This study investigates the structural behavior of modern load-bearing drywall formations under fire conditions. Drywall systems comprise load bearing cold-formed steel members sheathed in gypsum or cement boards and may additionally include thermal insulation placed in the cavities forming between the wallboards and the steel studs. These systems provide high design flexibility, energy efficiency, low cost and short installation time. Four different drywall configurations were considered with single or double plasterboards layers, with or without mineral wool as cavity insulation. The studs are made of steel S320GD+Z and have lipped channel sections with two web stiffeners. The plasterboards are attached to the studs using ballistic nails which additionally prevent minor axis buckling of the steel members. The standard ISO 834 fire curve is imposed at the inner wall face in order to simulate the fire conditions and non-uniform temperature distribution which is expected to occur across the member. ANSYS CFX is used in a 2D finite element environment to derive proper temperature profiles across the investigated sections by modeling the whole plasterboard-insulation-stud system. For each material, temperature dependent thermal and mechanical property models are incorporated. Specifically, Eurocode 3 part 1.2 is utilized for the diminishing properties of steel and state of the art models proposed by recent researches are considered for the plasterboards and the mineral wool. The results of the thermal analysis were used to feed the finite element software ADINA in order to generate diminishing curves corresponding to bearing capacity deterioration as a function of time and/or temperature. Results in time domains are used to present a solution regarding the fire resistance rating of the four drywall assemblies considered. On the other hand, temperature domains are employed to display and compare the structural performance of the specimens in terms of various temperature aspects, such as maximum crosssectional temperature, average temperature etc. The finite element method is utilized by ADINA to perform linearized buckling analysis in order to determine the elastic buckling loads of the studs. These results are cross-validated using the freely available software CUFSM that incorporates the finite strip method in its solution process. Mesh refinements were examined in both programs in order to extrapolate the most efficient solutions in terms of both precision and computational effort. The shapes of the elastic buckling modes were used as initial geometric imperfections during the execution of geometric and material non-linear analyses with initial geometric imperfections in order to determine the most unfavorable mode-imperfection combination at ambient temperature conditions. In each case, the stud was strained by a vertical concentric compressive action, placed at the gravity center of the gross cross-section, under both load-control and displacement-control situations; NewtonRaphson and Arc-Length solution processes were performed in order to verify the corresponding results. The numerical results were compared to the predictions of AISI's direct strength method and the effective width method, executed according to the provisions of EN 1993-1-3. The most unfavorable mode combination, comprising local and distortional buckling modes, was used to carry out the non-linear analyses at elevated temperatures. Uniform and non-uniform temperature profiles were considered across the member while the temperature distribution along the stud was considered constant. The temperature gradient was extracted by the heat transfer analyses for each of the four cases and non-linear analyses were performed to identify load-bearing capacity deterioration as a function of time and temperature. Load ratio reduction curves were determined using both steady state and transient state conditions which are supposed to produce identical solutions. Additionally, the results of the steady state are employed to construct equilibrium paths. Apart from merely imposing an axial load, an external bending moment is introduced to produce uniform and triangular moment distributions in order to create axial force-bending moment interaction diagrams under uniform temperature profiles. The numerical investigation was followed by analytical and semi-analytical calculations relying on the provisions of the direct strength method and Eurocode 3. Regarding Eurocode 3, the official EN 1993-1-2 method was examined along with a modified EN 1993-1-3 solution process that was widely used by various literature sources. The modified method employs the equations of Eurocode 3, part 1.3 using the diminished values of elasticity modulus and yield stress at each considered temperature. CUFSM's solution process was executed with reduced elasticity modulus values to reflect the lesser behavior corresponding to higher temperatures; its results fed the direct strength method along with diminished yield stress values to represent the behavior at each temperature. These solutions were compared to the numerical results to investigate the prediction accuracy of the pertinent regulations. Finally, the results of the uniform temperature distribution were compared to the non-uniform profiles to provide significantly important information regarding the claim of Eurocode 3, part 1.2 to use the maximum crosssectional temperature if a temperature gradient is applied across the members.


Sabbatical Goal Environmental health practitioners, with the proper training and opportunity, can provide information and guidance for a number of healthy housing issues. In South Carolina, environmental health practitioners enter private homes for a limited number of reasons, usually for a lead-based paint issue. Environmental health practitioners in England visit private homes on a much more frequent basis, and consider a wider range of hazards during a visit. The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) used in England looks at 29 possible hazards during a physical survey of the home. As a credentialed Healthy Homes Specialist and a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) certified lead risk assessor, I wanted to learn more about the HHSRS. The NEHA Sabbatical Exchange Ambassador Award made it possible for me to spend most of the month of March 2009 in England, working with environmental health officers (EHOs) from several areas of the country. In addition to healthy housing, I also learned about the British scheme for training EHOs. One of the most moving aspects of my sabbatical experience was the opportunity to meet and talk with farmers who had been affected by the 2001 and 2007 outbreaks of foot and mouth disease (FMD).


The scope of this work is to explore the feelings and expectations that COVID-19 has generated in Argentina during the first stage of the pandemic. A survey of the World Health Organization adapted to the local context was applied. Open-ended questions were included to study people's feelings about COVID-19, and content analysis was subsequently conducted. In terms of results, it is revealed that the population surveyed feels uncertainty, fear and anguish, albeit a feeling of responsibility and care in the face of COVID-19 also emerges. Moreover, positive feelings regarding society stand out as an achievement of social interdependence. The results obtained show that the impact on mental health differs in accordance with gender, educational level, and perceived comfort in the home. The study concludes that the emotional and bonding dimensions of people are central to confronting the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina. It is recommended that these dimensions, as well as their subjective and differential social impact among the different population groups, should be considered in the planning of policies to address the COVID-19 pandemic.


The antiquity of the Australian landscape has long been the subject of debate, with some studies inferring extraordinary longevity (>108 myr) for some subaerial landforms dating back to the early Paleozoic. A number of early Permian glacial erosion surfaces in the Fleurieu Peninsula, southeastern Australia, provide an opportunity to test the notion of long-term subaerial emergence, and thus tectonic and geomorphic stability, of parts of the Australian continent. Here we present results of apatite fission track analysis (AFTA) applied to a suite of samples collected from localities where glacial erosion features of early Permian age are developed. Our synthesis of AFTA results with geological data reveals four cooling episodes (C1-4), which are interpreted to represent distinct stages of exhumation. These episodes occurred during the Ediacaran to Ordovician (C1), mid-Carboniferous (C2), Permian to mid-Triassic (C3) and Eocene to Oligocene (C4). The interpretation of AFTA results indicates that the Neoproterozoic−Lower Paleozoic metasedimentary rocks and granitic intrusions upon which the glacial rock surfaces generally occur were exhumed to the surface by the latest Carboniferous−earliest Permian during episodes C2 and/or C3, possibly as a far-field response to the intraplate Alice Springs Orogeny. The resulting landscapes were sculpted by glacial erosive processes. Our interpretation of AFTA results suggests that the erosion surfaces and overlying Permian sedimentary rocks were subsequently heated to between c. 60 and 80°C, which we interpret as recording burial by a sedimentary cover comprising Permian and younger strata, roughly 1 km in thickness. This interpretation is consistent with existing thermochronological datasets from this region, and also with palynological and geochronological datasets from sediments in offshore Mesozoic−Cenozoic-age basins along the southern Australian margin that indicate substantial recycling of Permian−Cretaceous sediments. We propose that the exhumation which led to the contemporary exposure of the glacial erosion features began during the Eocene to Oligocene (episode C4), during the initial stages of intraplate deformation that has shaped the Mt Lofty and Flinders Ranges in South Australia. Our findings are consistent with several recent studies, which suggest that burial and exhumation have played a key role in the preservation and contemporary re-exposure of Gondwanan geomorphic features in the Australian landscape.


Information, Training and Assistance to patients are an ethical requirement for the prescriber as well as a necessary support to setting up the treatment best suitable to meet optimal efficacy expectations. Several phases with regard to providing information to patients can be considered: good knowledge of the patient, providing the patient with information regarding his or her disease, treatment, the overall medical assistance. Limits, hindrance and possible risks for the patient in providing medical information, are highlighted.


Background: Historically, women's health has focused on reproductive health. However, noncommunicable and communicable diseases comprise much of the burden of disease in women. Methods: A quantitative analysis of the main health content of articles published in six women's health journals (WHJ) and five general medical journals (GMJ) in 2010 and 2020 was conducted to categorize the main medical area topics of published articles and the life stage under study. Findings were compared with the leading causes of disease in women according to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. Results: There were 1483 articles eligible for analysis. In total, in WHJ, 44% of topics were reproductive health, increasing from 36% in 2010 to 49% in 2020, which was similar to GMJ. Noncommunicable disease was the next most addressed topic, with cancer being the major disease area covered. When compared with the GBD study, major disease areas such as infectious disease, cardiovascular disease, and musculoskeletal disorders were underrepresented as topics in women's health publications. Most articles that focused on a particular life stage were on pregnancy or the reproductive years, with very few articles on menopause. Conclusion: Women's health publishing remains largely focused on reproductive health topics, with few articles on many of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in women. Journals, researchers, funders, and research priority setters should embrace a broader view of women's health to effectively cover content that reflects the broad range of health issues impacting women across the life span.


