All over the world, Kenya included, there have been long standing attempts to eradicate all forms of violence against females.. The purpose of the study was to identify indicators of Gender Based Violence and factors reinforcing Gender Based Violence against females in Narok County, Kenya. Narok County was selected purposively because the county has been on the limelight on GBV and women's literacy is low. The study was guided by cultural lag theory by William Ogburn. Questionnaires, interview schedule and focus group discussions were used to collect data. Findings revealed that GBV such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), child marriage and polygamy are still rampant in Narok County. The main factor reinforcing GBV against females was culture. Other factors were poverty, illiteracy among women and lack of economic empowerment among women. The study recommends the need to educate girls and women on their rights and laws that protect them, lobbing for change and change of strategy by law enforces. The study also recommends a broad view of the problem and focus on other factors such as eradicating poverty, improving women literacy, empowering women socially, economically and politically and supporting women to speak out on issues that violate their rights without fear.


BACKGROUND The importance of vitamin D in mineral metabolism has been known for a long time. Deficiency of this compound can cause rickets in children and both osteomalacia and osteoporosis in adults, leading to increased risk of fracture.1 A significant number of pediatric and adult patients have vitamin D deficiency due to decreased sun exposure, reduced dietary intake, malabsorption, drug intake (anticonvulsants), and renal and hepatic disease.2 Recently, better understanding of the physiology of vitamin D and the discovery of new receptor sites in many organs/tissues have underscored vitamin D.s multiple beneficial effects, including improved cardiovascular health.3 Moreover, studies have reported that correction of vitamin D deficiency has resulted in decreased risk of cancer and diabetes,4–6 improvement in the immune system,7 and improved muscle function.8 We summarize herein some of these observational studies.


The diet of the onychoteuthid squid Moroteuthis ingens was investigated through stomach content analyses of 72 individuals collected aboard a trawler targeting Patagonian toothfish Dissostichus eleginoides in the upper slope waters of the Kerguelen Archipelago. M. ingens is pri- marily piscivorous (67% by number and 87% by reconstituted mass), although the diet also includes squids (12 and 12%, respectively) and crustaceans (21 and <1%, respectively). The main fish prey were the paralepidid Arctozenus risso (28% by reconstituted mass), the gempylid Paradiplospinus gracilis (24%) and various myctophids. M. ingens preyed also upon conspecifics (cannibalism, 6%), and the euphausiid Euphausia triacantha was the main crustacean item. Most of the prey are pelagic organisms performing diurnal migration, suggesting that the benthopelagic M. ingens catch them when they are near the bottom during the day. In turn, M. ingens is a prey for several species of top predators, including D. eleginoides and air-breathing vertebrates. M. ingens thus contributes to carbon export from the pelagic environment to the benthos and from the ocean to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide expired by birds and mammals.


There is consensus in health studies that regular physical activities of sufficient intensity and duration contribute to better health both in the short and long term. In an ongoing research program, we focus on getting young elderly, the 60-75 years age group, to adopt and include physical activities as part of their everyday routines. Regular health-enhancing physical activities can serve as preventive health care, which will improve and sustain quality of life and build up savings in health-care macro costs for an ageing population. We have learned that digital service tools can be instrumental for the adoption and use of activity programs, and that the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) is instrumental for the acceptance and use of digital tools and services. We will argue that the UTAUT is not sufficient as such but can be enhanced to describe the adoption and use of health-enhancing physical activity programs.


This paper details the functions of a generic manufacturing workstation controller in the context of a computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) system. For each of these functions the required software and hardware performance characteristics are assessed. A brief overview of CIM is presented followed by a discussion of manufacturing workstatians. The functions presented and described are task de.composit ion, inventory management, monitoring and control, reporting and communications. The performanm attributes are presented using a qualitative scale., In software they include several characteristics of the. operating system, application development potential, and communications support. The hardware attributes are discussed in terms of modularity of architecture, computing speed, memory requirements, I/O, interrupt structure, network support, remote unit support and environmental features. The results are concisely presented on two qualitative assessment matrices which match functions with performance attributes. Details supporting these assessments are presented in the t ext .


The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams under construction at Michigan State University will be capable of providing beams of any element at energies of at least 200 MeV/u at a beam power of 400 kW. The proposed Facility for Rare Isotope Beams driver linear accelerator has a front end, three linear accelerator segments, two folding sections, and a beam delivery system. Four 45° dipole magnets are required in folding segment 2 for 180° total bend. Both cost and space constraints in the folding section have pushed the requirement of the superconducting dipole peak field from 1.7 to 2.0 T. The design of a warm iron, super-ferric "H" shaped dipole that provides a high field of 2 T and effective length of 2.35 m is presented. One dipole out of the four has full penetration through the outer return yoke to accommodate an additional port for the purpose of connecting to a beam dump. The impact of the hole on field quality is discussed. The other major challenges are tight space constraint in the 180° bend section and the compact cryostat design. This paper presents the magnet design including coil design, coil forces, and coil restraint system. The full mechanical details are also presented.


The purpose of this case report was to examine the marginal integrity of an indirect inlay and an onlay luted with resin luting cement over a four year period. A technique to seal the occlusal margins of the inlay restoration was reported. Over time, the occlusal margins of the inlay were noticeably submarginated due to wear degradation of the resin inlay cement. The onlay margins were less affected by wear. Clinical techniques to overcome submargination problems were discussed.


Contemporary studies have identified rs10494366 in the nitric oxide synthase 1 adaptor protein (NOS1AP) gene as a new genetic marker in modulating the QT interval and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in general populations. However, the conclusions were not coincident. Therefore, we conducted for the first time a system evaluation of the relativity of rs10494366, the QT interval, and sudden death by meta-analysis. In our study, the meta-analysis displayed the GG genotype of rs10494366 correlated with the QT interval in women with no heterogeneity, and in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients with minor heterogeneity. In the Caucasian population, the correlation of rs10494366 and sudden death was significant. The heterogeneity referred to the relevance between rs10494366 and sudden death in the Asian population. In conclusion, the minor allele of rs10494366 may have an impact on the QT interval in women or DM patients and may have a potential role in sudden death in the Caucasian population.


Two new analogs of bradykinin, [8-beta-homophenylalanine]- and [7-beta-homoproline]bradykinin, have been synthesized by the solid-phase technique. In the anesthetized rat, [7-beta-HPro]bradykinin was equipotent with bradykinin and 30-100 times more potent than [8-beta-HPhe]bradykinin in vasodepressor activity. Both analogs were resistant to degradation in vitro by dipeptidylcarboxypeptidase from rabbit lung. Only the 7-beta-HPro analog seemed to be resistant to this type of degradation in vivo, since its hypotensive effect in the anesthetized rat was not potentiated by SQ 20881 (BPP9a), an inhibitor of dipeptidylcarboxypeptidase.


The unmet need to develop novel approaches for cancer diagnosis and treatment has led to the evolution of theranostic agents, which usually include, in addition to the anticancer drug, an imaging agent based mostly on fluorescent agents. Over the past few years, a non-invasive photoacoustic imaging modality has been effectively integrated into theranostic agents. Herein, we shed light on the design principles governing the development of theranostic agents with photoacoustic properties, which can be formulated into nanocarriers to enhance their potency. Specifically, we provide an extensive analysis of their individual constituents including the imaging dyes, drugs, linkers, targeting moieties, and their formulation into nanocarriers. Along these lines, we present numerous relevant paradigms. Finally, we discuss the clinical relevance of the specific strategy, as also the limitations and future perspectives, and through this review, we envisage paving the way for the development of theranostic agents endowed with photoacoustic properties as effective anticancer medicines.


This study investigates socio-pragmatic failure in the translation of the culture-bound
 euphemistic expressions in the Qur'an since they imply many cultural aspects of
 Arabic. As used in the Qur'an, they have their own distinctive linguistic and nonlinguistic
 features, namely, they are highly euphemized, basically culture-dependent,
 and largely context-sensitive. Accordingly, the meanings and functions they tend to
 convey are not easily captured because they lie not in what is literally said but in what
 is intended. As a result, the selected translations of the said expressions seem to be
 replete with two major translation problems: (a) skewing and ambiguity of source text
 intentionality and (b) inaccuracy in rendering the pragmatic functions in the target
 text. Moreover, the studies on the Qur'an translation reviewed in this study had never
 examined the socio-pragmatic failure in the renditions of the culture-bound
 euphemistic expressions in the Qur'an. The importance of this study lies in identifying
 that such a failure perplexes the target reader's understanding of the original text and
 leads to cross-cultural communication breakdown. The following objectives are
 targeted in this study:(1) to investigate the Qur'anic intended meanings of the culturebound
 euphemistic expressions in the selected translations with reference to the
 Qur'anic exegeses,(2) to identify the extent to which the translators cited have retained
 the same pragmatic functions of source text in the target text, (3) to analyse the
 translation strategies translators of the Qur'an have adopted for translating the source
 text, and (4) to propose, as much as possible, the English functional-pragmatic
 equivalences to the culture-bound euphemistic expressions investigated. The data on
 the translation of source text were collected from the Qur'an and its four English
 translations carried out by four non-Muslim native speakers of English. The data,
 related to sexual matters and body effluvia, were selected for analysis on the basis that
 they are culture-bound and therefore difficult to translate. Qualitative content analysis
 was used to examine the source data by consulting the widely used traditional
 exegetical and rhetorical books to determine the source text intentionality.
 Additionally, the translated data were analysed according to the [exegetically-based]
 functional-pragmatic equivalence framework proposed by Searle (1969, 1975); Baker (1992, 2011); Gutt (1998, 2000). Further, the translated data were assessed according
 to House's (1997, 2001, 2015) model of translation quality assessment. The findings
 of the analysis revealed that the translators examined have followed three translation
 trends: Firstly, they are often "woodenly" literal to the extent of distorting the original
 or produce meanings not intended at all. Secondly, they have rendered the source text
 into English counterparts that imply negative connotations via dysphemizing the
 original that is highly euphemized. Thirdly, they try to render not only the textual but
 also the contextual meaning by resorting to exegetical interpretation. However, the
 present study concludes that the difficulty of accommodating the functional
 equivalence of the Qur'anic concepts in English can be overcome when the translator
 does his/her best in looking for the areas of common interest and experience in both
 the source culture and target culture.


