Although studies on the implementation and adherence to specific practice guidelines have been proliferating, research examining the attitude of healthcare workers toward practice guidelines in general has been lacking. This study is a secondary analysis of data collected from 39 volunteer hospitals participating in the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance System on attitudes of intensive care unit staff regarding practice guidelines in general. Age, profession, type of intensive care unit, and race were identified as significant predictors of attitude scores in this study. Understanding the differences in perceived barriers is important for the adherence to practice guidelines.


BACKGROUND Evidence indicates that insulin resistance results in poor sustained viral response (SVR) in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Metformin is an oral hypoglycemic agent which improves insulin resistance. METHODS We sought to determine if the addition of metformin to the treatment regimen could improve SVR in treatment-naïve CHC patients in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. We randomized 140 consecutive CHC patients to receive either metformin 500 mg three times a day or placebo in addition to pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV). Only treatment-naïve subjects aged between 15 and 65 years of age were included. SVR was defined as no detectable HCV RNA six months after the end of treatment. Subjects who received at least one dose of PEG-IFN were included in the finala nalysis. RESULTS The SVR rate in the metformin group was 75% versus 79% in controls (intention-to-treat) which was not significantly different. Also, the difference between the placebo and metformin group was not significant in subsets of different genotypes or those with homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels greater than 2 or body mass index greater than 25. The most common complaint was gastrointestinal discomfort (13% in metformin group versus 4% in controls; p=0.002) that lead to discontinuation of metformin in 8 participants. CONCLUSION Although triple therapy with metformin, PEG-IFN and RBV is relatively well tolerated, the addition of metformin did not significantly improve viral response in CHC patients.


Typically, micro-grid is considered as an effective way to integration of distributed generations. However, in the deregulated environment integration of micro-grid in power system should be further considered. In this paper, a stochastic bidding strategy of joint market for the energy and spinning reserve services markets, with taking into account of the uncertainties of renewable distributed generation output power, load and electricity market prices to maximize the profits of micro-grid, is recommended. The bidding strategy is modeled as an optimization problem and is divided into two stages. First the predictions for uncertainties was carried out by using Adaptive Neural Fuzzy Inference System(ANFIS) and according to the forecast errors and Latin Hyperbolic Sampling (LHS) method, scenarios for micro-grid produced and these scenarios is reduced by using backward scenario reducing. In the second stage, according to the generated scenarios in the previous stage, the profit of micro-grid bidding including the revenue of micro-grid bidding, operation and imbalance costs is optimized by genetic algorithm. In the end, micro-grid bids is sent to market. The effectiveness of the proposed method is discussed on a sample micro-grid and results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.


Abstract During malignant transformation and cancer progression, tumor cells face both intrinsic and extrinsic stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in particular. To survive and proliferate, tumor cells use multiple stress response pathways to mitigate ER stress, promoting disease aggression and treatment resistance. Among the stress response pathways is ER-associated degradation (ERAD), which consists of multiple components and steps working together to ensure protein quality and quantity. In addition to its established role in stress responses and tumor cell survival, ERAD has recently been shown to regulate tumor immunity. Here we summarize current knowledge on how ERAD promotes protein degradation, regulates immune cell development and function, participates in antigen presentation, exerts paradoxical roles on tumorigenesis and immunity, and thus impacts current cancer therapy. Collectively, ERAD is a critical protein homeostasis pathway intertwined with cancer development and tumor immunity. Of particular importance is the need to further unveil ERAD's enigmatic roles in tumor immunity to develop effective targeted and combination therapy for successful treatment of cancer.


Purpose: To investigate effectiveness of a simplified surgical technique for secondary ball implantation in anophthalmic sockets and to compare long-term results of secondary ball implantation in patients previously enucleated or eviscerated. Methods: The study is a case series analysis of the clinical charts of 110 consecutive patients who underwent secondary ball implantation after enucleation or evisceration, from January 1998 to December 2011, under the care of 1 surgeon. Patients undergoing primary evisceration and implant exchange were excluded. Primary surgery was due to trauma in 48.8% patients, endophthalmitis and phthisis bulbi in 25.6%, tumors in 22.1%, and orbital vascular malformations in 3.5%. This study adheres to the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki. Results: Of 110 identified cases, 24 were excluded for insufficient follow-up (less than 2 years); mean follow-up was 6.4 years. Group A patients (previously enucleated) received a polyglactin mesh-wrapped implant. Group B patients (previously eviscerated) kept their own sclera as a secondary anterior capping on the polyglactin mesh-wrapped implant. There were 2 implant exposures (4.9%; 2 of 41) in group A. Hard palate graft was used to repair the exposed implant successfully. No exposure was noted in group B. No statistically significant between-group difference in exposure rate was found. Conclusions: Stable secondary ball implantation can be achieved long term, and a reliable surgical technique is the most important factor in predicting implant stability. In patients who had secondary implants following evisceration, sclera and polyglactin mesh may act as duplicate barriers between anterior surface of implants and overlying tissues.


Seventy-two Najdi three month old male lambs weighing an average of 24 kg body weight were used in this experiment. Animal groups were randomly allotted to one of six dietary-treatment groups in a 3x2 factorial arrangement of three diets (9.5 and 14 mm) particle length pelleted diets and long hay diet, and two feeding frequencies (once or twice daily) , 12 animals per group. The compelete pelleted diets (9.5 and 14 mm) contained 75% concentrate plus 25% chopped alfalfa hay while the long hay diet (fed as mash form) contained 75% concentrate plus 25% unchopped alfalfa hay.The effect of alfalfa particle length and feeding frequency on lamb performances, digestibility traits and carcass characteristics over a period of 100 days were recorded. The results of statistical data analysis showed that there were no effects (P>0.05) of the particles length and long alfalfa hay diet on daily dry matter intake (DMI).Lambs fed the 9.5 mm diet had higher (P<0.05) average daily gain (ADG) and gain efficiency than those fed 14 mm or long hay diets. Although ADG, DMI and feed to gain ratio were not affected (P>0.05) by frequency of feeding,they were numerically lower in lambs fed twice daily as compared with those fed once daily. Digestion coefficients of DM, CP and NFE were not affected by particle length of alfalfa hay in experimental diets. Apparent digestibility percentage of EE, ADF and NDF higher (P<0.05) for long-hay diet versus 9.5 mm diet, whereas no significant differences were noted between 9.5 and 14 mm diets. Although N intake and fecal N excretion did not differ (P>0.05) among the three treatment groups, N retention was higher (P<0.05) in lambs fed 9.5 mm. Apparent total tract digestibilities of DM, CP, EE and ADF were not affected (P>0.05) by feeding the lambs once or twice daily. Neither Fecal, urinary N excretion nor N retention were affected by feeding frequency .There was a significant difference (P<0.05) for apparent total tract digestibility of NDF, as NDF digestibility decreased in lambs fed twice daily in comparison with those fed once daily.


The medicolegal issues surrounding telepathology and telecytology in Japan have been partly resolved since the government declared that telediagnosis in these fields using a microscope is essentially a medical practice between doctors. Thus it does not contravene article 20 of the law pertaining to medical practice in Japan, which states that there must be an actual face-to-face encounter between the doctor performing any diagnostic or treatment episode and the patient. It is, however, only beginning to be recognized that the medicolegal issues surrounding telepathology and telecytology depend on factors such as the type of system used (e.g. active versus passive). In an active diagnostic system, the telepathologist or telecytopathologist can control a robotic microscope at the remote site, while in a passive diagnostic system the telepathologist or telecytopathologist makes the diagnosis based on the microscope images that have been selected, and transmitted, by someone in the remote hospital. In the former case the interpreting telepathologist or telecytopathologist must assume most of the responsibility for the diagnostic process, while in the latter more responsibility must be assumed by those at the remote site. The duties and responsibilities of all participants in the telediagnostic process, whatever the system employed, must be determined. We have established working guidelines for telepathological and telecytological diagnoses to help achieve this and hence ensure safe and effective clinical practice.


Recent efforts to reconcile family law theory and doctrine with the lived experiences of families have focused narrowly on expanding the definition of the legal family to accommodate those in non-traditional family arrangements. By contrast, scant attention has been paid to the disjunction between law's understanding of caregiving and how families actually function in providing care. Law understands caregiving to be the work of parents; accordingly, it creates two caregiving extremes - one is either a parent, with the rights and responsibilities of that status, or one is a legal stranger without any entitlements. In focusing on these two poles, law disregards the caregiving continuum that exists between them. This Article explores this interpolar space and the non-parental caregivers who occupy it. Intuitively, we recognize that there are caregivers who are neither parents, nor strangers; and empirical and sociological evidence makes clear that parents do not provide care autonomously, but rather, rely on networks of non-parental caregivers. Indeed, in other doctrinal areas, like sentencing and public assistance, law acknowledges these caregiving networks explicitly. This Article examines three theoretical approaches for expanding the legal construction of caregiving to accommodate the way in which parents rely on caregiving networks comprised of non-parental caregivers. Recognizing these networks, it further argues, would help reconcile family law with the reality of family life, while advancing family law's stated interest in enabling and facilitating caregiving within families.


Introduction A recent court decision in Germany defined assisted suicide as a basic human right. Consequently, the discussion regarding PAD needs to be extended to people who are in forensic/secure psychiatric hospitals or prisons, sometimes without any prospects of release. Several studies have shown that long-term hospitalization and detention are associated with feelings of hopelessness, depression and suicidal ideations. Moreover, the resources for adequate therapy are often rare. This results in complex moral challenges for mental health care. Objectives To review current practices in countries that allow PAD and to discuss ethical conflicts. Methods Literature review; international comparison of current regulations. Results A majority of the literature on PAD in detention refers to prisoners with terminal medical conditions. Single case reports of PAD-requests of mentally disordered offenders aroused great public interest. The resulting ethical conflicts are similar to those issues regarding PAD and mental disorder in general. However, in secure treatment settings and detention additional aspects such as adverse living conditions and inadequate access to mental health care need to be taken into account. Conclusions If unbearable pain is not a precondition for assisted suicide, then mentally disordered and healthy offenders have a right to request PAD, provided they have medical decision-making capacity. Considering the common insufficient mental health care for people in detention, policy and law makers need to ensure that access to PAD will not replace therapy. Professionals involved in PAD evaluations need support by specific guidelines. Disclosure No significant relationships.