Community-based local organizations should play key roles in both conservation and development, but local African organizations do not always function effectively on behalf of the local poor people. It is necessary to perform careful on-site investigations of how local organizations were formed, and of how they actually function. This article focuses on community-based local associations in villages adjacent to the forest reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The author demonstrates (1) the establishment, structure, membership, activities, and socioeconomic role of the local associations, (2) the intraand intergroup relationships of such associations, and (3) the results of the development projects implemented by local associations. This study found that people in the research site are reorganizing their social structure by participating in the development and conservation practices of local associations during this difficult post-conflict period. It is necessary for conservation agencies to accept their trial-and-error approach and engage in continuous interactions undertaken from a long-term perspective instead of rendering judgments based on immediate results.


The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) mandate is to develop structures and training strategies that would contribute to national security by using modern technology. However, in spite of the establishment of the NSCDC, crime rate has been increasing in Nigeria. This could be attributed to poor accessibility to ICT by NSCDC. Studies have been conducted on the Nigeria Police and the military with little attention given to security management by the NSCDC. This study, therefore, was designed to investigate accessibility to ICT as a determinant of security management by the NSCDC in South-western Nigeria. The study was hinged on the Path-Goal Theory. The study adopted the descriptive survey design of the correlational type. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 939 personnel based on the cadres from the departments of Administration (260), Operations (488), and Intelligence/Investigation (191), in Zone 'F' command of the NSCDC, South-west Nigeria. Majority of the personnel served in the Operations Department (52.0%) while the Intelligence Department had the lowest (20.3%). Most personnel fall under the Inspectorate (38.0%) and the Corps assistant (27.3%) cadres respectively. Males represented 62.8%, while the females 37.2%. Majority of the personnel fall within the age range of 26-30 (55.3%) followed by 21-25 (28.2%). Level of accessibility to ICT by NSCDC personnel was on the average (x = 2.19 ); however, the ICT gadgets needed for core security duties ranked low. Computers ranked highest by the mean score (x = 3.00 ) followed by mobile phones, (x = 2.99) and laptops (x = 2.95), while CCTV (x = 1.91) and spy video sunglasses(x = 1.91) ranked low, among others. Accessibility r = .550*) to ICT had significant relationship with security management by the NSCDC.Keywords: ICT Accessibility, Security management, NSCDC, South-west, Nigeria.


Top-down attention allows people to focus on task-relevant visual information. Is the resulting perceptual boost task-dependent in naturalistic settings? We aim to answer this with a large-scale computational experiment. First, we design a collection of visual tasks, each consisting of classifying images from a chosen task set (subset of ImageNet categories). The nature of a task is determined by which categories are included in the task set. Second, on each task we train an attention-augmented neural network and then compare its accuracy to that of a baseline network. We show that the perceptual boost of attention is stronger with increasing task-set difficulty, weaker with increasing task-set size and weaker with increasing perceptual similarity within a task set.


In Vodou Cosmology and the Haitian Revolution in the Enlightenment Ideals of Kant and Hegel, Vivaldi Jean-Marie begins with an interpretation of the rise of Vodou practices in Saint-Domingue which is sensitive to the social, spiritual and cultural challenges of the slaves communities in Saint-Domingue, later Haiti. He shows effectively that Vodou cosmology emerged as a spiritual, social and cultural technology for the enslaved to overcome the dissonance and brutality of slavery in Saint-Domingue. Vodou Cosmology thus assumes the tripartite role of spiritual, social and cultural compass for slaves who, concurrently with the development of Vodou, managed to establish a common ethos. Furthermore, to situate the rise of Vodou cosmology within the larger discourse of the Enlightenment and argue that it heralded a radical Enlightenment in the African diaspora, Jean-Marie compares and contrasts some aspects of the philosophies of Kant and Hegel with the social, spiritual and cultural experience of the enslaved communities of Saint-Domingue. This comparison shows that Kant and Hegel's depiction of African Negroes' mores and their religious practices in the colonies fails to capture that Vodou cosmology was both a mechanism of resistance and the medium to restore their social, spiritual, and cultural identity against the backdrop of the Atlantic slave trade. Also, he elaborates the Enlightenment's conception of African Negroes as commercial currency and specifically Hegel's view of slavery in the colonies as the manifestation of divine providence. He concludes that the significance of the Haitian Revolution lies in the fact that it ascribed freedom to people of African descent in the diaspora and is thus implicit in later themes of black freedom. The Haitian Revolution ties blackness with freedom and mapped out a radical enlightenment in the European colonies.


The chemical–gas dynamic mechanisms behind the instability and failure of a one–dimensional pulsating detonation wave driven by a three–step chain–branching reaction are revealed by direct numerical simulation. Two types of pulsating instability observed experimentally are explained. The first involves regular oscillations of the detonation front, where the instability is driven by low–frequency finite–amplitude compression and expansion waves in the chain–branching induction zone between the main reaction layer and the detonation shock. For irregular oscillations of the front, the instability mechanism first involves a decoupling between the shock and main reaction layer. Subsequently, the main reaction layer accelerates, drives a compression wave ahead of it, and undergoes a transition to detonation. This internal detonation wave overtakes the lead detonation shock, generating a new high–pressure detonation, which rapidly decays. A smaller–amplitude pressure oscillation occurs during the decay with a mechanism reminiscent of that observed for the previous regular oscillation, before the detonation and main reaction layer once again decouple and the instability cycle is repeated. For failure scenarios, the shock temperature is observed to drop to the cross–over temperature for the chain–branching reaction, causing the main reaction layer to decouple and retreat indefinitely from the detonation shock.


Introduction: TB is still the most common infectious disease worldwide. In terms of incidence, Egypt is ranked among the mid-level incidence countries. Aim: To provide baseline information for assessment of the epidemiological trends and the impact of TB control interventions. Patients & methods: This was a retrospective epidemiological study including pulmonary TB patients who were diagnosed in Minoufiya Governorate, Egypt from January 2003 to December 2008. Epidemiological data, clinical presentation and examination, radiological examination, laboratory investigations, contact investigations were acquired for all patients. Results: Incidence of pulmonary TB in Minoufiya Governorate in the studied years was 5.1 per 100,000 populations. A higher percentage of pulmonary TB cases was found in males (68.3%), in rural areas (83.7%), and in middle aged persons (25–54 years) 53.8%. The majority of patients were new cases (91.9%) and most patients received CAT I drugs. There was a good response to anti-tuberculous therapy with rapid DSM conversion in most cases. The cure rate at the end of treatment reached about 80%. Treatment outcome was significantly higher with ages (15–54 year), (p Conclusion: Minoufiya Governorate is one of the moderately affected governorates with pulmonary TB in Egypt, with good control measures done by the health authorities. Middle aged males and rural residents are the most affected groups. Most cases are new with a minority of drug resistant or chronic cases.


Politeness serves to manage social relations or is wielded as an instrument of power. Through good manners, people demonstrate their educational background and social rank. This is the first book to bring together the most recent scholarship on politeness and impoliteness in Ancient Greek and Latin, signalling both its universal and its culture-specific traits. Leading scholars analyse texts by canonical classical authors (including Plato, Cicero, Euripides, and Plautus), as well as non-literary sources, to provide glimpses into the courtesy and rudeness of Greek and Latin speakers. A wide range of interdisciplinary approaches is adopted, namely pragmatics, conversation analysis, and computational linguistics. With its extensive introduction, the volume introduces readers to one of the most dynamic fields of Linguistics, while demonstrating that it can serve as an innovative tool in philological readings of classical texts.


Besides P-factor1), Pediococcus soyae2), 3) requires betaine (glycine-betaine) as a specific growth promotant. The maximal growth is obtained with the supplementation of both betaine and P-factor to the synthetic medium, while betaine only gives the half-maximal growth. When the organism is cultured in 18% salted media, the addition of both betaine and P-factor is essential for the occurrence of growth. Thus, betaine is requisite for Ped. soyae as a growth promoting factor and also as a factor bestowing the osmotelerant ability.


In recent years, the study of exoplanetary atmospheres has flourished well beyond expectations. Current data are unveiling the key properties of hot massive planets orbiting very close to their stars, but sometimes results are not easy to interpret due to systematics affecting the data and degeneracies across the parameter space. The focus of my thesis is the study of exoplanetary atmospheres through spectroscopic observations using space and ground-based observatories. The first part of the thesis describes the development of a new pipeline to analyse the low-resolution exoplanet data recorded with the WFC3 (Wide Field Camera 3) on-board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The focus is on a particular dataset: HAT-P-32b which is one of the most inflated Hot-Jupiters to date. Two different approaches are presented: a more standard parametric method and the use of a machine learning technique such as independent component analysis (ICA) applied for the first time on HST dataset. Water vapour and possibly more exotic metaloxides such as VO and TiO are found in the atmosphere of HAT-P-32b. Further observations at longer wavelengths are needed to confirm these and other chemical compounds. The second part describes the development of a new pipeline to analyse high resolution datasets recorded with ground based instruments (VLT/CRIRES, TNG/GIANO-B). High-resolution spectroscopy (HRS) allows to resolve molecular bands into individual lines. Using radial velocity measurements and techniques such as Cross-Correlation Function, it is possible to separate three physically different sources: telluric absorption, stellar absorption and planetary transmission spectrum, which are normally entangled. The standard method used in the literature to analyse HRS data consists on applying corrections for the airmass and for the stellar signal and the use of ad-hoc masks to eliminate residual, strong features. The analysis method that I have developed is based on a novel use of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) that aims to maximise the planetary signal without any manual corrections. The two approaches are highly complementary and may be used to constrain


Few, indeed, have been the investigations to determine the efficiency of techniques of study. Recently, however, several experiments, scientifically controlled, have been conducted to determine the effectiveness of specific study techniques. Butterweck1 attempted to answer the following questions: "(1) Can we expect to improve the study habits of high school pupils by acquainting them with what constitutes good study habits? (2) Can we improve their study habits by subjecting them to practice in the elements which comprise a particular study situation? (3) Is the effect of these two methods different for pupils of different intelligence levels? (4) What effect will each of these methods have upon the pupils' success in school, if success is measured in terms of teachers' marks? (5) What effect, if measured in terms of ability to perform a specific task?" This study was undertaken at the Horace Mann School for Boys. Three equated groups of tenth grade pupils participated. Groups A and B met twice a week for 45 minutes. Group B was given a course in the best methods of studying, the material selected being taken from books on how to study. The directions and suggestions were related as closely as possible to the daily lesson assignments. Group A was given practice exercises in the elements of certain study situations. The control group, Group C, continued its usual method of preparing assignments.