Addition of surfactants to liquids helps to eliminate intermittent two-phase flow patterns and alleviate flow instability. These features are very desirable for two-phase microfluidic applications. However, very little information is available on two-phase flow patterns of surfactant solution in the microchannels. The present paper reports a study of adiabatic two-phase flow with surfactants in a circular microchannel of a 180-μm diameter. Air-water mixtures with trace quantities of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were used in the experiments. The maximum superficial velocities measured were 4 m/s for the liquid and 65 m/s for the gas. High-speed photographic technique was employed to visualize various two-phase flow patterns and to identify the transition boundaries between different flow regimes. The results were compared to data obtained from air-water flow without surfactants. It was found that addition of surfactants brings in significant modification to the two-phase flow regimes as well as their transition characteristics in microchannels; in particular, slug flow is effectively suppressed.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


Cardiovascular diseases are the disorder of artery carrying blood into heart muscle and characterized by thickening, stiffening and constriction of the artery. In spite of cardiovascular disease cases have been known since along time ago, the main factor, mechanism, pathogenesis and indicator of the early existence of these diseases are still unknown. Transforming growth factor β-1 (TGF β-1) is a growth factor produced by various cell types which are presumed to be involved in cardiovascular diseases. This research was done to find out the role of TGF β-1 in cardiovascular diseases. Twenty female Sprague Dawley rats, 150 grams of body weight were used in this research. Rats were adapted for seven days, and then divided randomly into two Groups, 10 rats for each. Group I was fed in standard diet containing 5% of saturated fat, while Group II was fed in high fat diet containing 30% of saturated fat. Rats were maintained for two months, corresponding to each diet treatment of both groups and water ad libitum. After two months of the diet, blood was collected from orbital vein and stored into uncoagulated tube for triglyceride measurement. Rats were then killed, neropsied and their heart tissues were collected into tubes containing 10% formaldehyde for histopathologic analysis and immunohistochemistry to see the expression of TGF β-1. The result of blood analysis showed that the average of triglyceride concentration of Group I was 126 mg/dl and 228.1 mg/dl of Group II. After statistically analyzed using student t-test, it showed that there was a significant difference between Group I and II (P<0,05). Eventhough histopathologic analysis of heart tissue did not show any alteration, the TGF β-1 was expressed in all heart tissue of Group II . Based on the results above, it can be concluded that TGF β-1 is involved in the incidence of cardiovascular disease and it is possible to use TGF β-1 as a diagnosticmarker of cardiovascular disease. Keywords : heart, cardiovascular disease, orbital vein, high fat diet, TGF β-1


Recently, Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) synthetic diamonds have been introduced to the jewelry gem market, as CVD technology has been making considerable advances. Unfortunately, CVD diamonds are not distinguishable from natural diamonds when using the conventional gemological characterization method. Therefore, we need to develop a new identification method that is non-destructive, fast, and inexpensive. In our study, we employed optical microscopy and spectroscopy techniques, including Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR), UV-VIS-NIR, photoluminescence (PL), micro Raman, and cathodoluminescent (CL) spectroscopy, to determine the differences between a natural diamond (0.30 cts) and a CVD diamond (0.43 cts). The identification of a CVD diamond was difficult when using standard gemological techniques, UV-VIS-NIR, or micro-Raman spectroscopy. However, a CVD diamond could be identified using a FT-IR by the Type II peaks. In addition, we identified a CVD diamond conclusively with the uneven UV fluorescent local bands, additional satellite PL peaks, longer phosphorescence life time, and uneven streaks in the CL images. Our results suggest that using FT-IR combined with UV fluorescent images, PL, and CL analysis might be an appropriate method for identifying CVD diamonds.


In this article we present the growth of hexagonal phase MgZnO on nonconventional substrates such as quartz and on sapphire for comparison of the device property. We are reporting the realization of MgZnO-based UV detector on quartz by the pulsed laser deposition technique. MgZnO films are characterized by x-ray diffraction, UV-visible spectroscopy, and Rutherford backscattering-channeling techniques. The morphology of the films is studied by atomic force microscopy. The metal-semiconductor-metal device was fabricated on the MgZnO film to study the device photoresponse under proper UV irradiation.


OBJECTIVE
To screen the optimized methods for detection seed viability and germination rate determination of Atractylodes macrocephala, and determine the relationship between seed viability and germination rate.

METHOD
There were four methods, which including 2,3,5-triphynel tetrazolilum chloride (TTC) staining, red ink staining, BTB staining and Nongjia method, to evaluate the 12 A. macrocephala local varieties'seed viability and measure their germination rate.

RESULT
Seed viability of A. macrocephala using TTC staining ranked the first compared to that of other three methods. Seed viability was significantly related with germination rate using TTC method. Their correlation coefficient reached 0.915 and regression equation was also found out between seed viability (X) and germination rate (Y), which was Y = -0.083 4 + 0.995 4X.

CONCLUSION
TTC staining was the optimal method to determine A. macrocephala seed vitality. Furthermore, seed viability was significant related with germination rate of A. macrocephala.


A composite Web service designed based on abstract Web services, which define only interfaces, allows an application developer to select services required for his application only by setting endpoints for the atomic Web services. In open environment, however, the composite Web service configured in this manner may fail due to unique behaviors of the selected services. It is difficult for the designer of the composite Web service to prevent the failure because he does not know which services are selected and how they behave. On the other hand, the application developer is not authorized to modify the composite Web service due to the need to protect intellectual rights. Our solution is Service Supervision, which monitors and controls execution of composite Web services. Service Supervision makes the followings possible. 1) An application developer can control the behavior of a composite Web service by changing the execution state, even if the he is not authorized to modify the composite Web services. 2) A control pattern for coordinating Web services can be applied to various composite Web services in order to reduce the load imposed by designing control processes. In order to realize Service Supervision, we introduce meta-level control of a composite Web service. Moreover we then use the choreography to define the interaction protocols for the controls. The proposed framework is based on existing standard languages, WS-BPEL and WS-CDL. Therefore we can exploit existing tools and expertise of SOA engineers.


The production technique, development situation and new progress of organic tin heat stabilizers were summarized. The synthetic technique, functional modification and formulation research of Zn-Ca composite heat stabilizers were introduced in detail. Finally, the development trend of environment-benign heat stabilizers for industrial PVC in China and some suggestions were also put forward.


To quantify differences in nerve fiber layer thickness measurements by various spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography (SD‐OCT) systems, we developed a phantom eye model. We tested twelve SD‐OCT systems of four manufacturers. All systems combined overestimated the 49 µm thick phantom RNFL thickness on average by 18 µm. Within brands, thickness measurements differed statistically significant for one Topcon, one RTVue and one Cirrus. Between brands, thickness determined with RTVue and Topcon differed statistically significant from Cirrus and Spectralis. The maximum difference between mean thicknesses is 3.6 µm within brands and 7.7 µm between brands. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


This paper explains how the electrical impulse response of a VSI fed induction motor can be extracted online from normal working data if the normal PWM signals are slightly modified to introduce a small pseudorandom binary sequence (PRBS), from time to time when measurements are required. It also explains how generic templates can be fitted to the measured impulse responses to obtain adaptive estimates of certain electrical motor parameters. A case study presents simulated and measured results of online rotor speed and stator resistance estimations based on the impulse response method. A novel technique of direct parameter extraction based on certain key points on the impulse response curve is developed to rapidly, yet accurately predict online rotor speed and stator resistance, (under various loads from standstill to full speed), which can be used for sensorless thermal condition monitoring and protection. The paper also discusses possible implementations for line operated machines equipped with standard soft-starter hardware.


Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common cause of death in RA as in the general population. According to most epidemiological reports, death due to CVD is more frequent in RA than in the general population with standardised mortality ratios (SMR:s) ranging from 1.3–2.4. Several of the studies are community based. The largest increase, SMR 3.64, was reported in women aged 15–49. Some studies have reported increased death due to ischaemic heart disease (IHD) while reports on cerebrovascular disease are contradictory. In 606 patients with RA followed-up after 16 years we found an SMR for CVD of 1.57 and for IHD 1.54. Cardiovascular morbidity in RA is less investigated. However, current epidemiological data implicate increased prevalence of cardiovascular (CV) events and increased IHD morbidity in RA. These findings are supported by physiological studies. In 39 RA patients with medium-term disease, we found indications of increased atherosclerosis as measured by intima media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery, presence of plaques and aortic cusp sclerosis compared to controls. Established cardiovascular risk factors do not contribute prominently to CVD in RA. Recent studies have reported increased prevalence of hypertension and higher blood pressure in RA compared to controls. Hypertension could also predict CV events and death. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus, however, appears to be similar to the general population. Smoking has been reported to predict RA per se, but reports on the prevalence of smoking in RA are contradictory. Several studies have reported decreased lipid levels in active RA with quantities inversely related to the acute phase reaction. Lipoprotein (a), was however increased and in patients with high levels related to inflammatory variables. Concerning the use of corticosteroids, epidemiological reports have failed to identify their use as a risk factor for CVD in RA. In a retrospective cohort study on 211 patients with early RA, followed-up after 19–21 years, we found the inflammatory activity at disease onset (ESR, haptoglobin), and during disease progression, to predict cardiovascular event. In contrast to a report on increased risk of death due to CVD following the use of methotrexate, we found DMARDs, and specifically antimalarials, to be protective. Vasculitis, overt or subclinical, has been suggested to be one cause of CVD in RA and in a recent report RA per se actually was shown to predict IHD independently. A population based study showing that the number of swollen joints could predict death from CVD further implicated a harmful impact of the inflammatory activity on the vascular system. The etiopathogenetic basis for this harmful effect still has to be elucidated. References Myllykangas-Luosujärvi R, et al. Mortality in rheumatoid arthritis. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 1995;25:193–202 Wållberg-Jonsson S. On inflammation and cardiovascular disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Thesis 1996. Umeå University, Sweden Gabriel S, et al. Heart disease in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Arthritis Rheum. 1998;41:S132 Banks M, et al. Rheumatoid arthritis is an independent risk factor for ischemic heart disease. Arthritis Rheum. 2000;43:S385 Wållberg-Jonsson S, et al. Extent of inflammation predicts cardiovascular disease and overall mortality in seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. A prospective cohort study from disease onset. J Rheumatol. 1999;26:2562–71 Turesson C, et al. Extra-articular rheumatoid arthritis: prevalence and mortality. Rheumatology 1999;38:668–74 Jacobsson L, et al. Joint swelling as a predictor of death from cardiovascular disease in a population study of Pima indians. Arthritis Rheum 2001;44:In press


