Abstract This study aimed at analyzing, by means of a qua-litative approach, the implications of acquired deafness in adults with regard to family life, social life and work. Twenty-seven individuals residing in the city of Bauru, State of Sao Paulo, were selec-ted. All of them had been diagnosed with hearing impairment of sudden onset at the age range of 18 to 60 years and were registered at the Hospital for Craniofacial Anomaly Rehabilitation (HRAC/USP) between January 2000 and February 2005. Sixteen of such individuals were interviewed, and content analysis was used. It was found that, for 37.5% of the subjects, hearing impairment occurred between the ages of 40 and 44 years; 62.5% were males; 62.5% had not completed elementary education; 62,5% belonged to the lower middle class; 75% presented bilateral hearing impairment, 18.75% presented moderate/profundo impairment. Of the 13 indivi-duals who were employed when hearing impairment manifested itself, 30.77% quit their jobs, and 15.38% changed their occupations. The following situations were reported: being on a sick leave from work, resignation from one's job, dismissal by employer, difficulty of acceptance, demands from others, and lack of clarification and knowledge on the part of health care professionals. The results suggest the need for rehabilitation resources, therapeutic sup-port, respect and knowledge alternatives.Keywords: Hearing Impairment; Exclusion; Family Relations.


Objective: The aim of this
study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics, maternal and fetal outcomes
of trauma in pregnants. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of all
traumatised pregnants who admitted to Yuzuncu Yil University teritary referral
hospital from June 2010 and December 2012. One hundred seventy-nine pregnants
in whom referred for trauma analysed for the data about mechanism of trauma,
demographic and obstetric parameters on admission, diagnostic and surgical
procedures performed, maternal and fetal outcomes. The SAS statistical package
version 9.2 was used in data analysis. Results: Overall, the medical records of
179 patients were reached and included in the study. The mean age was 27.5 ±
5.8. Gestational age ranged from 6 to 39 weeks (mean, 26.2 weeks), with most
trauma (49.1%) being in the third trimester. Road trrafic accident (RTA) was
the main mechanism of trauma (41.5%) followed by falls (26.4%). Trauma due to
animal recoil was seen in three patients. The most injured body area was
extremity (34.2%). Traumatised pregnants resulted in metarnal (4 cases) and
fetal (16 cases) loss. Most of the fetal loss (49.1%) was seen third trimester,
with the main cause detected as placental abruption (8 cases). When compared
the complicated pregnancy according to trauma site, abdominal trauma (33.3%)
was significantly related to complication in pregnancy than non-abdominal trauma
(21.9%) (p = 0.014). Conclusions: Trauma in pregnancy carries risks for both
mother and baby. Trauma to abdominal region and trauma in second or third
trimester pregnancy is associated with significantly higher maternal and fetal
complications.


. In this article we consider a mathematical model of an initial stage of closure electrical contact that involves a metallic vaporization after instantaneous exploding of contact due to arc ignition with power P 0 on fixed face z = 0 and heat transfer in material with a variable cross section, when the radial component of the temperature gradient can be neglected in comparison with the axial component with heat flux and convective boundary conditions prescribed at the known free boundary z = α ( t ) . The temperature field in the liquid region of such kind of material can be modelled by Stefan problem for the generalized heat equation. The method of solution is based on similarity variable, which enables us to reduce generalized heat equation to nonlinear ordinary differential equation. Moreover, we have to determine temperature solution for the liquid phase and location of melting interface. Existence and uniqueness of the solution is proved by using the fixed point Banach theorem. The solution for two cases of thermal coefficients, in particular, constant and linear thermal conductivity are represented, existence and uniqueness for each type of solution is proved.


The need for Explainable AI is increasing with the development of deep learning. The saliency maps derived from convolutional neural networks generally fail in localizing with accuracy the image features justifying the network prediction. This is because those maps are either low-resolution as for CAM [Zhou et al., 2016], or smooth as for perturbation-based methods [Zeiler and Fergus, 2014], or do correspond to a large number of widespread peaky spots as for gradient-based approaches [Sundararajan et al., 2017, Smilkov et al., 2017]. In contrast, our work proposes to combine the information from earlier network layers with the one from later layers to produce a high resolution Class Activation Map that is competitive with the previous art in term of insertion-deletion faithfulness metrics, while outperforming it in term of precision of class-specific features localization.


A numerical model resulting in the current-voltage characteristics of standard and heteroepitaxial Schottky-barrier diodes is presented. Simulations of GaAs diodes, as well as InGaAs diodes grown on GaAs and InP substrates, are presented. The model considers quantum-mechanical tunneling, and is therefore applicable to highly doped devices. A self-consistent drifted-Maxwellian distribution is used to model the electron energy distribution at high current densities. The assumption of a drifted-Maxwellian distribution is shown to lead to higher current at high bias than predicted with the assumption of a Maxwell-Boltzmann or Fermi-Dirac distribution. The presence of a heterojunction at the InGaAs-substrate interface is predicted to lead to an additional series resistance component. >


The present article presents the main guidelines of the theorical and methodological strategy used in the underway investigation about horticultural social structure's transformations in La Plata's city in the last 20 years. This approach tries to overcome the dualism action-structure and individual-society, thinking them as being complementary aspects in the analysis of social reality. The contributions and limitations of two paradigms which are pronounced as antagonistic in explaining social behavior and the theories seeking to reconcile both approachs are analized. The trajectory concept is proposed as mediating concept used to bring together the historical process, the structural constrictions and the human agency. Linked to the teorical approach a qualitative metodological strategy was implemented based on semi-structured interviews and participant observation. Finally, this article argues that the major transformations that took place during the '90s in the social space investigated , affected the social status of horticultural producer.


The electronic and magnetic properties of ${\mathrm{Ba}}_{5}{\mathrm{AlIr}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{11}$ containing Ir-Ir dimers are investigated using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and GGA + spin-orbit coupling (SOC) calculations. We found that the strong suppression of the magnetic moment in this compound recently found by Terzic et al. [Phys. Rev. B 91, 235147 (2015)] is not due to charge ordering but is related to the joint effect of the spin-orbit interaction and strong covalency, resulting in the formation of metal-metal bonds. They conspire and act against the intraatomic Hund's rule exchange interaction to reduce total magnetic moment of the dimer. We argue that the same mechanism could be relevant for other $4d$ and $5d$ dimerized transition metal compounds.


This paper addresses the problem of cooperative manipulation of a single object by N robotic agents under local goal specifications given as Metric Interval Temporal Logic (MITL) formulas. In particular, we propose a distributed model-free control protocol for the trajectory tracking of the cooperatively manipulated object without necessitating feedback of the contact forces/torques or inter-agent communication. This allows us to abstract the motion of the coupled object-agents system as a finite transition system and, by employing standard automata-based methodologies, we derive a hybrid control algorithm for the satisfaction of a given MITL formula. In addition, we use load sharing coefficients to represent potential differences in power capabilities among the agents. Finally, simulation studies verify the validity of the proposed scheme.


The general problem of object tracking can be modeled as a Markov process and solved by computing probability distributions of the possible object states, followed by MAP estimation. This paper presents a new framework for the efficient estimation of the probability distribution of the states. In contrast to particle filters, where the possible states are numerous and random, we limit the possible states to a finite candidate set which is guaranteed with high probability to contain the true state of the object. After the problem is reduced to a finite-state Markov process (FSM), forward filtering is used to estimate the distribution of the object state. Moreover, the Viterbi algorithm can also be used to estimate the most likely state sequence. We test the new framework by both these methods and compare the tracking results. Experimental results show the effectiveness and efficacy of the proposed algorithm.


A prominent costume designer, Andrea Galer has contributed to several Bronte adaptations and Bronte-inspired works, most notably Jane Eyre (BBC, 2006). In this interview, she discusses the adaptation and her other work, relating her screen projects to her activism supporting contemporary craft and ethically traded fashion. She recounts her research and design process, offering insights that shed light on costume drama more generally. Her perspective elucidates the theoretical debates surrounding the genre's authenticity and its representation of the past.


1Department of Gastroenterology and Oncology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan; 2Department of Internal Medicine, Shikoku Central Hospital of the Mutual Aid Association of Public School Teachers, Shikokuchuo, Japan; 3Department of Internal Medicine, Tsurugi Municipal Handa Hospital, Tsurugi, Japan Background: Erosive esophagitis (EE) is strongly associated with metabolic syndrome (MS), but is not always recognized in individuals with MS and the prevalence of EE in individuals with non-MS is not low. Aim: To examine the differences in clinical factors associated with EE at various stages of MS, as well as the differences in metabolites between subjects with MS, with and without EE. Methods: A total of 7,097 persons who underwent health checkups including esophagogastroduodenoscopy were analyzed. We examined the differences in clinical factors for EE among subjects with non-MS, pre-MS, and MS and compared metabolites between 34 subjects with MS, with and without EE. Results: EE prevalence was significantly higher in the MS and pre-MS groups than in the non-MS group (p < 0.001). EE severity was higher in the MS group than in the pre-MS and non-MS groups (p < 0.001). In the non-MS group, there were significant differences between subjects with and without EE with respect to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and smoking. In the pre-MS and MS groups, there were significant differences in H. pylori, hiatal hernia, and drinking in those with and without EE. The levels of glutamine, hypoxanthine, and lactic acid metabolites were significantly different between subjects with MS, with and without EE (all p < 0.05). Conclusion: Although H. pylori and lifestyle factors such as smoking and drinking are important for EE, differences in these factors should be considered at various stages of MS. Additionally, several metabolites may be involved in the development of EE in MS.


In 2003, The Centre for Preservation of Cultural Heritage in Vejle, Denmark opened and a new shared, storage building was taken into use. The owners of the shared storage are a group of 16 museums and archives. The climate is controlled by use of the concept of passive climatization. The building was made of modern building materials designed to yield a buffering effect against the fluctuations of humidity in the rooms. The humidity inside the storage rooms was expected to range from 45-60 % RH after a 3 year stabilisation period. Wireless radio data loggers were installed to monitor the climate.


