the food security and social and economic conditions in the salt- affected areas of Northeast Thailand. Ban Nong Na Woaw, Ban Phon Sim, and Ban Som Sanuk, all in the Northeast region of Thailand, were purposely selected because they had different salinity levels and different ecosystems. Random sampling method was used to select 90 households from the three villages and both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from January to June 2012 using a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and direct observation. Data were analyzed by means of descriptive methods. In all studied villages, the production system of rice among the farmers was not much different. Farmers used organic fertilizers and farmyard manure to alleviate salinity in their rice field. There were different types of agricultural and non-agricultural activities in the three studied villages practiced by the farmers in order to improve food security of their families. The average of rice yields was very low, about 1.5 ton/ha. The main income source was agricultural work among rural households. Domestic animals raised by most farm households in all villages were cattle, buffalo, pigs, chicken and crickets for home consumption and sale. In addition to salinity effects, periodic droughts, the heavy reliance on monsoons, lack of financial capital and low inputs uses were the other major constraints for the farmers in all villages. This finding suggests that farmers need to be advised to use farmyard manure and green manure in order to reduce salinity. But equally important is correct application and the timely use of urea fertilizer, better weeding, timely harvesting and proper threshing and winnowing. Since rice is the main source of livelihood for the farmers, extension agencies should provide farmers with financial and technical assistance such as salt tolerant rice varieties, knowledge and improved technologies.


Background One main objective of clinicians and hospital pharmacists is correct pharmacotherapy according to the pathological context of the inpatient. One principle of pharmacotherapy is to minimise the risk of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). In surgical patients, therapy usually involves antibiotics, analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs and anticoagulants. Purpose We aimed to determine the incidence and characteristics of ADRs to main medication used in surgical patients, during hospital admission. These data can be used by clinicians for implementing practices for safe drug use. Material and methods This prospective observational study was conducted between January and July 2015 in a clinical emergency hospital and included 376 patients (189 men and 189 women) who underwent surgery over a period of 7 months. ADRs were identified by studying in real time the electronic patient records and directly from the clinicians who observed them. The clinical pharmacist also recorded age, sex and drug usage prior to admission. Results 74 ADRs were observed in 68 patients (18%) during the admission period. 18 (26.43%) of the ADRs could have been prevented. The most frequent ADRs were neurological (22, 31.92%), allergic (10, 15.03%,), gastrointestinal (9, 13.14%) and haematological (6, 8.76%). The drug classes most frequently associated with the occurrence of ADRs were: antibiotics (30, 43.45%), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (9, 13.14%), glucocorticoids (9, 13.14%), anticoagulants (6, 8.7%) and diabetes mellitus agents (4 patients, 6.6%). Conclusion The study showed a prevalence of ADRs of 18% in surgical patients, mostly neurological, followed by allergic. The very frequent ADRs to antibiotics compared with other studies can be explained by their use in virtually all surgical patients. Our preventable ADR rate of 26.43% was slightly higher that 15.4% reported in other studies1 due to incorrect conduct of the therapy. The only method to evaluate a drug is to assess the risk/benefit ratio. References and/or Acknowledgements de Boer M, Boeker EB, Ramrattan MA, et al. Adverse drug events in surgical patients: an observational multicentre study. Int J Clin Pharm 2013;35:744-52 No conflict of interest.


Monte Carlo simulations of high-energy electrons and holes in Si n-MOSFETs are presented. Key features of this work include the use of a suitable silicon model for carrier transport at high electric fields, an original impact ionization model, and sophisticated numerical techniques to speed up the calculation. The case of submicrometer Si n-MOSFETs is considered as a relevant application. >


Management Information Systems combines theory and practical application so that you'll understand the capabilities and uses of computer technology in a business context. Search for books.


Background: Eczema is an important condition as it affects 20% of children in the UK and is associated with significant morbidity for children and their families. Although some progress in understanding factors associated with the occurrence of eczema has been made, very little is known about factors associated with disease worsening. Most textbooks and review articles quote long lists of exacerbating factors but with very little scientific data to support them. Before I could begin to study this topic, I first had to define a disease flare in eczema, systematically review the literature on flare factors in eczema and review available outcome measures for eczema.
Objectives: The objectives of the main study described in this thesis were to assess the role of various environmental factors on the severity of eczema in a cohort of children with eczema.
Hypotheses:
1. In hot weather, the combination of heat, sweating and grass pollen precipitates increased severity in children with eczema in the UK.
2. In cold weather, the combination of cold weather, indoor aeroallergen exposure and reduced relative humidity from central heating lead to increased severity in children with eczema in the UK.
These first two hypotheses were informed by previous research which proposed "summer" and "winter" types of eczema.
3. Detergents (soap, shampoo) increase the propensity to disease flares triggered by other factors at all temperatures, but more in cold weather due to impaired skin barrier function.
4. UK children with filaggrin mutations are more prone to the effects of climatic factors such as cold and heat than individuals who are wild type for filaggrin.
5. Any combination of greater than or equal to three exposures at any time is associated with worsening of eczema. The exposures assessed included: dust, exposure to pets, shampoo, sweating, swimming, nylon clothing next to the skin and a change in mean temperature of more than 3°C from the previous weekly average.
Methods:
Pilot study: 30 children with moderate to severe eczema aged 0 to 15 years participated in a panel study over a one month period in June 2003 in Cork, Ireland. This study involved daily completion of a paper diary recording eczema severity and exposures. Feasibility of a panel study design was assessed and associations between exposures and disease severity were analysed.
Main study: A prospective cohort study (n=60) of children aged up to 15 years with moderate to severe eczema was studied for between six and nine months with overlapping start dates to allow study of seasonal factors. Exposures studied included: temperature, relative humidity, sun exposure, sweating, clothing, cleansing products/ washing, outdoor pollen level, extent and nature of exposure to household pets, dusty environments and swimming. Children or their parents completed daily novel electronic diaries recording eczema severity and exposures. Portable dataloggers were used to record indoor temperature and relative humidity. External meteorological data was obtained from a local monitoring centre.
The primary outcome was a daily "bother" score and the secondary outcomes were daily "scratch" scores and flares of eczema. Autoregressive moving average models (ARMA) were used to model the impact of each exposure on eczema severity for each individual. Standard random effects meta-analysis techniques were used to pool estimated coefficients across participants. Heterogeneity of responses as detected using Chi-squared tests represented inter-individual variation. The body site-specificity of reactions was also examined as was the interaction between filaggrin mutations and disease worsening with exposures.
Findings.
Pilot study: The pilot study highlighted the issue of drop outs and missing data during the study. 83% (n=25) returned the diaries at the end of the study period, and within these, recording of disease severity was good (97% complete). However, there was variability in recording of exposures (65% to 83% complete). Preliminary findings suggested a temporal association between eczema severity and heat (lag 0, i.e. the day of exposure, p=0.04), damp (lag day 2, p=0.03), sweating and stress (lag day 3, p=0.03 and p=0.02 respectively) and damp (lag day 4, p=0.001).
Main study:
Primary outcome: "bother scores":
Increased disease severity was associated with direct contact with nylon clothing (pooled regression coefficient 0.23, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.43), increasing exposure to dust (pooled regression coefficient 0.53, 0.23 to 0.83), exposure to unfamiliar pets (pooled regression coefficient 0.22, 0.10 to 0.34), sweating (pooled regression coefficient 0.24, 0.09 to 0.39) and shampoo exposure (pooled regression coefficient 0.07, 0.01 to 0.13). The association between shampoo use and worsening of eczema was enhanced in cold weather (pooled regression coefficient 0.30, 0.04 to 0.57). Body site specificity was observed for the reactions to nylon clothing, which was greater on covered sites (trunk p=0.02, limbs p=0.03), reactions to wool clothing on truncal covered sites (p=0.03) but not limbs (p=0.62), while worsening of hand eczema was associated with exposure to pets (p<0.001). The only interaction with filaggrin mutations was observed for the 2282del4 mutation and worsening of eczema in summer. Significant heterogeneity of responses between individuals was observed for exposure to grass pollen and outdoor temperature. In regard to the final hypothesis, a combination of any three of seven likely variables was associated with worsening of eczema (pooled regression coefficient 0.41, 0.20 to 0.63).
Secondary outcome: "scratch" scores: Increased disease severity was seen associated with swimming (pooled regression coefficient 0.14,0.00 to 0.28), exposure to wool clothing (pooled regression coefficient 0.28, 0.11 to 0.45), sweating (pooled regression coefficient 0.15, 0.04 to 0.26), shampoo (pooled regression coefficient 0.07, 0.01 to 0.13), dust (pooled regression coefficient 0.36, 0.12 to 0.59) and high grass pollen levels (pooled regression coefficient 0.10, 0.01 to 0.73).
Secondary outcome: flares of eczema: Only swimming was clearly associated with worsening of eczema using this outcome measure (pooled regression coefficient 0.42, 0.05 to 0.80).
Conclusions: The following factors were shown to be associated with disease worsening in children with eczema in this UK study: clothing (wool and nylon), sweating, shampoo, swimming, dust, contact with unfamiliar pets and high grass pollen levels. Relative to the study hypotheses, the association between shampoo exposure and eczema worsening was shown to be increased in cold weather. There was also evidence showing an association between various combinations of exposures and disease worsening. There was insufficient evidence to support the other hypotheses tested in this study but this may be explained by low prevalence of these exposures. The implications of the findings of this study for clinical practice are that for the first time, it has been shown that shampoo exposure may be associated with eczema worsening and that this is more pronounced in cold weather. This study also suggests that worsening of eczema may be more complicated in that multiple exposures acting in concert may be associated with worsening of disease. Future research with increased participant numbers is required to specifically study possible gene-environment interactions with filaggrin mutations and their relevance in relation to disease flares and to look at shampoo formulations in relation to worsening of eczema.


It has long been held that steering a vehicle is subserved by two distinct visual processes, a compensatory one for maintaining lane position and an anticipatory one for previewing the curvature of the upcoming road. In this study, we investigated the robustness of these two steering control processes by systematically degrading their visual inputs. Performance was measured at the level of vehicle position and at the level of the actions on the steering wheel. The results show that the compensatory process is more robust to visual degradation than the anticipatory process. The results are also consistent with the idea that steering is under the supervision of a combination of compensatory and anticipatory mechanisms, although they suggest that the quality of the sensory information will determine how information is combined.


In this work, a semi-analytical model replicating 3D rolling contact problems with elastic coating layers has been proposed. The dimension reduced boundary element based model rests on the conventional half-space assumptions, with influence coefficients describing the relationship between the stress and the displacement. In this model, the influence coefficient describes the stress-strain relationship for multilayered materials, which is derived from the corresponding frequency-response functions. The governing equations for 3D rolling contact problems are solved efficiently by using the conjugate gradient method with the classical FFT-based technique to accelerate the calculation of the integral equation relating the stresses to the strains, and all the possible creepages, i.e., the longitudinal, lateral and spin creepages are considered. The results obtained with the present numerical model are compared with existing results, and good agreement is found. Some selected results are presented to show the effect of the material elasticity and the thickness of the coating, and the layering, on the traction distribution and the traction coefficient under different creepage combinations. In this way, this work provides important information related to the composition of layered coatings in rolling contact applications.


I ntensive care units (ICUs) are sections in hospitals that contain specialized equipment and highly trained staff to treat patients who have a serious illness or injury. Patients may be admitted to the ICU from an emergency department or other hospital section, after surgery, or after transfer from another health care facility. The March 25, 2009, issue of JAMA includes an article about preventing infections related to the use of catheters (tubes) in ICUs. This Patient Page is based on one published in the June 26, 2002, issue of JAMA.


Oenococcus oeni is a lactic acid bacterium responsible for malolactic fermentation of wine. While many stress response mechanisms implemented by O. oeni during wine adaptation have been described, little is known about their regulation. CtsR is the only regulator of stress response genes identified to date in O. oeni. Extensively characterized in Bacillus subtilis, the CtsR repressor is active as a dimer at 37°C and degraded at higher temperatures by a proteolytic mechanism involving two adapter proteins, McsA and McsB, together with the ClpCP complex. The O. oeni genome does not encode orthologs of these adapter proteins and the regulation of CtsR activity remains unknown. In this study, we investigate CtsR function in O. oeni by using antisense RNA silencing in vivo to modulate ctsR gene expression. Inhibition of ctsR gene expression by asRNA leads to a significant loss in cultivability after heat shock (58%) and acid shock (59%) highlighting the key role of CtsR in the O. oeni stress response. Regulation of CtsR activity was studied using a heterologous expression system to demonstrate that O. oeni CtsR controls expression and stress induction of the O. oeni hsp18 gene when produced in a ctsR-deficient B. subtilis strain. Under heat stress conditions, O. oeni CtsR acts as a temperature sensor and is inactivated at growth temperatures above 33°C. Finally, using an E. coli bacterial two-hybrid system, we showed that CtsR and ClpL1 interact, suggesting a key role for ClpL1 in controlling CtsR activity in O. oeni.


AIMS
A study of publicly funded substance abuse treatment systems compared MidState, a county that reorganized its treatment system using managed care principles, to two other California counties that took different approaches, NorthState and SouthState. It was hypothesized that MidState would have better outcomes due to its emphasis on quality of care.

DESIGN
This natural experiment compared the 'experimental' county, MidState, to two 'control' counties, assessing client outcomes following treatment. Administrative and historical exigencies that may affect system differences were explored in interviews with treatment program managers and staff.

SETTINGS
Comparison counties were selected using treatment system and county census data, maximizing similarities to enhance internal validity.

PARTICIPANTS
Adult clients (n = 681) were interviewed when beginning treatment and 12 months later (81% response rate). In addition, 50 treatment program managers and staff members across the three counties were interviewed during the year of client recruitment.

MEASUREMENTS
Client interviews assessed functioning in the seven Addiction Severity Index domains-alcohol, drug, psychiatric, legal, employment, medical and family/social.

FINDINGS
Outcomes (differences between baseline and 12 month composite scores) did not differ between counties in six of seven domains; in the seventh, psychiatric functioning, SouthState had better outcomes than MidState. Staff interviews indicated generally similar treatment strategies across counties, with MidState supplying greater oversight and performance standards.

CONCLUSIONS
Managed care in public sector treatment generally did not result in poorer outcomes. Future attention in MidState to the barriers to successful implementation of individualized treatment, and to dual diagnosis treatment, might bring more positive results.


Most research in chemistry deals with atoms and molecules, but a field is emerging that focuses on assemblages of components in structures having nanometer-scale dimensions. Some of these structures are created by experimenters moving individual atoms, but others are self-assembled and may contain more than a million molecules. Their study holds promise of relevance to important questions in biology and the possibility of ultimate major technological applications. Progress in nanophase chemistry was reviewed by international leaders in the field at a Welch Foundation conference held in Houston, Texas, on 23 and 24 October 1995. The event, attended by about 500 chemists, stirred unusually vibrant enthusiasm. I present below the highlights of three talks, followed by mention of the role of the Welch Foundation in fostering basic research. George Whitesides of Harvard University reviewed some of the many experiments on self-assembled structures that he and his associates have conducted. They have used as basic components a gold surface and alkanethiols. When gold is exposed to hexadecanethiol—CH3(CH2)15SH—the thiol group reacts with the gold. The result is a self-organized, 2-nanometer-thick, semicrystalline, upright layer of organic molecules covering the surface of the gold. Other, related thiols having substituted top terminal groups such as CF3 and COOH also have been formed; thus, the self-organized structures may present hydrophobic or hydrophilic surfaces. Complex surfaces have been created by using patterned stamps to transfer substituted thiols to the gold. When coated by self-adsorption with different proteins, the structures may adsorb particular mammalian cells. Whitesides has also demonstrated high-resolution microlithography by bombarding 1.5-nanometer-thick, self-assembled monolayers with neutral, metastable argon beams. Charles Kresge of Mobil Oil Research spoke of ordered mesoporous molecular sieves. When a complex mixture of a quaternary ammonium surfactant, aluminosilicate, or precipitated silica is incubated at 150°C for 48 hours, self-organization leads to a regular hexagonal array. Heating this product to 540°C yields a product with an internal surface area of more than 1000 square meters per gram. In one typical experiment the interplanar spacing was 4 nanometers. By varying the composition of the synthesis mixture, arrays of hexagonal pores of different dimensions have been obtained, which have excellent adsorption capabilities for benzene, n-hexane, and cyclohexane. Mobil had great success with porous zeolites as catalysts and sorption media. The new structures extend that capability. Richard Smalley of Rice University spoke of another example of self-assembly of interesting structures. He has been a leader in the synthesis and study of the properties of fullerenes. When a carbon arc is established, temperatures in the arc may exceed 3500°C, and carbon atoms are released. Some of the atoms combine, yielding modest amounts of 60-carbon fullerenes. Recently, carbon has been heated and vaporized by intense laser light. Fullerenes form in a region maintained at about 1200°C. When the carbon that is irradiated contains one atom percent of nickel plus cobalt, the resultant structures take the form of tubes about 0.1 millimeter long that contain millions of carbon atoms. As much as 60 percent of the vaporized carbon is found in these tubes, and the nickel and cobalt are easily removed by leaching. The tubes tend to form ropes that are stronger than carbon fibers, and they can also serve as support for catalytic processes. As for the conference's sponsor, the Welch Foundation was formed in 1954 and now has assets of about $400 million. Robert A. Welch, the donor, stipulated that proceeds from the corpus be used to support basic chemical research in Texas. As the frontiers of chemistry have changed, Welch trustees have implemented the counsel of a distinguished scientific advisory board. Chemistry in Texas has benefited greatly from Welch Foundation support, and the nation and the world have benefited from annual Welch conferences on chemical research. Each conference has been arranged in turn by a member of the advisory board, who has often identified important research fields to highlight. The conference on nanophase chemistry was organized by William O. Baker with the help of Robert A. Laudise of the AT&T Bell Laboratories.


Introduction: Misuse of funds and fraudulent acts are the main causes of revenue leakage in both public and private sectors. They are detrimental to the success of every department or organization. Fraud is a worrisome issue and a thing of concern to management of University of Jos. Purpose: This study focused on the use of forensic accounting in prevention of frauds in Bursary Department, University of Jos, Nigeria.. Methodology: Cross sectional research was used as a design for the study. Data was generated from both primary and secondary sources through the use of Forensic Accounting Skills Checklist for Fraud Detection (FASCFD). All the staff in the Bursary department were involved in the study. Simple percentage was used to analyze the research questions. To ensure that the items in the questionnaire are relevant and appropriate, the instrument was subjected to thorough scrutiny by an expert in forensic accounting in the Department of Accounting, University of Jos. The constructive criticisms, suggestions and recommendations were strictly adhered to in producing the final draft of the instrument. Results: The outcomes of the study revealed that forensic accounting have significant impact on the staff's ability to check fraudulent activities in the Bursary department of the university. It was also found that acquisition and use of forensic accounting skills can help to deter staff from committing fraudulent acts that concern funds in their possession. Recommendations: The researchers recommended that the management of the University should ensure that there is regular forensic auditing of financial records kept by the Bursary Department. The staff of the Bursary Department in the University should be continuously trained in forensic accounting processes and procedures to enable them meet up with the global best practices in financial reports.


A high-voltage AC double-circuit 400 kV overhead power transmission line runs from the city of Elk (Poland) to the city of Alytus (Lithuania). This international 400 kV power transmission line is potentially one of the strongest magnetic field-generating sources in the area. This 400 kV voltage double-circuit overhead transmission line and its surroundings were analyzed using the mathematical analytical methods of superposition and reflections. This research paper includes the calculation of the numerical values of the magnetic field and its distribution. The research showed that the values of the magnetic field strength near the international 400 kV power transmission line exceed the threshold values permitted by relevant standards. This overhead power line is connected to the general (50 Hz) power system and generates a highly intense magnetic field. It is suggested that experimental trials should be undertaken in order to determine the maximum values of the magnetic field strength. For the purpose of mitigating these values, it is suggested that the height of the support bars should be increased or that any individual and commercial activities near the object under investigation should be restricted.


An electrocatalytic membrane reactor assembled using a nano-MnO2 loading microporous Ti membrane as an anode and a tubular stainless steel as a cathode was used to oxidize n-propanol to produce propionic acid. The high efficiency and selectivity obtained is related to the synergistic effect between the reaction and separation in the reactor.


Purpose: The purpose of this study to understand the deaf community's education in this pandemic situation. : This pandemic evolves digitization process all over the world. The schools are also come with a remote and online learning-teaching process. This online learning is a turning point of a deaf students.This study includes how schools are handling the deaf students and teach them online in this pandemic. It will helps to facilitate the education in a better way to a deaf community.
Method: The Survey of special educators by taking one on one discussion and interviews. The Questionnaire was prepared and taken the data of deaf student's education. Due to the pandemic situation google meet and telephonic conversion helps a lot. I visited to 2 deaf-mute schools of Gujarat region to understand the teaching methodology, teaching materials and the pedagogy of teaching.
Result:Gujarati Sign Language is need to become a one standard form of language, as it differs with Indian Sign Language. The sequence of sentence is changed in Gujarati Sign Language and it differs of grammar. For e.g.you – only one sign but in Gujarati તમે, તારા, તારી, તમારાall has a different signs. As well as they different signs for series alphabets. Any language with grammar provide a complete meaning of that language.It will be helpful to all the students in writing as well as understanding the meaning of that sentence.
Conclusion:There were many challenges to teach deaf-mute students on online platform, as there is a huge loss in this community in entire pandemic. As they were lack of resources, lack of support and lack of understanding did not give an expected output.The purpose of this paper to understand deaf education system in Gujarat region in this pandemic. The Survey helps to provide a better solution of flowing the education in deaf communityand development of them. Technology helps to decrease the problems of deaf-mute community, if digitalization of sign language dictionary will take a place.Non-challengeable person speaks and write the sentence or word and that will be converted into sign and played by 3D avatar.When student will see the content many times with signs that will help into their education. That will be helpful to understand the message from non-challengeable person to deaf person.