In this paper, we analyze and discuss the time optimal control problem for bridge cranes. Specifically, we employ the geometric approach introduced in [12] to address the control issue without computing the analytic trajectory of the costate. As a second contribution, we show that an alternative approach based on a proportional controller accounting for the limits of the control action can be tuned to resemble to the time-optimal solution, but with simpler and more robust implementation. The above ideas are validated by means of some simulation examples.


This research examined determinants of activity-based costing application in the hospitality industry in Yenagoa, Nigeria. Data was obtained via a well-structured questionnaire administered to one hundred and sixty-five (165) respondents in the fifty (50) hotels sampled from the population. The data collected through the questionnaire research instrument were analysed using relevant descriptive statistics and further subjected to econometric tests, such as unit root, granger causality, diagnostic, and ordinary least square. The results suggested a positive relationship between the variables identified and the rate of adoption of ABC in the hospitality industry in Yenagoa. On the basis of the findings, the paper concludes that for ABC adoption to be successful in the hospitality industry, owners and operators should invest on capacity building for employees, acquisition of necessary software and hardware, commitment from all levels of staff.


The filter-feeding house secreted by urochordate Appendicularians is among the most complex extracellular structures constructed by any organism. This structure allows the Appendicularia to exploit a wide range of food particle sizes, including nanoplankton and submicrometer colloids, establishing them as an important and abundant component of marine zooplankton communities throughout the world. The oikoplastic epithelium, a monolayer of cells covering the trunk of the animal, is responsible for secretion of the house. The epithelium has a fixed number of cells, organized in distinct fields, characterized by defined cell shapes and nuclear morphologies. Certain structures in the house appear to be spatially linked to these different fields of cells. Using cDNA representation difference analysis (cDNA RDA) on whole animals at two different developmental stages separated by the metamorphic tailshift event, we isolated four families of genes (oikosins) that are expressed only from specific subregions of the oikoplastic epithelium. The molecular patterns defined by oikosin gene expression establish the epithelium as an ideal and easily accessible monolayer cellular template for exploring coordinate regulation of gene expression, cell-cell interactions involved in pattern formation, gene/genome amplification, and the role of temporal changes in nuclear architecture in regulating gene expression.


A retrospective review of patients with intracranial neoplasms was performed to identify characteristics of patients with comorbid depression and/or anxiety. This study suggests that depression and anxiety are common comorbidities and that preexisting psychiatric disorders predispose to their occurrence within the neuro-oncology setting.


A strong organizational culture is a force that can unite goals, create motivation, commitment, loyalty, and performance of all school residents, and provide the necessary structure and control without relying on formal bureaucracy. Organizational culture is expected to improve school quality, performance, as well as foster a healthy, dynamic or active, positive, and professional life. The goal of this study was to find out the strategies to build organizational culture to improve teacher performance in this pandemic period. This research was conducted using qualitative descriptive research methods. The data sources used in this study are primary and secondary data with systematic literature review techniques carried out in three stages, namely planning, implementation, and reporting of the results of literature reviews. The results obtained in this study are expected to provide an overview of how efforts in obtaining cultural strategies are limited to performance during pandemics.
Keywords: organizational culture, teacher performance, COVID pandemic


ABSTRACT Short- and long-term persistence of pathogenic (i.e., tumor forming) agrobacteria in soil was investigated in six nursery plots with a history of high crown gall incidence. No pathogenic Agrobacterium strains were isolated in soil samples taken in fall and winter in any plots, but such strains were isolated from both bulk soils and weed rhizospheres (over 0.5 × 105 pathogenic CFU/g of bulk soil or rhizosphere) in three out of six plots in spring and summer. PCR amplifications of a vir sequence from DNA extracted from soil confirmed the presence of Ti plasmids in summer and their absence in fall and winter. The results indicate that strains that harbor a Ti plasmid had an unforeseen positive fitness versus Ti plasmid-free strains in soil and rhizosphere in spring and summer in spite of the apparent absence of tumor, and hence of opines. The gain of fitness occurred during a bloom of all cultivable agrobacteria observed only in conducive soils. An evolution of the pathogenic population was recorded during a 4-year period in one particularly conducive soil. In 1990, the pathogenic population in this soil consisted of only biovar 1 strains harboring both octopine- and nopaline-type Ti plasmids. In 1994, it consisted of only nopaline-type Ti plasmids equally distributed among biovar 1 and 2 strains. These results suggest that nopaline-type Ti plasmids conferred a better survival ability than octopine-type Ti plasmids to biovar 2 agrobacteria under the present field conditions.


Evidence-based practice (EBP) has been documented as a method to improve the quality of patient care; it is also considered one of the requirements for any hospital that seeks excellence in healthcare. However, the implementation of EBP can be both challenging and complex if it is not well planned and executed. This study intended to determine the attitude to and the level of confidence in implementing EBP in a United Arab Emirates hospital, to explore the factors that affect the implementation of EBP, and to implement measures to support the implementation of EBP. The article discusses the measures used to support EBP implementation, using the approach of action research. The challenges to and the possibilities for sustainability are described. An action research methodology was utilised by using the repeated cycles of planning, intervention, reflection and modification to establish the implementation of EBP. The researchers gathered data from a survey, using a questionnaire and focus group interviews. Three cycles of systems and practice modifications were used to support the establishment of EBP. Data were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively, using SPSS and directed content analysis. The first cycle revealed low knowledge and self-confidence in EBP processes. The second cycle highlighted the factors required to make EBP a success, and the third cycle identified enhancing staff confidence and continuous leadership support as the main themes to improve EBP implementation.


: Cold-acclimated rats with an increased resistance against intensive cold, differ from ordinary animals by increased beta 1- and decreased alpha 2-adrenoreactivity in ordinary conditions; their beta 1-adrenoreactive systems preserve sensitivity at intensive cold exposure (up to hypothermia below 25 degrees C), whereas the sensitivity of their alpha 2-adrenoreactive systems declines more rapidly (up to a moderate hypothermia--33-34 degrees C). The data obtained suggest the described shifts to be important for essential increase in general resistance against acute intensive cold exposure in rats.


An approach to predict mechanical properties of hot-rolled multi-phase steels referring to the stress-strain curves is proposed. Different from a conventional approach of regression analysis about the relationships between properties and chemical compositions and processing factors, a proposed one is based on the analysis and application of stress-strain curve: several commonly used mechanical properties such as yield strength, tensile strength, uniform elongation, total elongation, work-hardening exponent (n) and Vickers hardness, are derived systematically from the stress-strain curve of a multi-phase steel, which is calculated by using concentration factor, i.e., strain partition ratio and stress-strain curves of constituent phases. Stress-strain curves of individual component structures such as ferrite, pearlite, bainite, and martensite are expressed by Swift's equation. Physical background of the concentration factor is discussed by examining theoretical models of deformation for two-phase materials. Evaluation of plastic relaxation related to microstructural topology might be the most difficult point of this approach and some trials are presented.


[Objective] To understand the tableware disinfection effect in catering trade in Huantai county.[Methods] The quickly detection paper of wet large intestine bacteria colony produced by Weifang Kang hua Biological technology Limited company was used to examine the health of catering trade and the collective cafeteria dining.[Results] The qualified rate was 56.01% in 2007 and 77.08% in 2008(P﹤0.01).The big restaurants were 90.00%,and the middle as well as small restaurants were 70.57% and 46.01%(P﹤0.01),respectively.The qualified rate of tableware with steam disinfection was 93.03%.Chemi-cal medicine disinfection was 59.58% and electronic disinfector was 75.94%(P﹤0.01).Keeping in clean cabinet was 73.39% and putting on the table was 51.00%.It was 75.79% in urban and 52.99% in countryside(P﹤0.01).[Conclusion] The quali-fied rate of tableware was not high in Huantai County.We should reinforce supervision for catering trade and take integrate mea-sure to improve quality of tableware disinfection.


A protocol for shortcut-based QoS provisioning, named QRISP (QoS-oriented receiver-initiated shortcut path), is explained. It enables setting-up a QoS guaranteed path in IPOA/ATM heterogeneous environment with a single shot of signalling. QRISP extends previous work of RISP so that a short-cut path is established in LAN-WAN-LAN interworking environment without additional negotiation and extension of IP routers. Related service provisioning and management issues are discussed.