At physiological concentrations, alanine transport in hepatocytes from starved rats is faster than in hepatocytes from fed rats. The degree of increase is much less than previously reported for 2-aminoisobutyrate in the same concentration range. Glutamine transport is not stimulated on starvation. This provides evidence that the transport systems for alanine and glutamine in isolated hepatocytes are controlled separately.


The effects of subcutaneous doses of morphine and verapamil on respiratory and cardiovascular parameters have been assessed in conscious rats. Verapamil (10 mg kg−1) was injected simultaneously with morphine (16 mg kg−1) or at 10, 30, or 60 min before morphine administration. Morphine induced respiratory depression, as indicated by marked hypercapnia, hypoxia and acidosis, and caused marked tachycardia. Although morphine produced only a minor and inconsistent (but statistically significant, P<0·01) reduction of mean arterial blood pressure, morphine potentiated verapamil‐induced hypotension. Verapamil suppressed morphine‐induced hypercapnia only when injected simultaneously with morphine. Verapamil alone did not affect arterial blood gases or pH, but decreased heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure. Verapamil attenuated and delayed the maximum positive chronotropic effects of morphine at all times tested. Antagonism by verapamil of respiratory depression and tachycardia produced by morphine was unrelated to morphine levels in plasma. Thus, the explanation of verapamil‐morphine interactions on respiration and cardiovascular function is not pharmacokinetic.


During the lifespan of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system, some heterogeneities between the cells constituting the stack can appear. The voltage of one particular cell in a stack may decrease because of specific aging or local malfunctioning such as drying. As a result, more heat is generated in this cell leading to an increase in its temperature and, thus, an additional voltage loss. This snowball effect can result in the failure of the cell. Therefore, the lifetime of a PEMFC stack can be increased by applying energy management to its cells. Note that the output voltage of a cell is lower than a stack. Hence, a high conversion ratio converter is necessary to implement such energy management. An efficient way to increase the output voltage is to connect the output capacitors of the converters such as the boosts in series. Ensuring the converters' controllability is a key point to implement energy management. In this paper, an equalizer system is proposed to ensure the controllability of the boost converters. The balancing speed and the low number of switches are the main advantages of this system. The validity of the proposed system is verified through simulation and experiments.


The quick growth in network multimedia equipments have allow additional real-time digital services such as video-conferencing, online games and distance education to grow to be the conventional internet tasks. WSNs have become major area of research in computational theory due to its wide range of applications. But due to limited battery power the energy consumption has become major limitations of WSNs protocols. Though many protocols has been proposed so far to improve the energy efficiency further but still much enhancement can be done. In this paper, a survey on various tree based routing protocols has been discussed. From the survey, it has been concluded that none of the protocol performs effectively in all fields. Therefore the paper ends with the future scope to overcome these issues.


Background. Population aged 60 years old and above are growing in number; a fact that will have an impact on general and oral health in the future. Oral health is often overlooked in the management of geriatric patients but it is vital to have a knowledged-based practice in order to increase the quality of life of elderly patients.
Objective. The purpose of this study is to determine the number and types of oral mucosal lesions in geriatric patients who come to the Universitas Airlangga Dental Hospital.
Methods. This is an observational descriptive study with cross-sectional design. Intraoral soft tissue examination was performed on geriatric patients coming to the hospital between March and December 2018.
Results. One hundred twenty-four (124) new geriatric patients came to the hospital. A total of 152 oral lesions from 63 geriatric patients (50.81%) were identified. Overall, coated tongue (55.56%) was the most frequently detected lesion, followed by linea alba buccalis (31.74%) and lingual varicosities (26.98%).
Conclusion. Coated tongue or white tongue is the most frequently detected oral mucosal lesion, often caused by poor oral hygiene. The dentist should be able to recognize and differentiate them from the worrisome lesions and decide on the appropriate treatment in geriatric patients.


Caught in the web of some kind of psychological trauma, emotional dislocation, social fracture and cultural disfigurement resulting from the health mutilation of the scourge of HIV/AIDS, science is receiving the greatest challenge in history in its attempts to provide a cure for this deadly disease. Governments in their tiers and Non-Governmental Organizations and the media as well as religious institutions are doing their best to enlighten men on the deplorable state of man's vulnerability to the trap of this disease. Anti-retroviral drugs which have been discovered to this effect are not a complete cure. Besides, they are expensive and scarce. The best preventive measure of HIV/AIDS with regard to sex as a means of contracting the disease is abstinence for the unmarried and faithfulness for the married. However, the high level of sexual liberty (be it homosexual or heterosexual), has degenerated into promiscuity and abuse, a deplorably embarrassing situation. The recourse is the use of condom to check the disease at sex liberty for both the married and (even) the unmarried. Thus, morality is being mortalized and immorality immortalized. How then does the Christian reconcile his or her faith with the use of condom as a preventive measure of HIV/AIDS? This paper seeks to answer this question, among others. SOPHIA: An African Journal of Philosophy Vol. 9 (1) 2006: pp. 77-84


National studies have shown that both gross and net effects of the expansion of energy from renewable sources on employment are positive for Germany. These modeling approaches also revealed that this holds true for both present and future perspectives under certain assumptions on the development of exports, fossil fuel prices and national politics. Yet how are employment effects distributed within Germany? What components contribute to growth impacts on a regional level? To answer these questions (new) methods of regionalization were explored and developed for the example "wind energy onshore" for Germany's federal states. The main goal was to develop a methodology which is applicable to all renewable energy technologies in future research. For the quantification and projection, it was necessary to distinguish between jobs generated by domestic investments and exports on the one hand, and jobs for operation and maintenance of existing plants on the other hand. Further, direct and indirect employment is analyzed. The results show, that gross employment is particularly high in the northwestern regions of Germany. However, especially the indirect effects are spread out over the whole country. Regions in the south not only profit from the delivery of specific components, but also from other industry and service inputs.


Enterprises increasingly jointly participate in service value webs. They do so because enterprises can then offer services they could not offer on their own. In earlier work, we have developed the e3value methodology to conceptually model such networks, as a design task. This paper proposes an approach to semi-automatically generate such service value networks based on service profiles and a stated consumer need. To this end, we apply skeleton design and hierarchical configuration techniques. The configuration process is illustrated by a case study in the field of intellectual property right clearing.


Cutaneous granulomas due to the mold fungus Ulocladium chartarum (Preuss) are described in a 58 year old woman. This fungus is usually harmless for mammalian. It is thought that a consisting immunosuppression (Brill-Symmer's disease, therapy with corticosteroids) was a priming condition for the infection. The route of infection in this patient described is unknown.


Abstract Panspermia ('seeds everywhere') postulates that life naturally migrates through space. Laboratory studies of Panspermia often examine the survival of Earth's species under the conditions thought to occur during transfer through space. Much of this research has centred on bacteria, but here we consider seeds themselves. We simulated the extreme accelerations necessary for their hypothetical ejection from a planetary surface and the impacts associated with their arrival on another planet. Seeds of tobacco, alfalfa and cress were fired into water at speeds in the range 1–3 km s−1, corresponding to impact shock pressures of circa 0.24–2.4 GPa. No seeds remained intact and able to germinate, even at the lowest speeds. Although fragmentation occurred, even at 3 km s−1 the size of some of the fragments was about 25% that of the seeds. Thus, whilst the seeds themselves did not survive extreme shocks, a substantial fraction of their mass did and might successfully deliver complex organic materials after impact. These results are discussed with respect to ancient Panspermia and the potential of contemporary impacts to eject living organisms into space.


At ambient temperatures 20 degrees, 28 degrees and 40 degrees C the exponent of the power function of warmth perception was 1.40, 1.08 and 0.84 in winter and 1.66, 1.32 and 1.50 in summer, resp. Seasonal heat adaptation seems to lead to an increase of the warmth perception due to functional modification of temperature analyser activity.


The article analyzes the handwritten anthology of resolutions of church congresses (sobory), polemical letters, and other essays of the Filippovtsy, donated to the Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences (WLLAS, F19-331) in the autumn of 2018. The book contains 188 sheets; it is a manuscript convolute composed of several scattered "brochures," written on different paper with different handwritings — the poluustav (semi-uncial) and the civil cursive of the 19th century. The study showed that the manuscript was created (more precisely, merged in one book (bound) from separate and multi-temporal documents) in the mid-1880s, most likely in Moscow, in the Filippovtsy concord center at Bratsky Dvor. The collection includes 34 texts (resolutions of 14 Filippovtsy church congresses as well as the most important polemical and dogmatic essays and letters of authoritative mentors and other figures of this Old Believer community). The earliest texts are dated to the 1810s, the most recent ones are from the mid-1880s, but not earlier than 1883.


The satellite datasets, namely, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) MultiSatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) product, 3B42 version 6 and Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) one‐degree‐daily (1DD) from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, have been validated against the 'ground truth' rain‐gauge data from the India Meteorological Department for all‐India during the period 1998–2007. The comparisons reveal that both the satellite datasets are good enough in representing the spatial rainfall distribution over India. The categorical statistics provides an insight in evaluating the satellite's ability and its accuracy in estimating the precipitation. The average bias along the heavy‐rainfall regions (e.g. Western coast, Arunachal Pradesh, Sub‐Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, and east Uttaranchal) for the TMPA (GPCP 1DD) is −8.03 (−8.29) mm d−1, whereas the mean is 7.47 (6.97) mm d−1, which signifies that the satellite datasets underestimate the Indian summer monsoon rainfall in sharp rainfall regions. Albeit, the TMPA excels over GPCP 1DD where the rainfall is mainly attributed to orography, yet both fail in capturing the extreme rainfall year, 2005. The satellite datasets do capture the intraseasonal oscillations as is evident from spectral analysis, whereas the empirical orthogonal function analysis of standardized daily and seasonal anomalies exemplifies that the satellite datasets also capture the dominant modes. Additionally, the active and the break spells calculated for the months of July and August for the satellite datasets are in agreement with the ones obtained for the rain‐gauge.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the prognosis of stage pT3bM0 invasive urothelial bladder tumours treated by cystectomy alone or combined with adjuvant chemotherapy according to the MVAC protocol (methotrexate, vinblastine, adriamycin and cisplatin).

MATERIAL AND METHODS
From 1987 to 1996, 90 patients with stage pT3M0 urothelial bladder tumours were treated with isolated cystectomy (n = 69) or followed by MVAC chemotherapy (n = 21). Lymph node stage was N0 (n = 55), N+ (n = 29) or Nx (n = 6). Essentially selected because of their good general status, patients treated with chemotherapy had a lymph node stage N0 (n = 7) or N+ (n = 14). Chemotherapy had to be suspended in 2 cases and with a fatal outcome during treatment in 4 cases, due to tumour progression, surgical complication or bone marrow aplasia.

RESULTS
65 deaths have occurred with a follow-up of 2 to 120 months (m = 15), including 2 postoperative deaths, 39 cancer deaths and 14 intercurrent deaths. The 1-year, 2-year and 5-year actuarial survival rates were 70%, 48% and 19% for stage N0 and 54%, 25% and 3% for stage N+, respectively, with corresponding median survivals of 20 and 12 months (p < 0.005). The recurrence rate increased from 40% at stage N0 to 62% at stage N+ (p = 0.05), and the corresponding recurrence-free survivals were 16 months and 7 months (p < 0.02). The median survival without chemotherapy ranged from 11 months at stage N+ to 20 months at stage N0 and, with chemotherapy, from 19 months at stage N+ to 67 months at stage N0. The median recurrence-free survival with and without chemotherapy, was 43 months and 17 months at stage N0 and 12 months and 7 months at stage N+.

CONCLUSION
The prognosis after cystectomy for stage pT3b bladder cancer is severe, especially in the presence of lymph node involvement. Adjuvant chemotherapy according to the MVAC protocol tends to improve survival, especially recurrence-free survival, and appears beneficial at stage N0. However, the value of this adjuvant treatment, which is associated with a high specific morbidity appears to be more relative at stage N+.


We are presenting a new highly multilingual document-aligned parallel corpus called DCEP - Digital Corpus of the European Parliament. It consists of various document types covering a wide range of subject domains. With a total of 1.37 billion words in 23 languages (253 language pairs), gathered in the course of ten years, this is the largest single release of documents by a European Union institution. DCEP contains most of the content of the European Parliament's official Website. It includes different document types produced between 2001 and 2012, excluding only the documents already exist in the Europarl corpus to avoid overlapping. We are presenting the typical acquisition steps of the DCEP corpus: data access, document alignment, sentence splitting, normalisation and tokenisation, and sentence alignment efforts. The sentence-level alignment is still in progress but based on some first experiments; we showed that DCEP is very useful for NLP applications, in particular for Statistical Machine Translation.


A continuous zoom lens arrangement can image MWIR and LWIR spectral bands to a common image plane. Such an exemplary optical system comprises eight infrared imaging lenses that all transmit over the wavelengths 3.5-11.0 microns and form a collocated image plane for the MWIR and LWIR spectral bands. The lens has six stationary lenses, and two lenses that move in an axial fashion. A cold stop inside the dewar can act as the aperture stop of the system and control the stray light from reaching the FPA. The pupil is reimaged from the cold stop to near the first lens of the system to minimize the size of the lens.


In the paper we present an implementation of resonance coupling between a unidirectional air waveguide and two cavities with one-way rotating state in a two-dimensional dielectric photonic crystal and a magneto-optical photonic crystal. We theoretically calculate the dispersion curves of the line defect waveguide and the dispersion curves of waveguide-cavity interaction, respectively. Numerical simulations show that, via waveguide-cavity coupling, a series of interesting resonance phenomena can be generated in the system. By modifying direction of the applied external magnetic field, storing and discharging of photonic energy can be realized. Our work may provide a practical and useful guidance for optical communications.


evost. It isperhaps opportune to wonder why Malraux's novel about Spain is called 'Days of Hope'. 1 The novel, we may recall, ends with the victorious battle of Guadalajara. Manifestly however, hope here is not for the victory, sooner or later, of the revolutionary forces over Franco. If it is not unconcerned by that victory, if it calls for it even, and not as an impossible and profligate dream but as an event already assured by history, the book is in no way restricted to the outcome it foresees. The Republicans' failure did not make the title of Malraux's novel seem ridiculous. Man's Estate, 2 which is in many ways a gloomier book and which concludes with the tragic collapse of the Chinese revolution, is also a book on which hope has left its mark. It is through disaster and the terrible closing scenes of torture and death, and against a devastating background of desolation and misery, that hope is born. And though this hope bears the mark of the fate which crushes it, it is reborn and rises above it, and in the end it follows its own course, it is unchangeable, always threatened and always triumphant. We may assume that, in Malraux's work, the theme of hope—like the other themes no doubt—almost always has a double meaning, one of which is political. There is no way in which revolution can be defeated. It suffers serious setbacks, and the mistakes of its leaders sometimes lead to catastrophes made all the harsher in that those who pay the price of them are the masses whom revolution is meant to


We have initiated a spectral line survey, at a wavelength of 3 millimeters, toward the hot molecular core Sagittarius B2(N-LMH). This is the first spectral line survey of the Sgr B2(N) region utilizing data from both an interferometer (BIMA Array) and a single-element radio telescope (NRAO 12 meter). In this survey, covering 3.6 GHz in bandwidth, we detected 218 lines (97 identified molecular transitions, 1 recombination line, and 120 unidentified transitions). This yields a spectral line density (lines per 100 MHz) of 6.06, which is much larger than any previous 3 mm line survey. We also present maps from the BIMA Array that indicate that most highly saturated species (3 or more H atoms) are products of grain chemistry or warm gas phase chemistry. Due to the nature of this survey we are able to probe each spectral line on multiple spatial scales, yielding information that could not be obtained by either instrument alone.


Revitalizing the Jamaican Economy: Policies for Sustained Growth aims to improve our understanding of the constraints to social and economic development in Jamaica. It also proposes practical solutions to overcome some of those problems. This book is a collection of studies commissioned by the IDB to inform the dialogue and development strategy in Jamaica.


Objectives Our study will investigate the effect of ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block (UG-TPVB) on postoperative pain, quality of life, and enhanced recovery in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing lobectomy surgery. Methods Our study included 100 patients aged 52 to 75 years who underwent lobectomy surgery with pathological diagnosis of NSCLC. Patients received ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block or general anesthesia with tracheal intubation. Patients' pain score was recorded on a numeric rating scale (NRS) 24 hours post operation. The total postoperative dosage of tramadol hydrochloride, length of hospitalization, quality of life (QoL), and inflammation levels were recorded. Results Compared with patients who received general anesthesia with tracheal intubation, patients in the UG-TPVB group had lower postoperative NRS scores at 24 h (1.8 vs. 3.5, P = 0.035); the average 24 h postoperative NRS score of the UG-TPVB group is lower than that of the general anesthesia with tracheal intubation (4.6 vs. 5.3, P = 0.012), thus receiving less dosage of tramadol hydrochloride (221 ± 45 vs. 250 ± 38 mg, P < 0.01). Patients in the UG-TPVB group had better EORTC QLQ-C30 scores compared with patients in the general anesthesia with tracheal intubation group. The difference of length of hospitalization, hs-CRP, and IL-6 between two groups did not reach statistical difference (length of hospitalization 6.2 vs. 6.9 days, P = 0.055; hs-CRP: 7.1 ± 1.9 vs. 10.4 ± 6.6, P = 0.095; and IL-6: 71.3 ± 7.2 vs. 68.9 ± 8.7, P = 0.529). Discussion. NSCLC patients undergoing lobectomy surgery who received UG-TPVB had less postoperative pain, used less dosage of tramadol hydrochloride, and had better QoL.


ABSTRACT The tourism industry in Iran has grown rapidly following the relaxation of sanctions in the wake of the recent landmark nuclear agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). However, despite the significance of tourism in the country, no study has previously provided an examination of research trends of tourism and hospitality studies on Iran. This review provides an overview of 180 papers identified in academic and bibliometric databases between 2000 and 2016. Through content analysis, the empirical findings indicate that the number of publications is continuously increasing since the nuclear accord, and the dominant research themes/foci identified among the Iranian tourism research community are tourism development followed by tourism marketing and ecotourism. The majority of the articles used empirical techniques and there is a tendency toward multiple-authorship. The history and scope of sanctions on Iran since the establishment of the theocratic Islamic Republic of 1979 and its consequences on the scientific research are also explained. Implications for the further development of tourism and hospitality research in Iran particularly in the light of softening of sanctions are also discussed.


Summary form only given, as follows. We have recently developed a novel theory of multipactor discharge on a dielectric. The main results include the susceptibility diagram and the prediction that about one percent of the RF power is deposited to the dielectric surface over a wide range of conditions. In this paper, we extend the analysis to include the effects of outgassing and the subsequent ionization by the multipactoring electrons. This is an attempt to understand the final stage of dielectric failure that is initiated by multipactor. Similarities and differences in such failures, under RF and DC conditions, are explored. Analytic theory and simulation results will be presented and compared with experiments.


BACKGROUND
It is still controversial which left ventricular aneurysm repair technique is optimal in terms of early and late results. This study aimed to compare early postoperative outcomes for 2 surgical treatments of postinfarction left ventricular aneurysm: linear repair technique on arrested heart versus endoaneurysmorrhaphy repair with patch plasty on beating heart.

METHODS
Prospectively collected data from 16 consecutive patients who underwent endoaneurysmorrhaphy repair with patch plasty on beating heart (the technique we have preferred since 2008) were compared with data from a retrospective series of 10 patients who underwent linear repair on arrested heart (the technique we preferred until 2008). All operations were performed under elective conditions.

RESULTS
Baseline characteristics of the 2 groups were similar. Complete revascularization for all diseased vessels was achieved in all patients. Durations of cross clamping, cardiopulmonary bypass, intensive care stay, and hospital stay were longer, and postoperative ejection fraction was lower, in the linear repair group compared with the endoaneurysmorrhaphy group (P < .05 for all). Early mortality occurred in 1 patient (3.8%) in the linear repair group.

CONCLUSION
Endoaneurysmorrhaphy repair with patch plasty on beating heart seems to offer advantages over the linear repair technique on arrested heart in the treatment of left ventricular aneurysms. Future large-scale prospective studies with longer follow-up are warranted to draw firm conclusions.


Industrial production of various forms of carbon, including graphene, nanotubes, and fullerenes, expanded the range of composite materials for which they constitute the reinforcing phase of metallic matrices. It was expected that the graphene form (GF) reinforcing phase would improve the electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of such composites. Composites with Cu and Ag matrices, having a wide range of applications in microand optoelectronics, aerospace and automotive industries, proved to be particularly promising. A specific group of these composites is used in a variety of electrical circuits for electrical switches, contactors, circuit breakers, voltage regulators, and arcing tips. Among others, this group includes composites such as Ag-W, Ag-WC, Ag-WC-C, or Cu-W. The presented results of electrical tests performed for the Cu (Ag) /GF composites extend the number of properties of materials used in air and vacuum electrical contacts.


The hyperfiltration hypothesis postulates that kidneys with reduced renal mass will progress toward failure due to hypertrophy of the remaining nephron to meet the excess load, eventually leading to nephron exhaustion. Five conditions in which hyperfiltration might be suspected were studied in human kidney transplantation: (1) small kidneys from donors aged 4 to 6; (2) transplants into large recipients (over 100 kg); (3) grafts from females to males compared with males to females; (4) kidneys that experience rejection episodes; and (5) cadaveric grafts compared with living-unrelated donor grafts. In all 5 instances, the requirement for dialysis and discharge serum creatinine level were both high--and, correspondingly, the 1- and 3-year graft survival rates were lower than the controls. The discharge SCr was the best indicator of 1-3-year graft survival and may serve to measure the "fit" of the kidney to the recipient--for even in patients requiring no dialysis graft survival was related to the discharge SCr levels. One consequence of this hypothesis is that many late graft losses currently attributed to rejections may, in fact, be hyperfiltration failures. As evidence, a progressively higher incidence of reported late rejections was noted even in patients who had been rejection-free at the time of discharge if they had higher discharge SCr values. We conclude that the 5 conditions under which hyperfiltration damage might be suspected had increased failure rates. Such failures are almost never reported as "due to hyperfiltration" and are probably recorded as rejections.


Smart mobile devices (smartphones) represent an important factor in access to information and communications networks. The wide population of users with different demands is using smart mobile devices in many contexts. The context of use of smart mobile devices represents a joint impact of smart mobile devices and mobile applications, used information and communications services and the user's environment. The integration of smart mobile devices into user's everyday life is the background for the development of the conceptual model that will make conclusions about their habits and patterns of their behavior based on the collected data. The data analysis can determine user's affiliation to a particular segment of users. This paper will analyze new system for measurement, data analysis and reporting of the use of smart mobile devices and related information and communication services, depending on the context of use.


This guide is a collection of links to commonly-used data resources favored by Economists. Guides and introductions to using various programs for statistical analysis. No statistical program will provide you with an emotionally-rewarding relationship, but these guides will help make the couples therapy more productive.


Ovulation requires the chemotaxis of leukocytes from the spleen to the ovary. Hormonal signals that are released during the peri-ovulatory period initiate the release of specific leukocyte populations that infiltrate the ovary and facilitate the release of oocytes. We identified a specific population of monocyte that infiltrates the ovary during a specific period of time, as well as M1 and M2-like macrophage populations. Before ovulation occurs, a Ly-6hi monocyte is likely promoting inflammation and follicular rupture. The Ly-6c high monocyte infiltration will start to diminish as they differentiate into M1 macrophages to further promote inflammation. These studies will utilize a super-ovulation protocol to initiate ovulation in immature balb/c mice. Ovaries will be collected at several times post hCG injection and analyzed by multi-color flow cytometry. Oviducts will be collected from mice 20 hours after hCG administration and cumulous oocyte complexes will be collected, counted and averaged to determine ovulation rate. Studies should establish that without these subsets of monocytes and macrophages, the rate of ovulation is reduced. In this regard, in the ovary, the Ly-6c high monocytes may function as a source of M1 macrophages to initiate the inflammatory process.


(1) Background: AliveCor KardiaMobile (KM) is a portable electrocardiography recorder for detection of atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of the study was to define the group of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients who can use the KM device and assess the diagnostic test accuracy. (2) Methods: the AIS patients were recruited to the study. Thirty-second single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) usages were recorded on demand for three days using KM portable device. Each KM ECG record was verified by a cardiologist. The feasibility was evaluated using operationalization criteria. (3) Results: the recruitment rate among AIS patients was 26.3%. The withdrawal rate before the start of the intervention was 26%. The withdrawal rate after the start of the intervention was 6%. KM device detected AF in 2.8% of AIS patients and in 2.2% of ECG records. Cardiologist confirmed the AF in 0.3% AIS patients. Sensitivity and specificity of KM for AF was 100% and 98.3%, respectively. (4) Conclusions: the results of this study suggest that it is feasible to use KM device to detect AF in the selected AIS patients (younger and in better neurological condition). KM detected AF in the selected AIS patients with high specificity and sensitivity.


The present work deals with recent advances in the analysis of air-born geophysical data of the Lagoa Real (BA) geological province. The methods employed in data processing include vertical derivative, analytic signal and Euler deconvolution. The results obtained have allowed identification of several new sub-surface structural features in the study area, unnoticed in previous geological and geophysical investigations. Prominent among these are the large number of magnetic lineaments in the northwest-southeast direction, arcshaped structures in the west central parts and nearcircular features in the southern and south-eastern parts of the study area. In addition, remarkable correlations have been found between regional-scale features identified in results of gamma-spectrometric studies and area-extent of blocks delimited by magnetic lineaments. There are indications that such blocks represent crustal segments affected by different degrees of metasomatic processes associated with Uranium mineralization. Also, it is likely that the lineaments identified in the present study are related to shear-zone structures. The results have also contributed to substantial improvements in outlining sub-surface extensions of several structural features identified in geological studies. An example is the small but prominent structure mapped in the southern part of the study area, classified as an irregular feature in previous studies, but is now identified as having a near circular shape, most probably an ultra-basic intrusion at shallow depths.


This paper proposes an efficient transmission method for common channels such as the common control physical channel (CCPCH) that utilizes multi-beam antennas instead of the conventional sectored antenna to achieve a harmonized adaptive antenna array beam forming system in the W-CDMA forward link. In the proposed method, by transmitting common channels using multi-beam antennas associated with fixed transmitter antenna weights, the transmission powers of the common channels are dispersed over all the array antennas with which dedicated physical channels (DPCHs) are transmitted by adaptive antenna array beam forming, thereby avoiding unnecessary additional sectored antenna along with power amplifier with large transmission power. The simulation results elucidate that the multi-beam transmission with a conformal array antenna arrangement suppresses the variance in the transmission power of the common channels among the array antennas more than does a linear array antenna arrangement. The results also show that when the conformal array antenna arrangement employing eight antennas is used, the maximum transmission power per antenna is reduced by more than 8.0 dB compared to that using sectored-antenna transmission, and the variance in the transmission powers among array antennas is less than 2.5 dB. We also show that from the viewpoint of the achievable received signal-to-interference power ratio (SIR) and bit error rate (BER) performance of the CCPCH, the proposed common channel transmission using multi-beam antennas is slightly superior to the conventional sectored-antenna transmission.


This paper presents a new hybrid genetic algorithm used to solve a frequency assignment problem. The hybrid genetic algorithm presented in this paper uses two original mutation operators. The first mutation operator is based on a greedy algorithm and the second one on an original probabilistic tabu search. The results obtained by our algorithm are better than the best known results obtained by other methods like tabu search and hybrid genetic algorithm. Our results are validated in the field of radiobroadcasting and compared to the best existing solutions in this domain.


Populations of the squash vine borer, Melittia cucurbitae (Harris) (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), were monitored using pheromone-baited traps in cucurbit fields at Clemson University, Clemson, SC, and at the United States Vegetable Laboratory (USVL), Charleston, SC, from 1997-2004. Male squash vine borer moths were first captured from mid May to early June at both locations. Adults were captured for the next 4-5 months until mid Sep- tember at Clemson, and until late September to mid October at the USVL. There appears to be two widely overlapping generations of squash vine borers per year in South Carolina. Nine types of pheromone-baited traps were tested at the USVL, 2003-2004. A commercially available, small wire mesh Heliothis trap was the most effective trap for capturing male squash vine borer moths. A large (50-75 cm) Heliothis trap (Harstack trap) and a commercially avail- able, collapsible nylon Heliothis trap were the second and third most effective traps. The universal moth trap (yellow funnel, white bottom, green top) also caught a significant number of male squash vine borer moths. The Multipher 3 trap, Pherocon 1C sticky trap, Japanese beetle trap, and boll weevil trap were not effective for monitoring male squash vine borer moths. The commer- cially available, small wire-cone trap baited with squash vine borer pheromone lure offers a practical monitoring technique for this pest species.


Petroleum based fuels is a finite resource that is rapidly depleting. Consequently, petroleum reserves are not sufficient enough to last many years. Biodiesel is one of the alternative fuel made from vegetable oil, friendly for environment and has no effect on health and can reduce the emission compared with diesel fuel. With this objective, the present work has focused on the performance, combustion and emission characteristics of diesel engine using corn oil and its blends with diesel. In this investigation, the blends of varying proportions of corn biodiesel with diesel (S20, S40, S60, S80 & S100) were prepared, analyzed, and compared the performance and exhaust emission with diesel using 5.2 kW Single cylinder, 4stroke diesel engine. The performance and emission characteristics of blends are evaluated at variable loads and constant rated speed of 1500 rpm and found that the performance of C20 blend of corn oil gives result, that is near to the diesel and also found that the emission CO2, HC of this blend is less than the diesel.


We provide a new explanation for the stronger relationship between income and subjective wellbeing (SWB) found in cross-sectional versus panel studies based on the predictions of a rational expectations model of utility maximization with permanent and transitory income shocks. The model predicts that SWB is affected by unanticipated rather than anticipated income shocks, and is more influenced by permanent rather than transitory income shocks. We confirm the model predictions empirically by analyzing panel data from China, and show that differences in the relative importance of permanent income can explain the stronger (weaker) impact of income often found in cross-sectional (panel) estimation. We also empirically confirm asymmetric impacts of positive and negative transitory income shocks as predicted by a model with credit constraints.


Because ocean wave propagates along water surface, wave energy resource is measured in the unit of line density (kW/m). It indicates that the output of a Wave Energy Converter (WEC) is proportional to its wave front width when we consider the scaling-up of the device. It will be a problem in the commercialization of a scaled-up WEC because the cost of device increases with size in a higher pace.With the above consideration, the authors proposed a rotary type wave energy converter. It is a drag type vertical axis water turbine with its rotational axis lying horizontally on the water surface and in parallel to the wave front. To capture the orbital fluid particle motion in wave, the turbine is composed of a bucket and a streamlined counter weight. The device can be linearly extended in the direction parallel to the wave front to obtain the merits of scale. The WEC does not have massive components because the reaction torque of electric generation can be absorbed by a relatively small float system.This paper provides the numerical test of the device in deep water wave condition. The dependencies of the output to the wave height and the submergence of the rotational axis are checked by the two-dimensional flow simulation.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


With the increase in process variations and diversity in workloads, it is imperative to holistically explore optimization techniques for power and temperature from the circuit layer right up to the compiler/operating system (OS) layer. This article proposes one such holistic technique, called proactive workload aware temperature management framework for low-power chip multi-processors (ProWATCh). At the compiler level ProWATCh includes two techniques: (1) a novel compiler design for estimating the architectural parameters of a task at compile time; and (2) a model-based technique for dynamic estimation of architectural parameters at runtime. At the OS level ProWATCh integrates two techniques: (1) a workload- and temperature-aware process manager for dynamic distribution of tasks to different cores; and (2) a model predictive control-based task scheduler for generating the efficient sequence of task execution. At the circuit level ProWATCh implements either of two techniques: (1) a workload-aware voltage manager for dynamic supply and body bias voltage assignment for a given frequency in processors that support adaptive body bias (ABB); or (2) a workload-aware frequency governor for efficient assignment of upper and lower frequency bounds for frequency scaling in processors that do not support an ABB. Employing ProWATCh (with voltage manager) on an ABB-compatible 3D OpenSPARC architecture using MiBench benchmarks resulted in an average 18% (19ˆC) reduction in peak temperature. Evaluating ProWATCh on an existing quad-core Intel Corei7 processor with frequency governor alone (as the processor does not support an ABB interface) resulted in 10% (8ˆC) reduction in peak temperature when compared to what was obtained using the native Linux 3.0 completely fair scheduler (CFS). To study the effectiveness of the proposed framework across benchmark suites, ProWATCh was evaluated on a quad-core Intel Corei7 processor using CPU SPEC 2006 benchmarks which resulted in 7ˆC reduction in peak temperature as compared to the native Linux 3.0 CFS.


This paper describes a switching-level operation analysis of BTB(Back-To-Back) converter for HVDC(high voltage DC) application based on MMC(modular multi-level converter). A switching-level operation analysis for BTB converter is very important to understand the converter operation in detail and check the voltage and current transients in each components. However, the development of switching-level simulation model for the actual size BTB Converter is very difficult because the MMC normally has more than 150 sub-modules for each arm. So, a switching level simulation model for the 11-level MMC-based BTB converter was developed with PSCAD/EMTDC software, which has 12 sub-modules for the positive arm and another 12 sub-modules for the negative arm. The DC-voltage balance algorithm, the circulating-current reduction algorithm, the harmonic reduction algorithm, and the redundancy operation algorithm were included in this simulation model. The developed simulation model can be utilized to analyze the MMC-based BTB converter for HVDC application in switching level and to develop the protection scheme for the MMC-based BTB converter for HVDC application.


A novel algorithm for deriving diagnostics from spherical surface measurement data is described. In keeping with a 'black-box' testing rationale, no initial assumptions are made as to the properties of the antenna under test. Nevertheless, high-resolution reconstructions may be generated. In the case of planar array diagnosis, single element excitation faults may be quantified to an accuracy of 0.25 dB and 2 degrees . >


Vulvar cancer (VC) is a specific form of malignancy accounting for 5–6% of all gynaecologic malignancies. Although VC occurs most commonly in women after 60 years of age, disease incidence has risen progressively in premenopausal women in recent decades. VC demonstrates particular features requiring well-adapted therapeutic approaches to avoid potential treatment-related complications. Significant improvements in disease-free survival and overall survival rates for patients diagnosed with post-stage I disease have been achieved by implementing a combination therapy consisting of radical surgical resection, systemic chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Achieving local control remains challenging. However, mostly due to specific anatomical conditions, the need for comprehensive surgical reconstruction and frequent post-operative healing complications. Novel therapeutic tools better adapted to VC particularities are essential for improving individual outcomes. To this end, cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) treatment is a promising option for VC, and is particularly appropriate for the local treatment of dysplastic lesions, early intraepithelial cancer, and invasive tumours. In addition, CAP also helps reduce inflammatory complications and improve wound healing. The application of CAP may realise either directly or indirectly utilising nanoparticle technologies. CAP has demonstrated remarkable treatment benefits for several malignant conditions, and has created new medical fields, such as "plasma medicine" and "plasma oncology". This article highlights the benefits of CAP for the treatment of VC, VC pre-stages, and postsurgical wound complications. There has not yet been a published report of CAP on vulvar cancer cells, and so this review summarises the progress made in gynaecological oncology and in other cancers, and promotes an important, understudied area for future research. The paradigm shift from reactive to predictive, preventive and personalised medical approaches in overall VC management is also considered.


Introduction. Elderly glioblastoma (GBM) patients often show limited response to treatment and poor outcome. Here, we provide a case series of elderly GBM patients from our Institution, in whom we assessed the clinical characteristics, feasibility of surgical resection, response to adjuvant treatments, and outcome, along with the impact of comorbidities and clinical status on survival. Patients and Methods. We included patients ≥ 65-year-old. We collected information about clinical and molecular features, extent of resection, adjuvant treatments, treatment-related complications, and outcome. Results. We included 135 patients. Median age was 71 years. In total, 127 patients (94.0%) had a Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) ≥70 and 61/135 (45.2%) a Charlson Comorbidity Score (CCI) > 3. MGMTp methylation was found in 70/135 (51.9%). Subtotal resections (STRs), gross-total resections (GTRs), and biopsies were 102 (75.6%), 10 (7.4%) and 23 (17.0%), respectively. Median progression-free survival and overall survival (mOS) were 8.0 and 10.5 months for the whole cohort. Notably, GTR and radio-chemotherapy with temozolomide in patients with MGMTp methylation were associated with significantly longer mOS (32.8 and 44.8 months, respectively). In a multivariable analysis, risk of death was affected by STR vs. GTR (HR 2.8, p = 0.002), MGMTp methylation (HR 0.55, p = 0.007), and KPS at baseline ≥70 (HR 0.43, p = 0.031). Conversely, CCI and post-surgical complications were not significant. Conclusions. Elderly GBM patients often have a dismal prognosis. However, it is possible to identify a subgroup with favourable clinical and molecular features, who benefit from GTR and radio-chemotherapy with temozolomide. A comprehensive prognostic score is needed to guide treatment modality and predict the outcome.


A polymer-ceramic pressure-sensitive paint (PC-PSP) is a fast responding and sprayable PSP which has been applied for capturing global unsteady flows. The luminophore application process is studied to enhance the characterization of the PC-PSP. A dipping deposition method is used to apply a luminophore on a polymer-ceramic coating. The method selects a solvent by its polarity index. The characterization includes the signal level, pressure sensitivity, temperature dependency, and response time. It is found that the luminophore application process affects the steady-state characterizations, such as the signal level, pressure sensitivity, and temperature dependency. A range of change for each characterization, which is based on the minimum quantity, is a factor of 4.7, 9, and 3.8, respectively. A response time on the order of ten microseconds is shown. The application process is not a dominant factor for changing the response time, which is within the uncertainty of the thickness variation. Comparisons of the effects on the luminophore application process and the polymer content are made to discuss the PC-PSP characterization results.


Although phobia is more commonly observed during adolescence as compared to adulthood, its specific type of murophobia is uncommon. Especially in a country like Ethiopia, where awareness, orientation to mental health and its psychological treatment is undergoing its infancy on account of several reasons, the neurotic disorders are rarely reported to mental health clinicians. The present study is a case report of a 16-year old adolescent female with murophobia. The case was not registered in any general medical clinic and was sent to our department for further psychological assessment and intervention. The client was comprehensively examined through clinical interview, behavioural analysis and treated by cognitive-behaviour technique of psychological intervention and without the inclusion of psychiatric treatment. Details of the psychological assessment and intervention have been presented in this case report.


Infection by Achorion schoenleinii is not common in the city of New York. Among 74,046 patients admitted to the Skin and Cancer Unit during 1935, 1936 and 1937, there were only 18 with favus. In a previous communication1attention was directed to the concomitant involvement of the glabrous skin in about 30 per cent of all patients having infection of the scalp by A. schoenleinii. The finger nails are more rarely affected by this micro-organism, and invasion of a toe nail must be uncommon. The following case, in which there was such a localization, is unique in our experience. REPORT OF CASE2 M. B., a single woman aged 28, a bookkeeper, was previously presented before the Manhattan Dermatologic Society on Dec. 14, 1937. She was first observed in November 1937, when she sought advice concerning an area of alopecia on her scalp. She was born


We use the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model to study the mechanisms linking lipid metabolism and longevity. Yeast aging can be slowed down by calorie restriction (CR), a low‐calorie diet that extends life span and delays age‐related disorders in a wide spectrum of organisms. We assessed the effect of CR and numerous mutations extending yeast life span on the spatiotemporal dynamics of the proteomes and lipidomes of organelles involved in lipid metabolism. These organelles include the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), peroxisomes and lipid bodies. Our findings imply that a calorie‐rich diet suppresses peroxisomal oxidation of free fatty acids (FFA) that originate from neutral lipids synthesized in the ER and deposited within lipid bodies. The resulting accumulation of FFA initiates several negative feedback loops regulating the metabolism of neutral lipids, ultimately leading to the accumulation of diacylglycerol (DAG). The buildup of FFA promotes necrotic cell death, whereas the accumulation of DAG hampers a stress response‐related signal transduction network. Implementing our knowledge, we identified five groups of novel anti‐aging small molecules that greatly extend yeast longevity by: 1) remodelling lipid metabolism in the ER, peroxisomes and lipid bodies; 2) promoting "mitohormesis" through the activation of a distinct set of stress response‐related processes in mitochondria; and 3) modulating nutrient signaling pathways governed by the protein kinase Rim15p.


In this article, we examine how mothers respond when injury interrupts maternal care, using the lens of embodied care, which we conceptualize as a form of 'body work'. We draw on findings from a qualitative research project with two organizations in Australia that help people with injuries to return to work, examining the experiences of workers who are also mothers of dependent children. Mothers' inability to care for children during periods of injury was a significant concern for our interviewees; constraints on physical labour and physical affection were particularly troubling, indicating the importance of embodied maternal caregiving to maternal roles. Yet, while these mothers inhabited the spheres of paid work and unpaid care work simultaneously, service providers did not consider embodied care work or its relevance to injured women's ongoing needs for support. While our findings reflect the experiences of injured women, they also suggest the need for a materialist analysis of the ways that both paid work and care activities are deeply enmeshed in and through the bodies of those doing the work. Employers and service organizations still fail to recognize maternal 'body work', and this may be typical of social attitudes more widely.


Abstract A brief outline of the history of cloud painting prior to the first cloud classification schemes of Luke Howard and Lamarck is presented. It is shown that European painters had accurately represented most of the different cloud forms between about 1425 and 1675.


In this work, we considered natural convection in a three dimensional rectangular enclosure in the form of a room with the heater placed on the floor and two windows each on the vertical adjacent walls .A fluid motion of the Boussinesq fluid in the three dimensional cavity has been considered .To enable the analysis of the flow and heat transfer rates, a set of non-dimensional equations governing a Newtonian fluid were used. The governing equations with the boundary conditions were described using three-point central and forward difference approximations for non-uniform mesh. The resulting finite difference equations were then solved using numerical methods .The solutions were presented at Reynolds number, Re=5,500 and Prandtl number, Pr=0.71. The results were presented in graphical form and discussed. The results show that the region in the middle of the room is warm and near the window is relatively cold.


Despite numerous methods of animals breeding control, infertility prevention and healthy offspring problems remain the most important issues of veterinary science. The paper gives and analyzes the results of ultrasound examination of cow gonads: (width, length, presence of follicles) in normal and pathological conditions. The paper also gives the program interface for determining the density of gonads. Based on the ultrasound data, the method of discriminant analysis (the method of binary comparison) has been applied for pathology diagnosis of gonads and grouping them into diseases by certain features (hypofunction of the 1st stage, hypofunction of the 2nd stage, sclerosis and atrophy) and comparing them with the norm. The proposed method of vital diagnostics of gonads allows reliable diagnosis of cows ovarian pathology and can be used along with other diagnostic methods for increasing the accuracy and credibility of researches and making correct diagnosis with high probability


North-eastern Poland is the region of young glacial area. It was shaped by the glacier and meltwater processes. The landscape was formed by the deposition of material from the glacier during Pleistocene and was finally shaped during Holocene. It is distinguished by parallel variation of geological structure, relief and soil cover. Spatial differentiation of the relief was the basis for distinguishing three morpholithogenetic zones: morainic hills and plains, lakeland uplands and outwash plains [KONDRACKI 1988, GOTKIEWICZ AND SMOŁUCHA 1996]. In a relief of young glacial landscape, ground moraine prevails. However, frontal moraines and numerous meltwater depressions are also considerable [BIAŁOUSZ 1978, KONDRACKI 1972, PIAŚCIK 1996, STASIAK 1971]. Concave forms, which accompany hills of various origin, play an important role in natural environment [KOC 1991]. They are the ecological niche for various species of flora and fauna, natural retention reservoirs and a specific filter in a cycle of nutrients. Land depressions are the places of accumulation of various soil formations: mineral deposits, peat, gyttja and mud, and therefore are very labile and under permanent modifications. In northern Europe, during postglacial period, processes of natural and anthropogenic denudations occurred with various intensity. They contributed to the mosaic soil cover and heterogeneity of soil formations [BIAŁOUSZ 1978, FRIELINGHAUS, SCHMIDT 1991, PIAŚCIK 1996, SINKIEWICZ 1998]. Soil material was washed off, slipped from the slope and deposited in the depressions. Consequently, deluvial soils, mucky soils and silted peat-muck soils were formed during Holocene [BIENIEK 1997]. Deluvial soils, due to their location in a relief, between eroded soils and soils of depressions, are the first biogeochemical barrier for chemical compounds flowing along the slope. Similar role is played by alluvial soils which are formed by alluvial sediments in delta and riverine landscapes. A measure of soil resistance to degradation are sorptive properties. Alluvial and deluvial soils are distinguished against the surrounding soils by generally higher buffering capacity and sorption capacity. These soils can


List of illustrations List of contributors Acknowledgments Introduction: histories, empires, modernities Kathleen Wilson Part I. Empire at Home: Difference, Representation, Experience: 1. Women and the fiscal-imperial state in late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries Margaret Hunt 2. An 'entertainment of oddities': fashionable sociability and the Pacific in the 1770s Gillian Russell 3. The theatre of empire: racial counterfeit, racial realism Felicity A. Nussbaum 4. Asians in Britain: negotiations of identity through self-representation Michael H. Fisher Part II. Promised Lands: Imperial Aspirations and Practice: 5. 'Rescuing the age from a charge of ignorance': gentility, knowledge, and the British exploration of Africa in the later eighteenth century Philip J. Stern 6. Liberal government and illiberal trade: the political economy of 'responsible government' in early British India Sudipta Sen 7. 'Green and pleasant lands': England and the Holy Land in plebeian millenarian culture, c. 1790-1820 Eitan Bar-Yosef 8. Protestant evangelicalism, British imperialism and Crusonian identity Hans Turley Part III. Time, Identity, and Atlantic Interculture: 9. Time and revolution in African America: temporality and the history of Atlantic slavery Walter Johnson 10. The Green Atlantic: radical reciprocities between Ireland and America in the long eighteenth century Kevin Whelan 11. Brave Wolfe: the making of a hero Nicholas Rogers 12. Ethnicity in the British Atlantic world, 1688-1830 Colin Kidd Part IV. Englishness, Gender, and the Arts of Discovery: 13. Writing home and crossing cultures: George Bogle in Bengal and Tibet, 1770-1775 Kate Teltscher 14. Decoding the nameless: gender, subjectivity, and historical methodologies in reading the archives of colonial India Durba Ghosh 15. Ornament and use: Mai and Cook in London Harriet Guest Thinking back: gender misrecognition and Polynesian subversions aboard the Cook voyages Kathleen Wilson Further reading Index.


Prospective case control study, carried out in a tertiary care hospital. The aim of present study was to find genetic markers for coronary artery disease (CAD) in north Indian population. Total number of 355 angiographically proven cases and 303 controls were included in the present study. Polymerase chain reaction- restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis was done for genotyping of ACE, MTHFR, Apo B Apo E. Significant association was observed for D allele of ACE (p=0.048, OR 1.27, 95% CI 0.99-1.62) and T allele of MTHFR (p=0.049, OR 1.45, 95% CI 0.98-2.13) with CAD. The mutant allele of Apo B (C7673T) was found significantly higher in controls than patients (p <0.001, OR 0.46 95% CI 0.33-0.65). However, an insignificant difference was observed for Apo E polymorphisms when E2 allele compared with E3 (p=0.15, OR 0.75 95% CI 0.49-1.14) and E4 allele compared with E3 (p=0.059, OR 1.58, 95% CI 0.96-2.61). The finding suggests that T allele of MTHFR gene and D allele of ACE gene is significantly contributed with CAD. Whereas, mutant allele of Apo B, E2 and E4 alleles are insignificantly associated with CAD. The study suggests that ACE and MTHFR gene may be as predictive molecular markers for CAD.


A number of studies have investigated two common polymorphisms in the b 2 -adrenoceptor gene, Arg/Gly16 and Gln/Glu27 , in relation to asthma susceptibility. The authors performed a meta-analysis of each polymorphism, as well as haplotype analysis, for adult and pediatric populations separately, using published data, supplemented by additional data requested from the original authors. Individual analysis detected no effect of Arg/Gly16 in adults but did suggest a recessive protective effect of Gly16 for children, with an odds ratio of 0.71 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.53, 0.96) compared with the other genotypes. Results for Gln/Glu27 in adults seem to indicate that heterozygotes are at decreased risk of asthma than either homozygote (odds ratio ¼ 0.73, 95% CI: 0.62, 0.87), although the studies are heterogeneous; in children, the Glu/Glu genotype has a decreased risk of asthma (odds ratio ¼ 0.60, 95% CI: 0.35, 0.99) compared with the other genotypes. Despite the proximity of these two polymorphic sites, the linkage disequilibrium coefficient of 0.41 was not high ( p < 0.001). Haplotype analysis suggests that there may be an interaction between the two sites, with a lower risk of asthma associated with the Glu27 allele (compared with Gln27 ), and that this risk is modified by the allele at position 16.


: The effect of high-temperature thermomechanical treatment (HTMT) with plastic deformation by rolling in austenitic region on the microstructure and mechanical properties of 12% chromium ferritic-martensitic steel EP-823 is investigated. The features of the grain and defect microstructure of steel are studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy with Electron Back-Scatter Diffraction (SEM EBSD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). It is shown that HTMT leads to the formation of pancake structure with grains extended in the rolling direction and flattened in the rolling plane. The average sizes of martensitic packets and ferrite grains are approximately 1.5–2 times smaller compared to the corresponding values after traditional heat treatment (THT, which consists of normalization and tempering). The maximum grain size in the section parallel to the rolling plane increases up to more than 80 µ m. HTMT leads to the formation of new sub-boundaries and a higher dislocation density. The fraction of low-angle misorientation boundaries reaches up to ≈ 68%, which exceeds the corresponding value after HTMT (55%). HTMT does not practically affect the carbide subsystem of steel. The mechanical properties are investigated by tensile tests in the temperature range 20–700 ◦ C. It is shown that the values of the yield strength in this temperature range after HTMT increase relative to the corresponding values after THT. As a result of HTMT, the elongation decreases. A significant decrease is observed in the area of dynamic strain aging (DSA). The mechanisms of plastic deformation and strengthening of ferritic-martensitic steel under the high-temperature thermomechanical treatments are also discussed.


There are many uncertainties in multiple-attribute decision making problems so that the reliability and correctness of decision making results depend on the scientifically and reasonably confirmation of attribute weights. Combination assigning method based on optimal eigenvectors which uses multi-objective optimization to integrate subjective and objective weightings was presented in the study so that the limitations of both subjective assigning method and objective assigning method have been overcome. Furthermore, decision making model based on TOPSIS method was also established to obtain more reasonable and scientific method of weightings confirmation method for multiattribute decision making problems.


Abstract:Dr. Kathee Mangan Christensen, indefatigable ally and reformer in deaf education, passed away on December 8, 2021, in San Diego, CA. Kathee (called KC in the Deaf community) was not audiologically deaf. Yet throughout her life, as a teacher, teacher educator, and writer/researcher, she participated in social, political, and linguistic facets of the Deaf community promoting diversity, inclusion, and Deaf/hearing collaborative partnerships in the United States, Mexico, and Taiwan.


Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) is a process belonging to the powder metallurgy family. It consists in applying simultaneously a load and a high intensity pulsed direct current on graphite tools containing powder to sinter this latter. The originality of this study lies on the in-situ SPS compression creep tests performed on TiAl 48-2-2 dense and porous samples, completed by SPS powder densification to established the creep law of this material. Once determined, it is then used in a fully-coupled simulation tool to predict temperature field and density gradient within the samples. The experimental relative density map will be presented and the correlation with the numerical model will be analyzed, both on simple and complex shape specimens. The evolution of the microstructure during creep test as well as after densification of a complex part will be presented and correlation with numerically assessed temperature field will be discussed.


During the university stage, students can be exposed to non-major skills and knowledge in a safe learning environment and experience interdisciplinary teamwork. However, interpersonal relationships, internal team attitudes, and other factors can hinder knowledge sharing and learning experiences. Empathy can help teams handle crises in such situations. Empathy, as a personal trait, is often studied by categorizing individuals into "high-level" and "low-level" types. In recent years, some scholars have defined empathy types based on four dimensions: empathic concern (EC), personal distress (PD), fantasy (FN), and perspective taking (PT). However, the classification of empathy traits using this multi-dimensional structure still remains somewhat unclear. This study is part of a series of research on empathy in design education, and in this paper, we aim to explore the classification of empathy traits as a reference for teaching practices. A total of 31 participants were recruited for a 10-day interdisciplinary design workshop. The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) was used to measure empathy, and correlation and cluster analyses were conducted based on the dimensions of EC, PD, FN, and PT. The research findings revealed PD was negatively correlated PT, and FN was positively correlated with PT. In addition, PD, FN, and PT can serve as clustering indicators for empathy trait types. Based on these indicators, the participants were divided into three groups: the Anxious-Fantasy Type (highest scores in PD and FN; significantly low scores in PT), the Apathetic-Self Type (significantly low scores in three dimensions), and the Rational-Cognitive Type (highest scores in PT and FN; significantly low scores in PD). This study proposes a new classification of empathy traits, which will be further explored in future research related to design education.


Pulsars are thought to be highly magnetized rotating neutron stars accelerating charged particles along magnetic field lines in their magnetosphere and visible as pulsed emission from the radio wavelength up to high energy X-rays and gamma-rays. Being highly compact objects with compactness close to $\Xi = R_s/R\approx0.5$, where $\Rs=2\,G\,M/c^2$ is the Schwarzschild radius and $\{M,R\}$ the mass and radius of the neutron star, general-relativistic effects become important close to their surface. This is especially true for the polar caps where radio emission is supposed to emanate from, leading to well defined signatures such as linear and circular polarization. In this paper, we derive a general formalism to extend to general relativity the Deutsch field solution valid in vacuum space. Thanks to a vector spherical harmonic expansion of the electromagnetic field, we are able to express the solution to any order in the spin parameter $\Omega$ of the compact object. We hope this analysis to serve as a benchmark to test numerical codes used to compute black hole and neutron star magnetospheres.


We define a connection subgraph as a small subgraph of a large graph that best captures the relationship between two nodes. The primary motivation for this work is to provide a paradigm for exploration and knowledge discovery in large social networks graphs. We present a formal definition of this problem, and an ideal solution based on electricity analogues. We then show how to accelerate the computations, to produce approximate, but high-quality connection subgraphs in real time on very large (disk resident) graphs.We describe our operational prototype, and we demonstrate results on a social network graph derived from the World Wide Web. Our graph contains 15 million nodes and 96 million edges, and our system still produces quality responses within seconds.


Educators everywhere consider how best to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors to be informed, engaged, and caring 21st century citizens. This article provides a report of an ethnographic transnational field study examining how 30 middle and high school educators located in Costa Rica, Myanmar, and the United States, conceive of citizenship and civic education based on textbook use, classroom materials, pedagogical practices, and instructional strategies. Data sources included field logs, debriefing sessions, one-to-one interviews, focus group discussions, classroom observations, a questionnaire, textbook evaluations, and review of media documents. Participants in the United States network emphasized multiple perspectives applied as a lens to the study of contemporary global issues. Costa Rican participants mirrored this description but with emphasis on nationalistic goals to equip students with skills to work for tangible improvements in the lives of Costa Rican citizens. In the Myanmar context, participants relied almost exclusively on textbooks; in this case, context and culture informed the aims and approaches of civic and citizenship education. Implications contribute to transnational discourse addressing the practice of civic and citizenship education internationally. This study expands dominant definitions and the importance of a qualitative transnational framework to examine citizenship and civics curricula in diverse systems.


Primary pure small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder is an extremely rare and highly aggressive tumor with an average five-year survival rate of less than 10% as cited by multiple case reports. It accounts for about 0.5-1% of all bladder tumors. We present the case of an 87-years-old man; smoker hospitalized in the Department of Urology, from the Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu for intermittent painless hematuria. Ultrasonography showed a sessile tumoral growth. Transurethral resection of the tumor mass was performed and tissue fragments were sent to the pathologic lab to establish the histologic type, the degree of differentiation and invasion. Fragments of the tumor were fixed in 10% formaldehyde, paraffin embedded and processed as standard technique; the sections were stained with H and E and immunohistochemically with NSE and Cytokeratin.  A diagnosis of small cell carcinoma was established. Because of aggressive behavior and distinct treatment, the pathologist should watch out for the presence of small cell carcinoma component.


Since road networks are the backbone of transportation and personal mobility, congestions are a severe problem. Improving the utilization of existing roads by scheduling shared resources, e.g. crossroads, more efficiently is a promising approach to alleviate the problem. We have developed an architecture allowing mobile systems to schedule shared resource in real-time based on wireless communication. In this paper, we present two membership protocols, which are at the core of this architecture. The protocols allow mobile systems to join and leave a group with predictable delay. A synchronous system model with omission failures describes the dynamic properties of the medium. The protocols exploit application knowledge to allocate bandwidth to joining stations dynamically yet predictably. Nevertheless, they can be converted to a general solution if predictable join delays are not a requirement.


High‐voltage‐radiation photographs, otherwise known as Kirlian photographs, are normally obtained as contact prints on photographic film or paper. However, the same kind of images can be formed by high‐voltage corona discharges on bulk dielectrics and on thin films of various materials deposited on glass substrates. The transport of thin‐film materials has been observed, accompanied by the formation of droplets in the case of oily films. Moisture released by objects of living and unanimated matter is directly recorded on some thin films.


The advance of information technologies and the Internet have been enabling the transformation of physical products into smart products by embedding information technologies into the products and thereby making them intelligent. The movement to the 'Internet of Things' is accelerating connection of the products to the net. While those changes could enhance value propositions of products, they might also cause consumer privacy concerns, which might hinder smart product adoption, because the smartness of the product mainly takes advantage of personal information about the users. This study aims to investigate consumers' intention to adopt smart products. Building on previous studies on smart products and privacy literature, we propose a research model that explains factors influencing consumers' intention to adopt smart products. The proposed research model is empirically tested using data from an online survey of consumers. The overall results validate the proposed research model of smart product adoption. Specifically, perceived personalization is found to positively affect consumers' intention to adopt smart products, whereas information privacy risk decreases the intention. We also find that the attributes of personal information are critical antecedents of consumers' risk-benefit assessment. The sensitivity of information increases information privacy risk while the congruency of information enhances perceived personalization. Based on the results, theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.


Without a doubt, Trinidad and Tobago has been blessed with oil and gas. It was in 2009 that the nation celebrated one hundred years of commercial oil production. This coupled with the discovery of the world's largest pitch lake over a hundred years prior to that certainly cements this country in the history of world oil. We can quite literally map Trinidad's energy progress from oil into gas and LNG, even counting the many downstream industries such as urea, ammonia and methanol which have become milestones on an international scale. The birth and continued development of the downstream sectors relies heavily on the exploratory expansion of open and idle acreages by aggressive companies chosen by a transparent but extensive Competitive Bid Round Process. This process is fully implemented and governed by the Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs under the Petroleum Act which is law in Trinidad. Production Sharing Contracts are issued and further negotiated with selected companies to commence the mandatory work programme. The Competitive Bid Rounds are by and large one of the founding pillars of growth and success in our twin island republic. Throughout the years, the CBR has evolved to reflect changes in markets, prices, demands, increased costs of exploration, socio and economic/cultural reasons but this is done to always insure competitiveness on a global scale. As a direct result of the timely production and efficient management of Competitive Bid Rounds and Production Sharing Contracts today, Trinidad has over 50 defined acreages with nearly half operated by major companies (onshore and offshore) like BP, BG, EOG, Chevron, Repsol, BHP, Niko, Centrica. Total production for oil is 103,000 bopd and over 4 bcf of gas extracted per day (70% LNG supply to Eastern US comes from Trinidad from the island's 4 LNG Trains). There are also 5 methanol plants with commensurate numbers for ammonia, urea and the newly launched AUM (for melanine) plant. The main thrust for the future is tuning the CBOs to attract deepwater players in arguably, Trinidad's final frontier region Deep Water. To this end, in 2011 we will award a series of new deepwater PSCs for immediate commencement of exploration...


When placed on an inclined solid plane, drops often stick to the solid surface due to pinning forces caused by contact angle hysteresis. When the drop size or the plane's incline angle is small, the drop is difficult to slide due to a decrease in gravitational force. Here we demonstrate that small drops (0.4-9 μL) on a slightly inclined plane (~12°, Teflon and parylene-C surface) can be mobilized through patterned electrodes by applying low-frequency ac electrowetting under 400 Hz (110-180 V(rms)), which has a mechanism different from that of the high-frequency ac method that induces sliding by reducing contact angle hysteresis. We attribute the sliding motion of our method to a combination of contact angle hysteresis and interfacial oscillation driven by ac electrowetting instead of the minimization of contact angle hysteresis at a high frequency. We investigated the effects of ac frequency on the sliding motion and terminal sliding of drops; the terminal sliding velocity is greatest at resonance frequency. Varying the electrowetting number (0.21-0.56) at a fixed frequency (40 Hz) for 5 μL drops, we found an empirical relationship between the electrowetting number and the terminal sliding velocity. Using the relationship between the drop size and ac frequency, we can selectively slide drops of a specific size or merge two drops along an inclined plane. This simple method will help with constructing microfluidic platforms with sorting, merging, transporting, and mixing of drops without a programmable control of electrical signals. Also, this method has a potential in heat transfer applications because heat removal capacity can be enhanced significantly through drop oscillation.


The isolation of pyrimidine oligonucleotides (isostichs) from chick erytyrocyte DNA was accomplished on a preparative scale with the goal of providing starting material for further chemical modifications. The DNA was degraded by the method of Burton and Petersen and the isostichs were obtained via paper chromatography and ion-exchange chromatography. The various isostichs were further fractionated into base compositional isomers, the frequency of which was determined as mole percent of total pyrimidines. Although this work was not intended to be an analytical study, the large quantities of DNA used allowed the measurement of most compositional isomers with an accuracy of 5% of the listed values. The data for long oligothymidylates are less reliable. The results of the present study revealed the anticipated bias in the distribution of pyrimidine isostichs in favor of longer chain lengths as compared to that expected for a random distribution. Isostichs above chain length 10 occur in amounts approximately 7 times greater than calculated.


Zinc (Zn) is one of the trace minerals which is required for huge range of bodily functions. Since last two decades, Zn as micronutrient is being used indiscriminately in agricultural and husbandry practices and also in baby foods and multivitamin supplements since Zn is non-toxic and promotes body weight in the consumers. Thus, the concentration of Zn in some vegetables and animals food products and other dietary food items has been increased. So far, the effects of long term Zn overload in the body have not been reviewed. Consumption of excess Zn in diet for longer period of time may contribute obesity and related diseases in adolescence, copper (Cu)-deficiency related abnormalities in the adults and pregnant women. Excess Zn in diet makes diabetic patients more vulnerable due to increase in glycosylated haemoglobin level in the blood. The various aspects about harmful effect of excess Zn in diet is given in this communication.


Japan and Korea follow a unique trend in which, despite reporting two of the highest life expectancies (LEs) among the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, the proportion of people with good self-rated health (SRH) is disproportionately low. We sought to explain this high-LE-low-SRH paradox by examining associations among LE, the prevalence of good SRH, and healthcare utilization. Our hypothesis was that countries with more frequent healthcare use would demonstrate poorer SRH and that SRH would not show a meaningful association with LE among developed countries. This study extracted data from Health at a Glance 2017 by the OECD for 26 countries with valid and comparable information on LE, SRH, and the number of doctor consultations per capita. Correlations among LE, good SRH, and number of doctor consultations per capita were analyzed. The number of annual doctor consultations per capita and the prevalence of good SRH were closely correlated (correlation coefficient=−0.610); excluding outliers produced a higher correlation coefficient (−0.839). Similar patterns were observed when we replaced good SRH with poor SRH. Meanwhile, the correlation coefficient between annual per capita doctor consultations and LE was quite low (−0.216). Although good SRH is closely related to better LE at the individual level, this was not true at the national level. Frequent use of healthcare in Japan and Korea was strongly correlated with poorer SRH, without any meaningful correlation with LE.


Background: The population suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias is estimated to increase every year in India, the reason being steady growth in the older population and stable increment in life expectancy. Aim: To evaluate the trend of clinical practices in India as well as cost analysis of anti dementia drugs in an Indian scenario. Material and Methods: Utilization pattern of anti dementia drugs studies was studied using literature survey and data mining of Prospective and Retrospective studies. Cost analysis was performed to evaluate wide variation in the prices of same anti dementia drug with different formulation in India. Results: Alzheimer's disease is the most common subtype of dementia and Donepezil remains to be the most commonly prescribed drugs as indicated by Prospective and retrospective studies. Cost analysis of anti dementia drugs being manufactured by many companies across the different brands in India showed a very high variation in the minimum and maximum price. Cost ratio was highest for rivastigmine (1.5 mg capsule) and lowest for piracetam (400 mg tablet). It was observed that % cost variation of all the anti dementia drugs was above 100. Conclusion: Thus, in India, a wide variation in the prices of same drug with different formulation has a severe economic impact. More effort is needed to understand and analyze in terms of its prescription, utilization pattern of anti dementia drugs as it has huge socioeconomic impact on patients and caregivers of mainly developing countries like India.


The cavitation erosion behavior of Fe-Cr-C-Si-xNi (x = 1, 2 and 3 wt.%) alloys were investigated for 50 hours using a 20 kHz vibratory cavitation erosion test equipment. 1 wt.% Ni added Fe-based hardfacing alloy showed excellent cavitation erosion resistance, comparable to the stellite 6. Above 1 wt.% Ni, however, the erosion resistance deteriorated quickly. It is conjectured that Ni addition above 1 wt.%, which has been shown to increase the stacking fault energy (SFE), resulted in reduction of the work hardening rate during the erosion test. Therefore, the enhanced cavitation erosion resistance of the 1 wt.% Ni alloy over the 2 and 3 wt.% Ni alloys could be explained in terms of the SFE, Ms temperature and work hardening.


We report the electrostatic levitation of various kinds of seeds and flower buds. Coral berry and pepper near a spherical shape show a stable levitation state. The prolate ellipsoid soybean and flower buds are always "standing" in the free space with satisfactory levitation stability. For the irregular mushroom and wheat grain, the levitation state is characterized as a "top-heavy" posture. These special stable equilibrium states are proved by the analysis of surface charge distribution. The obtained saturation polarization charge of samples presents a good accordance with experimental data. The levitation ability is weighed by the factor m(∊r+2)/(∊rD2).


This paper shows the impact of gender, age, Income, Qualification, Designation and Experience on digital globalization of NGOs of DIKhan, KP Pakistan, which were examined through a survey approach with the help of Structured Questionnaire. Globalization is a process that involves the growing sense of connectivity and shrinking world with different factors including NGOs. The vigorous role of globalization of NGOs has a powerful impact on connections, performance and birth of NGOs in every corner of the world, where women connectivity with their participation play an important role. But due to marginalized status of women and also demographic imbalances badly effect the performance growth and decision making process with diversity of opinion. Field survey was conducted from the employees working in NGOs in Dera Ismail Khan, KP Pakistan. The questionnaire contained 43 questions on different factors of Globalization as well as their impacts on the efficiency, effectiveness, innovativeness and responsiveness of the workforce as the indicators of their performance. Demographic impacts on Predictors and Criterions were tested through test of significant. This research will have a gigantic impact for all other researchers who are going to conduct their research in the same field.

 Key words: Globalization, NGOs, performance, effectiveness, efficiency.