Obesity has a strong genetic component, but few of the genes that predispose to obesity are known. Genetic screens in invertebrates have the potential to identify genes and pathways that regulate the levels of stored fat, many of which are likely to be conserved in humans. To facilitate such screens, we have developed a simple buoyancy-based screening method for identifying mutant Drosophila larvae with increased levels of stored fat. Using this approach, we have identified 66 genes that when mutated increase organismal fat levels. Among these was a sirtuin family member, Sir2. Sirtuins regulate the storage and metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids by deacetylating key regulatory proteins. However, since mammalian sirtuins function in many tissues in different ways, it has been difficult to define their role in energy homeostasis accurately under normal feeding conditions. We show that knockdown of Sir2 in the larval fat body results in increased fat levels. Moreover, using genetic mosaics, we demonstrate that Sir2 restricts fat accumulation in individual cells of the fat body in a cell-autonomous manner. Consistent with this function, changes in the expression of metabolic enzymes in Sir2 mutants point to a shift away from catabolism. Surprisingly, although Sir2 is typically upregulated under conditions of starvation, Sir2 mutant larvae survive better than wild type under conditions of amino-acid starvation as long as sugars are provided. Our findings point to a Sir2-mediated pathway that activates a catabolic response to amino-acid starvation irrespective of the sugar content of the diet.


Clustered heterogeneous computing environment is used to execute parallel applications that require significant amount of computing resources either in the form of computational processing resources or data storage. A cluster, comprising of heterogeneous nodes, requires careful load balancing strategies in order to result in a good processing response time for parallel applications. The workload for each system in the cluster cannot be equally distributed but has to be taken as an important parameter for the load balancing strategy. A centralized load balancer would require a global load balancer that will be overwhelmed with communication messages in a large clustered environment. This overhead can be addressed by a decentralized approach to load balancing where decisions are formulated by the nodes performing scheduling algorithm vis-a-vis communicating with each member node of the cluster. Although this will lead to an overall increase of communications, it will eliminate the bottleneck of having a centralized load balancing node. In an overloaded node (sender) initiated decentralized load balancing strategy, each sender will need to have a predetermined list of neighboring nodes to offload their jobs. In this paper, we propose a heuristic based neighbor selection algorithm that selects a neighbor for job distribution whenever overload occurs. Simulations were conducted using the OMNeT++ simulator and the overall proposed performance was compared to other existing neighbor selection method. From our simulation results, we found that our proposed method demonstrates overall improvement for load balancing by reducing the average response time.


In the current era, the vast number of internet users accesses the social network sites like Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, and Instagram for uploading their images. User may upload all kind of images with different emotions. In this research article, we introduce novel facial emotion recognition technique using Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) approach and associated a caption automatically based on the identified emotion. We consider only still images for emotion classification. Using face detection algorithms faces were detected from the facial image which is followed by emotion prediction. We automated this detection process for images having frontal faces. In images having non-frontal faces, we manually plot the eye points for rotating the face in such a way that algorithm can detect faces easily. Inferences obtained as a result of experiments shows that the proposed work is capable of identifying minute differences between different emotions and predict accordingly. Based on the emotions identified corresponding captions are generated with better accuracy.


The development of wind-and solar-generating capacity is growing rapidly around the world as policy makers pursue various energy policy objectives. This paper will describe the challenges in integrating wind and solar generation, the lessons learned, and recommended strategies from both operating experience and integration studies. Case studies on the experience with wind and solar integration in China, Germany, and Spain are also included in this paper. The paper is organized as follows. First section summarizes worldwide wind and solar development, the challenges in integrating wind and solar generation, and some of the lessons learned from studies designed to evaluate the impact of higher levels of wind and solar generation and also from the operational experience in some countries with larger amounts of renewable energy. The second section summarizes some of the solutions for incorporating higher levels of wind and solar capacity into short-term system operations. This section also explains basic methodologies to implement system operations studies to understand the impacts of variability in system operation. The third section explains the contribution of variable renewables to long-term supply adequacy-commonly called 'firm' power-and the relationship of this to long-term reserves; it also explores how these issues can be incorporated into long-term planning or adequacy assessments. Overall, the variability of wind power generation adds to the variability on the grid in most time scales, and a key question that wind integration studies must address is whether there is enough existing capability on the grid to manage that increased variability, or whether new sources, such as new generation or increased levels of demand response, must be added to manage that variability.


This study aims to determine the influence of location, consumer income, house prices, appetite for subsidized home purchase decisions in Manokwari Regency. The variables in this study are Location, Consumer Income, House Price and Taste. This study uses primary data and secondary data. Primary data obtained through questionnaires and secondary data obtained through agencies related to this study, the analysis method used is to use multiple linear regression models using the SPSS Statistic 16 program. The results of the partial study (t test) Location, Kosumen Income, House Prices and tastes had a positive and significant effect on the decision to purchase subsidized homes in Manokwari Regency. But together (simultaneously) variable locations, consumer income, house prices and tastes significantly influenced purchasing decisions at a confidence level of 95 percent.


As high temperature superconducting (HTS) power cables have some merits over conventional cables, several demonstration projects on the HTS cable system are presently under way around the world. Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) also initiated an HTS cable project in 2002 with the Korean government's support. A three phase 100 m HTS cable system with a capacity of 50 MVA has been installed at Gochang test yard, located in Chonnbuk province, Korea. The HTS cable system is composed of a 100 m-long cable, two terminations and a cooling system. The rated current is 1,250 Arms and the rated voltage is 22.9 kV considering compatibility with the conventional power distribution system in Korea. Main purposes of this project are to verify the performance of an HTS cable system and to evaluate the potential of the HTS cable system from the viewpoint of power utilities. The real grid application of the HTS cable system requires the demonstration of system reliability, accumulated operation experiences, and it has to meet the practical needs of the utilities. In such a meaning, this project provides various challenges for KEPCO, and the feedback will be delivered to cable manufacturers. This user initiative test will facilitate the introduction of HTS cable systems into a real grid network. The installation process of the HTS cable system and some results of the preliminary test were presented in this paper.


This chapter focuses on selected problematic aspects of public
participation (particularly on participation of the public
concerned) in the procedures under the Building Act with the
emphasis on building permit proceedings. It is an issue of a
pressing importance with respect to amendments to the Building
Act by the Act No. 350/2012 Coll.


"Real Life Painting Sculpture, 1983 – 2014"

This work focuses on a diverse archive of 'painting' works I have made since 1983, when I was still at High School. This large scale sculptural work, approx. 6m x 4 m x 5 m treats these works almost as found objects and reconstructs a hybrid art object that spans 4 decades.


Survival rates for patients with bone tumors have increased dramatically over the past few decades. Unfortunately, many patients face functional limitations resulting from disease management, but there is little evidence regarding physical functioning in adolescents with bone tumors. This lack is largely due to the absence of a standardized measure for evaluating adolescent sarcoma physical functioning. This review discusses considerations in searching for a measure of adolescent physical functioning, evaluates measures previously used in assessing functional outcome in young sarcoma patients, reviews self‐report measures of pediatric physical functioning, and makes recommendations for future research.


In contrast with many other countries, Chinese listed firms must obtain approval to make private-equity placements (PEPs) from the Chinese Security Regulatory Commission (CSRC), a state bureau that regulates capital market financing. We analyse the role of political connection (PC) and ownership structures when accessing private equity (PE) market, while investigating the mechanisms through which political ties operate within the regulatory process of PEPs. The findings suggest that PCs do not contribute to the firm's decision to apply for PEPs, but firms with state-ownership demonstrate a higher propensity to apply for PEPs. PC and state-ownership appear to help firms to obtain approval from the CSRC, and these firms are treated more favourably than their rivals without such connections. Politically connected firms spend less time in managing bureaucracy, but PC and state-ownership negatively affect proceeds from the PE market in China. Firms with politically connected directors with professional business backgrounds tend to spend less time managing the CSRC, and these professionals positively affect proceeds from the PE market in China. This study provides important insights for policy-makers, investors, PE issuing firms and security market regulators.


Because of the low titer of ICSA, as well as the polyclonality of serum, it has been difficult to determine whether there is a variety of autoantibodies, each reacting with a different organ, or whether the autoimmune response is more restricted, with only a limited number of autoantibodies recognizing common antigenic determinants in the different organs. To study this and other questions, we sought to prepare human monoclonal autoimmune ICSA. Peripheral-blood lymphocytes from patients with freshly onset IDDM or other autoimmune abnormalities were transformed by EB virus. And rapid screening on In 111 cells by an ELISA were used to identify monoclonal ICSA. But, ICSA titer was very low even in freshly onset IDDM patients, and reduced very quickly. ICSA positive wells at cloning were extremely rare. So, the methods that enhance the efficiency of cloning were required. Firstly, ultrasensitive Enzyme Immunoassay for ICSA were developed. Secondly, new preselection method of ICSA producing lymphocyte by Protein A Magnetic Microspheres were employed. Thirdly, in vitro immunization was partly employed to enhance the frequency of ICSA producing lymphocytes. Fourthly, EBV-hybridoma technique was employed to stabilize the ICSA producing clone. The efficiency of cloning was increased from 0.07% to 24% by the new preselection method. The sensitivity of the fluorometric enzyme immunoassay for ICSA was 140pg/ml. 21 times sensitivity to usual ELISA was obtained. We describe sure methods for production of Human Monoclonal Autoantibodies that react with Islet-Cell-Surface Antigens.