There is presently an intense interest among third-party payers of health care, law-makers, and the public in the capital expenditures of health care facilities.1 This interest has been engendered by the large increases in hospital and health care costs registered during the post Medicare period, and by the prevailing convic? tion among health care researchers that excess capacity has contributed to this cost spiral. In? vestment in plant and equipment by health care facilities increases operating costs both through higher interest and depreciation expenses and the associated operating expenses. The addi? tion of a wing to a hospital will necessitate the employment of more nurses, maintenance per? sonnel, and housekeepers, and the acquisition of new equipment. New equipment will increase operating costs by the amount of the deprecia? tion expense plus the cost of training and em? ploying personnel to operate and repair it. The Hill-Burton program, passed in 1946, provided Federal funds for the construction of health care facilities that received the approval of a state planning agency. The 1966 Amend? ments to the Public Health Act created state


Ischemic heart disease is the single most common cause of death worldwide with an annual death rate of over 9 million people. Genome-wide association studies have uncovered over 200 genetic loci underlying the disease, providing a deeper understanding of the causal mechanisms leading to it. However, in order to understand ischemic heart disease at the cellular and molecular level, it is necessary to identify the cell-type-specific circuits enabling dissection of driver variants, genes, and signaling pathways in normal and diseased tissues. Here, we provide the first detailed single-cell dissection of the cell types and disease-associated gene expression changes in the living human heart, using cardiac biopsies collected during open-heart surgery from control, ischemic heart disease, and ischemic and non-ischemic heart failure patients. We identify 84 cell types/states, grouped in 12 major cell types. We define markers for each cell type, providing the first extensive reference set for the live human heart. These major cell types include cardiovascular cells (cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, fibroblasts), rarer cell types (B lymphocytes, neurons, Schwann cells), and rich populations of previously understudied layer-specific epicardial and endocardial cells. In addition, we reveal substantial differences in disease-associated gene expression at the cell subtype level, revealing t arterial pericytes as having a central role in the pathogenesis of ischemic heart disease and heart failure. Our results demonstrate the importance of high-resolution cellular subtype mapping in gaining mechanistic insight into human cardiovascular disease.


When it comes to definitions of ethics, and business ethics in particular, we have relied in this paper on a quick survey of the literature. We also referred to other writings to explain how interest-based lending escaped religions morality in the west. After providing an Islamic perspective of ethics and business ethics, the article directs itself to the moral responsibilities of system participants. Naturally there is a great deal of soul searching to do and there are tough questions that must be answered by everyone. In this regard, more questions than answers are provided. As a result, the Islamic finance system is found to have deviated from its own ethics and must put some efforts in their regaining. In order to gain the ethics of Islamic finance, the article proposes some modifications in the current system, with a special attention on the process of certification of members of Shari'ah boards before their appointment. In addition, a new system of human resource development is proposed, based on comprehensive treatment of shortages in both knowledge and skills. Rating agencies are called upon to introduce the Shari'ah aspects in their rating systems and specific elements have been proposed in this regard.


The need for an objective assessment of voice quality can be seen in the increasing use of acoustic analysis methods for clinical diagnosis and research. The hoarseness diagram allows clinicians to objectively describe even highly disturbed or aphonic votes. Its application possibilities are illustrated in three case studies in which changes in voice quality were monitored during voice rehabilitation. The distributions of voice groups that were defined on the basis of specific pathophysiological phonation conditions were then compared for their acoustic differences. The groups comprised various phonation conditions after the resection of laryngeal tumors and different types of laryngeal paralyses. Interpretation of the results suggests a direct correspondence of the hoarseness diagram coordinates and the irregularity of vibration on the one side and the degree of glottal closure on the other. This illustrates the potential usefulness of the hoarseness diagram in a clinical context.


Background and Objectives:We sought to characterize the lesion characteristics of mitral valve prolapse (MVP), which is being increasingly recognized as a cause of mitral regurgitation (MR) in Koreans Subjects and Methods:497 Patients with MVP that was diagnosed by echocardiography in 13 university-affiliated hospitals from Jan to Dec 2003 were prospectively enrolled in our study. Results:A total of 497 patients (270 males, 54%) were enrolled and their mean age was 52±17 years. Grade 4 MR was present in 272 patients (54.7%); grade 3, 2 and 1 MR as present in 30.2%, 10.7% and 4.2%, respectively. MVP of the anterior and posterior mitral leaflet was present in 170 patients (34.2%) and 223 patients (44.9%), respectively; MVP developed in both leaflets in 104 patients (20.9%). In 37 patients (7.4%), MVP developed in all 6 segments of the mitral leaflet and these patients were younger (37±14 versus 54±16 years, respectively, p<0.05) and had a lower prevalence of chordae rupture and severe MR compared to the other patients. Among the 266 mitral segments showing prolapse in the 132 patients (26.6%) who underwent transesophageal echocardiography, the posterior medial scallop was the most frequently diseased one (26%), and this was followed by the posterior middle scallop (18%), the medial (17%), lateral (14%) and middle (13%) part of the anterior leaflet, and the posterior lateral scallop (12%). Younger patients with a mean age <45 years showed a lower prevalence of single segment prolapse, hypertension, severe MR and chordae rupture compared to the older patients (p<0.001, each). Conclusion:The medial part of both mitral leaflets was the predilection site for the development of MVP in Koreans and the lesion characteristics were different according to the patients' age. (Korean Circulation J 2005;35:904-909)


A deterministic and stochastic Petri net (DSPN) model for an automated manufacturing system in which tools are subject to wear and maintenance is presented. The DSPN takes into account the degradable performance of tools due to wear and the deterministic service times of parts. The service requirements of parts at tools dependent on their wear are represented in the DSPN by deterministic transitions with marking-dependent firing delays. The DSPN is employed for an integrated performance/dependability evaluation of the considered automated manufacturing system.<<ETX>>


Teaching and learning as a process and concept is often researched through the viewpoint of graduate students as future educators in their respective fields. The aim of this study was to explore graduate students' conceptions, experiences, and advice about teaching and learning as they embark on their journey as educators. Through purposive sampling, data were collected from students in the final year of their master's program in education at a large university in Saudi Arabia. A qualitative content analysis of students' written responses revealed three main themes: 1) definitions of teaching and learning were either teacher-led (predominant) or student-focused; 2) practical activities and assignments framed students' memorable experiences; and, 3) updated, diverse methodologies including practical applications formed the main advice for educators. Student conceptions of teaching and learning, while predominantly teacher-led, illustrated elements of student-centered learning.  An underlying trend throughout the data was an awareness and description of the ongoing transition from teacher-centered/led to student-centered classrooms in their higher education experiences. Implications of this study include reflection on teaching and student-centered learning as a concept and process in graduate-level education programs and faculty academic development and reconsideration of the traditional faculty-student relationship to a more cooperative and involved one, particularly at the graduate level.

Received: 23 June 2021 / Accepted: 4 August 2021 / Published: 5 September 2021


As a type of highly plastic innate immune cells, macrophages may be differentiated into M1 and M2 macrophages upon different stimuli, and M2 macrophages are involved in immune regulation, tissue remodeling and regeneration, and wound healing. Previous epidemiological studies have shown a significant negative correlation between the prevalence of helminth infections and the incidence of inflammatory diseases, such as allergy and autoimmune diseases. As a common type of intestinal helminths, hookworm infection may trigger high levels of type II host immune responses, with alternative activation of macrophages, which are effective to inhibit the development and progression of inflammatory diseases. This review summarizes the advances in alternative activation of macrophages in hookworm therapy for inflammatory diseases.


In the social context of an aging workforce in automobile final assembly processes, modular assembly systems have become a dominant trend to reduce the workers' physical workload. Although a modular assembly system provides various benefits, modularized components are heavier and larger than their preassembled parts. As a result, tasks of installing modular components have become increasingly more difficult and laborious for the workers. Though automated assembly processes have been introduced in some cases, systems with such processes are ineffective because they are not flexible enough to allow manufacturer to respond to rapidly changing demands. In an effort to solve the problem, we have developed a new type of human assisting device not only to meet workers' requirement for reducing their physical workload but also to retain production flexibility.


Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has proven to be a promiscuous virus, capable of infecting a variety of different animal species, but much work remains in determining the susceptibility of common wildlife species to the virus. Here, we demonstrate that following experimental inoculation with SARS-CoV-2, red fox (Vulpes vulpes) become infected and can shed virus in oral and respiratory secretions. Conversely, experimentally challenged coyotes (Canis latrans) did not become infected or shed virus. Our results add red fox to the animal species known to be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 and suggest that they may contribute to continued maintenance and transmission of the virus. Article Summary Line Experimental infection of red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and coyotes (Canis latrans) with SARS-CoV-2 revealed that red fox are susceptible to infection and can shed virus, while coyotes do not become infected.


The intent of this paper is to introduce a modified design of printed slot antenna used for ultra wide band (UWB) applications ranging for 9.1 to10.6 Ghz. Antenna element was feed by coplanar waveguide (CPW) for the suitable interfacing with monolithic microwave integrated circuits. Here it has been presented by simulation results that the antenna can cover wide bandwidth with suitable return loss.