The results of unrestrained particle mesh Ewald molecular dynamics simulations of the [d(AT)5]2 duplex in aqueous solution are presented here. Two trajectories starting from A (10 ns) and B (5 ns) canonical forms were carried out. Both trajectories converged within about 500 ps and produced stable and similar conformational ensembles, which exhibit the qualitative features of B-DNA. Surprisingly, the convergence of hydration patterns is much slower than the convergence of the solute structure. We observed intrusions of sodium ions into the minor groove of the ApT steps with residence times of about 1−2 ns. The sodium ions were coordinated by the electronegative potential of O2 atoms of thymines, which induce a large negative propeller twist. The propeller twist change is related to the repulsion between a sodium ion and H2 atoms of adenines in the minor groove. It simultaneously leads to rather close mutual amino group contacts of adenine amino groups in ApT steps frequently occurring in nucleotide crysta...


The paper is based on a phenomenological study of the nurse-patient encounter, the purpose of which was to uncover meaning and generate understandings of being a psychiatric nurse. The study was informed by the phenomenology of Martin Heidegger (1962) and the philosophical hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer (1975). Drawing upon this phenomenological study it is my intention to discuss three of the existential elements to emerge from an interpretative analysis of these encounters; 'Being-with' as understanding, 'Being-with' as possibility, and 'Being-with' as 'care-full' concern. The paper also discusses two modes of being-with patients; the modes of the 'they' nurse and the 'self' nurse. An underlying theme of shared humanity emerged from the study and had the effect of unifying the other concepts uncovered.


A case of anorexia nervosa, presenting with unexplained hypokalaemia, is described. The patient was also secretly addicted to purgatives and diuretics. During an attempted metabolic balance study she secretly disposed of food and excreta, which were smuggled from the hospital by her sister. The patient induced her husband to bring his own stools into the ward, these then being substituted for her own. The interrelationships of the electrolyte disturbances, elevation of plasma renin, renin substrate, and hyperaldosteronism are discussed, particularly in connexion with the pathogenesis of peripheral oedema in anorexia nervosa.


Timothy syndrome 1 (TS1) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by multisystem abnormalities including QT prolongation, congenital heart defects, facial dysmorphism, episodic hypoglycemia, and neurological symptoms. A morphological hallmark of TS1 is syndactyly, present in all cases. TS1 is caused by the canonical p.Gly406Arg mutation in the alternatively spliced exon 8A in the CACNA1C gene, encoding for the main cardiac L‐type calcium channel. A variant case of TS1 is reported. The proband had intermittent fetal bradycardia with heart rate of 72 bpm. On the first day of life bradycardia due to 2:1 atrioventricular (AV) block and marked QTc prolongation of 600 ms was noted. On medical therapy with propranolol and mexiletine 1:1 AV conduction returned with QTc prolongation of 470–580 ms. The patient lacked other extracardiac manifestations, most importantly syndactyly, neurological complications or autism. On genetic analysis, the canonical TS1 causing mutation, p.Gly406Arg in exon 8A of the CACNA1C gene was detected. The CACNA1C p.Gly406Arg variant was not present in the parents, but was detected in different DNA samples of the index patient. Our case highlight further phenotypic variability in TS. Most importantly, it underlines that the lack of syndactyly does not exclude the presence of a TS1 genotype. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


of Thesis Coal workers pneumoconiosis (CWP), commonly referred to as black lung, is a chronic lung disease that results from the inhalation and deposition of coal dust in the lungs. While this disease continues to afflict coal miners, its prevalence has steadily declined over three decades since 1970. Based on a voluntary X-ray surveillance program, conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), this downward trend, however, ended in 2000 and has actually begun to rise. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) instituted a Comprehensive Initiative to "End Black Lung" to combat the reported upturn in black lung disease. Rulemaking, with the intent of strengthening respirable dust regulations, is a major part of this initiative. This thesis addresses a controversial aspect of the newly proposed rules single-shift compliance sampling. Establishing new requirements for respirable dust compliance requires an understanding of both the accuracy and variability of measurements. Measurement variability is especially important in underground mining where the workplace is constantly moving and ventilation controls are continually changing. The results of a ventilation study performed in three underground coal mines are presented in this thesis. A total of 600 dust-concentration measurements were obtained in this study using Continuous Personal Dust Monitors (CPDMs). The data was analyzed to determine the variability associated with taking dust measurements in the mining workplace. The Johnson transformation was found to produce the best-fit distribution model for the data. This thesis summarizes the results of this study and presents a statistical procedure for establishing an exposure limit.


Food waste and food loss are used to describe materials that are actually produced for consumption, but are discarded, lost, degraded or contaminated. Food waste is one of the main parts of municipal solid waste. Landfill is not preferable when compared with other types of waste handling method. It has been reported that the impact of landfill on climate change can be ten times higher than other waste handling methods. However, most FW end up in landfills. This paper reviewed the performance of several food waste pre-treatment technologies to convert FW into feedstock for incinerators/boilers in terms of electrical power generation purposes. The performance of food waste pre-treatment methods and their products were extensively discussed and compared in this paper in terms of calorific value, energy density, and compound reduction, which later directly corresponded with the energy, environmental, and economic factors for the sustainability of future renewable power generation.


Introduction:
 Nearly 40% of stroke patients present with hyperglycemia, yet little is known about the mechanism by which hyperglycemia affects hemorrhagic transformation (HT) and functional outcome in diabetics as compared to non-diabetics.

 Methods:
 We performed a retrospective review of consecutive ischemic stroke patients presenting to our comprehensive stroke center (CSC) from March 2014 to April 2015. Demographic, clinical, and neuroimaging data were collected. Patients were divided into four groups: (1) no type II diabetes (DM) with glucose on admission <180 [reference group], (2) No DM with glucose >180, (3) DM with glucose <180, and (4) DM with glucose >180. Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) and poor functional outcome at discharge, as measured by modified Rankin scale (mRS) score 3-6, were compared amongst groups.

 Results:
 A total of 773 consecutive patients were admitted during the 14-month period (mean age 64, 49.3% women, and 36.6% Black). When compared to the reference group (n=467), patients without DM, but with glucose >180 (n=50) had higher odds of developing HT (OR 10.6, 95%CI 5.47-20.4, p<0.0001). This association persisted even after adjusting for age, stroke severity, IV tPA use, and endovascular therapy (NIHSS, OR 3.65, 95%CI 1.34-9.97, p=0.011). When compared to the reference group (n=467), patients with DM and glucose >180 (n=104) had higher odds of poor functional outcome even after adjusting for age, stroke severity, IV tPA use, and endovascular therapy (NIHSS, OR 1.88, CI 1.04-3.42, p=0.037).

 Conclusions:
 We observed that hyperglycemia on admission was associated with HT in non-diabetics and associated with poor functional outcome in diabetics. Reasons that diabetics with hyperglycemia do not experience HT remain unclear. A better understanding of the pathophysiology of acute hyperglycemia in patients with and without DM is needed in order to minimize the risk of HT and its adverse effects.


We present an analysis of the spatiotemporal dynamics of the oscillations in the electric potential that arises from neural activity. Depending on the frequency and phase of oscillations, these dynamics can be characterized as standing waves or as out-of-phase and modulated waves, which represent a combination of standing and moving waves. We characterize these dynamics as optical flow patterns, in terms of sources, sinks, spirals and saddles. Analytical and numerical solutions are compared with real EEG data acquired during a picture-naming task. Analytical approximation of standing waves allows us to establish some properties of pattern location and number. Namely, sources and sinks have mainly the same location, while saddles are located between them. The number of saddles correlates with the sum of all the other patterns. These properties are confirmed in both the simulated and real EEG data.


The limited efficacy of traditional cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, emphasize the significance of employing innovative methods. CAR (Chimeric Antigen Receptor) T-cell therapy remains the most revolutionizing treatment of pediatric hematological malignancies and solid tumors. Patient's own lymphocytes are modified ex-vivo using gene transfer techniques and programmed to recognize and destroy specific tumor cells regardless of MHC receptor, which probably makes CAR-T the most personalized therapy for the patient. With continued refinement and optimization, CAR-T cell therapy has the potential to significantly improve outcomes and quality of life for children with limited treatment options. It has shown remarkable success in treating hematological malignancies, such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). However, its effectiveness in treating solid tumors is still being investigated and remains an area of active research. In this review we focus on solid tumors and explain the concept of CAR modified T cells, and discuss some novel CAR designs that are being considered to enhance the safety of CAR T-cell therapy in under-mentioned cancers. Furthermore, we summarize the most crucial recent reports concerning the solid tumors treatment in children. In the end we provide a short summary of many challenges that limit the therapeutic efficacy of CAR-T in solid tumors, such as antigen escape, immunosuppressive microenvironment, poor trafficking, and tumor infiltration, on-target off-tumor effects and general toxicity.