The origin of the increase in the intensity of OH bands with heat treatment has been investigated using deuterium-containing VAD fibres. Remarkable loss increases only in the absorption peaks due to the OH ions have been observed after 200?500°C heat treatment applied to three kinds of fibre: drawn from a preform prepared by a D2-O2 flame, and OD-doped in the core and in the cladding. It was confirmed that the origin of the hydrogen causing the loss increase is not in the synthesised glass materials.


The plasmids of the incompatibility (Inc) group IncP-1, also called IncP, as extrachromosomal genetic elements can transfer and replicate virtually in all Gram-negative bacteria. They are composed of backbone genes that encode a variety of essential functions and accessory genes that have implications for human health and environmental bioremediation. Broad-host-range IncP plasmids are known to spread genes between distinct phylogenetic groups of bacteria. These genes often code for resistances to a broad spectrum of antibiotics, heavy metals, and quaternary ammonium compounds used as disinfectants. The backbone of these plasmids carries modules that enable them to effectively replicate, move to a new host via conjugative transfer and to be stably maintained in bacterial cells. The adaptive, resistance, and virulence genes are mainly located on mobile genetic elements integrated between the functional plasmid backbone modules. Environmental studies have demonstrated the wide distribution of IncP-like replicons in manure, soils and wastewater treatment plants. They also are present in strains of pathogenic or opportunistic bacteria, which can be a cause for concern, because they may encode multiresistance. Their broad distribution suggests that IncP plasmids play a crucial role in bacterial adaptation by utilizing horizontal gene transfer. This review summarizes the variety of genetic information and physiological functions carried by IncP plasmids, which can contribute to the spread of antibiotic and heavy metal resistance while also mediating the process of bioremediation of pollutants. Due to the location of the resistance genes on plasmids with a broad-host-range and the presence of transposons carrying these genes it seems that the spread of these genes would be possible and quite hazardous in infection control. Future studies are required to determine the level of risk of the spread of resistance genes located on these plasmids.


This article reviews research on transnational higher education (TNHE) published in academic journals between 2006 and 2014 through the lenses of network power and dissensus. Conclusions suggest the need for more research on the 'entrapping' aspects of global social relations to provide a counterweight to the influence of dominant paradigms. It is argued that research at local-institutional level, harnessing the dissensus of the academic community with the needs and aspirations of students provides the means to develop global imaginaries and initiate new policy directions which break free of entrapment and address the perverse outcomes of globalised knowledge-based economy models in higher education (HE).


Following the Jussila and Menarini judgments, it is now entirely clear that Article 6 ECHR, as interpreted by the European Court of Human Rights, provides no grounds for abandoning the system in which the European Commission both investigates suspected infringements of the EU antitrust prohibitions and takes decisions finding such infringements and imposing fines. Article 6(1) ECHR requires however that the EU General Court, when reviewing European Commission decisions, exercises full jurisdiction. What is decisive is whether the General Court in fact exercises full jurisdiction, not any general statements which the Courts may make as to its powers. It is nevertheless also important that the General Court is seen to exercise full jurisdiction. For this reason, potentially misleading general statements should be avoided. A number of internal checks and balances and procedural guarantees apply to the European Commission's administrative procedure, and regularly show their usefulness. This however in no way reduces the need for a full review by the General Court, when requested by the undertakings concerned. Indeed, the internal checks and balances and procedural guarantees derive their full effectiveness precisely from the possibility of a subsequent full review by the General Court.


Precision farming offers numerous benefits and advantages to the farming community for farm productivity improvement. Previous research has led to the development of the offline based Precision Farmer©. This research extends further than the previous work by developing a Web Paddy GIS. The need for this arises due to limitations of Precision Farmer© such as portability, offline system accessibility and affordability by the end users which include semi-literate farmers. The objectives of this research were to design web-based Geographical Information System decision support system data model for paddy precision farming (Web Paddy GIS) and to develop and implement the web-based GIS decision support system for paddy precision farming using open source software. This new system has been developed to function on Windows and Linux platforms. User satisfaction tests were conducted concerning website acceptability and performance testing were made during this research. The research demonstrates that Web Paddy GIS can successfully run on both platforms. However, the Linux platform has proven to be superior to Windows, based on factors such as CPU usage and speed. The system was implemented for an area in Selangor, Malaysia. This research presents a novel contribution addressing web-based precision farming for the semi-literate paddy farming community of a developing country. The development of a Web Paddy GIS is very useful for paddy farmers, farm managers, decision makers and researchers.


This article wants to look at the problem of the relation between Islam and Christianity and their definitions of civilization or religion, from the angles of the Indonesian Muslims and Christians. In the colonial past both Islam and Christianity behaved like complete communities or civilizations. Therefore religious affiliation had always social and political impact and it was and is often not possible to change religion, like people cannot change their ethnic or gender status. During the pastfifty years there has been a tendency towards a pluralist society, not taking religious identity as a major classification mark. The uncertainties after the fall of President Soeharto (May 1998) and the aftermath of increasing Muslim-Christian conflicts, challenge this development.


Neurocysticercosis caused by Taenia solium and is a common parasitic disease of the cental nervous system. It usually presents with seizures, headaches, progressively worsening focal neurologic symptoms, visual disturbances, loss of bladder control, etc. However, acute onset symptoms may also be seen. MRI scans can accurately diagnose spinal or cerebral lesions and is also helpful in monitoring progress while on treatment. Albendazole is currently the drug of choice along with steroids for medical management of neurocysticercosis. The case of intramedullary spinal neurocysticercosis was treated with praziquantel.


Background: This review aims to map the evidence on the effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and its associated complications and identify research gaps in key outcomes and CAMs. Methods: We followed the Johanna Briggs Institute guidelines to undertake this scoping review. We carried out a comprehensive search from inception to March 2020 in electronic databases and registers. Forward and backward citations of included studies were also searched. The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized studies with intervention and control arm were mapped based on the effectiveness of various CAM (Yoga, Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Siddha, Naturopathy, Unani, and Sowa-rigpa) on outcomes among individuals with prediabetes or metabolic syndrome, T2DM with and without any comorbidities. Results: A total of 249 studies were included after screening 3798 citations. Most of the included studies were conducted in India and Iran. Most frequently studied CAM interventions include Yoga, Ayurveda, and herbal products as compared to other CAM therapies. Conclusion: Although we identified a lot of literature on the effectiveness of CAMs for T2DM, there is a lack of standardization of preparation of these medicines and the interventional modalities. To validate the potential benefits of CAM, robust research with high-quality RCTs and systematic reviews are needed to bridge the gap of evidence in CAM therapies. Future investments for research in CAM may focus on assessing the quality of existing trials and finding out an optimal dose, frequency, and duration of CAM, both as an alternative and complementary approach.


"Do Not Resuscitate" (DNR) order is one of the challenging issues encountered in end of life care. This study aimed to determine the effect of education about DNR on the views of senior nursing students. Students, who selected elective course of palliative care and received education about DNR formed the intervention group (n = 106) while the students who did not select the lesson were in the control group (n = 107). Data were collected using a questionnaire. It revealed that the students who had education about DNR agreed with the positive statements about DNR more than the control group. Also, intervention group students had a high agreement DNR should be a part of vocational training for health professionals. It is important and necessary to focus on the special role of nurses when a DNR order is given, and nursing education raised the awareness and views about DNR according to the data from this study.


Astragalus polysaccharides (APS), extracted from the root of Astragalus membranaceus, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, have extensive pharmacological and strong immunomodulatory effects. In this study, the potential adjuvant effect of APS on humoral and cellular immune responses to hepatitis B subunit vaccine was investigated. Coadministration of APS with recombinant hepatitis B surface antigen significantly increased antigen-specific antibody production, T-cell proliferation and CTL (cytotoxic T lymphocyte) activity. Production of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-4 in CD4(+) T cells and of IFN-γ in CD8(+) T cells were dramatically increased. Furthermore, expression of the genes PFP, GraB, Fas L and Fas were up-regulated; interestingly, expression of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) and the frequency of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (Treg cells) were down-regulated. Expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) was significantly increased by administration of APS. Together, these results suggest that APS is a potent adjuvant for the hepatitis B subunit vaccine and can enhance both humoral and cellular immune responses via activating the TLR4 signaling pathway and inhibit the expression of TGF-β and frequency of Treg cells.


This paper explores the effect of fiscal federalism on capital accumulation and growth in an overlapping-generations model. By relaxing the uniform-consumption requirement of a unitary system, fiscal federalism allows the economy to respond to a difference in public-good demands between young and old. Public-good levels and taxes move in opposite directions for the young and old as their different demands are fulfilled, and this leads to opposing changes in private-good consumption for the two groups. These changes disrupt the preferred time path of private consumption, which is restored by a change in saving. This change in turn alters the equilibrium capital intensity of the economy, and growth effects emerge during the transition to the new equilibrium. Copyright 1999 by Blackwell Publishing Inc.


This study used both quasi-experiment and contingent valuation survey to explore the applicability of deposit-refund system (DRS) to water-sachet litter management in Nigeria. In the experiment, a DRS was established to incentivize the participants to return emptied sachets of water. A contingent valuation survey of 454 sachet-water consumers selected using quasi-systematic sampling technique was conducted. Experimental results showed that the number of sachets returned by the experimental group – those subjected to DRS – was significantly greater than that of the comparison group – those not subjected to DRS. Logit regression results showed that refund size increased the odds of returning sachets by 42.0%. Increasing the redemption time decreased the odds of turning in sachets by about 16.0%. A one-minute increase in the time spent on redemption would result in about 2.4% decrease in the probability that participants would comply. Income decreased the odds of compliance by about 31.0%, while age reduced the odds of compliance by about 2.2%. These results imply that the DRS reduced water-sachet littering in the study area, and that income, refund amount, redemption time, age and perceived effectiveness of DRS influenced consumers' compliance with DRS. Hence, an appropriate motivating DRS would reduce litter and its attendant problems, such as hygiene, plastic pollution, flooding, aesthetic loss, non-naturally degradable toxic compounds, degradation of natural habitat ant its endangered species. The government should, therefore, implement a DRS and set up recycling plants, or encourage private recycling firms, in order to accommodate used sachets that would end up piling up.


The paper summarizes the system performance of the high speed downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH) in WCDMA using closed loop mode 1 transmit diversity. The results show that, scheduling one user at a time in the Pedestrian A channel model, transmit diversity yields similar capacity gains as the sector antenna. On the other hand, in highly dispersive channels, a loss in the system throughput relative to the sector antenna, is observed. This loss is mainly due to random spatial interference patterns (the so called flashlight effect), that are present in the HS-DSCH setting when a single user is scheduled with the maximum available resources (power/codes) at each time instant. In order to mitigate the flashlight effect, a simple scheme is proposed in which multiple users are simultaneously scheduled using different scrambling codes. Scheduling multiple users makes the interference almost spatially white, resulting in a system throughput gain.


A physical security breach in a healthcare facility can have serious consequences for staff, patients, and the general public, especially if that breach occurs in a high risk area, such as a server room, pharmaceutical storage unit, or radiological room. Here, Mike McColl, managing director of high security panel manufacturer, Securiclad, highlights the importance of a 'last line of defence' when protecting both people, and a wide range of equipment and 'assets', in healthcare facilities.


We present a multi-wavelength study of the unusual galaxy ISOSS J 15079+7247. With a bolometric luminosity of LFIR ∼ 2 × 10 12 Lthis object is one of the most luminous galaxies detected by the 170 µm ISOPHOT Serendipity Survey (ISOSS). We have obtained 1.2 mm continuum and CO (1-0) line observations, optical spectra and deep R-band images of the system. The CO emission originates from a giant elliptical galaxy at redshift z = 0.2136, yielding a molecular gas mass of 2.9 × 10 10 M� . The high gas mass favors the picture that the dust emission is associated with the elliptical galaxy. The nature of the ultraluminous IR emission can be explained by an opaque, hidden starburst in the center of the elliptical. The huge dust mass of 5 × 10 8 Mcorresponds to a visual extinction of AV ∼ 1000 mag. This is consistent with the non-detection of any optical signatures of a strong starburst in ISOSS J 15079+7247 and the strength of non-thermal radio continuum emission.


The twentieth century urban growth has engulfed small villages and places which form parts of the urban environment. One example of such place is the Chew Jetty in Georgetown. Situated along the Pengkalan Weld (Weld Quay), Chew Jetty, an on-stilts water village which housed migrant communities, has been in existence since the 19th century. For Georgetown, as a world heritage site, it is vital to preserve its histories, communities and cultural practices of places. Positioning itself as a small contribution within this large colossal task, this paper aims to reveal the perception on the local sense of place of the Clan Jetties amidst the backdrop of Georgetown's globalised everyday life. Adopting Francis Violich's phenomenological approach for reading small urban places as the method of study, this paper argues that the reading of place by way of phenomenology acts as a vehicle to communicate unique visual and social images of place.


Fostering the intellectual student development today is really a big challenge to all educators nowadays. In an attempt to improve teaching and learning of a program Faculty of Civil Engineering (FCE), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) has moving to a new paradigm with full of enthusiasm and commitment. In this paper, we present the Program Outcome of our faculty for Diploma in Civil Engineering Program which has implemented OBE learning system. The focuses will be more towards the student development progress and enhancement which the data is gained from the Program Outcome of Diploma in Civil Engineering Program. Suggestions in improving the current OBE learning systems are also presented in order to enhance the learning method and the Program Outcome (PO) to benefit every entity involved.


At the end of 2014, a Major Baltic Inflow (MBI) brought oxygenated, salty water into the Baltic proper and reached the long-term anoxic Eastern Gotland Basin (EGB) by March 2015. In July 2015, we measured benthic fluxes of phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N) and silicon (Si) nutrients and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in situ using an autonomous benthic lander at deep sites (170-210 m) in the EGB, where the bottom water oxygen concentration was 30-45 μM. The same in situ methodology was used to measure benthic fluxes at the same sites in 2008-2010, but then under anoxic conditions. The high efflux of phosphate under anoxic conditions became lower upon oxygenation, and turned into an influx in about 50% of the flux measurements. The C:P and N:P ratios of the benthic solute flux changed from clearly below the Redfield ratio (on average about 70 and 3-4, respectively) under anoxia to approaching or being well above the Redfield ratio upon oxygenation. These observations demonstrate retention of P in newly oxygenated sediments. We found no significant effect of oxygenation on the benthic ammonium, silicate and DIC flux. We also measured benthic denitrification, anammox, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) rates at the same sites using isotope-pairing techniques. The bottom water of the long-term anoxic EGB contained less than 0.5 μM nitrate in 2008-2010, but the oxygenation event created bottom water nitrate concentrations of about 10 μM in July 2015 and the benthic flux of nitrate was consistently directed into the sediment. Nitrate reduction to both dinitrogen gas (denitrification) and ammonium (DNRA) was initiated in the newly oxygenated sediments, while anammox activity was negligible. We estimated the influence of this oxygenation event on the magnitudes of the integrated benthic P flux (the internal P load) and the fixed N removal through benthic and pelagic denitrification by comparing with a hypothetical scenario without the MBI. Our calculations suggest that the oxygenation triggered by the MBI in July 2015, extrapolated to the basin-wide scale of the Baltic proper, decreased the internal P load by 23% and increased the total (benthic plus pelagic) denitrification by 18%.


In this paper, we present a method for reconstructing the drawing process of Chinese brush paintings. We demonstrate the possibility of computing an artistically reasonable drawing order from a static brush painting that is consistent with the rules of art. We map the key principles of drawing composition to our computational framework, which first organizes the strokes in three stages and then optimizes stroke ordering with natural evolution strategies. Our system produces reasonable animated constructions of Chinese brush paintings with minimal or no user intervention. We test our algorithm on a range of input paintings with varying degrees of complexity and structure and then evaluate the results via a user study. We discuss the applications of the proposed system to painting instruction, painting animation, and image stylization, especially in the context of art teaching.


MHC-linked genes strongly influence susceptibility to autoimmune diseases and also regulate responses to exogenous antigens. To begin to understand the mechanism of this MHC effect on disease, we have investigated MHC-congenic mouse strains that develop spontaneous autoimmunity because of the lpr gene. C57BL6/lpr (B6/lpr) mice (H-2b) are known to have substantial levels of autoantibodies to chromatin, single stranded DNA (ssDNA3), and IgG of different murine subclasses (rheumatoid factor). We have crossed the H-2d and the H-2bm12 (la mutant) haplotypes onto the B6/lpr background. Surprisingly, levels of all the autoantibodies were markedly lower in B6/lpr.H-2d, but levels in B6/lpr.H-2bm12 were no different from those in B6/lpr mice. The downregulating influence of the H-2d allele was dominant, and there was no effect on autoantibody fine specificities. The genetics of the H-2d effect and its diffuse influence on multiple autoantibody specificities, in addition to the lack of effect of the bm12 mutation, which modifies the peptide-binding groove of I-A, together raise the question of whether MHC-linked genes other than classical (IR) genes may be responsible for MHC disease associations in this model.


The results of therapy of febrile episodes during the pregraft phase in bone marrow transplant was retrospectively evaluated in 84 granulocytopenic patients. Most patients received co-trimoxazole and i.v. ticarcillin as antibacterial prophylaxis. 47 episodes were treated with a third generation cephalosporin plus an aminoglycoside, with a 55% favorable response rate. 37 episodes were treated with a wide spectrum penicillin plus an aminoglycoside, with a 41% response rate (p greater than 0.05). Among the 23 infections caused by gram-negative bacilli the response rate was 89% (8 of 9) with the first regimen, and 21% (3 of 14) with the second one (p = 0.003). The investigation of in vitro sensitivity suggested that prophylactic ticarcillin favors the infections due to bacilli with cross-resistance to wide spectrum penicillins. The antibiotic regimen did not influence the final resolution or the mortality rate of the febrile episode.


Moerman defines the placebo effect as a meaningful and desirable psychological and physiological effect of treatment. In typical randomised control trials (RCTs) patients are randomly allocated to active treatment, placebo treatment and no treatment groups. If the placebo group does substantially better than the no treatment group, the difference is the placebo effect. Such trials show that all interventions, from a simple history taking to invasive testing, may have therapeutic value.


The Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial is the first large prospective randomized controlled trial to demonstrate the benefit of an intensive systolic blood pressure (SBP) treatment target (<120 mm Hg) compared to a standard target (<140 mm Hg) in reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and all-cause mortality in high-risk hypertensive patients. The impact of SPRINT on hypertension treatment has been large, but major questions remain about the feasibility of achieving the SPRINT intensive SBP target in routine practice, the generalizability of the SPRINT findings to hypertensive populations that were excluded from the trial, and the cost effectiveness of adopting the SPRINT intensive treatment goal. In this review, we discuss the generalizability of SPRINT data to the general population of adults with hypertension and with various comorbidities, the cost effectiveness of intensive SBP-lowering therapy, and the implications of SPRINT for future hypertension guideline development and clinical practice.


It is argued that many nonextremal black branes exhibit a classical Gregory-Laflamme instability if, and only if, they are locally thermodynamically unstable. For some black branes, the Gregory-Laflamme instability must therefore disappear near extremality. For the black p-branes of the type II supergravity theories, the Gregory-Laflamme instability disappears near extremality for p=1,2,4 but persists all the way down to extremality for p=5,6 (the black D3-brane is not covered by the analysis of this paper). This implies that the instability also vanishes for the near-extremal black M2 and M5-brane solutions.


Background Therapeutic decisions in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are driven by the estimated grade of disease activity. It is clinically evaluated by composite scores such as DAS28, SDAI and CDAI (1). Ultrasound (US) and MRI imaging of the joints provide further characterization of disease activity. US assessments search for the presence of synovitis, joint effusion and Power Doppler (PD) scored semi-quantitatively from 0-3 on joints of DAS28 or proposed reduced score systems (2). MRI joint imaging is evaluated through RAMRIS (RA MRI Scoring) grading separately with a semi-quantitative score (0-3) synovitis after contrast enhancement (CE-MRI), extension of bone marrow edema and erosions on 7 joints of each hand. In 2010 SAMIS (Simplified RA MRI Score) was proposed for reducing examination time by analyzing the most tender or dominant hand only (3). Despite all efforts for objectively quantifying disease activity, all evaluations depend on the subjective feeling of patient or examiner and on the interpretation of imaging data. Objectives Comparison of clinical, US and MRI scores and volumetric measure of synovial inflammation by dedicated MRI software. Methods: Methods Clinical data (CRP, ESR, DAS28, CDAI, SDAI and HAQ) were collected from 32 RA patients. Rheumatologists assessed further the number of joints positive for presence of synovitis, effusion and PD (DAS28 and 12-joint US score). Three radiologists independently performed RAMRIS and SAMIS validation on CE-MRI. Moreover, an software was developed in house to estimate total volume of contrast perfusion in joint spaces of both hands. Correlations were analyzed by Spearmen test. Results SAMIS and RAMRIS correlated significantly for synovitis, edema and erosions (p<0,0001). Interoperator agreement was nearly perfect (Kendall coefficient=0,99). SAMIS and RAMRIS synovitis correlated significantly with DAS28, SDAI, CDAI, HAQ, PCR and ESR (p<0,05), whereas US scores did neither correlate with MRI nor clinical scores. The measure of "inflammation volume" estimated with the software was assumed to be a proxy of synovitis, but did not correlate with clinical, US and MRI scores. Conclusions MRI remains the gold standard for estimating disease activity in RA, since it correlates with clinical scores more than US-derived scores. Software evaluation of total contrast perfusion or "synovitis volume" is an objective measurement that might provide an independent variable, but its role has yet to be fully tested. References Anderson J, Caplan L, Yazdany J, Robbins ML, Neogi T, Michuad K, Saag KG, O'Dell JR, Kazi S. Rheumatoid arthritis disease activity measures: American College of Rheumatology recommendations for use in clinical practice. Arth Care Res 2012;64(5):640-647. Naredo E, Gamero F, Bonilla G, Uson J, Carmona L, Laffon A. Ultrasonographic assessment of inflammatory activity in rheumatoid arthritis: Comparison of extended versus reduced joint evaluation. Clin Exp Rheum 2005;23:881-4. Cyteval C, Miquel A, Hoa D, Daures JP, Mariette X, Combe B. Rheumatoid arthritis of the hand: monitoring with a Simplified MR Imaging Scoring method—preliminary assessment. Radiology 2010;256:863-9. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


ABSTRACT This paper demonstrates that a shift from a purely technical to a more socio-technical perspective has significant implications for the conceptualization, design, and implementation of smart city technologies. Such implications are discussed and illustrated through the case of an emerging urban analytics tool, the City-scale Digital Twin. Based on interdisciplinary insights and a participatory knowledge co-production and tool co-development process, including both researchers and prospective users, we conclude that in order to move beyond a mere "hype technology," City-Scale Digital Twins must reflect the specifics of the urban and socio-political context.


In this article, we present the results of a study carried out in Bogota, Colombia with 210 university students from five different universities pertaining to diverse socio-demographic groups. The objective of the study was to establish the lexical category norms. 56 lexical-semantic categories used by Battig and Montague (1969) in their classic study were employed. More than 7800 words were collected and organized by range and mode. There are no other studies on this subject for Colombian or Latin American Spanish. We hope that the results presented here will be used both in psycholinguistic and language therapy studies. The collected data were compared to one of the category norm studies made for European Spanish.


The precipitation of copper(II) hydrous oxides and basic salts from solutions that became homogeneously alkaline by forced hydrolysis of urea has been studied as a function of solution composition, ageing time and temperature. The time required for the onset of precipitation increased with the initial copper(II) concentration, [CuII]0. The precipitate was found to be amorphous copper hydroxide containing variable amounts of carbonate; at the highest [CuII]0, basic copper nitrate also precipitated. Upon further ageing of the systems, tenorite or malachite particles were formed at the expense of amorphous copper hydroxide; the nature of the final solid phase depended on [CuII]0. In the presence of added sulfate anions, brochantite particles were precipitated; in these cases precipitation took place earlier. All processes occurred at rates that were strongly dependent on temperature, although the sequence of events remained essentially the same.Thermodynamic and kinetic factors influencing the formation of all possible solid phases are discussed. It is shown that spherical monodispersed copper(II) hydrous oxide particles can be synthesized when these factors are taken into account adequately.


Despite the large lattice mismatch, SiC is often grown on top of Si substrates. An effective mechanism for accommodating this mismatch is the formation of an array of pure edge dislocations at the interface. We have performed a comparative study of possible core structures of the misfit dislocation via molecular dynamics simulations. We present and discuss the results for the energetics and the structural properties of the most stable configuration.


Catalytic incineration is one of the methods to reduce the emissions of CO and VOCs. Low operation temperature and low catalyst cost are essential parameters for catalytic incinerators. Pt/Al2O3 catalysts are frequently used today, but the cheaper metal oxide catalysts can be very competitive if comparable overall activity is obtained. This thesis concerns how it is possible to decrease the operation temperature for supported metal oxide catalysts by using different supports, active metal oxides and additives. In the thesis it is demonstrated that different copper oxide based catalysts have the best activity and durability for complete oxidation among several tested metal oxide catalysts. CuOx supported on TiO2 and Al2O3 showed increased activity with the CuOx loading up to the threshold coverage for formation of crystalline CuO particles, which is 12 micromol/m2 on TiO2 and 6 micromol/m2 on Al2O3. Up to the threshold coverage for CuO formation, well dispersed copper oxide species were formed on TiO2, and a dispersed copper aluminate surface phase was formed on Al2O3. Durability tests showed accelerated sintering of TiO2 by copper, but stabilisation was possible by modification of the TiO2 with CeOx before the deposition of CuOx. The stabilisation was obtained by formation of a Ce-O-Ti surface phase. Addition of CeOx also enhanced the activity of the copper oxide species thanks to favourable interaction between the active copper oxide species and the CeOx on the support, which could be seen as increased reducibility in TPR experiments. The increased activity and reducibility was also observed for CuOx supported on ceria modified Al2O3. In this regard it was shown that CuOx deposited on CeO2(001) surfaces was substantially more active for CO oxidation than copper oxide deposited on CeO2(111) surfaces. This can be due to an epitaxial relationship during reaction conditions, or that the CeO2(001) surface has a greater ability, compared with the CeO2(111) surface, to assist the copper oxide in changing valences and supplying oxygen to the CO. A CuOx-CeO2/Al2O3 catalyst was more active than a CuMn2O4/Al2O3 catalyst for CO oxidation, but the CuMn2O4/Al2O3 catalyst was more active for combustion of ethyl acetate and ethanol. This shows that the activity order for complete oxidation over different metal oxide catalysts depends on the combustible component. In addition, these metal oxide catalysts were found to be more active than a Pt/Al2O3 catalyst for the combustion of ethyl acetate and ethanol. However, for methanol and formaldehyde combustion the Pt/Al2O3 catalyst was the best alternative. Consequently, catalytic waste gas incineration can be more efficient by using the right type of catalyst in each application. By-products as acetaldehyde and acetic acid were observed during catalytic combustion of an ethyl acetate/ethanol mixture. However, in stationary catalytic incineration it is easy to secure complete oxidation to CO2 and H2O. (Less)


Background: The academic and psychological demands of undergraduate medical education may result in high-stress levels among students. High stress has been associated with poor academic performance, negative impact on physical and mental health. This study aims to determine the prevalence of stress among undergraduate clinical students of Bayero University Kano Medical School. Materials and Methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted among 224 clinical medical students from levels 400–600. The Cohen's Perceived stress scale (PSS-10) was used to assess the severity of among the students. The Chi-square test was used to determine associations and a significant association was considered at P < 0.05. Results: A prevalence of high stress of 59.8% was observed with a mean PSS score of 20.76 ± 5.58. The highest mean score of 22.29 ± 5.58 was observed among 400 level clinical students. There was no significant difference between both genders. A significantly higher proportion of students undergoing medicine, pathology, paediatrics and surgery postings were observed to be experiencing a higher level of perceived stress compared to those in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, (χ2 = 1617, df = 4, P < 0.05). Similarly, a higher proportion of students whose fathers are educated had a significantly higher stress compared to their counterparts from uneducated backgrounds, (χ2 = 5.54, df = 1, P < 0.05). Conclusion: Further studies to determine the causes of stress need to be carried out. This will assist the students and teachers to appropriately manage stress.


BACKGROUND
Pharmacotherapeutical guidelines, called formularies, have been developed to facilitate effective, efficient and cost-conscious prescribing. Monitoring adherence to such guidelines may be a reasonable way of assessing prescribing practices.

OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to assess how strictly the GPs participating in our department's registration network adhere to the guidelines of the regional formulary, and which indications and drugs the GPs used.

METHODS
This is a descriptive study, concerning 1000 consecutive prescriptions from each of the 17 participating GPs. The third edition of the Groningen formulary (GFIII), published in 1995, was used. If the drug prescribed was advised in the formulary, we considered it to be global adherence. If the indication was mentioned in the formulary, and the drug prescribed was advised for that indication in the formulary, it was considered to be specific adherence. Both the medications prescribed and the health problems registered by the GPs, but not mentioned in the GFIII, were analysed.

RESULTS
The 17 000 prescriptions chosen for analysis formed approximately 25% of all prescriptions written by the GPs in 1 year. The indications for only 24 prescriptions (0. 14%) were missing. Among the 17 GPs, the number of different drugs prescribed varied between 167 and 219 per 1000 prescriptions. The global adherence varied from 76 to 89% among the GPs, and the specific adherence varied from 55 to 71%. Of the 17 000 prescriptions, 11 457 (67%) concerned indications mentioned in the GFIII. Prescriptions for indications not mentioned in the GFIII contained 4353 (78.5%) drugs advised in the formulary. Of the 251 medications mentioned in the GFIII, only 15 (6%) were not prescribed.

DISCUSSION
The GPs in our study were neither representative, nor were they chosen at random. Their patient population was comparable in age, sex and insurance status. These findings are an example of what level of adherence is obtainable. The formulary covered approximately two-thirds of the indications registered by GPs, and did not contain many unnecessary medications (6%).


In June 2010, we confirmed the existence of a giant planet in the disk of the young star Beta Pictoris, located between 8 AU and 15 AU from the star. This young planet offers the rare opportunity to monitor a large fraction of the orbit using the imaging technique over a reasonably short timescale. Using the NAOS-CONICA adaptive-optics instrument (NACO) at the Very Large Telescope (VLT), we obtained repeated follow-up images of the Bpic system in the Ks and L' filters at four new epochs in 2010 and 2011. Complementing these data with previous measurements, we conduct a homogeneous analysis, which covers more than eight yrs, to accurately monitor the Bpic b position relative to the star. On the basis of the evolution of the planet's relative position with time, we derive the best-fit orbital solutions for our measurements. More reliable results are found with a Markov-chain Monte Carlo approach. The solutions favor a low-eccentricity orbit e < 0.17, with semi-major axis in the range 8--9 AU corresponding to orbital periods of 17--21 yrs. Our solutions favor a highly inclined solution with a peak around i=88.5+-1.7 deg, and a longitude of ascending node tightly constrained at Omega = -147.5+-1.5 deg. These results indicate that the orbital plane of the planet is likely to be above the midplane of the main disk, and compatible with the warp component of the disk being tilted between 3.5 deg and 4.0 deg. This suggests that the planet plays a key role in the origin of the inner warped-disk morphology of the Bpic disk. Finally, these orbital parameters are consistent with the hypothesis that the planet is responsible for the transit-like event observed in November 1981, and also linked to the cometary activity observed in the Bpic system.


Connections are usually designed as pinned or rigid although the actual behaviour is known to fall between these two extreme cases. The use of partial strength or semi-rigid connections has been encouraged by codes. Studies on the matter known as semicontinuous construction have proven that substantial savings in steel weight of the overall construction can be achieved. The objective of this paper is to develop a series of standardised partial strength connections tables of flush end-plate connections for trapezoidal web profiled steel (TWP) sections. The range of standard connections presented in tabulated form is limited to six tables comprised of different geometrical aspects of the connections. These tables could enhance the design of semi-continuous construction of multi-storey braced steel frames. The connections are presented in the form of standardised tables which include moment capacity and shear capacity after considering all possible failure modes. The moment capacity, shear capacity, geometrical aspects of the connections, the size of beams, and columns that are suitable with the connections are included in the standardised tables. A method proposed by Steel Construction Institute(SCI) which take into account the requirements in Eurocode 3 and BS 5950:2000 Part 1 were adopted to predict the moment capacity and shear capacity in developing the tables. This proposed method has been successfully applied to the establishment of standardised connections tables for hot-rolled British sections. Although the use of the proposed method is intended for hot rolled section, it is also possible to apply the same proposed method to TWP section provided that the predicted failure modes should comply with the requirements of Eurocode 3 and BS 5950:2000 Part 1 and the TWP section should at least classified as compact section. The moment capacity and shear capacity in the standard tables presented in this paper showed good agreement with the requirement of Eurocode 3 and BS 5950:2000 Part 1.


Menoreh durian is an accessions durian fruit originally from Kulonprogo district, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. In the context of proposing Menoreh durian to be a new superior variety, it is necessary to have an identity and position in the molecular genetic group. The aim of the study was to obtain the identity and position of the of Menoreh Durian in the molecular genetic classification. The wet laboratory experiment was using PCR-based RAPD method. Eleven accessions of durian were identified and characterized then grouped based on molecular analysis which were pink Menoreh and 3 Yellow Menoreh accsessions, Petruk, Sunan, Sukun, Sitokong, Montong, Kani and Aspar. The RAPD method was carried out in stages: DNA extraction, DNA quantity and quality test, amplification, electroforesis, visualization and analysis of results. The RAPD classification of 11 durian accessions , resulted in three groups; namely group I which consisted of Menoreh Kuning, Petruk, Aspar Sunan and Menoreh Jambon; Group II consisted of Montong, Sitokong, and Kani from Thailand; and group III consisted of only Sukun accession. Based on this grouping, Menoreh Kuning dan Menoreh Jambon which were separated from other groups at a genetic distance of more than 0.25 indicated that the accession of Menoreh Kuning and Menoreh Jambon only as variety.


The development of a rule base for a syntactic pattern recognition system can take many person-months to complete. The rule base design, most often done manually, is prone to error and inaccuracies, thus lowering the performance of the classifier. A methodology is proposed in this paper to automatically learn a set of rules for a syntactic classifier. A measure of similarity between feature strings based on a weighted Levenshtein distance is defined. Based on the distance measure, a hierarchical clustering algorithm groups images into subclasses. Rules are generated that represent the hierarchy. An error correcting step is applied to create the final rv.lebase. A study of the performance of a nearest neighbor classifier and an intermediate representation for a rule base hierarchy generated by our technique is given. Both classifiers were trained and tested on unconstrained handwritten digits taken from ZIP Codes on live mail. A discussion of future work and enhancements to the system are also presented.


Incorporating research into undergraduate curricula, especially at an early stage, has been linked to improved critical thinking, intellectual independence, and student retention. This results in a graduating population more ready to enter the workforce or graduate school. Similarly, mentoring has been linked to enhanced self-efficacy, persistence, and desire to pursue graduate studies. We have designed two linked courses that engage second-year undergraduate students in developing self-directed research projects, proposal writing. These courses also serve to nucleate relationships with graduate student mentors enrolled in the companion course. Early-career undergraduate students, with no previous research experience, receive formal training in the process of scientific research from a faculty process mentor while working with a graduate student content mentor to develop an independent research project and write a proposal and embed themselves in an active research group. Undergraduate students may elect to submit their proposals for funding to continue the project, either as part of the upper division research course required for graduation or independently. Graduate students enrolled in the companion course gain experience in mentoring through formal training and actively mentoring early-career undergraduates. This chapter presents both the model and early assessment of our integrated approach to engaging early career undergraduates in developing and funding independent research projects with the support of empowering mentoring relationships.


With state-of-the-art technology supported by scissors and bungy cords, Earth scientists are beginning to look at mineral surfaces and mineral-fluid interactions on an atomic scale.

The instrument that can provide such a detailed view is the scanning tunneling microscope (STM), which made a great theoretical and practical splash when it was introduced in 1981 by Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer, physicists at IBM's laboratory in Zurich. They won a Nobel Prize in Physics for their work 5 years later.


To determine whether nitric oxide (NO) generation mediates human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG)-induced prostaglandin E (PGE) secretion by oocyte-cumulus complexes (OCC), the secretion of PGE by cultured rat OCC in the presence of NO donors and NO synthase (NOS) inhibitors was characterized. NO donors (sodium nitroprusside and 3-morpholino-sydnonimine-hydrochloride) increased PGE accumulation in OCC to values similar to those obtained in the presence of hCG. The three NOS inhibitors tested (NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine and aminoguanidine) prevented the hCG-induced PGE accumulation in cultured OCC. This effect appears to be specific since D-enantiomers NG-nitro-D-arginine methyl ester and NG-monomethyl-D-arginine had no effect. The present results suggest that NO mediates the hCG-induced accumulation of PGE in rat OCC, a process which may occur in vivo in preovulatory follicles prior to ovulation.


Nonuniform filterbanks have recently been proposed for subband adaptive filters (SAFs). However, nonuniform SAFs have not yet been given a thorough performance analysis. This paper gives a comprehensive mean square error (MSE) analysis of system modeling, nonuniform (and, degeneratively, uniform) SAFs after convergence for a specified filterbank. Using the equivalent polyphase representation suggested by Ono et al., minimum MSE (MMSE) estimates for the individual subband errors are presented with respect to a given filterbank for finite length (FIR), infinite length causal (IIR), and infinite noncausal adaptive filters. Using these subband MMSE estimators, an MMSE estimator is derived for the overall fullband error. Finally, the derived MMSE estimators are verified by a numerical simulation. The intent of this paper is not to compare nonuniform and uniform SAF performance but merely to present a unified mathematical methodology to predict their MMSEs.


This paper reports the presence of new antibiotic-producing organ- isms in the relatively underinvestigated region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Using a modified agar-streak method and selective isolation media during the primary screening phase, eighty isolates showing antimicrobial activity were isolated from soil samples of various habitats in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. The use of selec- tive isolation media, with antibiotic incorporation and/or heat pretreatment, enhanced the isolation of certain rare actinomycete colonies. The number of culturable antibiotic-producing microor- ganisms constituted about 3% (on average) of the total microbial population in the different samples studied. The highest percent- age of antimicrobially active isolates came from a forest soil site whereas the lowest percentage was present in a riparian soil. One of the isolates, N8, tentatively identified as an Intrasporangium species, was isolated from barnyard soil at a poultry farm. It produced at least one broad-spectrum antibiotic active against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi and also inhibited the growth of all seven test organisms, especially Pseudo- monas fluorescens and Xanthomonas campestris pv campestris at minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 0.0625 µg/ml and 0.0025 µg/ml, respectively. To our knowledge, members of this actinomycete genus have not been associated previously with antibiotic production. These data confirm that KwaZulu-Natal soils harbour rare actinomycetes that inhibit the growth of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Xanthomonas campestris pv campestris, represen- tatives of two genera which are notoriously difficult to contain in the field. Such antibiotic producers should become more commercially important if the current trend towards the use of biocontrol agents rather than chemical treatments of plant diseases persists.


In 1960 Theodore Schultz expounded a human capital theory of economic growth that includes three elements: 1) Countries without much human capital cannot manage physical capital effectively, 2) Economic growth can only proceed if physical capital and human capital rise together, and 3) Human capital is the factor most likely to limit growth. I specify Schultz's theory mathematically and test it in periods when global financial capital was highly mobile. I find that in 1870, 1910, and 2000, the average schooling attainment of the adult population largely determined the stock of physical capital/capita and GDP/capita in 42 market economies.


We derive the free energies of both the closed heterotic, and the unoriented, open and closed, type I string ensembles, consistent with the thermal (Euclidean T-duality) transformations on the String/M Duality Web. A crucial role is played by a temperature dependent Wilson line wrapping Euclidean time, responsible for the spontaneous breaking of supersymmetry at finite temperature while eliminating thermal tachyons, and determined uniquely by thermal duality. Conversely, we can show that the absence of a Yang-Mills gauge sector precludes the possibility of an equilibrium type II canonical ensemble prior to the introduction of background Dbranes or fluxes. As a consistency check, we verify that our results for the string free energy always reproduce the T^{10} growth expected in the low energy field theory limits while displaying a dramatically slower T^2 growth at temperatures above the string scale. We present both the low and high temperature expansions for the one-loop heterotic and type I string free energies, results which follow from an explicit term-by-term evaluation of the modular integrals in the string mass level expansion.


Taraxacum officinale (L.) Weber ex F.H. Wigg, commonly known as dandelion, is a cosmopolitan and perennial weed, which has medicinal properties. In vitro propagation methods are widely used on plants that have difficulties in cultivation and, consequently, low extraction yields of active metabolites. Thus, callus culture has been considered to be useful for the accumulation of several metabolites. In this study, we aimed to establish an efficient protocol for callus induction and maintenance of T. officinale, for which explant type, carbon source, light conditions, and nine different combinations of plant growth regulators (PGRs), such as 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) (from 0.05 to 0.5 mg/L) and 6-benzylaminopurine acid (BAP) (from 0.5 to 3.0 mg/L), were evaluated. The results showed that hypocotyls and roots from sterile seedlings are the best sources for callus induction, with 100% of callogenesis at every condition tested, and more than 95% of viability and friability. Complete darkness and a medium supplemented with sucrose at 2.3% (w/v) and 0.5 mg/L of NAA and 0.5 mg/L of BAP were the best conditions for callus induction, showing callus with low organogenesis and high friability. This study provides a basis for future studies on improving large-scale callus propagation and further establishment of suspension culture systems for commercial purposes.


Summary: A retrospective follow‐up of 200 consecutive stroke patients [ischemic brain infarction (IBI) 157, intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) 20, subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) 231 who were in need of ambulatory rehabilitation was conducted for a mean period of 40 months after stroke. Epilepsy developed in 33 (17%) patients. The occurrence of epilepsy was 14% in IBI, 15% in ICH, and 35% in SAH. Significantly more patients developed epilepsy in the SAH group than in the IBI group (8 of 23 vs. 22 of 157, p < 0.05). Of the 33 patients, 15% had their first seizures within the first 2 weeks after stroke, and 55% developed epilepsy in 6 months. Forty‐eight percent of the patients had generalized seizures. Antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment was started in 28 of 33 patients, of whom 17 still had seizures during follow‐up. Epilepsy was an important consequence of stroke among patients who needed rehabilitation, especially in SAH patients. In most, this was due to arterial spasm leading to IBI.


Abstract According to the Swedish science fiction TV series Äkta människor (Real Humans, SVT and Matador film 2012-2014), humanoid robots called "hubots" are replacing the human workforce in care work and assembly line industries. Against the backdrop of current debates about immigration and citizenship in the Nordic countries, this article does a close, contextual reading of the series, exploring how the hubots influence work and family life. We are particularly interested in how hubots tie in with the cultural circulation of affect in relation to Otherness and how responses towards the "not-quite" human or dehumanized Other are negotiated in present-day Nordic cultural imaginaries. What kinds of affects are at stake in how Äkta människor takes up and interacts with debates about immigrant workers and the "not-quite" human? To answer these questions, the article develops the notion of "affective imaginaries" as an analytical tool for understanding the exchange between popular culture and political debate.


In a wireless sensor network, a majority of packet transmissions are delivered in the direction of a sink from scattered sensors. Thus, each sensor node can be implicitly provided with the direction in which to forward sensing data towards the sink. Most existing gradient approaches are based on this observation. However, these approaches do not consider the mobility problem. We propose a new gradient flooding protocol in which only hop count information is utilized as a cost metric for gradient forwarding and each sensor is able to self-adjust this metric with the minimum overhead whenever its movement occurs.


In the present study, we investigated the effect of 70% EtOH extract from Hippophae Rhamnoides L. leaves (HRL) on the anti-obesity effect in 3T3-L1 cells. The effects of HRL on lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells were examined using Oil Red O staining. In addition, we examined the gene expression levels by using RT-PCR and western blot. The results of this analysis showed that 100 ㎍/㎖ HRL significantly increased the inhibition of lipid accumulation by 82.25%; significantly decreased the mRNA expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), CCAAT/enhancer binding proteins α (C/EBPα), and fatty acid synthase (FAS) in 3T3-L1 cells as well as the stimulated protein expression of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK); and suppressed the expression level of PPARγ. These results suggest that HRL can prevent adipogenesis through activation of AMPKα and inhibition of adipogenesis transcription factors.


Correspondence to: Professor C Kennard, Academic Unit of Neuroscience, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF, UK. The clinical diagnosis of eye movement disorders requires the use of a range of investigations of varying degrees of complexity, from the simple cover-uncover test used at the bedside in the evaluation of diplopia to the magnetic field scleral search coil oculographic technique required to measure accurately abnormalities of torsional eye movements.' Before we consider the full range of investigations from the bedside to the laboratory, however, it is essential to understand the use to which the results of these investigations are put; these include clinical diagnosis, the study of pathophysiological mechanisms, or determination of therapeutic response. In the case of diplopia (an awareness of seeing the same object in two different locations in visual space), for example, a systematic approach is required to determine which extraocular muscles are affected, the aetiology, and the appropriate management. At each stage it is essential to have a clear understanding of the anatomy and actions of the extraocular muscles so that appropriate investigations can be undertaken and the results correctly interpreted. Although disturbances of eye position giving rise to diplopia are probably the most common eye movement disorder encountered by clinical neurologists, evaluation of reflexive and voluntary eye movements and identification of nystagmus or some other spontaneous, involuntary, eye movement can provide important clues to the topographical diagnosis. This is possible because the neural pathways controlling the different types of reflex and voluntary eye movements are fairly well segregated in the neuraxis, at least until they feed into the final common "lower" motor neurons in the brainstem, which are responsible for activation of the extraocular muscles. In humans the various types of eye movement all subserve the same goal; the projection of the image of the object of interest on to the most sensitive part of the retina, the fovea. Rapid conjugate eye movements, saccades, enable changes in the line of sight to bring the image of a new object of interest on to the fovea, and the dysjunctive or vergence eye movements ensure that these images are simultaneously placed on both foveae. There is also a need to stabilise the image of the object of interest on the fovea when the object itself moves, achieved by the smooth pursuit system, or when the subject's head or body moves as occurs during locomotion when the vestibular and optokinetic ocular motor reflexes are activated. It is, therefore, necessary to observe each of these different types of eye movement in any assessment. We will only briefly mention the vestibular and optokinetic reflexes, as they are fully discussed in the review on balance in this series.