Phosphate emission into surface waters can be reduced by treating sewage in wastewater treatment plants which are run alternately anaerobic and aerobic. Under these conditions, sludge in wastewater treatment plants becomes enriched with polyphosphate accumulating bacteria. Phosphate is released by the sludge under anaerobic conditions. During aerobiosis, this amount of phosphate is taken up by the sludge together with phosphate from the influent, resulting in very low phosphorus concentrations in the effluent of wastewater treatment plants. The aim of the research presented in this thesis was to obtain more knowledge about the complex bacterial interactions within the activated sludge process removing biologically phosphate. A simple system was developed, in which biological phosphate removal could be studied under well defined conditions. The so- called fill and draw system consists of a one reactor vessel in which sludge is fed intermittently with a chemically defined medium containing acetate and glucose as carbon sources. The sludge was subjected to cycles with an anaerobic period, an aerobic period and a period allowing the sludge to settle. The resulting sludges were extremely enriched with polyphosphate accumulating bacteria. The phosphorus content reached up to 110 mg P/g dry weight. The amount of polyphosphate in the cells during steady state depended on the acetate:glucose ratio, the nitrate, and phosphate concentration in the medium. Highest phosphate accumulation was obtained with an acetate:glucose ratio of 9:1. Intracellular polyphosphate was formed during the aerobic period and was anaerobically hydrolysed and released as phosphate into the medium. In the absence of oxygen and in the presence of 2 g acetate-COD/l, 80-90% of phosphate was released by sludge containing 100 mg P/g dry weight. In the absence of acetate only 2-19% of the accumulated phosphate was excreted. The amount of precipitated metal phosphates and the acid soluble polyphosphate concentration were measured in several sludges and pure cultures of Acinetobacter strains. The percentage metal phosphates of the total phosphorus content of the sludges varied between negligible and about 80%. Sludges from fill and draw systems with over 100 mg P/g dry weight, were almost completely devoid of these precipitates. The same was true for polyphosphate- accumulating cultures of Acinetobacter. Besides high molecular weight polyphosphate, the sludges contained also low polymeric polyphosphates (LPP), ranging from 0 to 50% of the total phosphate content. The LPP fraction in polyphosphate accumulating cultures of Acinetobacter strains was between 3 and 23% of their total phosphorus content. Sludges developed in the fill and draw systems could release in the presence of acetate more than 50% of the accumulated phosphate within 60 min. About 66% of this phosphate originated from LPP. Pure cultures of Acinetobacter strains released in the same time less than 1 mg P/g dry weight. The initial rate of phosphate release by sludge of a wastewater treatment plant designed to remove biologically phosphate (Renpho sludge) in the presence of acetate was reduced by addition of nitrate. In the presence of 16 mM acetate, maximum inhibition of 40 to 50% occurred at a nitrate concentration of 3.6 mM. Increasing the amount of acetate 10 times above the theoretical amount needed for complete denitrification, did not overcome the effect of nitrate. After depletion of nitrate, the phosphate release rate recovered slightly. In the presence of KCN and azide, inhibitors of denitrification, nitrate did not inhibit phosphate release. After completion of phosphate release and with sufficient acetate present, phosphate was taken up after addition of 3.6 mM nitrate. This phosphate uptake was too small to explain the reduction of the initial phosphate release rate, when nitrate was added at the start of the experiments. The formation of precipitated phosphates by an increase of the pH in the medium as a result of denitrification could only partly explain the reduction of the initial phosphate release rate. Nitrous oxide added at a concentration of 3.6 mm in the liquid phase had no negative effect on the phosphate release. Nitrite showed about the same effect as nitrate. Nitric oxide at a constant partial pressure inhibited phosphate release by 50% at a concentration of 30 μM. The inhibitory effect of nitric oxide on the phosphate release was slightly reduced by addition of 5 mM KCN. Nitric oxide production by sludges removing biologically phosphate was dependent on the sludge type, the nitric oxide precursor, the carbon source and the pH. At pH 7.5, rates of nitric oxide production by Renpho sludge were 390 μmol/g sludge dry weight . h upon incubation with acetate plus nitrite, 16 μmol/g dry weight . h with acetate plus nitrate and 25 μmol/g dry weight . h with glucose plus nitrate. The highest rate of nitric oxide production upon incubation with acetate plus nitrite was 550 μmol/g dry weight . h at pH 8. At pH 7.5, rates of nitric oxide production by sludge from the fill and draw systems were 100-160 μmol/g dry weight . h upon incubation with acetate plus nitrite, 6-7 μmol/g dry weight . h, with acetate plus nitrate and 13-16 μmol/g dry weight . h with glucose plus nitrate. Pasteurized sludge produced nitric oxide only upon incubation with nitrite (12 μmol/g dry weight . h). The results show that nitric oxide is formed by biological processes in sludges from wastewater treatment plants removing biologically phosphate and that in the systems tested nitric oxide is responsible for the reduced phosphate release under denitrifying conditions.


The process of thermocline evolution under the action of turbulent stream in the upper layer is investigated in laboratory experiment in thermally stratified tank, the initial temperature profile with pronounced thermocline being similar to that observed in tropic seas. The mean velocity and turbulent energy spatial distributions have been shaped to model the hydrological conditions in strong oceanic currents or wind-induced drag currents. The experiment demonstrates the gradual deepening and transformation of thermocline in a case where no global instability took place (i.e., with Richardson numbers always exceeding 0.3-0.4). The process of thermocline evolution resulted also in recurring "bursts" of microstructure. A numerical experiment based on equations of semi-empirical theory of turbulence shows quantitative agreement with experimental data. Moreover, simple analytical solutions and numerical results show that a layer with marginal stability is formed with Richardson numbers being very close to the stability threshold, so that quite small disturbances in thermocline can result in appearance of internal waves and bursts of turbulence.


Background In the early stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), adherence to the prescribed drug treatment is important to prevent irreversible joint damage. However, medication adherence rates in RA patients can be improved. To explain the suboptimal adherence in RA patients, factors that influence adherence behavior should be elucidated. These factors were last reviewed in 1982. Since then, treatment strategies for RA have changed, which means that nowadays different factors might play a role. Objectives To review adherence rates reported in the literature, to identify factors that are associated with adherence, to review the strength of the association between these factors and adherence and to cluster the identified factors according to the Health Belief Model (HBM) (1). Methods PubMed, PsycINFO, EMbase and CINAHL databases were systematically searched for relevant articles published up to February 2011. Articles were included if they addressed medication adherence, described factors related to adherence, used a reproducible definition or validated instrument to measure adherence and provided a statistical measure to reflect the strength of the association between adherence and factors. Their methodological quality was assessed using a quality assessment list for observational studies derived from recommendations from Sanderson, Tatt and Higgins (2). Results Of the 1479 studies that were found, only 18 were eligible. Adherence rates ranged between 49.5% and 98.5%. 71 factors were identified and grouped into 7 categories: disease features, medication features, health system factors, knowledge about the disease, knowledge and satisfaction about medication, interpersonal factors and intrapersonal factors. These categories were assigned to the HBM (figure 1.). Most factors had been evaluated by multiple studies, but these had yielded conflicting results on associations between factors and adherence. The only 2 factors that had a consistent influence on adherence behaviour were the relationship between patient and healthcare provider and the belief that it is necessary to take the medication. Conclusions The 2 factors that are consistently associated with adherence are the relationship between patient and healthcare provider and the belief that it is necessary to take the medication. However, other factors have either a conflicting or no relationship with adherence. Since research on factors influencing adherence in RA patients has mostly focussed on demographic features and disease futures, future studies should use a theoretical framework to explore the role of interpersonal factors and other relevant determinants of adherence. In addition, the adherence rates reported varied greatly and were difficult to compare. Future studies should therefore adopt a standard for measuring adherence in RA patients, as this would make it easier to compare and interpret results. References Rosenstock IM, Strecher VJ, Becker MH. Social learning theory and the Health Belief Model. Health Education Quarterly. 1988;15(2):175-83. Sanderson S, Tatt ID, Higgins JPT. Tools for assessing quality and susceptibility to bias in observational studies in epidemiology: a systematic review and annotated bibliograph. International Journal of Epidemiology. 2007;36(3):666-76. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


We present a case of a 51-year-old woman referred to our department for unspecific abdominal pain. Two hypoechoic focal lesions in the retroperitoneal space and one hypoechoic mass superficially located in the mesogastrium were found at ultrasound (US) examination. All three masses were characterized as malignant by using contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), due to the rapid hyperenhancement pattern followed by rapid wash-out. Laparoscopic biopsies revealed the final positive diagnosis of Burkitt lymphoma and hematologic treatment was immediately initiated.


BACKGROUND
Early childhood development is influenced by family socioeconomic status in such a way that socioeconomic deprivation might be accompanied with adverse outcomes in early development of a child. This study aimed to assess early childhood development based on average and also based on the distribution of socioeconomic inequality in Iran and its provinces.

METHODS
Using data from provincially representative Multiple Indicator Demographic and Health Survey (2010), we developed a suitable latent class approach to construct a proxy of socioeconomic status. A composite index of early childhood development was used. We assessed inequality in early childhood development using the concentration index method.

RESULTS
At province level (n = 30), the highest and lowest averages of early childhood development were 13.60 (SD = 2.99) and 5.81 (SD = 3.29), respectively. Concentration indices indicated pro-rich inequality in early childhood development at national and provincial level. The concentration index of early childhood development was 0.087 (95% CI = 0.085-0.0098) in Iran. Moreover, the consistent positive values of the concentration indices revealed that early childhood development inequality favored best-off children in all provinces. However, early childhood development was disproportionally distributed among provinces and rated 0.016 to 0.149.

CONCLUSIONS
Iranian children in more prosperous households reported higher early childhood development compared with those in poor households at national and provincial level. It is vital to consider inequality in addition to average level of childhood development across Iranian provinces to reach a more comprehensive understanding of childhood development for public policy action in the country.