Background : The incidence of civilian gunshot injuries has been reported to be on the increase globally. This study was undertaken to determine the epidemiology of gunshot injuries in Kano, Northern Nigeria. Patients and Methods : A retrospective analysis of patients with gunshot injuries seen at five major government hospitals in Kano metropolis over a four year period (1999-2002). Results : There were 224 cases, with males out-numbering females by a ratio of 27:1. Eighty -one point three percent of patients were aged between 20 and 44 years. The most commonly injured body regions were the lower limbs (31.6%), chest (15.6%), upper limbs (9.4%) and head (9.0%). A fatal outcome was recorded in 12.5% of cases. Most injuries occurred among traders, students, farmers and security agents, and armed robbery attacks and civil conflicts were the aetiological factors in majority of cases. Conclusion : Gunshot injuries are a major cause of morbidity among adult men in Kano. Addressing the root causes of violence such as poverty, unemployment, and substance abuse will reduce the incidence of gunshot injuries in our society. Keywords : gun-shot injuries, firearms, epidemiology Nigerian Journal of Surgical Research Vol. 7(3&4) 2005: 296-299


We derive exact (ensemble-tight) error and erasure exponents for the asymmetric broadcast channel given a random superposition codebook. We consider Forney's optimal decoder for both messages and the message pair for the receiver that decodes both messages. We prove that the optimal decoder designed to decode the pair of messages achieves the optimal tradeoff between the total and undetected exponents associated with the optimal decoder for the private message. We propose convex optimization procedures to evaluate the exponents. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the results.


Anchor assembly comprises at least one anchor member, embedded in the target anatomical location, for example, in the first state, then a pair of anchor members that can be actuated to an expanded state to secure the anchor member to the target anatomical location , you can have a. Anchor assembly may further have a connector member attached to each other pairs of anchor members across a gap to narrow the anatomic defect.


We demonstrate a compact, low cost and practical fluorescence detection system for lab-on-a-chip applications. The system comprises a commercially available InGaN light emitting diode (501 nm) as light source, an organic or silicon photodiode detector, absorptive dye coated colour filters and linear and reflective polarisers. An injection moulded polystyrene microfluidic chip is used as the platform for fluorescence immunoassays for cardiac markers myoglobin and CK-MB. The optical limit of detection (LOD) is measured using a TransFluoSphere® suspension at 5.6 × 10(4) beads µl(-1) which can be equated to ∼3 nM fluorescein equivalent concentration. The LOD for the human plasma immunoassays is measured as 1.5 ng ml(-1) for both myoglobin and CK-MB.


BACKGROUND: In Pakistan the prevalence of smoking among young women has increased to 16.3%. There is a rapid increase in both use of smoking and smokeless tobacco over the decades. This has led to a rapid rise in lung diseases among women. OBJECTIVE: To determine the reasons of increasing tobacco use among women in Pakistan even after knowing of its countless hazards. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was done on 490 females of aged 15 - 80 years. Questionnaire for tobacco use, developed by WHO, was used in both English and Urdu. Analysis was done using SPSS version 15. RESULTS: Out of 460 women, 13(3%) were current smokers and 79(17.6%) were smokeless tobacco users. 102(22.2%) had used tobacco for more than 6 months in some form. 98% of tobacco users were married, 82% were housewives and 76% were uneducated. 72% women used it for enjoyment, 69% for fear of withdrawal symptoms, 53% in social gatherings, 50% for relaxation, 45% as stress reliever. 25% of tobacco users considered tobacco use harmless and 51% thought its dangerous. CONCLUSION: Various factors were identified for the increase in tobacco use among women in Pakistan. Once started as a social activity not being able to stop for fear of withdrawal symptoms. Lack of knowledge of tobacco's harmful effects also plays a major role. While targeting the masses for reduction of tobacco use it is essential that the reason for increase in tobacco be addressed in order to stop this epidemic.


We examine diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) of the pre-existing as well as freshly injected populations of non-thermal, cosmic-ray (CR) particles at weak cosmological shocks. Assuming simple models for thermal leakage injection and Alfvénic drift, we derive analytic, time-dependent solutions for the two populations of CRs accelerated in the test-particle regime. We then compare them with the results from kinetic DSA simulations for shock waves that are expected to form in intracluster media and cluster outskirts in the course of large-scale structure formation. We show that the test-particle solutions provide a good approximation for the pressure and spectrum of CRs accelerated at these weak shocks. Since the injection is extremely inefficient at weak shocks, the pre-existing CR population dominates over the injected population. If the pressure due to pre-existing CR protons is about 5% of the gas thermal pressure in the upstream flow, the downstream CR pressure can absorb typically a few to 10% of the shock ram pressure at shocks with a Mach number M ≲ 3, yet the re-acceleration of CR electrons can result in a substantial synchrotron emission behind the shock. The enhancement in synchrotron radiation across the shock is estimated to be about a few to several for M ∼ 1.5 and 102–103 for M ∼ 3, depending on the detail model parameters. The implication of our findings for observed bright radio relics is discussed.


ABSTRACT During a 3-year surveillance program (2004 to 2007) in Monterrey, Mexico, 398 isolates of Candida spp. were collected from five hospitals. We established the species distribution and in vitro susceptibilities of these isolates. The species included 127 Candida albicans strains, 151 C. parapsilosis strains, 59 C. tropicalis strains, 32 C. glabrata strains, 11 C. krusei strains, 5 C. guilliermondii strains, 4 C. famata strains, 2 C. utilis strains, 2 C. zeylanoides strains, 2 C. rugosa strains, 2 C. lusitaniae strains, and 1 C. boidinii strain. The species distribution differed with the age of the patients. The proportion of candidemias caused by C. parapsilosis was higher among infants ≤1 year old, and the proportion of candidemias caused by C. glabrata increased with patient age (>45 years old). MICs were calculated following the criteria of the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute reference broth macrodilution method. Overall, C. albicans, C. parapsilosis, and C. tropicalis isolates were susceptible to fluconazole and amphotericin B. However, 31.3% of C. glabrata isolates were resistant to fluconazole (MIC ≥ 64 μg/ml), 43.3% were resistant to itraconazole (MIC ≥ 1 μg/ml), and 12.5% displayed resistance to amphotericin B (MIC ≥ 2 μg/ml). Newer triazoles, namely, voriconazole, posaconazole, and ravuconazole, had a notable in vitro activity against all Candida species tested. Also, caspofungin was active against Candida sp. isolates (MIC90 ≤ 0.5 μg/ml) except C. parapsilosis (MIC90 = 2 μg/ml). It is imperative to promote a national-level surveillance program to monitor this important microorganism.


Despite the significance and contributions of micro, small and medium enterprises
(MSMEs) to the national economy, many problems and constraints still exist in
promoting their development and growth which invariably affect the performance of
the owners. This, in turn, led to the dwindling number of MSMEs in Nigeria. The
declines were attributed to poor personal traits of entrepreneurs in Nigeria,
underdeveloped human resources, and the harsh operating business environment. In
addition, MSMEs failure, particularly in emerging economies, has been attributed to
lack of preparedness as a result of inaccurate entrepreneurial training and lack of
training transfer of entrepreneur skills and competencies.
However, very few studies have been conducted in Nigeria to ascertain
entrepreneurial performance and factors influencing entrepreneurial performance
collectively. Thus, this study general objective determines the moderating role of
training transfer on the determinants of entrepreneurial performance. At the same
time examines holistically the determinant factors influencing entrepreneurial
performance in Lagos State Nigeria taking into consideration the multi-determinant
constructs of personal qualities of the entrepreneurs, business competencies, and
environmental munificence factors. This is because entrepreneurial performance has
been argued in literature to be multidimensional phenomena; hence studying
entrepreneurial performance in isolation makes such findings inconclusive.
Therefore, investigating multi-determinant relationships becomes imperative.
The study adopted a quantitative approach using a survey while Cochran (1977)
formulae for sample size determination was used to calculate for the sample size.
Descriptive statistic tool was used for demographic data analysis as well as to
determine the level of the used constructs in the study. The Structural Equation
Modelling (SEM) approach was utilised to test the stated research hypotheses. Prior
to full utilisation of the model, the researcher ensure the model meet the acceptable
goodness-of-fit indices: X2 (CMIN) = 387.238 (DF = 196), Relative X2 (CMIN/DF) = 1.976, AGFI = .870, GFI = .899, CFI = .939, IFI = .939, TLI = .928 and RMSEA =
.056. The study descriptive analysis revealed that there is a moderate level of
entrepreneurial performance among the 307 valid respondents with a mean score of
4.08 (SD= 1.43). More so, the analysis depicted that the level of entrepreneurs
personal qualities was high at a mean score of 3.81 (SD =1.13). Similarly, business
competencies level among the respondents was also high with a mean score of 4.25
(SD = 0.86). However, the respondents level of environmental munificence factors
were moderate with a mean score of 3 (SD = 1.33), while, the training transfer level
was high at a mean score of 4.27 (SD = 0.81).
The structural equation model showed that personal qualities did not significantly
contribute to entrepreneurial performance (β = -.109, p = .108). However, the
analysis of structural equation model depicted that business competencies
contributed significantly to entrepreneurial performance (β = -.127, p = .043), though
the contribution was negatively related. In addition, training transfer contributions to
entrepreneurial performance was estimated at (β = .323, p = .000) which was also
significant with high positive effect size when compared to the relationship with
business competencies and entrepreneurial performance. The structural model
revealed that the relationship between personal qualities, business competencies, and
environmental munificence factors are moderated by training transfer in the study
with measurement residual X2 greater than unconstrained X2 based on model
comparison output ΔX2 (CMIN) = 10.925; Δdf = 40; p = .000. Therefore, the study
showed that there is a presence of moderation effect of training transfer on the
determinants of entrepreneurial performance in the overall model.
Based on the findings from the study, the researcher concluded that the moderate
level of entrepreneurial performance among the manufacturing MSMEs owners in
Lagos State, Nigeria was attributed to the contributions of training transfer on the
relationship between business competencies and entrepreneurial performance. This
implies that high level of training transfer enhances business competencies of the
respondents which in turn improve their entrepreneurial performance. Therefore,
there is need for Nigeria MSMEs owners to place more emphasis on human resource
development, and training transfer in particular in order to increase entrepreneurial
performance in Nigeria. Thus, this study suggests for more effective entrepreneurial
training that will allows for transfer of training necessary for the enhancement of
personal qualities, business competencies and environmental munificence factors
among the MSMEs owners. The study findings can serve as a guide in developing
entrepreneurial training curriculum, selection of resource persons, and pedagogical
methods require to inculcating the personal qualities, business competencies, and
environmental munificence factors necessary for entrepreneurial performance among
the trainees.


