Egypt is one of the largest wheat importing countries in the Middle East. It is one of the strategic crops that is deficient in its production capacity to meet the consumer needs of the community. Therefore, there are many attempts to reach practical solutions to increase local production and reduce imports to increase self-sufficiency. These solutions include the cultivation of wheat in the reclaimed sandy soil, but it is poor in its properties and requires many agricultural seasons and treatments to be arable soil. The most important problems are that the soil granules are loose and cannot hold water. The importance of using cellulose fabrics as Agrotextiles in the form of mats to improve the functions of soil and reduce the process of evaporation and leakage and thus increase the retention of soil water and provide appropriate moisture for the process of germination and growth of wheat crop. The use of jute fibers, as mats has been greater importance to water retention. Agricultural experiments were conducted to test the effect of jute mats through three weights per square meter with different irrigation rates to improve the properties of sandy soil and the growth of cultivated wheat plant. The results showed improved plant growth compared to the sandy soil studied without the use of tissue mats. The results of dry weight of the plant with jute mats gave an increase in the dry weight of wheat 251% with the highest level of weight per square meter of the mats, when using the normal rate of irrigation (100% Of the plant's need for water) while the increase was equivalent to 160.1% at the rate of irrigation 75% and 39.3% with irrigation rate of 50% of the water used when compared to the results of soil without textile mats.


Introduction: Prostatic stromal tumor of uncertain malignant potential (STUMP) is a rare disease that may coexist with prostate stromal sarcoma (PSS). We aimed to analyze the histological and clinical features of STUMP. Methods: Twenty-three patients diagnosed with STUMP from 2008 to 2019 were included. Clinicopathological and follow-up information was collected. In the subgroup analysis, we divided the patients into a pure STUMP group (N = 18) and a mixed STUMP (STUMP coexisting with PSS) group (N = 5). Student's t test was used to compare the 2 groups. Results: Patients had a mean age of 55.5 ± 19.4 years and an average follow-up time of 42.3 months. The mean prostate volume was 109.2 ± 73.5 cm3, and the mean prostate-specific antigen was 8.03 ± 10.5 ng/mL. In the subgroup analysis, 16.7% (2/12) of pure STUMP patients had disease progression, while 100% (3/3) of mixed STUMP patients suffered from recurrence. Compared with the pure STUMP group, the mixed STUMP group was younger (37.2 vs. 60.6 years, p = 0.013) and had lower expression of estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor (p = 0.004 and p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: STUMP is a rare disease with a relatively good prognosis. However, there is still a possibility of disease progression or coexistence with stromal sarcoma. Timely diagnosis and regular monitoring may be helpful in improving treatment outcomes.


Isolated rat livers were perfused under controlled conditions with two hepatocarcinogens, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and sterigmatocystin. Both were metabolically activated to molecular forms that bound to DNA yielding carcinogen-DNA component adducts that were released by acidic hydrolysis and analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Binding to DNA was dose dependent at 1 and 3 mg/liver doses for sterigmatocystin and over a range of 0.05 to 3 mg/liver for AFB1. The major DNA adduct detected for sterigmatocystin was 1,2-dihydro-2-( N 7-guanyl)-1-hydroxysterigmatocystin, which presumably was formed by the reaction of the sterigmatocystin 1,2-oxide with DNA. Qualitatively and quantitatively, the binding of AFB1 to DNA was essentially the same in perfused liver as in the livers of rats given the carcinogen i.p. As in in vivo models described previously, phenobarbital pretreatment of rats serving as donors of livers used in perfusion resulted in reduction in the level of hepatic AFB1-DNA adducts to one-third of the control value. The major DNA adduct formed was 2,3-dihydro-2-( N 7-guanyl)-3-hydroxyaflatoxin B1; this adduct was derived from the aflatoxin B1 2,3-oxide and accounted for approximately 80% of the carcinogen-derived radioactivity incorporated into DNA. The putative imidazole ring-opened derivative of this adduct was also formed and represented approximately 6.5% of the binding. One of the important characteristics of the isolated liver perfusion model was the fact that minor aflatoxin adducts were observed that do not form in significant quantities in vitro . The technique was demonstrated to have significant potential as a tool for isolation of these adducts in view of the extraordinarily high levels of DNA binding observed (>1 AFB1 adduct/103 DNA bases) at carcinogen doses that would be severely toxic if administered to animals by conventional protocols. One of the minor AFB1 adducts was chromatographically identical to an adduct formed by reaction of an epoxide of aflatoxin P1, an AFB1 metabolite, with guanyl residues in DNA. A second minor adduct was formed by the reaction of an activated metabolite of aflatoxin M1 with the guanine base.


This paper presents the results of a recent exploratory study aiming to enhance the innovative capacity of small firms in the Northern Netherlands, a region lagging behind the rest of the country in terms of economic growth and innovative capacity. The triple helix perspective is adopted to examine the causes of the poor knowledge transfer among small firms, academic and higher vocational training institutions, government and other public agencies. Main causes include insufficient communication between parties, little awareness of government agencies on small firms' specific problems, poor visibility of government programmes for small firms, high bureaucracy and overlapping of responsibilities between government agencies with an entrepreneurship-support mission, cultural and language differences. A number of policy recommendations are suggested, particularly at the university–industry interface, as the 'university' institutional sphere appears to be the least active in the collaboration with small firms and is often outrun by the regional higher vocational training institutions.


Titanium carbonitrides containing transition metal ((Ti, Me)(C, N), Me: transition metal) have been studied for applying them to cutting tools and wearresistant tools. Thermal shock resistance is an important property of tool materials used in severer thermal environment. Therefore, the thermal conductivity of such materials is important to improve the thermal shock resistance of tool materials. The present work is aimed to clarify the effects of the composition of carbonitrides on thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity of carbonitrides. The experimental results showed that the thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity of carbonitrides decreased with increasing solid solution of transition metal.


Abstract Objective: This study identifies risk factors that predispose hospitalized patients to diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile. Design: Unlike most previous studies, this case-control study accounts for horizontal (person-to-person) transmission of this infectious organism by matching on location. Setting: An urban community hospital of 600 beds with both primary care and referred patients. Patients: Both the 36 cases and the 36 controls came from billing printouts for C difficile cytotoxin assays. Exclusion criteria included outpatient specimens and stays of 38 days or more. Controls had negative assays and were individually matched on the basis of the floor and by the general date of specimen collection. Results: Cases had a longer mean duration of antibiotic use (6.7 versus 4.1 days, p = .006). Of the other 22 factors that were evaluated for their risk of predisposing to C difficile, only clindamycin (OR = 3.50, p =.09) and third-generation cephalosporins (OR = 3.00, p = .04) showed any association. The odds ratio for third-generation cephalosporins in the absence of clindamycin was 3.50 (p = .09). Data were collected by physicians who were not blinded. Conclusions: This study found that the clindamycin and third-generation cephalosporins were risk factors for C difficile-associated diarrhea after controlling for horizontal transmission. First-generation cephalosporins were not risk factors (OR= 0.86), while sample size considerations prevented firm conclusions about second-generation cephalosporins (OR = 1.67, p = .23). Many of the previously alleged risk factors might be explained by the horizontal transmission of an infectious disease; for instance, this seems a better explanation for an outbreak on a surgery ward than does surgery itself. (Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 1991;12:96-100.)


The burrowing crustaceans of the Infraorder Axiidea have as main representative Callichirus major (Say, 1818), known as ghost shrimp. The aim of this paper was to analyze the relative growth of C. major at Piedade beach, Pernambuco. The samplings were accomplished from December 2010 to November 2011. The ghost shrimps were sampled with a suction pump, sacrificed with alcohol and identified at the laboratory. A total of 389 individuals of C. major were sampled. The sexual dimorphism was evidenced, with males attaining larger sizes. Considering the carapace length as the independent variable, the growth of the total length was isometric for both sexes, while the chelipods showed positive allometry for both sexes, but with higher growth rate in males. While females direct their energy for the production and incubation of eggs, males invest in the growth of the body and chelipods, the last ones being important in territory defense and in reproduction. The growth of the telson was allometrically negative. The population of C. major at Piedade beach showed biometry very similar to other communities of the same family, but some variations were observed, due to intra and interspecific and biogeographic relations. . Key words: Axiidea, biometry, burrowing organisms, Piedade beach.


This paper examines the major documents of the American side concerning the U.S.China mid-air plane collision incident, which occurred April 1, 2001. Through the hegemonic theoretical lens of Robert Cox's frame of action and via the research method of hermeneutics of the selected rhetorical artifacts, we aim to shed light on the understanding of the incident and provide insightful implications for handling similar international conflicts in the future. Our findings indicate that the United States has preserved the most resourceful material capabilities and established all the necessary human institutions to implement its shared notion of American hegemony all over the world. Seeing China as a strategic competitor, the Bush administration considers it its mission to gather Chinese military and government information via military surveillance planes and obligation to guard against the rise of China in the Asia Pacific in the name of maintaining world peace and regional stability. Should the United States continue with its current strategy of hegemonic primacy, similar crises may occur again in the Asia Pacific and potential conflicts of the same nature may arise elsewhere in the other parts of the world.


Insight is impaired in 50- 80% of the patients with schizophrenia. Annerieke de Vos working at GGZ Drenthe and the University Medical Hospital Groningen, aimed to elucidate which processes underlie impaired insight and tried to improve insight in patients by targeting these processes. On September 21st she will defend her thesis entitled: "Insight in psychosis. Metacognitive processes and treatment.". Patients with impaired insight may fail to recognize that things in life are not going well and that this may have to do with their psychological functioning, deny that they need help and attribute symptoms to external sources. Impaired insight has been related to a worse wellbeing in patients and to problems with family and clinicians. One of the findings of the thesis was that patients with impaired were less able to use feedback to adjust their performance on a cognitive task. The ability to use feedback falls under the umbrella of metacognition, which can be described as "thinking about thinking". Another metacognitive process, self-reflection (the ability to evaluate yourself) was also related to impaired insight. People with impaired insight showed lower activation in brain areas involved in self-reflection, which suggests that they might have trouble to critically look at themselves. Also, de Vos and colleagues found that insight improved after targeting these metacognitive processes, however they also improved with a simple cognitive training. In conclusion, according to de Vos and colleagues, having good insight does not necessarily entail accepting a diagnosis (e.g. "I have schizophrenia"). Rather it involves a complex process of integrating information from self and others into a rich and complex self-representation, which includes illness related experiences. Improving insight this way may facilitate recovery in people with schizophrenia.


North Carolina Design I (NCD I) progenies derived from Pool 16 DT, a white, dent, early maturing, drought-tolerant and streak resistant tropical maize (Zea mays L.) population, were evaluated in the 1995/96 and 1997/98 dry seasons, using two sites each season in Côte d'Ivoire. In all sites, the crop was irrigated from planting to about 2 weeks before anthesis; irrigation was discontinued thereafter for the rest of the season in one site (Soumis) in 1995 and both sites (Ferkessédougou and Sinematialli) in 1997. Irrigation was continued until maturity in the second site (Temoin) in 1995. In 1995, the additive component of genetic variance was much larger than the other components. The narrow-sense heritability estimate (h2) was 73% for grain yield and 43–71% for seven other traits. In 1997, only grain moisture at harvest, ear height, and days to anthesis and silking had positive additive genetic variances but the h2 were much lower (1·5–41%) than in 1995. Ears/plant, plant height and ear height had consistent positive correlation with grain yield; correlation of days to anthesis and silking date with yield were negative. Because of negative variances, additive genetic correlation could not be computed for most traits in 1997, but in 1995 grain moisture at harvest, plant height and ear height showed positive additive genetic correlation with yield. Other additive genetic correlation coefficients were low and/or not consistent. There is sufficient genetic variance to warrant continued selection for drought tolerance in Pool 16 DT. The induced stress, however, appears to be too severe to properly elicit the true differences among families and may, therefore, need to be modified.


Epithelial cell polarisation is a prerequisite for the branching morphogenesis in several organs. Differential screening techniques were used to identify genes, which are upregulated during induction of epithelium in early kidney development. This investigation revealed two separate genes, Nuclear localising protein 1 (Nulp1), a previously undescribed gene with sequence characteristics of the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor family, and glycoprotein 210 (gp210, POM210), an integral membrane protein constituent of the nuclear pore complex (NPC). Of these, gp210 was found to be upreglated during conversion of mesenchyme to epithelium. The nuclear envelope, which demarcates the nuclear region in the eukaryotic cell, consists of an inner and an outer membrane that are fused at the locations for NPCs. These large macromolecular assemblages are tube like structures connecting the cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments of the cell. NPCs serve as the only conduits for exchange of molecular information between these cellular rooms. Electron microscopy techniques have revealed detailed information about the NPC architecture. A number of proteins (nucleoporins) have been characterised and embodied as components of the NPC structure. Active, energy dependent nucleocytoplasmic transport of RNAs and proteins is mediated by a group of soluble receptor proteins, collectively termed karyopherins. Gp210 has been suggested to be important for nuclear pore formation. Nevertheless, our analyses showed a limited expression pattern of gp210, with its mRNA and protein largely confined to epithelial cells in the mouse embryo. Furthermore, in several cell lines, gp210 was undetectable. The expression pattern of gp210 was not synchronised with some other nucleoporins, indicating NPC heterogeneity. Characterisation of the structure of the human gp210 gene, including its promoter region, gave insight about possible cell-type specific gene regulatory mechanisms. Regulation of molecular traffic between the nucleus and the cytoplasm leads to transcriptional control. Cell specific configuration of the NPC structure, due to diffential expression of gp210, could be involved in this control. Gp210 could be of importance for the development of epithelial cell polarisation.


Yarn-type supercapacitors should have high energy density in small given spaces, and the one attempt among many is to comprise the electrodes asymmetrically. However, the low capacitance of conventional materials causes the widened operating voltage useless. In this study, we have utilized a novel material MXene with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to make highly loaded MXene/CNT yarn electrodes, which exhibited a remarkable areal capacitance. With Mn0_2/CNT biscrolled cathode and PVA/LiCI gel electrolyte, the plied asymmetric yarn supercapacitor had energy density of 100 μWh/cm^2. The yarn supercapacitor could operate under mechanical deformations without performance degradation.


Natural Killer (NK) cell activity against YAC-1 lymphoma cells is greatly reduced in spleens of mice injected previously with the bone-seeking isotope, 89Sr. Spleen cells from 89Sr-treated mice filtered over nylon wool and Sephadex G-10 columns failed to increase the low NK cell activity. Cell mixture experiments failed to show inhibition of NK activity of normal spleen cells by spleen cells from 89Sr-treated mice. 89Sr produced lowering of NK activity in athymic nude mice similar to that seen in control mice. These experiments suggest that the low NK activity in 89Sr-treated mice is not due to the presence of thymus-dependent or independent suppressor cells active at the effector phase of NK cell-mediated killing. The low NK activity of 89Sr-treated mice could not be stimulated by administration of interferon inducers, polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid and Corynebacterium parvum, or by preparations containing type I or II interferons. The frequency of cells capable of binding to YAC-1 target cells in normal in spleens of 89Sr-treated mice. These data suggest that in 89Sr-treated mice, NK cells exist in a state in which they can bind the target cells but cannot lyse them and are unresponsive to the activating effect of interferons. Transformation of these cells into fully lytic and interferon-responsive cells appears to require an intact bone marrow. Bone marrow cell infusions failed to restore NK activity in irradiated or unirradiated 89Sr-treated mice, but were able to do so in normal lethally irradiated mice. Thus functional NK cells reactive against YAC-1 lymphoma cells are not only marrow derived but also marrow dependent.


Whether Mycobacterium leprae transmits from placenta to fetus remains unknown. We describe the case of a pregnant woman with untreated histoid leproma. Although her newborn was healthy, laboratory examination revealed intact M. leprae present in the placenta, suggesting that the placental barrier might prevent vertical dissemination of M. leprae.


The paper deals with an investigation into the possible effects of some short- to medium-term solutions for increasing the runway system capacity at currently capacity-constrained airports facing growing airside demand. The main hypothesis is that one of the prospective solutions can be the implementation of innovative operational procedures supported by the new technologies developed in the scope of European SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) and US NextGen (Next Generation) development programmes. In such a context, this investigation consists of an analysis of the characteristics of the given innovative operational procedures and supportive new technologies and then modelling their possible effects on the runway system capacity of a given airport. For such a purpose, the existing analytical models for estimating the 'ultimate' and 'practical' capacity of the system of two closely spaced parallel runways have been appropriately modified and applied to Dubai International Airport (DXB) in the UAE. The results have indicated that the innovative operational procedures supported by new technologies could have some potential for increasing both the 'ultimate' and 'practical' capacity of the runway system at the given airport (DXB) under given conditions, and consequently contribute to postponing its full saturation under conditions of continuously growing demand.


Outer membrane protein A (OmpA) is one of the most abundant outer membrane proteins of Gram-negative bacteria and is known to have patterns of sequence variations at certain amino acids—allelic variation—in Escherichia coli. Here we subjected seven exemplar OmpA alleles expressed in a K-12 (MG1655) ΔompA background to further characterization. These alleles were observed to significantly impact cell surface charge (zeta potential), cell surface hydrophobicity, biofilm formation, sensitivity to killing by neutrophil elastase, and specific growth rate at 42°C and in the presence of acetate, demonstrating that OmpA is an attractive target for engineering cell surface properties and industrial phenotypes. It was also observed that cell surface charge and biofilm formation both significantly correlate with cell surface hydrophobicity, a cell property that is increasingly intriguing for bioproduction. While there was poor alignment between the observed experimental values relative to the known sequence variation, differences in hydrophobicity and biofilm formation did correspond to the identity of residue 203 (N vs T), located within the proposed dimerization domain. The relative abundance of the (I, δ) allele was increased in extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) isolates relative to environmental isolates, with a corresponding decrease in (I, α) alleles in ExPEC relative to environmental isolates. The (I, α) and (I, δ) alleles differ at positions 203 and 251. Variations in distribution were also observed among ExPEC types and phylotypes. Thus, OmpA allelic variation and its influence on OmpA function warrant further investigation.


Oxygen isotope measurements have been made in foraminifera from over 60 deep-sea sediment cores. Taken together with the oxygen isotope measurements published by Emiliani from Caribbean and Equatorial Atlantic cores, this comprises a unique body of stratigraphic data covering most of the important areas of calcareous sediment over the whole world ocean. The oxygen isotopic composition of foraminifera from cores of Late Pleistocene sediment varies in a similar manner in nearly all areas; the variations reflect changes in the oxygen isotopic composition of the ocean. The oceans are mixed in about 1 ka so that ocean isotopic changes, resulting from fluctuations in the quantity of ice stored on the continents, must have occurred almost synchronously in all regions. Thus the oxygen isotope record provides an excellent means of stratigraphic correlation. Cores accumulated at rates of over about 5 cm/ka provide records of oxygen isotopic composition change that are almost unaffected by post-depositional mixing of the sediment. Thus they preserve a detailed record of the advance and retreat of the ice masses in the northern hemisphere, and provide a unique source of information for the study of ice-sheet dynamics.


Forest fire is a global phenomenon, resulting in devastation across regions. Nepal is not an exception where forest ecosystems and environment are vulnerable to forest fires, causing loss of properties and lives. While a range of studies have been conducted on the causes of forest fire and its impact, temporal and spatial dimensions along with ecological and socio-economic implications are largely overlooked. This paper aims to identify the temporal and spatial distribution of forest fire, and its implications on forest ecology, environmental, and socio-economic sectors of Nepal. Data on fire incidences and burnt areas were obtained from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and information pertaining to environmental and socio-economic implications were collected from various secondary sources. The 2001-2020 data revealed increasing forest fire incidences. Seasonally, pre-monsoon appeared to have higher frequencies of forest fires. By province, the Tarai and Siwalik regions of the Sudurpaschim Province, Madhesh Province, Lumbini Province, and Bagmati Province are susceptible to fire. In terms of fire risk, the Tarai-Siwalik region of Sudurpaschim and Madhesh Province are at very high forest fire risk. In terms of environmental loss and damage, every year on an average, 3,098 fire incidences occur resulting in damage to 172,040.65 hectares (ha) of forest and biomass loss of 7.07 million tons per year accounting to emission of 3.30 million tons of carbon per year. During 2020-2021 period, a total of Nepalese Rupees (NPR) 1890000 (USD 15240.70) was lost due to the damage incurred by forest fire. Likewise, from 2007 to 2021, 71 human casualties have been recorded. Both natural and anthropogenic factors are responsible for the occurrence of forest fire in Nepal. Thus, for the protection of forests, properties and lives, strict forest fire mitigation policies and practices ensuring sustainable forest fire management is crucial.


The current outbreak is known as Coronavirus Disease or COVID-19 caused by the virus SAR-COV-2 which continues to wreak havoc across the globe. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. In Pakistan, the spread of the virus is on the rise with the number of infected people and causalities rapidly increasing. In the absence of proper vaccination and treatment, to reduce the number of infections and casualties, the only option so far is to educate people regarding preventive measures and to enforce countrywide lock-down. Any strategy about the preventive measures needs to be based upon detailed analysis of the COVID-19 outbreak and accurate scientific predictions. In this paper, we conduct mathematical and numerical analysis to come up with reliable and accurate predictions of the outbreak in Pakistan. The time-dependent Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) model is used to fit the data and provide future predictions. The turning point of the peak of the pandemic is defined as the day when the transmission rate becomes less than the recovering rate. We have predicted that the outbreak will reach its maximum peak occurring from late May to 9 June with unrecovered number of Infectives in the range 20000-47000 and the cumulative number of infected cases in the range of 57500-153100. The number of Infectives will remain at the lower end in the lock-down scenario but can rapidly double or triple if the spread of the epidemic is not curtailed and localized. The uncertainty on single day projection in our analysis after April 15 is found to be within 5\%.


Lethal catatonia is a rare and fatal clinical syndrome. It has diverse etiologies, both functional and organic. We experienced a man with left hemiplegia and striking catatonia. Brain imaging showed a large right hemispheric infarction and hypoperfusion. Symptoms and signs of catatonia were markedly improved after treatment of dopa-agonist and benzodiazepine. This case suggests that right hemispheric infarction could be a possible cause of lethal catatonia, and supports earlier clinical literature relating catatonia and the parietal lobe.


Syntrichia papillosa, an epiphytic propaguliferous member of Pottiaceae is recorded for the first time to the bryophyte flora of Turkey. The specimen was collected from north east of Turkey (prov. Trabzon, Tonya county) on Pyrus. sp. with two mosses which hitherto are known only from a single locality of Turkey, Orthotrichum obtusifolium and Orthotrichum rivulare. A description of S. papillosa with illustrations and distribution map for the three species in Turkey is presented.


1. Introduction
The phenomenon of language and factors affecting that have long been the subject of extensive research. In general, in all the languages, there are differences between speakers in terms of pronunciation of vocabulary and grammar. These differences include both individual and group differences. "The group differences depend on non-linguistic factors such as geographic region, age, gender, educational level, social class, religion, occupation, etc." (Bateni, 1984, pp. 78-79). Gender, from among the social factors affecting language, plays an important role in development of linguistic differences and leads to emergence of different linguistic characteristics in men and women. Moreover, the linguistic differences between men and women in different social situations can be attributed to their different social position in the society (Noushinfar, 2002, p. 185). In the present research, the Romance letters in four Lyric poetry collections have been studied using different linguistic theories, and Robin Lakoff's theory in particular. Robin lakoff believes that female language is inferior to male language because female language includes signs of weaknesses as well as emphasis on meaningless, non-serious points and emotional responses. In his opinion, male language is more robust, and women seeking social equality with men must acknowledge their language "(Selden & Woodson, 1998, p. 263). All four poems that are to be investigated in the present study are composed by male poets, but some parts of these poems that mainly cover romance letters include words that are uttered by the female and male characters. Therefore, the main goal of the present research is to study the extent to which male poets have managed to represent gender language in these works.

2. Methodology
According to the main hypothesis of the study, the language used in all four poetry collections correspond to the gender language, and all the poets have been able to represent the female language in letters from the female character of the story. The research question is: which of the poets has been more successful in representing the gender language and what is the reason for the lack of consistency between some poems and the gender language? The letters contained in the Khosrow and Shirin, Leili and Majnun and Shirin and Khosrow poetry collections have been thoroughly investigated in terms of conformity with gender language, as for Vis and Ramin poem collection, two letters from Vis and two letters from Ramin have been selected for content analysis. Documentary method and descriptive statistics have been used in this research. First, some gender language criteria based on linguistic theories, as well as some examples of the texts associated with the subject of the study are presented, and the application of each variable in the letters from male and female characters are analyzed at the end of each section.

3. Discussion
In this section, the linguistic theories, especially Robin Lakoff's theory have been drawn on to specify the most important differences between male and female language. The results obtained from this investigation are then used to analyze the romance letters in the above-mentioned poems collections according to Lakoff, the most important features of female language are:
1) Hedges: hedges are words that represent a sense of hesitation and anxiety. He believes that women use such words to avoid definite comments and sometimes refrain from answering; 2) more frequent use of adverbs such as "many"; 3) more frequent use of empty adjectives, i.e. adjectives that describe nouns, just like other adjectives, but cannot be defined explicitly; 4) direct quotation; 5) specific vocabulary, women use vocabularies that relate to their particular interests in different domains; 6) avoiding coarse or masculine language; 7) the use of indirect speech to make requests (Lakoff, 1975, p. 52-54) and 8) Lakoff also believes that the declarative statements are mostly made into questions in the female language (Cameron, 2005, p. 490).
According to Lakoff theory, another difference between women and men is that women allow the addressee dominate over the conversation. Women use expressive linguistic forms more frequently, while men mostly use rational linguistic forms. Adverb and adjective are emotional expressions, but noun and verb have rational implications. The frequency of adjectives is much higher in female language. Women adhere to linguistic standards more than men do and send confirmation marks more frequently. The vocal patterns used by women are similar to questions and need confirmations. Moreover, women do not act as magisterial as men do. Lakoff believes that women use high sentence intonation and intensifiers to emphasize their speeches. They use "intensifiers" to emphasize on sentences and boost semantic load and consequently make their speech important. They describe things more intensely while men provide simple descriptions (Fotohi, 1391, p. 398-399). Therefore, the difference between the male and female languages are usually related to the frequency of specific linguistic elements. Therefore, using linguistic features derived from the views of Robin Lakoff and other linguists, romantic letters have been investigated within a framework of Persian semantics.

4. Conclusion
Vis and Ramin, Shirin and Khosrow by Amir Khosrow Dehlavi, proved to be more consistent with the principles of gender language. Based on the findings:
- The highest frequency of imperative sentences in the romantic letters of Vis and Ramin and Shirin and Khosrow poems is seen in the male language, in Khosrow Shirin and Leili and Majnoun of Nezami, however, such sentences are mostly seen in the letters from the female characters of the story; therefore, the language of romantic letters in these two poetry collections are not consistent with the linguistic principles of gender.
- The question sentences that characterize female language in Vis and Ramin and Shirin and Khosrow are more frequently used in the letters from the female character, in Khosrow and Shirin and Leili and Majnoun, however, these sentences are most commonly used more by the male character of the story.
- Swearing sentences: In the Vis and Ramin, Khosrow and Shirin and Shirin and Khosrow poetry collections, the prayer sentences are consistent with the linguistic principles of gender and are more frequently used in the letters from female characters. In Leili and Majnoun, however, such sentences are most commonly used in the letters from the male characters of the story.
- As for proto-declarative and performative declarative sentences, all the poetry collections except for Leili and Majnoun, are consistent with the linguistic principles of gender.
- In all of the letters, except for Leili and Majnoun, the secondary roles of the sentences and declarative sentences are more frequently used in the letters from female characters.
According to the findings, the gender language, especially the variables that show the weakness of this language, are less evident in Nezami's "Leili and Majnoun" and "Khosrow and Shirin" than the other two poetry collections. The reasons for the inconsistency between the gender language and Nezami's words should be sought in the personal perspective of Nezami towards the woman character, the cultural and social conditions of the region where the story was created, personal perspective of Nezami towards Shirin as well as his interest in this character. Cultural differences and the historical and social status of Arab women can be considered as one of the causes of inconsistency between Leili and Majnoun's letters and the principles of gender language. Moreover, Leili and Majnoun are among the first works with a mystical background, in which Nezami depicts mystical journeys with weakness and subjugation of Majnoun.


In Sweden, shared physical custody following a parental separation has emerged as means for children to keep close relationships with both parents. Previous studies show that children benefit from regular contact with both parents, who share responsibility for their social, emotional and economic welfare. In this study, we investigate any associations between family arrangements, that is, two‐parent, single and shared physical custody families and child health outcomes and whether this association was modified by parent–child communication.


Objectives: Fitness Age (FA) has been reported in Japan and South Korea as one way to assess an individual's overall health. To date, this method has not been used in North America. The objective of the current study was to assess the applicability of existing Fitness Age calculations for North American women. Methods: Thirty-seven North American working women aged 18 to 67 years completed a fitness test battery, as described by previous studies. The fitness test results were used with published regression equations to estimate each woman's FA which was subsequently adjusted to correct for biases in the data. Results: The data from the fitness tests were similar to those presented in the previously published literature with the exception of grip strength, trunk flexion, and body fat percentage which differed significantly compared to the populations assessed previously. These population differences appear to have impacted the applicability of the published methods for this population. Discussion: Because the FA estimates must be corrected according to a theoretical "ideal" to address population biases before they can be used, the authors propose using the deviation from this theoretical ideal rather than raw FA in future aging studies, as this is where the interesting inter-personal differences lay.


The vibrational motion of Fe atoms in Bi2Sr2Ca1Cu1.96Fe0.04Oy studied by means of Mossbauer spectroscopy was found to be very anharmonic. This anharmonic behaviour can be explained by local structural excitations between two or more states supposedly existing in the material rather than by the usual phonon-phonon interactions. The increase in Tc for the annealed Bi2Sr2Ca1Cu1.96Fe0.04Oy is attributed to the increase in local structural instabilities which enhances the effective electron-electron pairing.


The article demonstrates the issues private health care and voluntary medical insurance are facing nowadays in Australia, Great Britain, Ireland and the USA. The possible directions of overcoming these problems are discussed.


The rising costs of litigation have hit those involved in healthcare-related cases — including patients, doctors, the courts and lawyers — perhaps hardest of all. Litigation costs have triggered rising malpractice insurance rates for doctors, extensive risk for malpractice attorneys on both sides of the aisle, clogged dockets for courts, and rising fees for clients. Not surprisingly, there is a constant debate about ways that litigation costs in these cases might be reduced. One practice that may alleviate at least some of this waste would cost nothing to implement and has the potential to create large savings: allowing ex parte interviews of treating physicians.Courts have fractured in regulating these interviews — which has culminated in a confusing legal framework at both the state and federal level. Nearly every state, and many federal jurisdictions, differ in how these interviews are regulated, or if they are even permitted.This article will explore the issue of defense counsel ex parte interviews of treating physicians, and what might be done to standardize the practice and balance the interests of all involved.Section I will explore the bodies of law that many courts and litigants have suggested restrict — or even prohibit — ex parte defense counsel interviews of treating physicians. Section II discusses the state of the law regulating ex parte defense counsel interviews across both the federal and state systems.Section III attempts to wade through the policy arguments raised by various state and federal courts in support of the methods each has used to regulate ex parte interviews of treating physicians. Finally, we offer a first attempt at creating a uniform approach to regulating ex parte defense counsel interviews that balances the policy arguments raised by both sides of the bar as well as the courts.


In the last two decades, the strong increase of pasturelands over former rainforest areas has raised concerns about the climate change that such change in land cover might cause. In recent years, though, expansion of soybean croplands has been increasingly important in the agricultural growth in Amazonia. In this paper we use the climate model CCM3 to investigate whether the climate change due to soybean expansion in Amazonia would be any different from the one due to pastureland expansion. The land component of the model has been updated with new findings from the Large‐Scale Biosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA), and a new soybean micrometeorological experiment in Amazonia. Results show that the decrease in precipitation after a soybean extension is significantly higher when compared to the change after a pastureland extension, a consequence of the very high albedo of the soybean.


We present a theoretical study of the collective optical effects which can occur in groups of three and four quantum dots. We define conditions for stable subradiant (dark) states, rapidly decaying superradiant states,and spontaneous trapping of excitation. Each quantum dot is treated like a two-level system. The quantum dots are though realistic, meaning that they may have different transition energies and dipole moments. The dots interact via a short-range coupling which allows excitation transfer across the dots, but conserves the total population. We calculate the time evolution of single- and biexciton states using the Linblad equation. In the steady state the individual populations of each dot may have permanent oscillations with frequencies given by the energy separation between the subradiant eigenstates.


Introduction Methotrexate (MTX) has been shown in clinical trials to be effective in the induction and maintenance of remission in Crohn's Disease (CD). It is predominantly used in patients intolerant of, or whose disease is refractory to, thiopurine treatment. It was our aim to examine, in a clinical setting, the efficacy and side-effect profile of MTX in patients with CD. Methods A retrospective audit was performed by casenote review of all patients with CD attending the clinical investigations unit at Ninewells Hospital to commence parenteral MTX during the period 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2010. A total of 53 patients were identified, for whom casenotes were available in 52 (26 male/26 female). Intramuscular MTX treatment was initiated at a dose of 25 mg once weekly for 16 weeks, followed by oral MTX at a dose of 15 mg once weekly. Clinical response by physician's global assessment was recorded at 3, 6 and 12 months. Clinical response was defined as complete response (absence of IBD symptoms or complete healing of fistulae); partial response (symptomatic improvement but ongoing symptoms); or no response (no improvement or deterioration from baseline). Relapse was defined as deterioration in symptoms necessitating additional medical or surgical intervention. Results Median age of starting MTX was 32 (range 15–73). 51 of 52 patients had previously received thiopurine treatment. 12-month follow-up data were available for 48 patients. 34 patients were taking steroids at the time of initiating MTX. At 12 months, complete response was reported in 8 patients (17%), partial response in 6 patients (13%), no response in 21 patients (44%) and drug withdrawal due to side effects in 13 patients (27%). Relapse was reported in 17 patients (35%). 10 patients (21%) required additional medical therapy (steroids or biological therapy). Surgical intervention was required in seven patients (15%). Steroid withdrawal at 1-year, without recourse to biological or surgical therapy, was reported in only 11 of 34 patients (32%). MTX-associated side effects were reported in 25 patients (48%). Reported side effects included: LFT abnormalities (9), nausea (8), lymphopenia (5), lethargy (3) and mouth ulceration (1). Monitoring of FBC/LFTs was performed at 97% of scheduled weekly intervals for patients receiving parenteral MTX and at 74% of scheduled monthly intervals for patients on oral MTX. Conclusion In this cohort, the clinical effectiveness of MTX in the induction and maintenance of remission of CD was limited. Only 29% of patients had either a complete or partial response to therapy at 1-year. The clinical effectiveness of MTX was limited by side-effects in 27%. On the basis of these results we should re-consider the position of MTX in the management of CD. Competing interests None declared.


Autism is a brain developmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction. Our aim is to assess the morphology of plasma cells of mothers having autistic children and to evaluate the effect of administration of serum obtained from mothers having autistic children on the cerebellar Purkinje neurons. Two groups were used: control group, where pregnant rats remained intact while others were injected intraperitoneally with serum of mothers with no history of autism. In the experimental group pregnant rats were intraperitoneally injected serum of autistic children's mothers. The Transmission Electron Microscope showed altered plasma cells of autistic children's mothers, where the heterochromatin material had inversed distribution in all nuclei examined in addition to other alterations. Also, modified Purkinje neurons were obtained in neonates of experimental group showing degeneration and atrophied dendrites. Recommended examination of peripheral blood is essential for early intervention.


Quality software products and services are becoming increasingly important as computers and smart devices are used widely. To be achieved the required levels of quality it is crucial to give importance to the software development process. The success of the software products and services depends on the accuracy and completeness of the requirements. Despite the importance of the issue, studies carried out about requirements engineering practices related to Turkey are very limited. In this study, we aimed to find out and characterize a high-level view of requirements engineering implementations in the Turkish software industry. To achieve this objective, we designed an online survey based on the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK) and Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK).Although our data are not sufficient the research shows that, to draw statistically significant results, it appears that industries under regulation typically have more well-defined requirement engineering practices.


Forced-choice (FC) measurement has become increasingly popular due to its robustness to various response biases and reduced susceptibility to faking. Although several current Item Response Theory (IRT) models can extract normative person scores from FC responses, each has its limitations. This study proposes the Generalized Thurstonian Unfolding Model (GTUM) as a more flexible IRT model for FC measures to overcome these limitations. The GTUM (1) adheres to the unfolding response process, (2) accommodates FC scales of any block size, and (3) manages both dichotomous and graded responses. Monte Carlo simulation studies consistently demonstrated that the GTUM exhibited good statistical properties under most realistic conditions. Particularly noteworthy findings include (1) the GTUM's ability to handle FC scales with or without intermediate statements, (2) the consistently superior performance of graded responses over dichotomous responses in person score recovery, and (3) the sufficiency of 10 mixed pairs to ensure robust psychometric performance. Two empirical examples, one with 1,033 responses to a static version of the Tailored Adaptative Personality Assessment System and the other with 759 responses to a graded version of the Forced-Choice Five-Factor Markers, demonstrated the feasibility of the GTUM to handle different types of FC scales. To aid in the practical use of the GTUM, we also developed the R package " fcscoring."


The effect of prostaglandin I2 and two other vasodilator agents, acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside, on systemic and renal circulation was studied in 29 adult euvolemic Sprague-Dawley rats. Intra-aortic infusion of prostaglandin I2 (3.6 micrograms/kg/hr; n = 6 rats) produced significant vasodilation (p less than 0.05), as indicated by an average reduction in total peripheral vascular resistance of 24.8 +/- 2.0%, while renal vascular resistance remained essentially unchanged. Essentially identical findings were obtained in a separate group of six rats pretreated with intravenous administration of saralasin (0.5 mg/kg/hr). In contrast, in another group of six rats pretreated with saralasin, intraaortic infusion of acetylcholine (0.35 mg/kg/hr), which caused a reduction in total peripheral vascular resistance (21.4 +/- 3.8%) comparable to that induced by prostaglandin I2, produced a significant fall in renal vascular resistance (average, 27.7 +/- 5.0%) and, hence, an increase in renal blood flow (average, 26.2 +/- 2.9%). The effect of sodium nitroprusside (0.4 mg/kg/hr i.v.) was intermediate between those of prostaglandin I2 and acetylcholine: both renal vascular resistance and total peripheral vascular resistance fell mildly. These results indicate that prostaglandin I2, given in a dose sufficient to cause systemic vasodilation, fails to induce any discernible renal vasodilative response and that this absence of renal vasodilation by prostaglandin I2 in vivo is not due, as previously postulated, to the highly efficient offsetting influence of intrarenal angiotensin II release.


Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of the zoonotic disease Q fever, and ruminants being considered as the main source for human infection. Although the main route of infection in human is inhalation of contaminated aerosols, oral transmission by contaminated raw milk or unpasteurized dairy products is also a possible route of infection. Raw milk or dairy products produced from unpasteurized milk may contain virulent C. burnetii. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the contamination rate of milk and unpasteurized dairy products with C. burnetii. METHODS: Touch-down PCR was used to examine the presence of C. burnetii on 147 dairy product samples collected from local traditional and commercial markets in Mashhad-Khorasan Razavi province- Iran. RESULTS: 2 of 28 (7.14%) cheese samples, 2 of 26 (7.69%) yoghurt samples, 8 of 23 (34.78%) sheep milk samples, and 2 of 60  (3.33%) cow milk samples were found to be positive for C. burnetii DNA. However, 10 goat milk samples were found to be negative. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that the clinically healthy dairy livestock and their dairy products are important sources of C. burnetii infection.


We present final results by the CDF II collaboration on diffractive W and Z production, report on the status of ongoing analyses on diffractive dijet production and on rapidity gaps between jets, and briefly summarize results obtained on exclusive production pointing to their relevance to calibrating theoretical models used to predict exclusive Higgs-boson production at the LHC.


Thoracic radiographs are used as a screening tool for dogs and cats with a variety of disorders that have no clinical signs associated with thoracic structures. However, this practice has never been supported by an evidence-based study. The objective of this retrospective observational study was to determine if certain canine and feline populations have a higher proportion of radiographic abnormalities, and whether any of these abnormalities are associated with patient hospitalization and outcome. Patients were excluded if current or previous examinations revealed evidence of primary respiratory or cardiac disease, malignant neoplasia, or an abnormal breathing pattern consistent with pulmonary pathology. Any notable thoracic change in the radiology report was considered important and evaluated in this study. One hundred and sixty-six of these included patients were dogs and 65 were cats. Of the 166 dog radiographs evaluated, 120 (72.3%) had normal thoracic radiographs, while 46 (27.7%) had radiographic abnormalities. Of the sixty-five cats included, 36 (55.4%) had normal radiographs, while 29 (44.6%) had abnormal radiographs. Canine patients with abnormal radiographs had a significantly higher lactate level (P-value 0.0348) and feline patients with abnormal radiographs had a significantly lower packed cell volume (P-value 0.012). A large proportion of patients that had screening thoracic radiographs (32.5%) had documented abnormalities, but a relatively low percentage (6.5%) of our total population had their clinical plan changed as a consequence of detection of these abnormalities. Findings indicated that abnormal screening thoracic radiographs are more likely in dogs with an elevated lactate and cats with anemia, or a low normal hematocrit.


Human colostrum and milk are rich sources of antimicrobial substances. These afford increased resistance to bacterial and viral infections of the neonatal/infant gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts (Grulee et al., 1935; Goldman and Smith, 1973; Gerrard, 1974) and this must be considered an advantage of breast feeding over the use of substitutes. My interest in this subject concerns the antiviral behaviour of human colostrum. This stems from the study of nonantibody nonspecific virus inhibitors (NSIs) which occur naturally in serum independent of antigenic stimuli. Colostral NSIs secreted at high level around parturition have been found for representative respiratory viruses, namely influenza, parainfluenza, and adenoviruses (Shortridge, 1970; Shortridge et al., 1974). Detailed study suggested that the inUfuenza virus NSI might be derived from circulating plasma ac2-macroglobulin. Falkler etal. (1975) in Hawaii recentlyreported the presence of a lipid-type inhibitor in human colostrum active against dengue virus, an arbovirus. In continuing studies in Hong Kong, lipoprotein NSIs have been observed in serum (Shortridge and Ho, 1974, 1976) and colostrum for a number of togaviruses including rubella virus and arboviruses such as Aura, Pixuna, Sindbis, Y62-33 (group A); Japanese encephalitis (JE), Ntaya, and Wesselsbron (group B). Colostrum samples from 55 individual Chinese or Caucasian donors ranging from 12 days' preparturition to 3 days' postwere examined and all contained NSI activity for these togaviruses. Strong virus infectivity neutralizing activity was observed using JE virus as a representative virus and there was no evidence that this activity was associated with specific antibody or interferon. Rubella does not seen to be clinically as important in the Far East as in Western countries (Kono et al., 1969). It is not clear whether the prevalent strains of virus are different or whether there are ethnic differences in susceptibility or response to infection. There is no firm information to hand as to whether the incidence of arbovirus infections such as JE in the Far East, or rubella in Hong Kong, is less frequent in breast-fed babies. However, as part of a broader study in this field, the serological status of local infants and children for rubella will be evaluated. A recent report from the World Health Organization has shown very clearly that the rise in infant mortality in rural Chile coincided with a decline in the prevalence of breast feeding (Plank and Milanesi, 1973). While the phylogenetic significance and protective capability of naturally occurring inhibitory substances for arboviruses in particular are unclear, there is continuing evidence of the antiviral behaviour of human colostrum and milk. Such information should not be overlooked in view of the modern trend away from breast feeding in many parts of the world, a trend also evident in Hong Kong.


Ten plant extracts were evaluated in vitro against Aspergillus niger van Tieghem and Penicillium chrysogenum Thom. which cause seed rot and decay of sunflower seeds. Cold water extracts of Neem (Azadirachta indica L.); Mahogany Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A. Juss. African bush tea (Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit; Acacia (Acacia senegalensis (Houtt.) Roberty and Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus citriodora (Hook) obtained from leaves and fruits were used to amend cheek hot potato dextrose agar prior to dispensing to petri dish. Cultures of Aspergilus niger van Tieghem and Penicillium chrysogenum Thom. from Sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) seed were aseptically transferred with No. 4 cork borer to the center of solidified media. These were incubated at ambient conditions and sporulation inhibition efficiency of amendment obtained. Petri dishes containing the different treatments were arranged in complete randomized design with five replications of each treatment. Number of spores harvested, 72 hours after incubation were significantly influenced by the type and source of extract used for the amendment. Spore counts of A. niger were inhibited with leaves of H. suaveolens (L.) Poit, followed by K. senegalensis, leaves while Acacia extracts amendment had least effect on the number of spores harvested. However, P. chrysogenum had the highest spore inhibition when incubated with media amended with A. indica seeds and leaves. The extracts tested in this study have the potency to inhibit the deterioration of stored Sunflower seeds. Practical Applications The tested extracts can be used to control the development of Aspergillus niger and Penicillium chrysogenum on Sunflower seeds.


The results of this study show development paths of rural regions in Austria. The conflicts between various policy objectives in regard to agriculture, the regional economy and protection of the environment will increase further. The value, which the society attaches to the social functions of agriculture and the areas covered by it, will increase more than the value of the production of biomass. In main agricultural regions the function "production of food and raw materials" is still the most important pillar of agriculture and the regional economy. In the more densely populated districts also the functions of resource protection, spatial structuring and biodiversity are very important for society. In the mountainous districts multifunctionality appears to be a complementary phenomenon. Most important there is the function of biodiversity, but also tourism- relations in the case of developed tourist regions. In the case of eastern border regions, with special problems in regional economy the functions of agriculture and agricultural areas assume low levels. In some districts new dynamics can be observed since the opening of the borders, but in some regions there is still lack of progress. The subsidies for agriculture and regional development should depend on the different multifunctional bases of the regions.


This paper discusses the prerequisites of bone marrow autotransplantation performed as part of cancer therapy, the emphasis being on the condition of the patient, the facilities available to the institution for the treatment of cancer patients, the biology of the tumour, and the present possibilities of carrying out what is called superdose cancer therapy. The practical performance of a bone marrow autograft is based upon the withdrawal of bone marrow with indefinite vital stem cell preservation by deep cooling at a time when the tumour has not yet led to bone marrow metastasizing. The conserved bone marrow is used, in subsequent radiological and/or cytostatic superdose therapy, as a reserve in the case of extreme damage to hematopoiesis. The discussion of the current status of this method and the prospects for its general use reflects the whole spectrum of the problems associated with the most favorable procedure to be used, the type of superdose therapy to be employed, the time of regrafting, and the accurate assessment of the results obtained.


Abstract Objective To determine the epidemiology, clinical management, and outcomes of women with gestational breast cancer (GBC). Methods A population‐based prospective cohort study was conducted in Australia and New Zealand between 2013 and 2014 using the Australasian Maternity Outcomes Surveillance System (AMOSS). Women who gave birth with a primary diagnosis of breast cancer during pregnancy were included. Data were collected on demographic and pregnancy factors, GBC diagnosis, obstetric and cancer management, and perinatal outcomes. The main outcome measures were preterm birth, maternal complications, breastfeeding, and death. Results Forty women with GBC (incidence 7.5/100 000 women giving birth) gave birth to 40 live‐born babies. Thirty‐three (82.5%) women had breast symptoms at diagnosis. Of 27 women diagnosed before 30 weeks' gestation, 85% had breast surgery and 67% had systemic therapy during pregnancy. In contrast, all 13 women diagnosed from 30 weeks had their cancer management delayed until postdelivery. There were 17 preterm deliveries; 15 were planned. Postpartum complications included the following: hemorrhage (n = 4), laparotomy (n = 1), and thrombocytopenia (n = 1). There was one late maternal death. Eighteen (45.0%) women initiated breastfeeding, including 12 of 23 women who had antenatal breast surgery. There were no perinatal deaths or congenital malformations, but 42.5% of babies were preterm, and 32.5% were admitted for higher‐level neonatal care. Conclusions Gestational breast cancer diagnosed before 30 weeks' gestation was associated with surgical and systemic cancer care during pregnancy and planned preterm birth. In contrast, cancer treatment was deferred to postdelivery for women diagnosed from 30 weeks, reflecting the complexity of managing expectant mothers with GBC in multidisciplinary care settings.


Increased competition between personal vehicle dealers make them need strategies to hold their customers and increase their sales. One of the strategies they could apply is prospecting their customers at the right time. We could predict the right time by identifying the relationship between the length of their purchase time and its factors based on the transaction data of Z Company from year 2002 to 2015 using Classification and Regression Trees (CART). Data analysis is separated between groups of customers who made the second purchase maximum of 10 years after the first purchase (group A) and more than 10 years after the first purchase (group B). Group A's regression tree produces 8 terminal nodes with MAD value 1.84 years. The independent variables that plays a role are tenor, job, age, and brand. Group B's regression tree produces 4 terminal nodes. Authorized service and job come out as independent variables which affect the splitting process. MAD value for Group B's regression tree is 0.56 years.


This paper discusses the new possibilities that Grid technologies create in education, presents current learning paradigms and makes a prediction about the way in which Grid technologies may affect the future of education. The case of the Hellenic Open University (HOU) is presented and the current educational technologies and tools used are illustrated. The paper also presents a scenario for the utilization of Grid technologies at HOU and discusses the challenges that such infrastructure creates, as well as the services that it can enable for HOU students.


The article presents the results of computational and experimental studies of the distribution of a model material (plastic spherical particles with a size of 6 mm) along the height of a laboratory two-dimensional apparatus of the fluidized bed of the periodic principle of action. To experimentally determine the distribution of the solid phase over the height of the apparatus, digital photographs of the fluidized bed were taken, which were then analyzed using an algorithm that had been specially developed for this purpose. The algorithm involved splitting the image by height into separate rectangular areas, identifying the particles and counting their number in each of these areas. Numerical experiments were performed using the previously proposed one-dimensional cell model of the fluidization process, constructed on the basis of the mathematical apparatus of the theory of Markov chains with discrete space and time. The design scheme of the model assumes the spatial decomposition of the layer in height into individual elements of small finite sizes. Thus, the numerically obtained results qualitatively corresponded to the full-scale field experiment that had been set up. To ensure the quantitative reliability of the calculated forecasts, a parametric identification of the model was performed using known empirical dependencies to calculate the particle resistance coefficient and estimate the coefficient of their macrodiffusion. A comparison of the results of numerical and field experiments made us possible to identify the most productive empirical dependencies that correspond to the cellular scheme of modeling the process. The resulting physical and mathematical model has a high predictive efficiency and can be used for engineering calculations of devices with a fluidized bed, as well as for setting and solving problems of optimal control of technological processes in these devices for various target functions.


Objective To identify a consistent pattern of brain MRI imaging in primary complex I deficiency. Complex I deficiency, a major cause of respiratory chain dysfunction, accounts for various clinical presentations, including Leigh syndrome. Human complex I comprises seven core subunits encoded by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and 38 core subunits encoded by nuclear DNA (nDNA). Moreover, its assembly requires six known and many unknown assembly factors. To date, no correlation between genotypes and brain MRI phenotypes has been found in complex I deficiencies. Design and subjects The brain MRIs of 30 patients carrying known mutation(s) in genes involved in complex I were retrospectively collected and compared with the brain MRIs of 11 patients carrying known mutations in genes involved in the pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex as well as 10 patients with MT-TL1 mutations. Results All complex I deficient patients showed bilateral brainstem lesions (30/30) and 77% (23/30) showed anomalies of the putamen. Supratentorial stroke-like lesions were only observed in complex I deficient patients carrying mtDNA mutations (8/19) and necrotising leucoencephalopathy in patients with nDNA mutations (4/5). Conversely, the isolated stroke-like images observed in patients with MT-TL1 mutations, or the corpus callosum malformations observed in PDH deficient patients, were never observed in complex I deficient patients. Conclusion A common pattern of brain MRI imaging was identified with abnormal signal intensities in brainstem and subtentorial nuclei with lactate peak as a clue of complex I deficiency. Combining clinico-biochemical data with brain imaging may therefore help orient genetic studies in complex I deficiency.


As a heavy metal, lead is dangerous to health or to the environment and is not biodegradable and tend to accumulate in living organisms, therefore it is necessary to remove it from the polluted waters. In this research, thiol-functionalized Beta/MCM-41 nanocomposite (SH-Beta/MCM-41) was prepared by 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) in the presence of aerosil-200 as silica source by two-step hydrothermal crystallization procedure. XRD, TG-DTG, N2 adsorptiondesorption, SEM and FT-IR techniques were used to characterize the nanoparticles before and after functionalization. The functionalized hierarchical zeolite exhibited desirable adsorption capacity for lead, superior to either microporous zeolite or mesoporous silica, providing a valuable candidate for removing the heavy metal cation.


This is a survey of results on the local theory of real submanifolds of a complex space. Most of the results included here were obtained in Vitushkin's seminar at Moscow State University over the last fifteen years. The most important achievement is a technique for computing automorphisms, invariants, and classifications of real submanifolds, which includes as a main step the construction of a "good" model surface (an analogue of an osculating paraboloid in classical differential geometry).


The temperature dependence of magnetization (M) and resistivity (ρ) of La1−xSrxCoO3(x=0.10, 0.33) single crystals have been analyzed. For x=0.10, the temperature dependence of field-cooled magnetization (MFC) and zero-field-cooled magnetization (MZFC) is similar to that expected for a canonical spin-glass system. The thermal response of MZFC for x=0.33 indicates a glassy ferromagnetic state. We observe that the ferromagnetic transition temperature TC decreases and ρ increases rapidly with increasing pressure (P) for the metallic sample (x=0.33), while the dependence of ρ on P for the insulating sample (x=0.10) is quite complicated; the pressure coefficient of resistivity (dρ/dT) is sensitive to temperature and applied pressure due to the strong interplay between the pressure-induced band broadening and spin-state transition phenomenon. dρ/dT is large and negative at low-pressure and low-temperature regime while small and positive at high pressures (P>5.4 GPa) and high temperatures (T>110 K).


Nine groundnut trials were conducted in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone in 2012 and 2013. The objectives of the trials were to evaluate the performance of two improved/groundnut varieties (Samnuts 22 and 23) and one improved local variety in the transitional rain forest and the savanna grassland agro-ecologies in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone, and to evaluate the responses of the varieties to phosphorous fertilizer. The experiments were laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Grain yield by the treatment combination was significantly higher in the transitional rain forest than in the savanna grassland. The variety Samnut 23 performed significantly higher in terms of grain yield than the varieties Samnut 22 and Slinut 1, while the variety Samnut 22 produced more stover yield than Samnut 23 and the improved local variety in the two agro-ecologies considered in both years, an indication that Samnut 23 could be recommended for grain production while Samnut 22 recommended for fodder production in both agro-ecologies. Addition of single super phosphate (SSP) fertilizer enhanced the performance of all the varieties and also increased the formation of nodules by the varieties and had significant effect on biomass production. The improved local variety was an early maturing variety; Samnut 23 was a medium maturing variety, while Samnut 22 was a late maturing variety.


Non-linear inverse Compton scattering (NICS) is of significance in laser-plasma physics and for application-relevant laser-driven photon sources. Given this interest, we investigated this synchrotron-like photon emission in a promising configuration achieved when an ultra-intense laser pulse interacts with a double-layer target (DLT). Numerical simulations with two-dimensional particle-in-cell codes and analytical estimates are used for this purpose. The properties of NICS are shown to be governed by the processes characterizing laser interaction with the near-critical and solid layers composing the DLT. In particular, electron acceleration, laser focusing in the low-density layer, and pulse reflection on the solid layer determine the radiated power, the emitted spectrum, and the angular properties of emitted photons. Analytical estimates, supported by simulations, show that quantum effects are relevant at laser intensities as small as ∼ 1 0 21 W/cm2 Target and laser parameters affect the NICS competition with bremsstrahlung and the conversion efficiency and average energy of emitted photons. Therefore, DLT properties could be exploited to tune and enhance photon emission in experiments and future applications.


Index system construction of ATC safety risk usually based on hierarchy subdivision, it is easy to exist correlation and redundancy between various levels indicators. In order to reduce the index drift values caused by subjective factors, Using rough sets which are advantage in dealing with the aspects of fuzzy and uncertainty, through the methods of attribute reduction algorithm to eliminate redundant index, it can realize warning monitoring to the key risk object which affects system state. After an application example screening from primary index, it effectively reduced redundant index, and the key index comply with the system state characteristic.


With the passage of time, skin ages and accumulates photodamage. This results in loss of elasticity, changes in pigmentation, as well as the development of scarring from trauma, acne, or other insults. Laser skin resurfacing has become a mainstay of treatment for skin rejuvenation and restoration of the skin's texture, tone, and elasticity. The most commonly used lasers include carbon dioxide (CO) lasers (10 600 nm), Erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet lasers Er:YAG (2940 nm), and erbium, chromium-doped yttrium, scandium, gallium, and garnet (Er:YSCG) (2790 nm). For many years, CO2 lasers were the only lasers available for laser skin rejuvenation.Er:YAG lasers were first FDA approved in 1996 for cutaneous resurfacing, and a comparative trial with CO2 lasers demonstrated that Er:YAG had equal efficacy with a trend shown towards more rapid recovery. Initially, short-pulse (SP) Er:YAG lasers were approved, with pulse lengths of 250-350 microseconds, however variable and longer-pulse (LP) Er:YAG lasers with pulse lengths of 500 microseconds to 10 milliseconds were subsequently approved in 1999. The long-pulse and variable-pulse lasers introduced in 1999 were designed to provide enhanced coagulation ability, reducing the side effects of bleeding, which occurred with shorter pulse Er:YAG treatment.


The triple-to-double ionization cross-section ratio of Li in the high-energy limit was computed in the sudden approximation with relativistic wave functions. Together with the calculated value of Dalgarno and Sadeghpour (Phys. Rev. A, 46 (1992) R3591), for the Li double-to-single ionization cross-section ratio, the value of 6.263 × 10−5 was obtained for the triple-to-single ionization cross-section ratio. This value is in full agreement with Wehlitz et al. experimental value of (6.38 ± 2.40)×10−5 obtained recently with synchrotron radiation (Phys. Rev. Lett., 81 (1998) 1813).


We analyze the Conradi-Kahle Algorithm for detecting binomiality. We present experiments using two implementations of the algorithm in Macaulay2 and Maple on biological models and assess the performance of the algorithm on these models. We compare the two implementations with each other and with Gr\"obner bases computations up to their performance on these biological models.


Few issues involving financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) have been more elusive and difficult for preparers to address and resolve--or of greater importance--than that of materiality. For auditors too, materiality in planning and conducting financial statement audits in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS) has proved challenging. Recent actions by the SEC and the AICPA auditing standards board (ASB) underscore the significance of this topic. In addition, GASB Statement no. 34, Basic Financial Statements--and Management's Discussion and Analysis--for State and Local Governments, compounds the materiality issues for preparers and auditors of state and local government financial statements. The GASB statement represents a substantial change in the information preparers provide in such statements, the manner in which they report many transactions and events and the nature and degree of aggregation and disaggregation contained in them. This article discusses current materiality concepts and standards related to the preparation and audit of the basic financial statements of state and local government entities. MATERIALITY: ACCOUNTING AND AUDITING Materiality in financial reporting is addressed most completely in FASB Statement of Financial Accounting Concepts no. 2, Qualitative Characteristics of Accounting Information. It states, in part: "The essence of the materiality concept is clear. The omission or misstatement of an item in a financial report is material if, in the light of the surrounding circumstances, the magnitude of the item is such that it is probable that the judgment of a reasonable person relying upon the report would have been changed or influenced by the inclusion of correction of the item." This statement goes on to explain that evaluation of a particular item's materiality is complex, involves quantitative as well as qualitative considerations and requires seasoned professional judgment. It also acknowledges that FASB has chosen not to prescribe thresholds because "no general standards of materiality could be formulated to take into account all the considerations that enter into an experienced human judgment." The ASB also has provided guidance to auditors about how the concept of materiality should be applied in financial statement audits. Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) no. 47, Audit Risk and Materiality in Conducting an Audit, says that auditors should consider "materiality both in (a) planning the audit and designing auditing procedures and (b) evaluating whether the financial statements taken as a whole are presented Fairly, in all material respects, in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles." It also says: "The auditor plans the audit to obtain reasonable assurance of detecting misstatements that he or she believes could be large enough, individually or in the aggregate, to be quantitatively material to the financial statements. Although the auditor should be alert for misstatements that could be qualitatively material, it ordinarily is not practical to design procedures to detect them." Based on the relevant professional literature, certain observations can be made: * The consideration of materiality is complex and requires substantial professional judgment in preparing or auditing financial statements. * Preparers of financial statements must be concerned with both quantitative and qualitative materiality considerations throughout the process. * Auditors generally design the audit to provide reasonable assurance of detecting quantitatively material misstatements but are responsible throughout the audit for considering whether any misstatements that come to their attention are quantitatively or qualitatively material. Given these factors it is evident that both preparers and auditors of state and local government financial statements need to clearly understand how to assess materiality. …


The Maritime Labour Convention was adopted during 2006 in Geneva by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). It states the rights of seamen, defines the terms and conditions of work and helps in growing fair competition between naval corporations. It is designed in such way that it can be "strict in the rights and flexible in implementation", understandable and can be evenly inflicted. The goal of the Convention is the global protection of people working in any position on a ship. It also sets less significant specifications of naval employment and indicates the facilities of entertainment on a ship, of accommodation, medical care, insurance, etc.


Sub-Saharan Africa most affected by armed conflict and sexual violenceused as weapon of war. This area continues to record more new infections of HIV/AIDS. Among these conflicts, the Democratic Republic of Congo is deadliest since World War II, it caused more than 5, 4 million victims, more than 1, 80 million women and girls have been sexually abused. Beyond the cruelty of rape and its consequences, the victims are stigmatized and rejected by their families and communities. Wanting to escape the stigma and discrimination, the majority of victims do not report violence against forgoing preventive and curative care. Our study shows that Stigma and discrimination of victims of sexual violence are associated with the perception of rape and rigid social norms to the detriment of women, the fear of contagion to sexually transmitted infections, as well as shame and guilt families and communities. These factors increase the vulnerability of victims; exacerbate the consequences of sexual violence by isolating and denying care and social support. They could promote the silent spread of the AIDS epidemic. This analysis suggests the need for an effective fight against stigma. It involves: i) advocacy, communication and social mobilization at the community, ii) training of medical staff including traditional healers to support victims, iii) strengthening the capacity and resources of the health system, and iv) promoting of change in society through the adoption of sound social values and the emancipation of women.


The aim: to evaluate the dynamics of consumption of drugs for the treatment of bronchial asthma (BA) in Yaroslavl in 2008-2010.

Methods: prospective cohort study; the data of healthcare and pharmacy department. There were chosen 4 groups of drugs: inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), long-acting beta-agonists (LABA), short-acting bronchodilators (SABD), combination drugs (ICS/LABA); also consumption of beclomethasone (B), fluticasone (F), fluticasone/salmeterol (FS) and budesonide/formoterol (BF) was estimated.

Results: in 2008 more than 74% of patients had moderate and severe asthma requiring mandatory prescription of ICS, including combination ICS with LABA, in accordance with international guidelines for BA. In 2010 the share of such patients has increased to 77.5 percent. In 2008 the share of patients receiving ICS was 40%, in 2009 - 42%, in 2010 - 39%. LABA consumption slightly decreased - 7%, 8% and 4%, respectively. The use of SABD had a slight tendency to increase: 12%, 16%, 19%. It should be noted that the number of registered patients with BA in the city has not significantly increased (in 2008 - 7308, in 2010 - 7426). In 2004, patients with BA received 11775 packs of B, 4(!) packs of fluticasone F, 36(!) packs FS; BF was not assigned. In 2010 intake of B was 8277 packs, increas use of F and combination drugs (F - 3590, BF - 2284, FS - 6410 packs). In 2004 patients with BA consumed 589,89 g ICS. In 2010, this volume increased to 681,93 g. In 2010, the share of the modern combined drugs increased to 27% of all anti-asthma drugs.

Conclusions: the analysis of consumption of anti-asthma drugs demonstrates positive dynamics - increased use of ICS in general, and the use of modern combined preparations ICS/LABA.


A parameterisation to incorporate the effects of frozen soil on modelled hydrology is described and implemented within a land surface model, the Joint UK Land Surface Environment Simulator. It is shown to generally improve the modelled flow of Siberian rivers compared to observations, specifically in seasons of freezing or thawing soil. Most noticeably, the revised model increases the snowmelt flow peak by 26–100% compared to the control model, thereby better matching observed flows. The model physics resulting in the changes to river flow are discussed and attention is given to the effect of inaccuracies in snowfall driving data which can hinder the comparison of new model processes.


This paper presents the physiological activity of the cerebral cortex in sheep in electroencephalo- graphic findings. The study was performed to evaluate and improve understanding of brain monitor- ing methods in freely moving animals without the use of any anaesthetic methods during the acquisi- tion stage. The aim of the study was to determine the physiological activity of the cerebral cortex in animals in a sheep model (using clinically healthy Polish Merino rams, aged 1 yr.) to determine its clinical EEG protocol. The EEG was registered using an in-lab EEG device as well as ambulatory systems (Holter EEG). The bioelectrical activity of the sheep cerebral cortex was recorded using gold disc and needle electrodes placed on experimentally determined locations on the scalp. The main finding of this study was the rhythmic EEG activity of the sheep brain in wakeful and conscious states (eyes open). The rhythm was bilaterally synchronous and determined a basic pattern in the registra- tion of physiological activity of the cerebral cortex. The acquired rhythm may correspond to the theta rhythm in humans, which is a normal activity controlled by the hippocampus. This background activity comprised intermittent episodic slow waves and synchronous beta waves.


The C Bounded Model Checker (CBMC) demonstrates the violation of assertions in C programs, or proves safety of the assertions under a given bound. CBMC implements a bit-precise translation of an input C program, annotated with assertions and with loops unrolled to a given depth, into a formula. If the formula is satisfiable, then an execution leading to a violated assertion exists. CBMC is one of the most successful software verification tools. Its main advantages are its precision, robustness and simplicity. CBMC is shipped as part of several Linux distributions. It has been used by thousands of software developers to verify real-world software, such as the Linux kernel, and powers commercial software analysis and test generation tools. Table 1 gives an overview of CBMC's features. CBMC is also a versatile tool that can be applied to solve many practical program analysis problems such as bug finding, property checking, test input generation, detection of security vulnerabilities, equivalence checking and program synthesis. This chapter will give an introduction into CBMC, including practical examples and pointers to further reading. Moreover, we give insights about the development of CBMC itself, showing how its performance evolved over the last decade.


It has been suggested that children that are exposed to a stressful environment at home have an increased susceptibility for air pollution-related asthma. The aim here was to investigate the association between air pollution exposure and asthma, and effect modification by mental health and by socio-economic status (as markers of a stressful environment). All individuals under 18 years of age in four Swedish counties during 2007 to 2010 (1.2 million people) were included. The outcome was defined as dispensing at least two asthma medications during follow up. We linked data on NO2 from an empirical land use regression to data from national registers on outcome and potential confounders. Data was analyzed with logistic regression. There was an odds ratio (OR) of 1.02 (95% Confidence Interval (CI: 1.01–1.03) for asthma associated with a 10 µg·m−3 increase in NO2. The association only seemed to be present in areas where NO2 was higher than 15 µg·m−3 with an OR of 1.09 (95% CI: 1.07–1.12), and the association seemed stronger in children with parents with a high education, OR = 1.05 (95% CI: 1.02–1.09) and OR = 1.04 (95% CI: 1.01–1.07) in children to mothers and father with a high education, respectively. The association did not seem to depend on medication history of psychiatric disorders. There was weak evidence for the association between air pollution and asthma to be stronger in neighborhoods with higher education levels. In conclusion, air pollution was associated with dispensed asthma medications, especially in areas with comparatively higher levels of air pollution, and in children to parents with high education. We did not observe support for our hypothesis that stressors linked to socio-economy or mental health problems would increase susceptibility to the effects of air pollution on the development of asthma.


IN the design of an insulation, mechanical and chemical problems must be considered as well as the electrical problem. This is particularly true in the design of an ignition cable for aircraft.


BACKGROUND: The evolution of compliance and driving pressure in ARDS and the effects of time spent on noninvasive respiratory support prior to intubation have not been well studied. We conducted this study to assess the effect of the duration of noninvasive respiratory support prior to intubation (ie, noninvasive ventilation [NIV], high-flow nasal cannula [HFNC], or a combination of NIV and HFNC) on static compliance and driving pressure and retrospectively describe its trajectory over time for COVID-19 and non–COVID-19 ARDS while on mechanical ventilation. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from one university-affiliated academic medical center, one rural magnet hospital, and 3 suburban community facilities. A total of 589 subjects were included: 55 COVID-19 positive, 137 culture positive, and 397 culture-negative subjects. Static compliance and driving pressure were calculated at each 8-h subject-ventilator assessment. RESULTS: Days of pre-intubation noninvasive respiratory support were associated with worse compliance and driving pressure but did not moderate any trajectory. COVID-19–positive subjects showed non-statistically significant worsening compliance by 0.08 units per subject-ventilator assessment (P = .24), whereas COVID-19–negative subjects who were either culture positive or negative showed statistically significant improvement (0.12 and 0.18, respectively; both P < .05); a statistically similar but inverse pattern was observed for driving pressure. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to non–COVID-19 ARDS, COVID-19 ARDS was associated with a more ominous trajectory with no improvement in static compliance or driving pressures. Though there was no association between days of pre-intubation noninvasive respiratory support and mortality, its use was associated with worse overall compliance and driving pressure.


The subgenus Pseudomegachile Friese of the large genus Megachile Latreille is revised for the Western Palaearctic region, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula. Twenty species are recognized, of which five are new: Megachile blepharis Dorchin Praz from Israel, M. plumigera Dorchin Praz from Oman and the United Arab Emirates, M. syriaca Dorchin Praz from Syria and Turkey, M. yezidica Dorchin Praz from Turkey and Iran, and M. maxschwarzi Dorchin Praz from Iran and Central Asia. The following new synonymies are proposed: M. inermis Radoszkowski 1893 (as well as the replacement name M. mitis Cockerell 1899), M. albifasciata Rebmann 1970 and M. transgrediens Rebmann 1970 are placed in synonymy with M. saussurei Radoszkowski 1874; M. tuberculata Radoszkowski 1893 (as well as the replacement name M. tuberculosa Dalla Torre 1896) is placed in synonymy with M. seraxensis Radoszkowski 1893; M. rubripes Morawitz 1875 and M. persica Rebmann 1972 are placed in synonymy with M. flavipes Spinola 1838; M. stolzmanni Radoszkowski 1893 and M. flavidula Rebmann 1970 are placed in synonymy with M. tecta Radoszkowski 1888. Lectotypes are designated for M. cinnamomea Alfken 1926, M. nilotica Pérez 1897, M. inermis, M. seraxensis, M. tuberculata, M. farinosa Smith 1853, M. derasa Gerstäcker 1869, M. erythrocnemis Alfken 1930 and M. xanthocnemis Alfken 1938. An identification key is provided, a phylogenetic hypothesis including most species in the subgenus is presented, and the biology of the species is briefly summarized.


BACKGROUND
Although coronary stenting has been demonstrated to significantly reduce restenosis compared to conventional angioplasty, occurrence of in-stent stenosis still remains one of the major limitations. This study investigates the influence of stent strut diameter on injury, inflammatory response, thrombosis and neointimal hyperplasia in a porcine coronary artery.

METHODS
Coil stents made of either a 0.12 mm, 0.15 mm or 0.18 mm wire were randomly implanted in the right coronary arteries of 30 pigs. Quantitative coronary angiography analysis was performed before, immediately after, and 6 weeks following the stenting procedure. At 6 weeks, histopathology for evaluation of injury, thrombosis and inflammation, as well as morphometry for calculation of the neointimal hyperplasia and internal elastic lamina area were performed.

RESULTS
Quantitative coronary analysis showed similar quantitative data before and after stent placement in the three groups. At 6 weeks, however, a significantly bigger MLD was found in the 0.18 mm group. Morphometric analysis at 6 weeks confirmed these results, showing a significantly bigger lumen area in both the 0.18 mm (1.71 +/- 0.66 mm2) and 0.15 mm (1.36 +/- 0.53 mm2) groups compared to the 0.12 mm group (0.71 +/- 0.38 mm2). The calculated neointimal hyperplasia was similar in the three groups (0.12 mm: 1.93 +/- 0.51 mm2; 0.15 mm: 1.68 +/- 0.63 mm2; and 0.18 mm: 2.16 +/- 1.48 mm2). The internal elastic membrane area, however, was significantly bigger in the 0.18 mm (3.87 +/- 1.39 mm2) compared to the 0.12 group (2.65 +/- 0.53 mm2).

CONCLUSION
These results suggest that pathologic remodeling can also play an important role in late lumen loss after stent implantation.


Migration is a complex process associated with a range of social, economic, and political reasons. In the U.S., almost one-quarter of the total population of parents are immigrant parents of children ages 0–10. Immigrant parents transmit values from their culture of origin as well as their language to their children. Additionally, they may undergo a process of cultural and psychological change known as acculturation. Research has shown that acculturation can be linked to parenting styles and adolescents' psychological well-being and behavioral problems. However, little is known about the associations among immigrant parents' acculturation, their home language and literacy practices, and their bilingual children's language skills. This study explores the relationships among reasons for migration, parental acculturation, home language and literacy practices, and child expressive vocabulary in English and their heritage language (HL). A group of 190 Spanish-English (N = 66) and Chinese-English (N = 124) dual language learners (DLLs) (mean age = 48.98 months) and their Chinese and Mexican parents (mean age of migration = 18.57 and 21.38 years old respectively participated. Frequency counts revealed that Mexican American families migrated to the U.S. mostly for multiple reasons, including joining family members, getting married, and looking for better education or job opportunities, whereas most Chinese American families migrated for family reasons only. Path analysis models showed that, for both cultural groups, language input in Spanish and Chinese mediated the relationship between parents' cultural orientations and DLLs' HL expressive vocabulary. These findings emphasize that despite the heterogeneity of immigrant families and the variability in DLLs' vocabulary skills in preschool, there exist some similarities across immigrant parents and bilingual children. A deeper understanding of acculturation practices and home language use can help educators better support children from diverse backgrounds and promote cultural awareness and sensitivity in the classroom.


An introduction to the basics of Monte Carlo is given. The topics covered include, sample space, events, probabilities, random variables, mean, variance, covariance, characteristic function, chebyshev inequality, law of large numbers, central limit theorem (stable distribution, Levy distribution), random numbers (generation and testing), random sampling techniques (inversion, rejection, sampling from a Gaussian, Metropolis sampling), analogue Monte Carlo and Importance sampling (exponential biasing, spanier technique).


ABSTRACT The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of a culturally adapted multi-component positive psychology intervention (MPPI) on resilience. We conducted a randomized controlled trial among 158 employees of multi-ethnic origin in Paramaribo, Suriname. The participants were assigned to a 6-session intervention program or a wait-list control group. Data were collected at baseline, post-intervention, and at 3-months follow-up. Strict guidelines were followed to minimize risk of bias and to assure a high methodological quality. Analysis of covariance revealed large significant improvements on resilience, mental well-being, and negative affect, moderate improvements on depression and positive affect, and small improvements on anxiety compared to control. The intervention was not more beneficial on stress, financial distress, and psychological flexibility than control. In conclusion, a culturally adapted MPPI may be a promising intervention to increase resilience and well-being among healthy adults with a multi-ethnic background in the Caribbean.


1 Although discussed for decades, the issue of cultural and religious values has been again brought into the political spotlight since the end of the 20th century. Today, a number of key political and state actors, including the European Union (EU), clearly consider dialogue and engagement with religious institutions and organisations vital resources for achieving stability, security and peace. The establishment of mechanisms and guidelines for dealing with religious organisations has thus been brought into the daily agendas of both domestic and international politics.