An HPLC-APCI-MS(/MS) method for the (trace) analysis of the most commonly encountered peroxide explosives, hexamethylenetriperoxidediamine (HMTD) and triacetonetriperoxide (TATP), has been developed. With this method, HMTD and TATP have been analyzed in the same run. (Pseudo-)molecular ions of these peroxides have been obtained as base peak under the same condition. A series of product ions was produced from these pseudo-molecular ions ([HMTD - 1]+ and [TATP + NH4]+) in the MS/MS analysis. We also pioneered in showing that a TATP molecular ion [TATP + H]+ can be observed with HPLC-MS/MS. The limit of detection for HMTD and TATP was 0.26 and 3.3 ng, respectively, on column by HPLC-MS in the Full Scan mode and 0.08 and 0.8, respectively, by HPLC-APCI-MS/MS in Selected Reaction Monitoring (single mass unit) mode. The method presented has been applied successfully for the identification of peroxides in the bulk solid state (powder sample), as well as in post-blast extracts originating from a forensic case. For the post-blast extracts, the use of tandem MS has been shown clearly to be of crucial importance for the identification and detection of the peroxide explosives.


The soil temperature regimes of 15 locations in south-eastern Australia were categorized by using criteria adopted by the US. Soil Taxonomy. On the basis of mean annual and seasonal soil temperatures from depths of 50-61 cm, all sites but one were classed as thermic, having mean annual soil temperatures between 15° and 22°C and seasonal differences of more than 5°C. Mean annual and seasonal soil temperatures were significantly correlated with the corresponding mean air temperatures. Estimates of soil temperature regimes at other similar locations in the region may therefore be made, provided the appropriate air temperature data are available. It appears that the thermic category will not apply to certain areas of southern Victoria or to the high altitude areas of the Great Dividing Range, that extend from western Victoria through to northern New South Wales.


The objective of this prospective, randomized, double-masked study was to compare the contrast sensitivity and quality of vision of patients bilaterally implanted with the following six different presbyopia correcting intraocular lenses (IOLs): SV25T0 (n = 19), ATLISA 809M (n = 18), ATLISA TRI 839MP (n = 19), ZKB00 (n = 20), ZLB00 (n = 20) and Symfony ZXR00 (n = 20). For comparison purposes, 36 patients were implanted with a monofocal lens (ZA9003). Contrast sensitivity was assessed binocularly at distance under photopic, mesopic and mesopic plus glare conditions, and at near under photopic conditions. Quality of vision was explored in terms of photic phenomena and spectacle independence. Overall, the monofocal lens offered better contrast sensitivity, under all illumination conditions, and less occurrence and intensity of photic phenomena. Amongst the multifocal IOL (MIOL) designs, the extended depth of focus Symfony ZXR00 provided better contrast sensitivity than the other MIOLs, particularly at intermediate and high spatial frequencies. Up to 40% and 50% of patients implanted with MIOLs reported glare and halos, respectively. The SV25T0 resulted in less occurrence and intensity of halos. The evaluation of photic phenomena and contrast sensitivity under different illumination conditions may reflect real-life, visually challenging situations, and thus provide insightful information to assist ophthalmic surgeons when selecting the best intraocular lens for their patients.


Anastatus japonicus Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) is an important egg parasitoid of several major insect pests. To better understand its host finding mechanisms, the antennal sensilla of female wasp were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. Sensilla chaetica were found mainly on radicle and pedicel segments of the antennae. i‐Type sensilla, s. campaniformia, and corneous sensilla were detected on the leeward side, while s. coeloconica and lance sensilla were presented on the windward side of the antennae. S. trichodea and s. basiconica were more abundant on the leeward side than on the windward side of the antennae. More s. placodea were found on the windward side than on the leeward side of the right antenna, while the opposite results were observed on the left antenna. Overall, more s. placodea were found on the right antenna than that on the left antenna. The numbers of s. trichodea and s. basiconica on the clava or the third flagellum antennomere of the right antenna were more than those of the left antenna, whereas their distribution patterns on the other corresponding antennomeres were reverse. Our results showed that there is a strong asymmetrical antennal sensilla distribution quantitatively and spatially between the left and right antennae. Placoid sensilla are present more on the right antenna than on the left antenna. S. campaniformia, corneous sensilla, and i‐type sensilla were found only on the leeward side of the antennal clava, while their external morphology and potential functions were described and discussed in detail for the first time. Microsc. Res. Tech. 75:1066–1075, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


The study concerns the need of searching new models of abdominal tests, so that they can be updated and related to the motor gestures of abdominal exercises taught at the gyms in Rio de Janeiro. Therefore, the purpose is to evaluate the effi cacy of trunk partial fl exion, inverse fl exion and complete fl exion to test local muscular endurance by measuring the intensity of electromyographic signal of rectus abdominis muscle – superior, inferior and external oblique – and rectus femoris. The present study is a laboratorial model, a kind of descriptive research, and it was developed as a survey, according to THOMAS & NELSON (1990). The experiment was held at the Air Force Biomechanics Laboratory, using a surface electromyography device, with a sample of 14 male individuals, age 19 ±1.14 (years); weight 67.09 ± 6.14 (kg); height 177 ± 6.26 (cm) and body fat percentage 9.12 ± 2.88 (%). Variance Analyses was the statistic method used with Turkey's post hoc and regression line coeffi cient, statistical signifi cance =0.05. The studied exercises were evaluated according to time parameters, checking the electromyographic signal intensity, as well as time and frequency parameters, analyzing the muscular fatigue during the exercises. Based on area and average parameters related to rectus abdominis muscle (superior, inferior and external oblique), there was not statistic difference between the tests. Therefore, none of the exercises required the use of those muscles any more than others. The rectus femoris muscle presented signifi cant activity in complete fl exion, in which there was the greatest intensity of the electromyographic signal. Therefore, that is the least indicated exercise to be used as test for abdominal endurance. If we consider fatigue, in the trunk partial fl exion, the superior rectus abdominis muscle tends to reach fatigue faster than in the other exercises. In the trunk complete fl exion, the external abdominal oblique reaches fatigue faster than in other exercises. The inferior rectus abdominis has not presented any tendency. We suggest that the best exercise to evaluate local muscular endurance of abdominal muscles, by the criteria fatigue, biomechanics and safety, is trunk partial fl exion.


A study was conducted to determine the reference ranges of electrocardiographic parameters in New Zealand white pet rabbits in Andhra Pradesh of India. Thirty two rabbits aged between 8 to 24 months belongs to the both the sexes were used for this study. Mean rectal temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate and arterial blood pressure 102.38 ± 0.15°F, 209.166 ± 3.21beats per minute, 48.30 ± 1.90 21beats per minute and 118 ± 8.65/ 77 ± 7.2 mm Hg respectively. Recorded 'P' wave, 'QRS' complex and 'T' wave amplitudes range from 0.05 to 0.10 mV, 0.15 to 0.30 mV and 0.10 to 0.20 mV respectively in all the rabbits. Duration of 'P' wave, 'QRS' complex and 'T' wave was between 0.02 to 0.04, 0.02 to 0.06 and 0.07 to 0.08 seconds respectively in all the rabbits. 'P-R' interval was between 0.04 to 0.08 seconds and 'Q-T' interval was between 0.08 to 0.12 seconds in all the rabbits. Mean cardiac electrical axis recorded in rabbits was between - 30° to + 130°. There is no gender difference effect on electrocardiographic parameters in rabbits.


The effect of surgery on pituitary-thyroid function was studied in 12 euthyroid patients. There was a sharp early increase in total thyroxine level, causing displacement of triiodothyronine from thyroid hormone binding proteins resulting in the elevation of the biologically more potent free triiodothyronine fraction. The serum triiodothyronine concentration fell rapidly during and after the operation, with a concomitant rise in reverse triiodothyronine level. Increased prolactin levels were found during and after surgery. With no post-operative complication, recovery of normal pituitary-thyroid function occurred after 4 to 7 days of convalescence.


Flash pulmonary edema is a condition characterized by sudden and recurrent episodes of dyspnea resulting from acute pulmonary venous congestion in the presence of normal or well-preserved left ventricular systolic function. This is usually associated with bilateral renal artery stenosis or stenosis of a single surviving kidney. We describe a patient with clinical presentation of flash pulmonary edema due to renal artery spasm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of flash pulmonary edema due to renal artery spasm.


This paper presents a scale for the ex-post evaluation of IT projects based on the definition of multidimensional performance of projects proposed by Shenhar and Dvir (2009). From the five dimensions proposed by these authors, a questionnaire was designed to assess the importance of various performance criteria in the ex-post evaluation of projects and IT in different organizations. The responses to the questions in the questionnaires were analyzed using factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha, which measures the scale's internal reliability. The scales presented in this article are consistent with the evaluation criteria of the model ex-post evaluation of IT projects presented by Moraes and Laurindo (2010), and they are articulated with assessment procedures described by these authors. Accordingly, this paper contributes to the construction of a set of references for an ex-post evaluation of IT projects.


In this article, we tried to underline the impact of AGOAon the eligible countries. Using the CMS benchmark in world view, we found that, growth in AGOA countries's exports to US is caused by three effects: the main effect is US demand effect, come next the commodity composition effect and at last, the AGOA effect or competitiveness effect. However, when we apply the benchmark on the sectors, we found that, AGOA effect is the prevailing effect for any sectors except the traditional exports sectors. In the regional breakdown, we found that, the AGOA effect is higher in the Southern Africa left out Angola and South Africa than the others regions. East Africa is the second region where the AGOA effect is high, Central Africa is the third region, the last region is West Africa.


Studied were a total of 322 samples of water, feed, and grass vegetation with soil from a region where there were records of unspecific tuberculin reactions with cattle. Investigations were also carried out on viscera and lymph nodes of 120 slaughtered cattle. It was found that the atypical acid-fast mycobacteria were widely spread in some regions of Cuba: 42.5% were found in grass samples, 37.5%--in soil samples, 35.0%--in water ones, and 9.6% in feed samples. Atypical mycobacteria were isolated in 35.0% of the cases with internal organs and lymph nodes of slaughtered healthy animals. Established were as many as ten species of such bacteria, prevailing being M. aquae B, M. aquae A, M. smegmatis, and M. phlei. Suggested is the preparation of an allergen from selected strains of atypical mycobacteria to carry out differential tuberculin tests where suspected tuberculin reactions were recorded in the practice.