In this work we describe OMEN, a neural ODE based normalizing flow for the prediction of marginal distributions at flexible evaluation horizons, and apply it to agent position forecasting. OMEN's architecture embeds an assumption that marginal distributions of a given agent moving forward in time are related, allowing for an efficient representation of marginal distributions through time and allowing for reliable interpolation between prediction horizons seen in training. Experiments on a popular agent forecasting dataset demonstrate significant improvements over most baseline approaches, and comparable performance to the state of the art while providing the new functionality of reliable interpolation of predicted marginal distributions between prediction horizons as demonstrated with synthetic data.


This article maps recent transitions in Nabokov Studies and places them in the context of the history of the field as it has developed since the 1960s. While many critics have allowed Nabokov's own injunctions and 'strong opinions' to establish the parameters of their research, various scholars over the last decade have shown a willingness to transgress the rules of Nabokovian reading. From historicist approaches to Lolita as a holocaust novel, to controversial questions concerning ethics and ideology, I survey some of the best work on the author and suggest ways in which Nabokov Studies might develop in the future. In the past, many of the most radical readings of Nabokov have focused on Lolita, but the posthumous publication of The Original of Laura now invites renewed focus on the late fiction, while there remains the necessity of exploring Nabokov's place within the contexts of modernism and of world literature.


Despite their small size and large relative surface area, many hibernating bats have the ability to thermoregulate and defend their body temperature (Tb) often below 10°C by an increase in metabolic rate. Above a critical temperature (Tcrit) animals usually thermoconform. We investigated the physiological responses above and below Tcrit for a small tree dwelling bat (Chalinolobus gouldii, ∼14g) that is often exposed to subzero temperatures during winter. Through simultaneous measurement of heart rate (HR) and oxygen consumption () we show that the relationship between oxygen transport and cardiac function is substantially altered in thermoregulating torpid bats down to −2°C, compared with thermoconforming torpid bats at mild ambient temperatures (Ta 5-20°C). Tcrit for this species was Ta 0.7 ± 0.4°C, with a corresponding Tb of 1.8 ± 1.2°C. Below this Tcrit animals began to thermoregulate, indicated by a considerable but disproportionate increase in both HR and . The maximum increase in HR was only 4-fold greater than the average thermoconforming minimum, compared to a 46-fold increase in . The differential response of HR and to low Ta was represented by a 15-fold increase in oxygen delivery per heart beat (cardiac oxygen pulse). During torpor at low Ta, thermoregulating bats maintain a relatively slow HR and compensate for increased metabolic demands by significantly increasing stroke volume and tissue oxygen extraction. Our study provides valuable new information on the relationship between metabolism and HR in an unstudied physiological state and further advances our knowledge of the thermogenic capacity of small bats.


This work is motivated by the growing intricacy of high performance computing infrastructures. For example, supercomputer MareNostrum (installed in 2005 at BSC) has 10240 processors and currently there are machines with more than 100.000 processors. The complexity of this systems increases the complexity of the manual performance analysis of parallel applications. For this reason, it is mandatory to use automatic tools and methodologies.The performance analysis group of BSC and UPC has a large experience in analyzing parallel applications. The approach of this group consists mainly in the analysis of tracefiles (obtained from parallel applications executions) using performance analysis and visualization tools, such as Paraver. Taking into account the general characteristics of the current systems, this method can sometimes be very expensive in terms of time and inefficient. To overcome these problems, this thesis makes several contributions.The first one is an automatic system able to detect the internal structure of executions of high performance computing applications. This automatic system is able to rule out nonsignificant regions of executions, to detect redundancies and, finally, to select small but significant execution regions. This automatic detection process is based on spectral analysis (wavelet transform, fourier transform, etc..) and works detecting the most important frequencies of the application's execution. These main frequencies are strongly related to the internal loops of the application' source code. Finally, it is important to state that an automatic detection of small but significant execution regions reduces remarkably the complexity of the performance analysis process.The second contribution is an automatic methodology able to show general but nontrivial performance trends. They can be very useful for the analyst in order to carry out a performance analysis of the application. The automatic methodology is based on an analytical model. This model consists in several performance factors. Such factors modify the value of the linear speedup in order to fit the real speedup. That is, if this real speedup is far from the linear one, we will detect immediately which one of the performance factors is undermining the scalability of the application. The second main characteristic of the analytical model is that it can be used to predict the performance of high performance computing applications. From several execution on a few of processors, we extract model's performance factors and we extrapolate these values to executions on higher number of processors. Finally, we obtain a speedup prediction using the analytical model.The third contribution is the automatic detection of the optimal sampling frequency of applications. We show that it is possible to extract this frequency using spectral analysis. In case of sequential applications, we show that to use this frequency improves existing results of recognized techniques focused on the reduction of serial application's instruction execution stream (SimPoint, Smarts, etc..). In case of parallel benchmarks, we show that the optimal frequency is very useful to extract significant performance information very efficiently and accurately.In summary, this thesis proposes a set of techniques based on signal processing. The main focus of these techniques is to perform an automatic analysis of the applications, reporting and initial diagnostic of their performance and showing their internal iterative structure. Finally, these methods also provide a reduced tracefile from which it is easy to start manual finegrain performance analysis. The contributions of the thesis are not reduced to proposals and publications. The research carried out these last years has provided a tool for analyzing applications' structure. Even more, the methodology is general and it can be adapted to many performance analysis methods, improving remarkably their efficiency, flexibility and generality.


PURPOSE
Using a geometric ray tracing model, we explain the increase in visual acuity observed in myopic patients after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).

METHODS
This study included 37 eyes of 23 patients who underwent LASIK. All patients had myopia and a spectacle-corrected visual acuity of 0.95 or worse. Clinical tests included biometry, corneal topography, pachymetry, and refraction (with and without cycloplegia). Calculations were made by tracing rays through all the refractive surfaces of the eye based on a Le Grand-type theoretical model of the whole eye.

RESULTS
Comparison of spectacle-corrected visual acuity of the eye before surgery, the size of the blur circle calculated by ray tracing, and the magnification for the ocular system facilitated a numerical criterion to assess visual acuity by geometric calculation. This criterion was applied to myopic eyes that underwent LASIK, and the maximum increase in spectacle-corrected visual acuity was predicted. An actual increase in visual acuity of approximately 40% of the predicted maximum was observed in patients.

CONCLUSIONS
With geometric ray tracing, it was possible not only to obtain an estimate of the visual acuity before LASIK but also to assess the value of the maximum and probable increases in visual acuity after LASIK.


Abstract
Soil pollution with heavy metals like zinc causes increasing concerns about environment. According to distribution in soil, this study was conducted to compare zinc concentration between aggregate exteriors and interiors of some contaminated soils. Aggregates were collected from 5 depths of 4 soil profiles with different textures and were separated mechanically into exterior and interior fractions. Soluble and exchangeable and also bonded to carbonate fractions of zinc from both aggregate interiors and exteriors, were extracted and measured. The concentrations of zinc in both above fractions were high in the exterior part. Concentration of soluble and exchangeable zinc showed high correlation coefficient with soil pH and total concentration of soil zinc, also bonded to carbonate fraction of zinc showed high correlation coefficient with total concentration of zinc and low correlation coefficient with percentage of soil CaCO3.

Keywords: Aggregate, Contaminated soil, Forms of zinc


A number of pharmaceuticals have been identified as potential adjuvants to speech language therapy following stroke, but it is also important to consider which pharmaceuticals may result in a less robust recovery. Here we examine whether post-stroke language recovery was meaningfully impeded by cholinergic, GABAergic, or dopaminergic medications patients received. Eighty participants with left hemisphere stroke were examined retrospectively to see whether the use of one of these three classes of medication prior to admission for acute stroke, during their inpatient stay, or at discharge was associated with differences in recovery on three common measures of language. While prescription of any of the candidate drugs was relatively uncommon, groups were very well matched for many common factors that impact performance. When age, education, and acute lesion volume were controlled, there were no significant differences in performance among those taking cholinergic, GABAergic, or dopaminergic medications and those who were not. Those who experienced a "good recovery" of language (≥10% improvement on any one language measure over time) had similar exposure to these drugs to those with a poor recovery. This work represents a first look at these drug classes with regard to their effects on the recovery of language after stroke and should not be interpreted as resolving all potential for concern, but these results do offer modest reassurance that these common classes of pharmacotherapy, when given for short periods in this population, do not appear to have marked deleterious effects on post-stroke recovery of language.


Ultrahigh performance concrete (UHPC) has been used in a different range of applications, especially in bridge construction, due to its outstanding mechanical properties, ductility, and long-term durability. There has been a rapid increase in the use of precast UHPC systems. The weakest link in the UHPC precast system is the interface between the precast UHPC components. The interfacial bond performance between UHPCs cast at different times plays a key role to ensure a load transfer and to achieve a composite behaviour. It has been experimentally proven that the exposed fibers using pressure washing or grooved surface preparations are an effective method to treat the UHPC–UHPC interface, but the numerical simulation and appropriate modeling remain under-investigated. This study focuses on the numerical simulation of the interfacial bond strength using finite element modeling (FEM). The traction-separation relationship with parameters derived from an experimental program were used to calibrate and validate the FE model. The model used information obtained from specimens tested under tensile, shear, and a combination of compression-shear stresses. This paper discusses the modeling of the interface between UHPC cast at different times to accurately simulate the failure mode and load transfer at the interface.


In this paper, a sampling plan of HIV drug resistance early warning indicators (EWI-HIVDR) in China is discussed, for a limited discrete population. The relative error standard of the accuracy control is established, and the formula of the sample size is obtained. By applying to the epidemiology investigation of EWI-HIVDR, a universal concrete sampling plan is given.


Abstract:  Breast carcinoma and hyperplasia are thought to start in the lining of the breast duct. Mammary ductoscopy is an emerging technique allowing direct visual access of the ductal system of the breast through the nipple. This article reviews and discusses the utility of mammary ductoscopy. Abnormalities can be identified successfully by mammary ductoscopy, and intraductal biopsy can be used when the tumor is a polypoid type. Ductal lavage using microcatheters is effective in identifying malignant cells in high‐risk women and this has stimulated interest in exploring the role of mammary ductoscopy in breast cancer screening. Mammary ductoscopy combined with ductal lavage may have a role in the management of patients with nipple discharge, the guiding of breast‐conserving surgery for cancer, and in screening for high‐risk women. The addition of molecular and genetic analysis of cells obtained by mammary ductoscopy are likely to enhance the use of this technique. Mammary ductoscopy techniques are safe and appear useful for detecting abnormalities in the breast. The additional molecular biologic study or ductal lavage may enhance the ability to direct and limit subsequent surgery when removing the offending lesions.


Keywords: DNP ; hyperpolarization ; metabolism ; modeling ; acetate ; NMR ; CIBM-AIT Reference EPFL-CONF-180064 Record created on 2012-07-13, modified on 2017-05-12


A polycrystal plasticity finite–element model has been developed for nickel–base alloy C263. That is, a representative region of the material, containing about 60 grains, has been modelled using crystal plasticity, taking account of grain morphology and crystallographic orientation. With just a single material property (in addition to standard elastic properties), namely, the critical resolved shear stress, the model is shown to be capable of predicting correctly a wide range of cyclic plasticity behaviour in face–centred cubic nickel alloy C263. A fatigue crack initiation criterion is proposed, based simply on a critical accumulated slip. When this critical slip is achieved within the microstructure, crack initiation is taken to have occurred. The model predicts the development of persistent slip bands within individual grains with a width of ca. 10 μm. The model also predicts that crack initiation can occur preferentially at grain triple points under both low– (LCF) and high–cycle fatigue (HCF). For the case of HCF, this also corresponds to a free surface. The polycrystal plasticity model combined with the fatigue crack initiation criterion are shown to predict correctly the standard Basquin and Goodman correlations in HCF, and the Coffin–Manson correlation in LCF. The model predictions are based on just two material properties: the critical resolved shear stress and the critical accumulated slip. Just one experimental test is required to determine these properties, for a given temperature, which have been obtained for nickel alloy C263. Predictions of life for nickel alloy C263 are then made over a broad range of loading conditions covering both LCF and HCF. Good agreement with experiments is achieved, despite the simplicity of the proposed 'two–parameter' model. A simple three–dimensional form of the model has provided an estimate of the fatigue limit for HCF crack initiation in C263.


ABSTRACT Proline accumulation is a common response of plants to different biotic and abiotic stresses. In the model legume Lotus japonicus, osmotic stress-induced proline accumulation is one of the first responses of the plant, converting proline in a reliable stress marker. The main biosynthetic pathway of proline is from glutamate and the reaction catalyzed by the enzyme Δ1-pyrroline 5-carboxylate synthase (P5CS) is the rate limiting step. L. japonicus has been suggested to have three different P5CS genes. Here the predicted P5CS genes of L. japonicus were analyzed in silico and their expression under osmotic stress was determined. Contrary to previous suggestions this study demonstrated that L. japonicus has two different P5CS genes, as most dicotyledonous plants do. The gene that is inducible by osmotic stress and is located on chromosome 1, was called LjP5CS1, and the one located on chromosome 2 and not inducible by osmotic stress was called LjP5CS2.


Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE BN-BD MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 A study was carried out to estimate the prevalence, species composition and worm burden of abomasal nematodes of goats slaughtered at different abattoir of Thakurgaon district from November 2009 to April 2010 . During the study period, 250 abomasum of goats were examined according to standard procedures. Two species of nematodes were identified in goats abomasum with an overall prevalence of 74.00% ( n = 250). The specific prevalence rate for Haemonchus contortus (58.00%) was higher than Trichostrongylus axie (16.00%). In this study, prevalence of abomasal nematodes in relation to age, sex, breed and nutritional status of the goats were also observed. There was no statistically significant difference observed the risk factor sex in relation to the prevalence of abomasal nematodes. However, there was statistically significant difference ( p < .001) observed among the risk factors (age, breed and nutritional status) in relation to the prevalence and worm count of two abomasal nematodes. In general, a high infection rate with abomasal nematodes was observed in goats during the study period. Findings suggested that higher worm burden per animal found in Haemochus contortus (6.02 ± 0.0928) and lower in Trichostrongylus axie (0.04 ± 0.14). From this study it was concluded that Haemochus contortus is more susceptible for geo-climatic condition in research area. Keywords : Abomasal nematodes; Prevalence; Goats; Thakurgaon. © 2012 JSR Publications. ISSN: 2070-0237 (Print); 2070-0245 (Online). All rights reserved. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jsr.v4i2.7475 J. Sci. Res. 4 (2), 491-497 (2012)


As insider hacks become more prevalent it is becoming more useful to identify valid users from the inside of a system rather than from the usual external entry points where exploits are used to gain entry. One of the main goals of this study was to ascertain how well Gradient Boosting could be used for prediction or, in this case, classification or identification of a specific user through the learning of HCI-based behavioral biometrics. If applicable, this procedure could be used to verify users after they have gained entry into a protected system using data that is as human-centric as other biometrics, but less invasive. For this study an Extreme Gradient Boosting algorithm was used for training and testing on a dataset containing keystroke dynamics information. This specific algorithm was chosen because the majority of current research utilizes mainstream methods such as KNN and SVM and the hypothesis of this study was centered on the potential applicability of ensemble related decision or model trees. The final predictive model produced an accuracy of 0.941 with a Kappa value of 0.942 demonstrating that HCI-based behavioral biometrics in the form of keystroke dynamics can be used to identify the users of a system.


Background— Hypoxic cell death follows interruption of blood supply to tissues. Although successful restoration of blood flow is mandatory for salvage of ischemic tissues, reperfusion can paradoxically place tissues at risk of further injury. Brief periods of ischemia applied at the onset of reperfusion have been shown to reduce ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury, a phenomenon called postconditioning. The aim of this study was to determine whether postconditioning protects against endothelial IR injury in humans, in vivo. Methods and Results— Brachial artery endothelial function was assessed by vascular ultrasound to measure flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in response to forearm reactive hyperemia. FMD was measured before and after IR (20 minutes of arm ischemia followed by 20 minutes of reperfusion) in healthy volunteers. To test the protective effects of postconditioning, 3 cycles of reperfusion followed by ischemia (each lasting 10 or 30 seconds) were applied immediately after 20 minutes of arm ischemia. To determine whether postconditioning needs to be applied at the onset of reperfusion, a 1-minute period of arm reperfusion was allowed before the application of the 10-second postconditioning stimulus. IR caused endothelial dysfunction (FMD 9.1±1.2% pre-IR, 3.6±0.7% post-IR, P<0.001; n=11), which was prevented by postconditioning applied as 10-second cycles of reperfusion/ischemia (FMD 9.9±1.7% pre-IR, 8.3±1.4% post-IR, P=NS; n=11) and 30-second cycles of reperfusion/ischemia (FMD 10.8±1.7% pre-IR, 9.5±1.5% post-IR, P=NS; n=10) immediately at the onset of reperfusion. No protection was observed when the application of the 10-second postconditioning stimulus was delayed for 1 minute after the onset of reperfusion (FMD 9.8±1.2% pre-IR, 4.0±0.9% post-IR, P<0.001; n=8). Conclusions— This study demonstrates for the first time that postconditioning can protect against endothelial IR injury in humans. Postconditioning might reduce tissue injury when applied at the onset of reperfusion by modifying the reperfusion phase of IR.


To report two cases of bilateral conjunctival granuloma with histopathological features of the Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon and review of the literature. Two female patients, one with a history of pulmonary eosinophilic infiltration and another with a history of vernal keratoconjunctivitis, presented with bilateral cream to yellow colored nodules in the superior bulbar conjunctiva. Histopathologic examination revealed characteristic features of the Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon manifesting as zones of amorphous eosinophilic material surrounded by aggregations of epithelioid histiocytes, giant cells, eosinophils and lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates. No evidence of infectious organisms was found. Our report adds to non-infectious cases of conjunctival Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon. Previous history of allergic disorders may have contributed to the occurrence of this entity.


Objective: Define the saints who have a preventive and curative role in combating mental illnesses in Christian ethno-medical tradition, explain their connection with the illnesses, and indicate examples of patron saints of mental illnesses in Istrian sacral heritage. Methods: Analysis of literature with registration of all the Saints in Istrian shrines, and establishing the actual situation in the field. Results: We established the existence of ten states that we connect with psychiatric difficulties and seventeen patron saints to whom the faithful pray in their battle against mental illnesses. From this group, in Istrian saints we discover eight patron saints, where in the number of sacral elements, St. Peter the Apostle, St. Bartholomew and St. Vitus dominate. They are followed by St. Ber nard, St. Francis of Paola, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Christopher and St. Ulrich. A brief overview of the hagiographic characteristics of the saints and their connection with ethno-medicine are presented. Conclusion: Christian tradition abounds in ethno-medical elements, which today, as they once did, represent a specific approach to fighting against (mental) illnesses and a source of supportive therapeutic solutions. Izvlecek


energy content mud construction the Landslide or landslip is one of the natural disasters which is unfortunately unavoidable. We have already established the Fiber-Cement-Stabilized Soil Method that can improve the weak soil of actual landslide areas engendered from an earthquake or heavy rainfall by using paper fragments and cement. However, nowadays, the cost of fi ber (paper debris) is tending to increase and Portland cement is not environmentally friendly cementitious material for sustainable development. In this research, Geopolymer which expects to modify soft soil (sludge) at low degree Celsius condition and reduces amount additive of fi ber is executed. The process of Geopolymerization involving the silicates and aluminates exacted from by-products is contemplated as a mature and cost-effective solution to many problems where hazardous residue has to be treated and stored under critical environmental conditions. This paper presents the details of the study carried out on the characteristic of sludge improved Fiber-Geopolymer-Stabilized Soil Method. The composition of imitation sludge was 60% silt, 40% clay and 70% water content. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) 12 Molar and sodium silicate solution (Na 2 SiO 3 ) were prepared. The test specimens were made of 50 x 100 mm cylindrical mold and 20 ℃ temperature curing condition. The result of modified sludge shows the improvement in strength, strain and high durability with drying and wetting tests regardless of the increase in experimenting rounds.


This study deals with vibroacoustics under heavy fluid loading conditions. Considerable attention has been and remains focused on this subject not only because industry is very concerned but also because of mathematical difficulties that make the numerical resolution of the problem very difficult. It was recently observed in a numerical study on a high order perturbation method under heavy fluid loading that a loaded vibrating plate results in a frequency shift of the in vacuo single resonance (in both the real part because of the fluid added mass and the imaginary part because of energy lost by radiation into the fluid) as well as increase in the number of the resonance frequencies : as a result of the loading, each single in vacuo resonance frequency of the structure is transformed into a multiple resonance frequency. Here we show that this phenomenon is said to be an extension to the heavy loading condition of the Sanchez's classical result that have established that in the case of a light loading conditions ``the scattering frequencies of a fluid loaded elastic structure (ie the resonance frequencies) are nearly the real eigenfrequencies of the elastic body alone and the complex scattering frequencies of the fluid with a rigid solid''. Using classical results in the framework of the theory of entire functions, it is established that a single resonance of a simply supported fluid loaded rectangular plate is transformed into an infinite number of resonances.


Anthropology is not only a body of knowledge but also a different way of seeing and being in the world that includes persistent inquiry, empathizing, making connections, and opening up to new ideas and experiences. These practices are beneficial in a wide range of careers and for building a meaningful life in a world of persistent change, pluralism, political division, and precarity. Ideally, an introductory course in anthropology would provide a space to inspire and help students practice this way of being in the world. Unfortunately, classrooms, textbooks, and Learning Management Systems often prioritize an information-delivery model of education that places the professor and content at the center. In 2016, we started building anth101.com as an alternative to the traditional textbook and Learning Management System with 10 lessons, 10 challenges, and community features designed to inspire students to live anthropologically. The software development process forced us to interrogate a wide variety of often taken-for-granted elements of virtual learning spaces. While we set out with strong biases against Learning Management Systems, the process gave us an appreciation for what they do well while also revealing structural biases within them that can be overcome with intentional pedagogy.


BACKGROUND
Omeprazole is effective in the treatment of reflux oesophagitis, and it is important to determine the lower dose limit with still appropriate clinical efficacy.

METHODS
Patients with endoscopic oesophagitis grade 1-4 (N = 220) were randomized to double-blind treatment with 20 mg or 40 mg omeprazole daily for 4-8 weeks. Those healed after this initial treatment phase were re-randomized to double-blind treatment with 20 mg omeprazole daily (n = 67), 10 mg omeprazole daily (n = 68), or placebo (n = 33) for 6 months. Remission was defined as the absence of any endoscopic sign of oesophagitis.

RESULTS
Healing rates were increased with 40 mg omeprazole, the therapeutic gain compared with the 20-mg dose being 15% after 4 and 8 weeks. The proportion of patients in remission after 6 months was 59% with 20 mg omeprazole, 35% with 10 mg omeprazole, and 0% with placebo.

CONCLUSION
Maintenance treatment with 10 mg omeprazole can prevent recurrence of oesophagitis in about one-third of patients with all grades of oesophagitis, and 20 mg omeprazole in about twice as many.


Peopling the English colonies in North America was of great importance. The English adopted many strategies to attract immigrants because they needed big numbers of workers to maintain their plantations and their presence in the new continent. This paper deals with the influence of the economic conditions of the British North American colonies in the shaping of their immigration policy. Usually, the focus is on the impact of immigration on the economy of a given society; however, the present work tries to investigate the role that the economy of the colonies played in molding the colonists' policies towards the attraction of immigrants. The major issue of the paper is centered on the factors that influenced the colonial strategy towards immigration. The work suggests that the colonists' economics played a key role in drawing the basis of the colonies' immigration policy).


The paper presents a finite element model that can be used for modelling of a nanotube thermal contraction with temperature increase. Since carbon nanotubes exhibit anisotropic thermal contraction, the ordinary structural mechanics approach based on the beam finite elements acting as interatomic bonds cannot be directly applied. To circumvent this problem, a set of additional rod elements is introduced into the model. If different coefficients of thermal expansion are used for the beam and rod elements, anisotropic thermal contraction can be modelled. An exact calculation procedure for these thermal expansion coefficients is presented. The proposed model is tested on one carbon nanotube and results are compared to the data available in literature. Influence of the stiffness of additional rod elements on the obtained results is not noticed.


(1) Background: The effectiveness of deep learning artificial intelligence depends on data availability, often requiring large volumes of data to effectively train an algorithm. However, few studies have explored the minimum number of images needed for optimal algorithmic performance. (2) Methods: This institutional review board (IRB)-approved retrospective review included patients who received prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between September 2014 and August 2018 and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) fusion transrectal biopsy. T2-weighted images were manually segmented by a board-certified abdominal radiologist. Segmented images were trained on a deep learning network with the following case numbers: 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 80, 120, 160, 200, 240, 280, and 320. (3) Results: Our deep learning network's performance was assessed with a Dice score, which measures overlap between the radiologist's segmentations and deep learning-generated segmentations and ranges from 0 (no overlap) to 1 (perfect overlap). Our algorithm's Dice score started at 0.424 with 8 cases and improved to 0.858 with 160 cases. After 160 cases, the Dice increased to 0.867 with 320 cases. (4) Conclusions: Our deep learning network for prostate segmentation produced the highest overall Dice score with 320 training cases. Performance improved notably from training sizes of 8 to 120, then plateaued with minimal improvement at training case size above 160. Other studies utilizing comparable network architectures may have similar plateaus, suggesting suitable results may be obtainable with small datasets.


An enhanced level of case management (ECM) is recommended by NICE for those deemed 'hard to reach' and should be provided where risk/needs assessment demonstrates that the patient has clinically and/or socially complex needs. NICE recommends one TB nurse for every 20 such cases so knowledge of their numbers is integral to workforce planning. The Aim of this project was to identify and quantify those qualifying for ECM in an inner city TB cohort. Methodology All 170 cases notified with TB in Central Manchester were retrospectively identified from department records for 01/2010 to 12/2010. Data were collected using a standard proforma from clinic letters and TB specialist nurses documentations. Standard case management was defined as per the RCN document 'Tuberculosis case management and cohort review'. Only 60/170 (35%) were identified as standard management cases in which 7/60 (11%) had other co-morbidities and 4/60 (6%) had a language barrier. 14/60 (23%) were excluded for diverse reasons (e.g. death before diagnosis). Results 96/170 (56%) were identified as ECM cases which subdivided according to their requirements into either: Medical needs, which comprised 12.5% (12/96) of cases including patients with dual pathology and recurrent hospital admissions. Nursing needs which comprised 12.5% (12/96) of cases in which majority (8/12) of these did not attend clinics as required and the rest (4/12) had anti-TB treatment side effects demanding more home visits. Both medical as well as nursing needs were present in 75% (72/96). In which 52% were paediatric, 11% had resistant organism, 6% were HIV +ve, 4% of patients declined treatment, 3% were on DOT, 3% had complications due to TB infection and 21% of cases had prolonged treatment due to CNS/bone involvement, interaction with other non TB treatment, immune compromised patients and overlap with others (HIV patients, Drug resistant organism, patients on DOT had prolonged treatment). Conclusions The reasons for ECM are many and diverse and often multiple. In our practise more than half of patients could be classified as requiring such management. This has implications for TB nurse manpower planning.


Background Social networking sites (SNSs) have gained popularity in recent years for help seeking and self-distress expression among adolescents. Although online suicidal expression is believed to have major benefits, various concerns have also been raised, particularly around privacy issues. Understanding youths' help-seeking behavior on SNSs is critical for effective suicide prevention; however, most research neglects the impacts of the private SNS context. Objective This study aims to examine youths' private SNS use via the new Instagram feature, Close Friends, and its association with both online and offline help-seeking willingness as well as youths' suicidality. Methods This study employed an exploratory sequential mixed methods approach with a combination of explorative qualitative interviews and a systematic quantitative survey, targeting youth aged 15-19 years in Hong Kong. The motivations for utilizing Close Friends and concerns regarding online expression were addressed in the focus group and individual interviews (n=40). A cross-sectional survey (n=1676) was conducted subsequently with eligible secondary school students to examine the prevalence of Close Friends usage, their online and offline help-seeking willingness, and suicide-related experiences. Results A total of 3 primary motives for using Close Friends were identified during interviews, including (1) interaction and help seeking, (2) release of negative emotions, and (3) ventilation and self-expression. Most participants also highlighted the privacy concerns associated with public online communication and the importance of contacting close friends for emotional support. Survey results showed that use of Close Friends was quite prevalent among adolescents (1163/1646, 70.66%), with around 46% (754/1646, 45.81%) of respondents being frequent users. Differences by gender and school academic banding were also revealed. Regarding help-seeking intentions, youths were generally positive about seeking help from peers and friends offline (1010/1266, 79.78%) yet negative about seeking assistance from online friends or professionals with whom they had not yet developed a real-world connection (173/1266, 13.67%). Most notably, frequencies of Close Friends usage were differentially associated with online and offline help-seeking willingness and youths' suicidality. Compared with nonusers, those who had ever used the feature were more likely to seek offline support (adjusted odds ratios [AORs] 1.82-2.36), whereas heavy use of Close Friends was associated with increased odds of online help-seeking willingness (AOR 1.76, 95% CI 1.06-2.93) and a higher risk of suicidality (AOR 1.53, 95% CI 1.01-2.31). Conclusions The popularity of Close Friends reflects the increasing need for private online expression among youth. This study demonstrates the importance of Close Friends for self-expression and private conversation and inadequacy of peer support for suicidal adolescents. Further research is needed to identify the causal relationship between Close Friends usage and help-seeking willingness to guide the advancement of suicide prevention strategies. Researchers and social media platforms may cooperate to co-design a risk monitoring system tailored to the private SNS context, assisting professionals in identifying youth at risk of suicide.


There are well‐documented competency standards for instructional/training designers and for project managers. However, there is little research about what skills and abilities employers expect from those seeking to become instructional/training design project managers, particularly within specific industry sectors. Focusing on the US professional services sector, the sector in which firms have a global impact and in which human capital is the largest asset, this article addresses the 'must have' skills/competencies, characteristics and organizational conditions associated with career advancement from instructional designer to instructional design project manager by means of an expert study that is grounded in an in‐depth literature review. In addition to enhancing knowledge of instructional designers' competency development for career advancement in the professional services sector, this study also offers some concrete recommendations and implications for research and practice.


This paper provides an overview of environmental sustainability in healthcare and highlights the need for a policy framework for action. Examples from overseas demonstrate what has effectively enabled mitigation of and adaptation to the threat of climate change. The need to overcome perceived limits and barriers to health professionals' engagement in sustainable practice is noted. The scientific evidence recommends immediate action.


A retrospective review was conducted on patients who had cervical cerclage performed because of suspected cervical incompetence over a 7-year period to assess the outcome of pregnancy and complications resulting from the cerclage. Other factors that could affect the outcome and complications were also assessed. Out of 196 patients who had the operation, 154 patients had adequate records available and therefore comprised the study population. There were 139 (90%) live births of which 76·6% weighed more than 2000 g. The outcome was not influenced by the experience of the surgeon, type of cerclage or the use of prophylactic antibiotics. There were no complications in 138 (90%) of the cases, and no cases of ruptured uterus, cervical lacerations and severe infections were encountered. The complications were seen more in multiple-order pregnancy and when the operation was performed as an emergency. The future role of cervical cerclage in the management of cervical incompetence in our community is discussed.


Growing thin layers of mixed-metal oxides on titanium supports allows for the preparation of versatile electrodes that can be used in many applications. In this work, electrodes coated with thin films of ruthenium (RuOx) and manganese oxide (MnOx) were fabricated via thermal decomposition of a precursor solution deposited on a titanium substrate by spin coating. In particular, we combined different Ru and Mn precursors, either organic or inorganic, and investigated their influence on the morphology and electrochemical properties of the materials. The tested salts were: Ruthenium(III) acetylacetonate (Ru(acac)3), Ruthenium(III) chloride (RuCl3·xH2O), Manganese(II) nitrate (Mn(NO3)2·4H2O), and Manganese(III) acetylacetonate (Mn(acac)3). After fabrication, the films were subjected to different characterization techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), polarization analysis, open-circuit potential (OCP) measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD) experiments. The results indicate that compared to the others, the combination of RuCl3 and Mn(acac) produces fewer compact films, which are more susceptible to corrosion, but have outstanding capacitive properties. In particular, this sample exhibits a capacitance of 8.3 mF cm−2 and a coulombic efficiency of higher than 90% in the entire range of investigated current densities.


Soybean ( Glycine max L. Merrill) is recognized as a health food due to its many health-promoting bioactive compounds. Phenolic compounds are the main bioactive compounds in soybean because their antioxidant properties. Soybean extract is recommended as an ingredient of many pharmaceutical products. However, the rather poor solubility of soybean extracts and their proneness to degradation/oxidation during storage may reduce the nutritional value of the extracts. A convenient way to improve the solubility and extend the shelf-life of an extract is encapsulation. Among various encapsulation techniques, spray drying is the most widely and typically used technique. The objective of this work is to study the effects of encapsulation via spray drying on various properties of encapsulated soybean extract. The studied spray drying parameters are inlet drying temperature (130-170°C) as well as the type of encapsulating material (maltodextrin, gum arabic and β-cyclodextrin). The ratio between soybean extract and encapsulating material is 30:70. The properties to be analyzed are moisture content, total phenolic compounds content, encapsulation yield, encapsulation efficiency, hygroscopicity, particle size distribution and microstructure of encapsulated particles. The results showed that both type of wall material and inlet temperature significantly influenced the properties of soybean extract encapsulated powder. Gum arabic as the wall material and an inlet temperature of 170 o C, were the suitable conditions for encapsulation, produced the best encapsulated powder properties.


"Seeking knowledge about plants and ecological systems, Toogood's work aspires to renew the relationship that humans have with their natural environment and investigates the meaning of representing the natural world. Developing out of a previous body of work depicting the effects of human intervention on the lives of animals, this new series focuses on the spaces inhabited or formerly inhabited by animals. Far Off Kin—implying a separation in time, a distance from an ancient connection to that which is familiar, and an observation on how the inhabitants have affected the navigational course of the earth—presents a viewpoint of the Canadian landscape at a time of redefinition and massive environmental change." -- Publisher's website


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of automatic spectral imaging protocol selection (ASIS) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) technique in the reduction of radiation and contrast medium dose in typical hepatic hemangioma (HH) dual energy spectral CT (DEsCT).

METHODS
62 patients with suspected HH were randomly divided into two groups equally: Group A, conventional 120-kVp CT with standard iodine load; Group B, DEsCT with ASIS technique and reduced iodine load, two sets of monochromatic spectral images were reconstructed: 69 keV level with 30% ASiR (Group B1) and 52 keV level with 50% ASiR (Group B2). The radiation and total iodine dose, quantitative analysis (standard deviation value, contrast-to-noise and contrast enhancement ratio) and qualitative analysis were evaluated.

RESULTS
No difference was observed in the standard deviation values, subjective image noise, and the diagnostic acceptability score among the three groups (p > 0.05). Contrast to noise [Group B2  vs A, B1 in arterial phase (AP): 19.51 ± 6.29 vs 15.77 ± 5.93, 11.46 ± 2.84; Group B2  vs A, B1 in portal venous phase (PVP): 9.96 ± 2.18 vs 8.19 ± 3.04, 6.01 ± 1.82], contrast enhancement ratio (Group B2  vs A, B1 in AP: 6.88 ± 2.01 vs 5.47 ± 2.01, 4.15 ± 1.28; Group B2  vs A, B1 in PVP: 5.58 ± 1.02 vs 4.54 ± 1.13, 3.49 ± 0.83), and the lesion conspicuity score (Group B2  vs A, B1 in AP: 3.93 ± 0.26 vs 3.45 ± 0.51, 3.10 ± 0.49; Group B2  vs A, B1 in PVP: 3.90 ± 0.31 vs 3.48 ± 0.57, 3.14 ± 0.44) for Group B2 were higher than those in Group A and B1 (p < 0.05). Compared to Group A, the radiation dose and total iodine dose in Group B were reduced by 30 and 41%, respectively (radiation dose in Group B vs A: 5.53 ± 1.59 vs 7.91± 2.71 mSv; iodine dose in Group B vs A: 18.85 ± 2.88 vs 31.78±3.89 ml; p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
DEsCT with ASIS and ASiR technique can reduce the radiation dose without image quality degradation as compared to the conventional 120-kVp CT. The monochromatic spectral images at 52 keV level with 50% ASiR allows the reduction in total iodine dose without deteriorating diagnostic performance. Advances in knowledge: ASIS combined with ASiR technique, by using monochromatic spectral images at 52 keV level, represents a feasible imaging protocol to reduce the radiation and total iodine dose in assessment of typical HH.


Background: Salvia hispanica L. is an annual plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family native to Mexico and Guatemala. Salvia hispanica L., with the popular name chia, is a low water user plant and well adapted to arid and semiarid climates. It is currently not grown on a large scale. AIM: The Aqueous extract of Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) Seeds were screened for their phytochemical and antioxidant activity. In vitro antioxidant properties of the extract were analyzed by DPPH, OH radical scavenging, Reducing power assay and Lipid peroxidation assays. RESULTS: The preliminary phytochemical tests revealed that seed contained phytoconstituents such as Cardiac glycoside, tannins, terpenoids and Saponifible lipids, which also possess antioxidant activity. All values were expressed as Mean±SD of two measurements. Comparison between standard and extracts were performed by using Students't' test. CONCULSION: The Seed extract tested, showed good radical scavenging, reducing property and lipid peroxidation activity. Further studies are required to clarify the in vivo potential of these seeds in the management of human


Polysplenia syndrome mainly described in pediatrics; rarely and incidentally in adulthood. Most patients had their diagnosis done during childhood due to the frequent association to cardiac anomalies that speak for themselves earlier in life. Multiple spleens, cardiac defect and vascular malformation of the inferior vena cava with azygos or hemiazygos continuation are the most frequent observed malformations. Our patient was one this rarest adulthood incidental diagnosis, who presented in the emergency department for nephritic colic, and while imaging for this, multiples spleens and other visceral malformations were diagnosed. Hopefully, cardiac ultrasound hadn't showed any cardiac malformation and the patient was discharged aware of this condition. Through this publication we report the possible incidental diagnosis of polysplenia condition and highlight the fact that people with such important malformation can lead a normal life, and only awareness should be given for future surgeries, instrumental treatment or else.


Fire fighters are exposed to highly variable environments including elevated temperatures and convective and radiant thermal flux, which can put a significant burden on personal protective equipment. Thermally degraded and melted self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) facepieces have been identified as a contributing factor in certain fire fighter fatalities and injuries in the United States. The SCBA facepiece lens is often considered the weakest component of a fire fighter's ensemble in high heat conditions, but the level of thermal performance of the facepiece lens is not well understood. These experiments, conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), demonstrated a range of realistic thermal exposures and environmental conditions, which can result in thermal degradation and even catastrophic failure of facepieces. SCBA facepieces were exposed to thermal environments from propane-fueled calibration experiments and furnished townhouse fire experiments. The rooms and the facepieces were instrumented to measure temperatures of the environment and the facepieces. The fire experiments lasted 5 min to 10 min and produced ceiling temperatures of approximately 500 °C (932 °F) to 750 °C (1382 °F) in the room adjacent to the fire. A heat flux gauge was also installed next to the facepieces and measured peak heat fluxes from approximately 2 kW/m to 55 kW/m. Eight facepieces were tested in six different experiments, with three facepiece lenses showing evidence of thermal degradation from the exposure. Maximum exterior lens temperatures were as high as 300 °C (572 °F) in these cases. The environments that caused the failures were identified in an attempt to characterize the thermal performance of SCBA facepieces. Constant airflow at 40 L/min was introduced into three of the facepieces to study if there is a cooling effect associated with breathing. The facepieces with airflow did have a slightly increased temperature difference between the interior and exterior lens surfaces as compared to facepiece lenses without airflow in the same experiment. Although much was learned about conditions associated with thermal degradation of SCBA facepiece lenses, more experiments are needed to understand the thermal degradation and more definitively predict the conditions that are likely to cause a facepiece lens failure. These experiments were conducted with the support of the Chicago Fire Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Fire Administration.


This article addresses issues of linguistic and cultural diversity among students in international education settings. Can we develop approaches to teaching using computer-mediated communications that acknowledge and accommodate differences of language and culture? Or is an hegemony of the English language inevitable, along with associated cultural values and communicative preferences? These questions are discussed, and the issues illustrated, through analysis of two `global' teaching initiatives. The first is a Masters programme in Open and Distance Education offered partly online by the UK Open University. The other is a three-year research and development project, conducted by academics in five European countries, aimed at enabling students to communicate and debate their perspectives on Europe in a series of `virtual seminars' linked to a resource website. Some practical strategies in support of pluralism in the electronic environment are offered.


This thesis describes a multi-parameter biogeochemical investigation in a shallow hyper-eutrophic freshwater coastal lake, Zeekoevlei, in South Africa. The predominance of autochthonous algal-derived organic matter in lake sediments is indicated by low C/N, high H/C ratios and δ13Corganic values. Seepage from a nearby waste water treatment plant, rapid urbanization, raw sewage input and heavily fertilized farming in the catchments have caused enhanced productivity and is reflected by the changes in TOC concentrations, δ15N values, terrestrial to aquatic (n-alkane) ratio (TAR) and low carbon preference index (CPI) values. Eutrophic conditions were initiated in the lake with the start of recreational activities in early 1900s. Construction of dams and pondweed eradication in mid-1900s caused the transformation of the lake towards a hyper-eutrophic water body. Moreover, the aquatic macrophyte n-alkane proxy (Paq) values indicate the slow takeover by floating macrophytes after the eradication of submerged pondweeds in 1951. Low δ15N values and appearance of zeaxanthin indicate initiation of cyanobacterial bloom in the lake following pondweed eradication. Furthermore, the lake experienced intense cyanobacterial bloom after 1983 dredging. Although, cyanobacterial domination has decreased in recent years, hyper-eutrophic condition persists in the lake.Chemical weathering process supplies major fraction of trace metals, whereas fertilizers, agricultural wastes, sewage effluents and road runoff constitute the anthropogenic fraction. Low industrialization in the catchments causes low metal pollution in waters. In addition, high pH and metal scavenging by planktons result low dissolved trace metal concentrations. Adsorption by CaCO3 and planktonic assimilation control trace metal and phosphorus (P) sedimentation. Lake sediments have low P retention capacity and P is released from surface sediments by wind-induced resuspension.


The mean pure-tone air conduction (AC) and bone conduction (BC) hearing thresholds (HT) of 534 randomly selected, caucasian, white, urban children with normal otoscopy, otomicroscopy and impedance audiometry, i.e. normal middle ear function, are presented here. Children with pathological middle ear findings or abnormal impedance audiometry were excluded. The average age was 13.8 years, SD 0.5, at the date of examination. The mean air conduction thresholds varied between 0.6 dB at 1 kHz and 9.9 dB at 6 kHz, and the bone conduction thresholds varied between -1.1 dB at 0.5 kHz and 1.1 dB at 4 kHz. The pure-tone average (PTA) (the average of AC hearing thresholds of 0.5, 1 and 2 kHz) of all ears was 1.5 dB. Ninety to ninety-eight per cent of pure-tone AC hearing thresholds at frequencies of 0.5-4 kHz were between -5 dB and 10 dB. The distributions are presented and compared.


Community schools offer children an integrated set of educational and social services, but sound scientific evidence on their effectiveness is lacking. Therefore, this study reviews the literature on community schools. First, we characterize community schools and find that their key activities are cooperating with other institutions, involving parents, and offering extracurricular activities. Second, we describe an exemplary community school for which causal evidence shows improved academic achievement. Third, we explore whether the three main activities of community schools influence academic performance, dropout, and risky behavior. Academic performance does not appear to be influenced by extracurricular activities. On the other hand, extracurricular activities do appear to be related to reduced dropout and risky behavior. In addition, there is a positive association of cooperation and parental involvement with academic achievement, and a negative correlation of these two factors with dropout and risky behavior. However, more causal evidence is needed before it can be concluded that community schools are effective.


Relatively small fluctuations in the surface energy balance and evapotranspiration in semiarid and arid regions can be indicative of significant changes to ecosystem health. Therefore, it is imperative to have approaches for monitoring surface fluxes in these regions. The remote sensing‐based two‐source energy balance (TSEB) model is a suitable method for flux estimation over sparsely vegetated semiarid and arid landscapes since it explicitly considers surface energy flux contributions from soil and vegetation. However, previous studies indicate that TSEB generally underestimates sensible heat flux (H) and hence overestimates latent heat flux (LE) or evapotranspiration for these regions unless soil resistance coefficients are modified based on additional ground information. In this study, TSEB is applied over semiarid and arid regions on three continents using the original soil resistance formulation with modified coefficients and a recently developed physically based soil resistance formulation. Model sensitivity analysis demonstrates the high sensitivity of TSEB with original soil resistance formulation to soil resistance coefficients, while TSEB with the new soil resistance formulation has relatively low sensitivity to uncertainties in all coefficients. The performance of TSEB using different soil resistance formulations is evaluated by comparing modeled H against eddy covariance measurements in six semiarid and arid study sites and ranking the error statistics. Our results indicate that incorporating the new soil resistance formulation into TSEB would enhance its utility in flux estimation over heterogeneous landscapes by obviating its reliance on semiempirical coefficients and thus provide more robust fluxes over sparsely vegetated regions without model calibration and/or parameter tuning.


Article type Review article Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in childhood. Around 25-50% of these children suffered from some kind of sleep disorder especially with chronic form of insomnia. The physicians usually have a plan for improving hyperactivity and attention deficit of this disease but unfortunately, they forget to manage the sleep disorders, which are a major part of patients' problems. Nowadays, we know that there is a noticeable relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and sleep disorders and by improving these children's sleep, not only the daily functions improve, but also the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder maybe become better. Thus, it is needed to avoid the administration of psychostimulants, which have recognized side effects. Moreover, having better sleep, we will see a better relationship between children and their parents and finally a rise in the standard of life of family members, which is a very important goal in our treatment. This review article evaluates available evidence on sleep medication in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to present an appropriate guidance for this high prevalence problem.


Abstract Several 1000 yr runs of the University of Victoria Earth System Climate Model (UVic ESCM) with a hydraulically controlled overflow in the Denmark Strait are used to analyse the effects of NAO-like variations of the wind stress localized in the subpolar North Atlantic. The focus is laid on improving the representation of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), the sea surface temperatures in the Nordic Seas and the sea ice coverage without increasing the resolution of the global model. We show that by implementing hydraulic control in the Denmark Strait Overflow the AMOC can be enhanced at depths between 1000 and 3000m by up to 7 Sverdrup (Sv) towards more realistic values. The stability of the Deep Western Boundary Current is considerably enhanced. The expansion of sea ice into the Nordic Seas in the standard run is pushed back from about 65◦N to 75◦N when hydraulic parametrization is switched on. In this case sea ice variations at 75◦N and Northern Europe air temperatures exhibit a lag of 9 yr to variations in the wind stress curl.


This paper proposes a new method of displaying and analyzing the evolutionary correlation structure of nonstationary signals. The method, called time-correlation analysis (TCA), is based on a filter-bank approach for stochastic signal characterization known as parametric filtering. Some properties of the TCA method are discussed that can be used to interpret the TCA plot. Examples of an application to speech analysis are given.