Background: Worldwide stroke is accounted as the second leading cause of death and third cause of disability. Changes in physiological variables such as temperature, blood pressure, blood glucose levels, and their deleterious effect in terms of mortality and morbidity are of major concerns for the treating physicians.

Aim and Objectives: The aim of the study was to study changes in temperature and its relation to 7th day outcome in acute stroke patient.

Materials and Methods: A prospective hospital-based study was conducted, after approval of Institutional Ethical committee, recruiting 150 acute stroke patients presenting within 6 h of developing symptoms. Temperature was recorded every 8 h for 48 h and stroke severity was assessed using modified Rankin scale on admission and on the 7th day after admission.

Results: Categorical variables were analyzed using Chi-square analysis and means of continuous variables were compared using analysis of variance. For any significant difference in mean temperature at two consecutive readings, paired sample t-test was used. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was done to predict outcome in acute stroke patients. The difference in the mean temperature at 8 h, 16 h and 40 h after admission was significant between male and female patients. Temperature at 16th h of admission was found to be significant for improved, status quo, and worsened comparison. Temperature at 24th h of admission was also found to have significant value but only for status quo and worsened outcome.

Conclusion: The authors conclude that the mean temperature of the patients remained within the normal range in the first 48 h. The temperature at various intervals may not consistently predict the 7th day outcome in acute stroke patients.


The fact that Applicative type class allows one to express simple parsers in a variable-less combinatorial style is well appreciated among Haskell programmers for its conceptual simplicity, ease of use, and usefulness for semi-automated code generation (metaprogramming).
We notice that such Applicative computations can be interpreted as providing a mechanism to construct a data type with "ports" "pluggable" by subcomputations. We observe that it is this property that makes them so much more convenient in practice than the usual way of building the same computations using conventional composition. We distill this observation into a more general algebraic structure of (and/or technique for expressing) "Applicative-like" computations and demonstrate several other instances of this structure.
Our interest in all of this comes from the fact that the aforementioned instances allow us to express arbitrary transformations between simple data types of a single constructor (similarly to how Applicative parsing allows to transform from streams of Chars to such data types) using a style that closely follows conventional Applicative computations, thus greatly simplifying (if not completely automating away) a lot of boiler-plate code present in many functional programs.


The main objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of lending rate on economic growth in Ghana. To do this, we employ the autoregressive distributed lags model (ARDL) and the Toda and Yamamoto (1995) causal approach as estimation strategy. The estimates from the ARDL model suggest that ceteris paribus one percent increase in lending rate generates approximately 0.15 decrease in economic growth of Ghana in the long. In the short run, one percent increase in lending rate also generates approximately 0.112 percent decrease in economic growth. Contrary to the widespread belief that lending rate induce economic growth, we find that gross domestic product rather spurs lending rate, using Toda and Yamamoto (1995) causal approach. Our findings suggest that monetary authorities should embark on policy interventions that aim at taming lending rate towards growth enhancing targets. This will encourage individuals, firms and other institutions to borrow from commercial banks to increase investment and consumption to accelerate economic growth. Other policy interventions include strengthening inflation targeting policy to reduce and stabilize inflation while taming exchange rate, monetary policy and treasury bill rate towards growth enhancing targets.


Recession of the ice margin at a rate of 0.3 km/yr or more in coastal areas in central Maine between 13,000 and 12,700 yr B.P. resulted in a large-scale marine submergence of this region. Isostatic uplift brought the region above sea level by 12,100 yr B.P. Model calculations show the existence of an inland sea in the later stages of emergence. The chronology of these events is given by 14 C dates on shells and seaweed from the Presumpscot Formation. Several criteria applied indicate age reliability of the shell dates within a few hundred years. 14 C ages of the earliest grown organic material in kettles often lag behind the time of deglaciation.


Rickettsiae are obligate intracellular gram-negative bacteria transmitted by arthropod vectors. Rickettsiae sometimes cause disease in humans, typically with high fever, headache and occasionally an eschar.In Sweden, Rickettsia helvetica, belonging to the spotted fever group, is the only tick-transmitted rickettsia found free in nature. The pathogenic roll of R. helvetica has not been fully investigated, but it has been implicated in aneruptive fever and cardiac disease.This thesis describes parts of the transmission pathways of rickettsiae in Sweden. Rickettsia infection rates in ticks collected from birds were analysed, and the birds' role as disseminators and reservoirs was studied. We found that more than one in ten ticks was infected with rickettsia bacteria, predominantly R. helvetica, and that migrating birds contribute not only to long-distance dispersion of bacteria, but also to an inflow of novel and potentially pathogenic rickettsia species, in this case R. monacensis and R. sp. strain Davousti-like species, into Sweden.Further, wild and domestic animals were found to have seroreactivity against R. helvetica, which shows that they are exposed and susceptible to rickettsia. Their role as reservoirs has not been determined, yet they may indirectly be involved in transmission of rickettsia to humans by infected ticks feeding on them.The seroreactivity in humans was also studied. Patients investigated for suspected Borrelioses and blood donors had detectable antibodies against Rickettsia spp., with the highest prevalence detected in the suspected Borreliosis group. This shows that humans in Sweden are exposed to and develop an immune response against rickettsia. The suspicion that R. helvetica may cause severe symptoms was verified by a patient with subacute meningitis where the bacterium was shown for the first time to cause an invasive infection with CNS involvement and where the bacterium was isolated from the patient's cerebrospinal fluid.Growth characteristics and morphology of R. helvetica were studied to better understand invasiveness and virulence. The findings indicate that the invasiveness is comparable with other rickettsia, though R. helvetica seems to have a stable but slightly slower growth. Rickettsia helvetica is endemic in Sweden and therefore needs to be considered when investigating disease after a tick bite.


Pebble games were originally formulated to study time-space tradeoffs in computation, modeled by games played on directed acyclic graphs (DAGs). Close connections between pebbling and cryptography have been known for decades. A series of recent research starting with (Alwen and Serbinenko, STOC 2015) has deepened our understanding of the notion of memory-hardness in cryptography --- a useful property of hash functions for deterring large-scale password-cracking attacks --- and has shown memory-hardness to have intricate connections with the theory of graph pebbling.
In this work, we improve upon two main limitations of existing models of memory-hardness. First, existing measures of memory-hardness only account for dynamic (i.e., runtime) memory usage, and do not consider static memory usage. We propose a new definition of static-memory-hard function (SHF) which takes into account static memory usage and allows the formalization of larger memory requirements for efficient functions, than in the dynamic setting (where memory usage is inherently bounded by runtime). We then give two SHF constructions based on pebbling; to prove static-memory-hardness, we define a new pebble game ("black-magic pebble game"), and new graph constructions with optimal complexity under our proposed measure.
Secondly, existing memory-hardness models implicitly consider linear tradeoffs between the costs of time and space. We propose a new model to capture nonlinear time-space trade-offs and prove that nonlinear tradeoffs can in fact cause adversaries to employ different strategies from linear tradeoffs.
Finally, as an additional contribution of independent interest, we present the first asymptotically tight graph construction that achieves the best possible space complexity up to $\log{\log{n}}$-factors for an existing memory-hardness measure called cumulative complexity.


Optical flow estimation stands as an essential component for motion detection and object tracking procedures. It is an image processing algorithm, which is typically composed of a series of convolution masks (approximation of the derivatives) followed by 2 × 2 linear systems for the optical flow vectors. Since we are dealing with a stencil computation for each stage of the algorithm, the overhead from memory accesses is expected to be significant and to yield a genuine scalability bottleneck, especially with the complexity of GPU memory configuration. In this paper, we investigate a GPU deployment of an optimized CPU implementation via OpenACC, a directive-based parallel programming model and framework that ease the process of porting codes to a wide-variety of heterogeneous HPC hardware platforms and architectures. We explore each of the major technical features and strive to get the best performance impact. Experimental results on a Quadro P5000 are provided together with the corresponding technical discussions, taking the performance of the multicore version on a INTEL Broadwell EP as the baseline.


ABSTRACT This study validated previous principal component analyses of the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality (BMMRS) that have been conducted with persons with diverse medical conditions and traumatic brain injuries from diverse cultures (India, US), ethnicities (African American, Caucasian, South Asian), and religions (Christian, Hindu, Muslim). Participants included 398 healthy undergraduate students who completed the BMMRS online. A principal components factor analysis identified a five factor solution accounting for 64.00% of the variance in scores, labelled as: (1) Positive Spiritual Experience; (2) Negative Spiritual Experience/Congregational Support; (3) Forgiveness; (4) Religious Practices; and (5) Positive Congregational Support. The current analysis is supportive of a conceptual framework in which the BMMRS spiritual and religious variables are best conceptualised in terms of positive/negative psychological processes including: (a) emotional connection with the divine (i.e., spirituality); (b) behavioural rituals/beliefs (i.e., religiosity); and (c) social support (i.e., congregationally based). Implications for psychoneuroimmunological research are discussed.


The bulk rheology of bidisperse mixtures of granular materials is examined under homogeneous shear flow conditions using the event-driven simulation method. The granular material is modelled as a system of smooth inelastic disks, interacting via the hard-core potential. In order to understand the effect of size and mass disparities, two cases were examined separately, namely, a mixture of different sized particles with particles having either the same mass or the same material density. The relevant macroscopic quantities are the pressure, the shear viscosity, the granular energy (fluctuating kinetic energy) and the first normal stress difference. Numerical results for pressure, viscosity and granular energy are compared with a kinetic-theory constitutive model with excellent agreement in the low dissipation limit even at large size disparities. Systematic quantitative deviations occur for stronger dissipations. Mixtures with equal-mass particles show a stronger shear resistance than an equivalent monodisperse system; in contrast, however, mixtures with equal-density particles show a reduced shear resistance. The granular energies of the two species are unequal, implying that the equi-partition principle assumed in most of the constitutive models does not hold. Inelasticity is responsible for the onset of energy non-equipartition, but mass disparity significantly enhances its magnitude. This lack of energy equipartition can lead to interesting non-monotonic variations of the pressure, viscosity and granular energy with the mass ratio if the size ratio is held fixed, while the model predictions (with the equipartition assumption) suggest a monotonic behaviour in the same limit. In general, the granular fluid is non-Newtonian with a measurable first normal stress difference (which is positive if the stress is defined in the compressive sense), and the effect of bidispersity is to increase the normal stress difference, thus enhancing the non-Newtonian character of the fluid.


The heat-shock response is a powerful transcriptional program which acts genome-wide, not only to restore normal protein folding through the induction of heat shock proteins (HSP), but to re-shape global cellular pathways controlling survival, growth and metabolism. In mammals, this response is regulated primarily by the Heat Shock Factor 1 (HSF1) transcription factor. We have previously shown that HSF1 plays a fundamental role in tumorigenesis, by promoting the survival and malignance of tumor cells, both in tissue culture and in mouse models of cancer [1]. HSF1 exerts its role by activating a unique transcriptional program in the cancer cells [2]. Indeed, increased HSF1 levels, as well as activation of its transcriptional signature, are associated with reduced survival in breast, lung and colon cancer patients [3].

Cancer cells are exquisitely dependent on HSF1 for survival. Exposure to additional stress, such as heat, further increases their dependency on HSF1. Recently we described how translation is linked to HSF1 activation using a derivative of the natural compound rocaglamide [4]. We found that this drug-like inhibitor of translation-initiation inhibits HSF1 and leads to tumor regression in hematopoietic malignancies. Here we combine this compound, or genetic inhibition of HSF1 expression, with focal heat therapy delivered via gold nano rods. We find that inhibiting HSF1 in solid tumors increases the efficiency of hyperthermia as an anticancer treatment.

Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):C132.

Citation Format: Ruth Scherz-Shouval, Alexander F. Bagley, Luke Whitesell, Sangeeta N. Bhatia, Susan Lindquist. Targeting heat shock factor 1 improves the antitumor efficiency of hyperthermia. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr C132.


Enabling programs provide an effective and important pathway to higher education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and target equity groups. They allow access to higher education for students who lack standard qualifications for entry and equip them with knowledge, skills and attitudes conducive to success in their first year of undergraduate studies. However, little is known about the conceptual frameworks for curriculum design for these programs. This project aimed to increase understanding of enabling curricula by:
1. examining the curriculum design approaches in three university enabling programs across Australia
2. articulating guiding principles that underlie curriculum design in these enabling programs
3. in light of these principles, facilitating the development of a strategic discussion on good practice in enabling curriculum design at a national level.
The project team examined the curriculum design approaches of one open access enabling program from each participating institution: the Open Foundation Program of The University of Newcastle, the University Preparation Program of the University of Tasmania and the UniPrep program of Edith Cowan University. These three programs represent the diversity of open access programs in Australia, with one having a discipline-specific focus (The University of Newcastle), the second having a focus on academic literacies and preparation (University of Tasmania), and the third having a combination of the two (Edith Cowan University). Each participating program was designed in response to its local context; different historical factors shaped the development of each program.
'Curriculum' is a complex and often misunderstood concept. This study works with a four-fold understanding of 'curriculum' comprising: the intended curriculum, the documented program information such as subject outlines; the enacted curriculum, what educators teach; the experienced curriculum, what students learn; and, weaving through them all, the hidden curriculum, the norms, values and beliefs associated with education.


In this digital age in which social media use among young adults continues to rise, consideration of the impact of these platforms on our students and on science literacy pedagogy is essential. This has been highlighted during the 2019 coronavirus disease pandemic, when mis- and disinformation surrounding the pandemic and vaccinations were so prevalent on social media platforms that it provoked a cautionary announcement from the World Health Organization. ABSTRACT In this digital age in which social media use among young adults continues to rise, consideration of the impact of these platforms on our students and on science literacy pedagogy is essential. This has been highlighted during the 2019 coronavirus disease pandemic, when mis- and disinformation surrounding the pandemic and vaccinations were so prevalent on social media platforms that it provoked a cautionary announcement from the World Health Organization. We describe here the structure of an assignment aimed to promote science literacy by encouraging students to explore antivaccination stances on social media and evaluate the scientific validity of such claims using scientific literature. To comprehensively analyze these antivaccination sentiments, we encouraged students to develop succinct arguments to demonstrate the social, economic, or other cultural influences likely contributing to antivaccination stances. In alignment with the philosophical-educational concept of Bildung, we hope to nurture an understanding of scientific literacy that focuses on both evidence-based critical thinking as well as empathetic understanding of the socio-political circumstances that influence public opinion on scientific matters. Student work provided compelling evidence for the success of our field-tested assignment in fostering students to be authoritative voices of science in everyday life and highlighted the importance of efforts to explicitly focus on science literacy within biology curricula.


In the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) of fish, melanosomes (pigment granules) migrate long distances through the cell body into apical projections in the light, and aggregate back into the cell body in the dark. RPE cells can be isolated from the eye, dissociated, and cultured as single cells in vitro. Treatment of isolated RPE cells with cAMP or the phosphatase inhibitor, okadaic acid (OA), stimulates melanosome aggregation, while cAMP or OA washout in the presence of dopamine triggers dispersion. Previous studies have shown that actin filaments are both necessary and sufficient for aggregation and dispersion of melanosomes within apical projections of isolated RPE. The role of myosin II in melanosome motility was investigated using the myosin II inhibitor, blebbistatin, and a specific rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitor, H-1152. Blebbistatin and H-1152 partially blocked melanosome aggregation triggered by cAMP in dissociated, isolated RPE cells and isolated sheets of RPE. In contrast, neither drug affected melanosome dispersion. In cells exposed to either blebbistatin or H-1152, then triggered to aggregate using OA, melanosome aggregation was completely inhibited. These results demonstrate that (1) melanosome aggregation and dispersion occur through different, actin-dependent mechanisms; (2) myosin II and ROCK activity are required for full melanosome aggregation, but not dispersion; (3) partial aggregation that occurred despite myosin II or ROCK inhibition suggests a second component of aggregation that is dependent on cAMP signaling, but independent of ROCK and myosin II.


A broad distribution of the benefits of federally "underpriced" water may be best promoted by limiting the size of owned acreage and not the sum of owned and leased acreage as required by the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982. Calculated differences between contractual lease payments and associated tenant-expected economic rents were statistically tested to determine if landowners fully capture the latter. Cash lease markets transferred nearly all economic rents anticipated by tenants to landowners in the study area. Share lease markets do the same if share tenants are assumed to be moderately risk averse.


One of the most important structures used in modern block ciphers is the substitution-permutation network (SPN) structure. Many block ciphers with this structure widely use Maximun Distance Separable (MDS) matrices over finite fields as their diffusion layers, for example, advanced encryption standard (AES) uses a 4-4 MDS matrix as the main part of its diffusion layer and the block cipher Khazad has an involutory 8-8 matrix. In this study, first a construction is proposed for a 4-4 linear diffusion layer that can intermix four words of arbitrary size with branch number 5. Then extend this idea for 8-8 diffusion layer using low-cost linear functions. In this construction, first, certain binary linear combinations of inputs are fed into two or three different invertible linear functions and then combined using XOR operation. In order to show the efficiency of the proposed diffusion layer, the authors exploit it in a nested SPN structure and compare its efficiency with some well-known diffusion layers such as the diffusion layer of Hierocrypt.


The optimal maximum-likelihood (ML) detector for a single-carrier (SC) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system is often prohibitive due to its enormous computational complexity. In this paper, we propose a low complexity layered space-frequency equalization with time domain noise prediction (LSFE-NP) structure, where at each stage of the detector, a given data stream is detected by a multiple-input single-output (MISO) frequency domain equalization with time domain noise prediction (FDE-NP). It is shown that the proposed structure is optimal in the minimum mean square error (MMSE) sense, and the coefficients of the feedback filter are independent of the feedforward equalizer. Therefore, an alterable feedback taps LSFE-NP scheme is outlined for the coded SC MIMO system, which can feed as many reliable decisions as possible back to the equalizer to achieve better performance. Simulation results show that our proposed scheme can outperform the conventional LSFE and the MIMO FDE-NP significantly.


A single crystal of 2-(2-(anthracen-9-ylmethylene)hydrazinyl)-4-(3-methyl-3-phenylcyclobutyl)thiazole (C29H25N3S) containing anthracene, thiazole and cyclobutane rings has been synthesised. The synthesised crystal structure was characterised using IR, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectroscopic and X-Ray analysis techniques. In the crystal, neighbouring molecules formed chains along [110] by interconnecting with N–H···N hydrogen bonding and π–π interactions. The geometrical parameters of the title compound were optimised by Gaussian 09 software in the gas phase and Quantum-Espresso software under Periodic Boundary Conditions (PBC) in the solid phase. Theoretically, IR, NMR spectra, Mulliken, NPA and AIM atomic charges, Hirshfeld surface and frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs) of the title compound were examined. Using the Hirshfeld surface and two-dimensional (2D) fingerprint graphics, the presence of intermolecular interactions in the crystal packing were analysed. The energies of these interactions and their distribution on the crystal structure were shown graphically. In general, it was seen that theoretical calculations were consistent with X-Ray results. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT