Since the 1990s, there has been a large number of 'how-to' manuals published in English for aspiring playwrights. By and large, these texts treat the pedagogy of playwriting as a recent phenomenon. However, a series of relatively unknown books from the mid-nineteenth century were written with the purpose of teaching the craft of dramatic writing, emphasizing the importance of a hands-on understanding of the theatre and the individual roles within it. This article argues that, while these books are representative of the historical context in which they were written, they also contain advice which is still useful for playwrights, along with fascinating individual characteristics. Texts featured include one of the earliest manuals discovered, written by the anonymous 'A Dramatist'; a text by the first (known) woman to write a how-to manual in English; and a book which uses a mathematical formula as a foundation for writing a script. Karen Morash is Lead Academic Tutor on the BA Theatre Studies at Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance. She is a playwright and poet, and works as a dramaturg with the theatre company Head for Heights.


Cerebral and cerebellar venous anomalies (previously known as venous angiomas) form the alternative venous drainage of the surrounding nervous tissue because of the un-development of the normal venous system. They are made up of veins with abnormal structure: thick walls, lumens dilated and of irregular calibre that converge radially towards a wide draining vein (caput medusae). They are thought to be a benign condition although they are sometimes associated with cerebellar hemorrhages. Authors report three patients with cerebellar venous anomalies associated either with pontine cavernoma, cerebellar arteriovenous malformation or cerebellar infarct. They illustrate that cerebellar venous anomalies are benign conditions, but their presence might be a marker for additional, pathogenic malformation. It might be difficult to detect the associated malformations even by sophisticated imaging methods, but their presence can modify the treatment options.


We present a study on the electrochemical preparation of Au nanoparticles on HOPG from HAuCl 4 solution characterized by tapping mode AFM. It has been shown that deposition on activated HOPG and non activated HOPG follows progressive and instantaneous nucleation and growth mode, respectively. The size and morphology of the nanoparticles depends on the deposition condition. Au nanoparticles of narrow size distribution of~50 nm can be prepared which has a tendency to arrange into a two dimensional order on homogeneous HOPG (non activated). The electrocatalytic properties and SERS properties of the Au nanoparticles are briefly discussed.


The clock scan protocol for image analysis is an efficient tool to quantify the average pixel intensity within, at the border, and outside (background) a closed or segmented convex-shaped region of interest, leading to the generation of an averaged integral radial pixel-intensity profile. This protocol was originally developed in 2006, as a visual basic 6 script, but as such, it had limited distribution. To address this problem and to join similar recent efforts by others, we converted the original clock scan protocol code into two Java-based plugins compatible with NIH-sponsored and freely available image analysis programs like ImageJ or Fiji ImageJ. Furthermore, these plugins have several new functions, further expanding the range of capabilities of the original protocol, such as analysis of multiple regions of interest and image stacks. The latter feature of the program is especially useful in applications in which it is important to determine changes related to time and location. Thus, the clock scan analysis of stacks of biological images may potentially be applied to spreading of Na+ or Ca++ within a single cell, as well as to the analysis of spreading activity (e.g., Ca++ waves) in populations of synaptically-connected or gap junction-coupled cells. Here, we describe these new clock scan plugins and show some examples of their applications in image analysis.


After surgery of the literature on cases of drug-dependence (none due to bupivacaine), the Authors described a case observed after prolonged administration for epidural treatment a subject with thoracic trauma.


The diagnostic dose of d-phenothrin synergized 1:1 with piperonyl butoxide for testing insecticide susceptibility of mosquitoes by bottle bioassay is reported for 2 mosquito species, Culex quinquefasciatus and Ochlerotatus taeniorhynchus. The diagnostic dose was defined as 2 times the 95% lethal concentration (LC95). LC50, LC90, and LC95 were estimated by probit analysis of dose response data. Procedures for diluting the commercial-grade off-the-shelf pesticide in acetone, treating the bottles, and calculating baseline data for insecticide-susceptible mosquito populations are described. The advantages and disadvantages of testing off-the-shelf commercial-grade pesticides that are maintained on premises by mosquito control programs, in contrast to using reagent-grade chemicals purchased from a chemical supply house, are also discussed. Data obtained by this method can be invaluable in making timely management decisions about the choice of pesticides in a control program.


Health technology assessment (HTA) is a tool to support decision making that is intended to assist healthcare managers in their strategic decisions. The use of HTA as a tool for clinical engineering is especially relevant in the domain of the medical equipment once it could improve the performance of the medical equipment. It would be done by their systematically evaluation in several aspects, in their life cycle. In Brazil, the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (IEB-UFSC) through the clinical engineering area has been working on the development of methodologies and improvements on HTA for medical equipment. Therefore, this paper presents the effort to create specific methodologies that will improve the dissemination of HTA, focusing on incorporation and utilization phase of the medical equipment life cycle. This will give a better support to the decision makers in the management of the health care system.


Nozzle-orifice flow and cavitation have an important effect on primary breakup of sprays. For this reason, a number of studies in recent years have used injectors with optically transparent nozzles so that orifice flow cavitation can be examined directly. Many of these studies use injection pressures scaled down from realistic injection pressures used in modern fuel injectors, and so the geometry must be scaled up so that the Reynolds number can be matched with the industrial applications of interest. A relatively small number of studies have shown results at or near the injection pressures used in real systems. Unfortunately, neither the specifics of the design of the optical nozzle nor the design methodology used is explained in detail in these papers. Here, a methodology demonstrating how to prevent failure of a finished design made from commonly used optically transparent materials will be explained in detail, and a description of a new design for transparent nozzles which minimizes size and cost will be shown. The design methodology combines Finite Element Analysis with relevant materials science to evaluate the potential for failure of the finished assembly. Finally, test results imaging a cavitating flow at elevated pressures are presented.


Two cases of axillary lymphadenopathy induced by foreign body reaction to silicone particles are presented. Both were patients with longstanding arthritis who had silastic metacarpophalangeal joint implants; one patient also had concomitant lymphoma. The material was conclusively identified as silicone by electron microprobe analysis. With currently increasing numbers of silastic finger joint arthroplasties performed for rheumatoid arthritis, silicone lymphadenopathy should be considered in the differential diagnosis of axillary node enlargement in these patients. A history of previous silastic arthroplasty may not always be made available to the pathologist but the histological appearances are sufficiently characteristic, in our opinion, to warrant this history being sought.


The role and significance of education and vocational training are unquestionable. It is essential for the development of the region to have educated residents. Skills that can be acquired on compulsory and optional courses are important for agricultural activities. It is visible from the data of the 8 observed settlements that the number of submitted applications is low and most of the submitted applications are related to compulsory trainings. The increase of the number of people participating in the training could have a significant role in the development of the region since it would result in extra income as a complementary activity.


Diversity exists at all temporal and spatial scales but has been studied largely at the community level because of the limited availability of regional or nation-wide data. In the U.S. both the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and the Breeding Bird Census (BBC) provide large-scale observations of avian populations over periods of decades and offer a potential source of information. A large-scale model of avian diversity based on the BBS has been developed by O'Connor et. al. (1996). The BBC serves as a source for independently obtained species richness estimates used to evaluate the ability of the model to generate corresponding predictions. Overall, the species richness estimates obtained from the BBC data were consistently less than the model predictions. Differences between the BBC and BBS sampling methods offer an explanation for this bias. The BBC data set suffered many limitations; however, when species richness estimates were obtained from sites representative of the surrounding habitat, the model offered the strongest correlation.


Electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) sensors can be categorized into three groups according to their axial guard electrode design, i.e. type 1, with earthed ring guards; type 2, with driven segmented guards; and type 3, without guards. In this paper, the sensing fields of the above three types of ECT sensor are analysed using a three-dimensional (3D) finite element method. Results show that for the same set of measurement electrodes, the 3D sensitivity distributions of different types of ECT sensor are very different - type 1 possesses the narrowest sensing space in the axial direction and type 2 the widest. These results are confirmed by the reconstructed images. The errors caused by approximating ECT sensing fields with 2D electric fields are also compared among these three types of ECT sensor.


Objective: The purpose of this study was to review changes in public health finance since the 2012 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report "For the Public's Health: Investing in a Healthier Future." Design: Qualitative study involving key informant interviews. Setting and Participants: Purposive sample of US public health practitioners, leaders, and academics expected to be knowledgeable about the report recommendations, public health practice, and changes in public health finance since the report. Main Outcome Measures: Qualitative feedback about changes to public health finance since the report. Results: Thirty-two interviews were conducted between April and May 2019. The greatest momentum toward the report recommendations has occurred predominantly at the state and local levels, with recommendations requiring federal action making less progress. In addition, much of the progress identified is consensus building and preparation for change rather than clear changes. Overall, progress toward the recommendations has been slow. Conclusions: Many of the achievements reported by respondents were characterized as increased dialogue and individual state or local progress rather than widespread, identifiable policy or practice changes. Participants suggested that public health as a field needs to achieve further consensus and a uniform voice in order to advocate for changes at a federal level. Implications for Policy and Practice: Slow progress in achieving 2012 IOM Finance Report recommendations and lack of a cohesive voice pose threats to the public's health, as can be seen in the context of COVID-19 emergency response activities. The pandemic and the nation's inadequate response have highlighted deficiencies in our current system and emphasize the need for coordinated and sustained core public health infrastructure funding at the federal level.


The massive formation of marine snow and the senescent stage of it, the mucilage, is a phenomenon largely restricted to the Adriatic Sea. In this contribution the major environmental factors potentially leading to the formation of this mucilage are discussed. It is proposed that the specific hydrological conditions in combination with severe phosphorus depletion lead to excessive formation of colloidal organic matter by phytoplankton. This colloidal organic matter coagulates to marine snow due to the low-turbulence regimes prevailing in the water column. Subsequently, this marine snow is colonized by bacteria which, in turn, produce and release copious amounts of capsular polymers into the matrix of marine snow. It is speculated that a significant fraction of the later stages of marine snow (mucilage) consists of bacterial-derived organic matter which has been shown to be semi-labile to refractory for further bacterial utilization. The marine snow matrix acts as efficient adsorption site and allows the bacteria to utilize scavenged molecules from the ambient water. Thus it is proposed that the matrix ages without significant biotic degradation.


Not least because of the sound theoretical foundation, but also because the author analyzes a huge variety of works of art that represent major currents in postmilitant writing and art, she successfully delineates the difference between the reality of the Fall of 1977 and the aesthetic treatment that the violent events of the "German Fall" have received. In fact, Scribner develops a concept of critical postmilitancy that promises to be applicable to more than a study of postmilitant works of art depicting RAF terrorism. Asking more generally what the cultural vestiges of a radical movement can tell us about the historical situation from which it developed, Scribner produces a convincing model of inquiry that could be of use for an analysis of other (militant) conflicts, ranging from the geopolitical to the ideological or the sexual.


Assemblies are labelled combinatorial objects that can be decomposed into components. Examples of assemblies include set partitions, permutations and random mappings. In addition, a distribution from population genetics called the Ewens sampling formula may be treated as an assembly. Each assembly has a size n, and the sum of the sizes of the components sums to n. When the uniform distribution is put on all assemblies of size n, the process of component counts is equal in distribution to a process of independent Poisson variables Zi conditioned on the event that a weighted sum of the independent variables is equal to n. Logarithmic assemblies are assemblies characterized by some θ > 0 for which i[ ]Zi → θ. Permutations and random mappings are logarithmic assemblies; set partitions are not a logarithmic assembly. Suppose b = b(n) is a sequence of positive integers for which b/n → β ε (0, 1]. For logarithmic assemblies, the total variation distance db(n) between the laws of the first b coordinates of the component counting process and of the first b coordinates of the independent processes converges to a constant H(β). An explicit formula for H(β) is given for β ε (0, 1] in terms of a limit process which depends only on the parameter θ. Also, it is shown that db(n) → 0 if and only if b/n → 0, generalizing results of Arratia, Barbour and Tavaré for the Ewens sampling formula. Local limit theorems for weighted sums of the Zi are used to prove these results.


The loss of a primary phenolic antioxidant Irganox 1010 and of a secondary phosphite antioxidant Irgafos 168 from a medium density polyethylene film (MDPE) was investigated after exposure of the film for 4 years to different environments such as aqueous media at pH5 and 7, open air, and compost, with an exposure of exposition of 25degreesC. An ultrasonic extraction technique using chloroform as extraction solvent was applied to recover the residual antioxidants from the polymeric matrix, and this was followed by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with acetonitrile as mobile phase and a quantitative analysis at a wavelength of 280 run of the extracted antioxidants. The amount of antioxidant lost varied remarkably depending on the testing medium. The fastest loss of antioxidant was found on exposure to open air and sunlight while the slowest loss was observed in compost. Thermo-analytical measurements were made to characterize the residual thermo-oxidative stability of MDPE film in terms of oxidation temperature and oxidation induction time, to provide a greater insight into the underlying mechanisms of ageing in the different environments. Analysis by Gas chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) revealed that degradation of the polymeric matrix resulted in the formation of hydrocarbons and oxygen-containing compounds such as alcohols, carboxylic acids, aldehydes, and esters. The transformation products of the antioxidants formed as result of processing or exposure to the tested media were also identified. The transformation of the phenoxy radical of the Irganox 1010 produced the ester, acid, dealkylated cinnamate, and quinone products, whereas Irgafos 168 yielded oxidation products and the phenolic hydrolysis byproduct 2,4-ditert-butylphenol.


Abstract This article discusses the findings of a consumer-oriented survey to ascertain the perceptions of Texas nursing home residents, their families, and nursing home administrators about what factors they believe contribute to quality of care. The findings from previous studies and established practice standards are then used to further delineate the practice roles and functions of social workers in nursing facilities (NFs) and to inform social work curriculum.


The objective of this work is to demonstrate that some weaknesses of the onsite packaged WWTP associated with high operational costs and energy inefficiency could be overcome by improved management. The research methodology consists of series of batch studies with sludge from municipal or onsite WWTP, which simulate different working regimes of the onsite WWTPs – daily operation, toilet flushing and dishwasher machine. A simple classical tool, Oxygen Uptake Rate (OUR) is used to prove the hypothesis that regardless the specificity of the onsite WWTPs, namely the irregularity of the flow and load, three parameters follow similar increasing and decreasing trends – inflow rate, inflow pollution load and oxygen demand in the reactor. The literature review has not shown research publication about applicability of (OUR) for management of onsite WWTPs, but has shown experience and knowledge with municipal WWTPs, which were utilized in our study. The results prove that when there is no wastewater generation in the household, the (OUR) in the reactor is very low, 0.0007 to 0.0015 mg/l.s, thus do not require high oxygen supply. However, when wastewater flushes into the onsite WWTP, the oxygen demand increases rapidly and (OUR) reaches the range of 0.0040 to 0.0063 mg/l.s depending on the type and the quantity of the incoming substrate (pollution load). These results, if verified in filed experiments will enable optimization of the energy use during onsite WWTP operation.  The suggestion is that the oxygen supply in the reactor should be adjusted according to the demand, respectively proportional to the inflow rate. In addition to the benefit of saving energy, the comprehensive sensors for dissolved oxygen monitoring, which require qualified maintenance could be avoided and replaced by simple sensors for level, which are anyway part of the equipment of most of the onsite packaged WWTP.


Under certain conditions, starting from the Riemann inversion formula, which gives an explicit representation of the inverse Laplace transform in the complex form, we derive an integral equation, of convolution type, whose solution is the inverse Laplace transform function. This formula can be used if the Laplace transform has a finite number of singularities, located everywhere in the complex plane, and provided that their corresponding residues are known. It only requires the knowledge of the Laplace transform function on the real negative axis. Preliminary numerical experiments illustrating the reliability of the inversion algorithm are described.


Newcastle disease (ND) and Avian Influenza (AI) are among the important viral diseases of poultry with very high economic implications. ND is enzootic in most parts of the world while Highly Pathogenic AI (HPAI) is an emerging zoonosis in Nigeria. This study was carried out to assess the perception and attitude of poultry farmers in the selected Local Government Areas in Ibadan towards vaccination of birds against these diseases, and to find out the types of vaccines that were available for the control of the two diseases. A total of 84 respondents out of 100 (84%) completed and returned the questionnaires administered. The results indicated that all farmers vaccinated their birds against ND. The regime for ND vaccination was not the same across the local government areas. Some 32 (38.1%) farmers operated vaccination schedules provided by hatchery technicians, while 43 (51.2%) farmers vaccinated their birds at about 4-6 weeks interval. Nine (10.7%) farmers combined hatchery and laboratory evaluation to determine schedule. Thirty nine farmers (46.4%) indicated that they were aware of national policy of non-vaccination against AI. However, 14 out of 84 farmers (16.7%) vaccinated their birds against HPAI. There is a need to continue the national policy of slaughter of HPAI infected poultry birds and compensation of farmers, albeit allowing strategic use of vaccine to effectively control HPAI outbreaks in south-western part of Nigeria.


Queries and ranking with temporal aspects gain significant attention in field of Information Retrieval. While searching for articles published over time, the relevant documents usually occur in certain temporal patterns. Given a query that is implicitly time sensitive, we develop a temporal ranking using the important times of query by drawing from the distribution of query trend relatedness over time. We also combine the model with Dual Embedding Space Model (DESM) in the temporal model according to document timestamp. We apply our model using three temporal word embeddings algorithms to learn relatedness of words from news archive in Bahasa Indonesia: (1) QT-W2V-Rank using Word2Vec (2) QT-OW2V-Rank using OrthoTrans-Word2Vec (3) QT-DBE-Rank using Dynamic Bernoulli Embeddings. The highest score was achieved with static word embeddings learned separately over time, called QT-W2V-Rank, which is 66% in average precision and 68% in early precision. Furthermore, studies of different characteristics of temporal topics showed that QT-W2V-Rank is also more effective in capturing temporal patterns such as spikes, periodicity, and seasonality than the baselines.


Nano-size drones hold enormous potential to explore unknown and complex environments. Their small size makes them agile and safe for operation close to humans and allows them to navigate through narrow spaces. However, their tiny size and payload restrict the possibilities for on-board computation and sensing, making fully autonomous flight extremely challenging. The first step towards full autonomy is reliable obstacle avoidance, which has proven to be technically challenging by itself in a generic indoor environment. Current approaches utilize vision-based or 1-dimensional sensors to support nano-drone perception algorithms. This work presents a lightweight obstacle avoidance system based on a novel millimeter form factor 64 pixels multi-zone Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensor and a generalized model-free control policy. Reported in-field tests are based on the Crazyflie 2.1, extended by a custom multi-zone ToF deck, featuring a total flight mass of 35g. The algorithm only uses 0.3% of the on-board processing power (210uS execution time) with a frame rate of 15fps, providing an excellent foundation for many future applications. Less than 10% of the total drone power is needed to operate the proposed perception system, including both lifting and operating the sensor. The presented autonomous nano-size drone reaches 100% reliability at 0.5m/s in a generic and previously unexplored indoor environment. The proposed system is released open-source with an extensive dataset including ToF and gray-scale camera data, coupled with UAV position ground truth from motion capture.


Abstract. We present a Bayesian inference for a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model of Lake Geneva with stochastic weather forcing and high-frequency observational datasets. This is achieved by coupling a Bayesian inference package, SPUX, with a hydrodynamics package, MITgcm, into a single framework, SPUX-MITgcm. To mitigate uncertainty in the atmospheric forcing, we use a smoothed particle Markov chain Monte Carlo method, where the intermediate model state posteriors are resampled in accordance with their respective observational likelihoods. To improve the assimilation of remotely sensed temperature, we develop a bi-directional Long Short-Term Memory (Bi-LSTM) neural network to estimate lake skin temperature from a history of hydrodynamic bulk temperature predictions and atmospheric data. This study analyzes the benefit and costs of such state of the art computationally expensive calibration and assimilation method for lakes.


Numerous studies suggest a relevant role of cytokinin (CK) distribution in shaping of plant morphology upon changing environment. Nonetheless, our knowledge about an involvement of short-distance CK translocation in root mineral nutrition is still scarce and specific role of CK transporters in root morphology has yet to be established. Revealing the molecular identity of CK transporters is thereby crucial for better understanding of root plasticity during soil fertility, as well as more frequently encountered plant nutrients deficiencies. In this work, we identified and characterized the Medicago truncatula full-size ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter belonging to the G subfamily, namely MtABCG40 as a CK importer. Its expression is root-specific and is induced by nitrogen deprivation and CKs. Our analyses indicate that MtABCG40 has a negative impact on lateral root density through decreased lateral root initiation and enhancement of primary root elongation. Moreover, in line with postulated resemblance to lateral roots, we also observed an inhibitory influence of this transporter on nodule number. Our results suggest that MtABCG40 action affects CK signaling which impacts on the cellular response to auxin. We present data that demonstrate a full-size ABCG transporter with a novel function in legumes and CK transport.


A fiber-optic sensor for distance and velocity measurements is described which is based on dynamic properties of speckles formed by two illuminating laser beams. This sensor is composed of two optical-fiber laser guides and an optical-fiber-array spatial filter consisting of linearly arrayed endfaces of optical fibers. The measurable ranges of distance and velocity and their accuracies are expressed in terms of the sensor's configuration parameters. The configuration for accurate sensing over a wide range is discussed. The usefulness of this sensor is confirmed by experiments.


Pedestrian path is a space for pedestrian activities to carry out activities and to provide services topedestrians so that it can improve the smoothness, safety, and comfort of pedestrians when crossing it. Infact the pedestrian paths that exist are mostly unable to meet the passions of pedestrians. The length oftime pedestrians are less noticed, which should be passed comfortably suddenly blocked by poles, trees,trash cans, stops, and traffic signs because the placement is not adjusted to the place so that thecirculation of road users becomes narrow and disturbed. This study aims to find aspects of comfort in thepedestrian path. Research uses quantative methods. This study found that some of the pedestrian path inthe study area were comfortable, but some were uncomfortable.


The global burden of substance use is substantial, accounting for 8.9% of productive life lost annually due to disability and premature mortality, as measured in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). Among the ten leading risk factors in terms of avoidable disease burden, tobacco was fourth and alcohol fifth in 2000 and both remain high on the list in the 2010 and 2020 projections. Within any HIV epidemic, sex workers have been one of the groups most vulnerable and at risk of HIV infection due to their substance use and multiple sexual partners spanning multiple sexual networks. High rates of other sexually transmitted infections and unsafe sexual practices further increase the probability of HIV transmission in sex workers. As a result of the risks involved and their vulnerabilities. To assess the prevalence of substance use and magnitude of risky sexual behavior and its association with substance use among female sex workers in Addis-ketema sub city, Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. Community based descriptive cross sectional study which employed quantitative approach was conducted on substance use among Addis-ketema female sex workers from April 1st to 30th 2015. Structured questionnaire was used to measure the magnitude and associated factors for substance use on a total sample size of 425 Addis-ketema sub-city female sex workers. The sample size was determine by using single population proportion formula and simple random sampling technique was used to get study subjects. Binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to see the association between each independent variable with outcome variable and then variables that showed significant association were included in a single model, and multiple logistic regressions were performed to identify the most significant predictors. This study revealed that a significant proportion (58.2%) of sex workers abused substances. Prevalence of consistent condom use among female sex workers in Addis-ketema Sub-city Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia was 28.1%. Substance use among female sex workers was significantly associated with marital status of the respondents (AOR = 0.5, 95%, CI = 0.21, 0.99), educational status of the respondents (AOR = 0.1, 95%, CI = 0.02, 0.66), monthly income (AOR = 0.6, 95%, CI = 0.27, 1.32), and risky sexual behaviour (AOR = 2.7, 95%, CI = 1.44, 5.18). The overall prevalence of consistent condom use among Addis-Ketema female sex workers was very low and the main predictors of substance use were found to be risky sexual behaviour, marital status knowledge, educational status and monthly income. Therefore, interventions targeting the predictors are recommended.

 Key words: Substance use, risky sexual behavior, HIV/AIDS.


Abstract In this paper we introduce and study a new graph invariant derived from the degree sequence of a graph G, called the sub-k-domination number and denoted subk(G). This invariant serves as a generalization of the Slater number; in particular, we show that subk(G) is a computationally efficient sharp lower bound on the k-domination number of G, and improves on several known lower bounds. We also characterize the sub-k-domination numbers of several families of graphs, provide structural results on sub-k-domination, and explore properties of graphs which are subk(G)-critical with respect to addition and deletion of vertices and edges.


Mesalazine is often used as first-line therapy for ulcerative colitis. Several reports have pointed to systemic adverse reactions associated with this drug. Most have evoked a drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome, while some have described lupus syndromes but with limited clinical and varied biological features. A 75-year-old man presented with fever, dyspnoea, chest pain, polyarthralgia, and myalgia, following mesalazine introduction. Clinical symptoms and low-titre positive antihistone antibodies disappeared after mesalazine withdrawal without recourse to steroids. Pericardial effusion and 8F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake on positron emission tomography/CT scan, and glomerular haematuria and proteinuria also disappeared. Cytokine-lymphocyte transformation tests showed a strong sensitisation pattern with interleukin-5 production. This case advances our knowledge of the mechanism of mesalazine-induced adverse effects, namely via drug-induced hypersensitivity with lupus manifestations, which we are the first to report.


In view of the fact that the teams that exist in the laboratory of the different universities, to calculate the value of the load of the electron, using the method of the experiment of Millikan, they are very outdated and also to that the process of the assembly and installation of the same one is complex and of care, then it becomes necessary the upgrade of this experiment using a camera web initially to facilitate the observation of the drop and later on looking for the form of to automate and to control the experiment with the application of a software that
allows the direct analysis of the drops.


Congestion is a serious problem in many countries around the world. Consequently a lot of effort is put in inventing smart methods for reducing congestion. Whether these measures lead to the desired effect appears to be largely dependent on the driving behavior of individual road users. It is therefore not surprising that the effects of measures are often predicted in advance using simulation tools in which the movements of all vehicles on given roadway stretches are simulated separately using dedicated mathematical models. These predictions are of course only reliable when the assumptions about the driving behavior of individual drivers are realistic. To increase the insights into the behavior of drivers and to improve mathematical models describing this behavior we analyze in this thesis how drivers react to vehicles in front, i.e. we analyze how drivers react to changes in the dynamics of vehicles in front, which distance they want to keep and so on. To get a complete view of this so-called longitudinal driving behavior we use image sequences collected using a digital camera attached to a helicopter. We use these images to derive the dynamics (like positions and speeds) of all drivers driving at the observed roadway stretch. The resulting trajectory data are input to an automated calibration procedure with the aim to calibrate a broad range of mathematical models making different assumptions about human driving behavior. These calibrations are performed for all observed drivers separately. The properties of the applied calibration procedure are studied in this thesis. We, firstly, use the calibration results to analyze the degree of heterogeneity present in longitudinal driving behavior. More specific, by comparing model performances and estimated parameter values between drivers we quantify differences in the driving behavior of individual drivers. In our empirical analyses on heterogeneity within the group of drivers of person cars, we show, for example, that the driving styles of drivers differ considerably. Clear differences are identified between the speed-dependent distances drivers want to keep to the driver in front of them. Also the importance person car drivers attach to actually reaching this distance appears to be driver dependent. In our analyses on differences between the behaviors of truck drivers and person car drivers, we show that truck drivers in general appear to drive with a more constant speed than person car drivers. Person car drivers turn furthermore out to be more eager in restoring large deviations from their desired distance than truck drivers. Secondly, we use the calibration results to examine to how many vehicles in front a driver reacts. Although it has often been assumed that drivers look further ahead than their first leader, no empirical evidence has been provided so far. In this thesis, we show that more than half of the considered person car drivers looks further ahead than their direct leader. At least 20% appears to consider even more than two direct leaders. Especially the relative speed regarding direct leaders further downstream turns out to be of influence to the dynamics of the following car. We also show that the number of leaders considered differs between drivers. Even when drivers consider the same leaders it appears that the extents to which these leaders actually influence the longitudinal behavior of the following vehicle are strongly driver/vehicle combination dependent. To determine the effects of our empirical findings on traffic flow predictions we implement them in a dedicated simulation tool. The simulation results indicate clearly that model predictions are very sensitive to the behavioral assumptions (like the assumed degree of heterogeneity) made in the simulation tool. This again stresses the importance of our empirical analyses.


This study focuses on examining the innovation practices of small and medium enterprises in restaurant industry and their involvement in the quality of service. In this sense, the data of this research was obtained through the application of a structured questionnaire and an observation guide in 158 SMEs restaurants in the Mexico City's Historical Center. The results identify and classify the types of innovation -marketing, organizational, product and process- implemented by the SMEs under study. Together, this research provides useful information about the impacts generated by innovation, such as improvement of service quality, creation of collaborative networks and cost reduction, among others.


The difficulty in discerning the difference between capacity and motivation, as recently emphasized by David Levy, 1 is pertinent to the problems posed by patients with anosognosia. He defines capacity as the nonmotivational aspects of behavior, namely, the individual's ability, fitness, and endowment. "As contrasted with motivation it (capacity) refers to what the individual can do rather than what he intends to do." Recent contributions 2-5 to the subject of denial of hemiplegia reflect differing opinions concerning the role of motivational factors as compared with structural damage. In the effort to arrive at a unified point of view concerning the symptomatology of these patients two somewhat separate approaches can be identified. The first is concerned with the discovery of the specific structural factor involved and the analysis of the resultant functional deficit. This is best exemplified by the work of Denny-Brown and his associates 4 and their concept of amorphosynthesis.


For the Creative Writing student, critical reflection is a necessary adjunct to their creative work. This can range in style and scope from the analysis of personal process required at undergraduate level to the more traditionally 'academic' critical thesis component of the doctoral submission. However, it is not only students who feel compelled to produce a reflective companion piece to their creative work. Many established novelists have written extensively on the motivation, process and method by which their novels were produced. These texts make fascinating and necessary reading for all students and teachers of Creative Writing.

In this article I will consider two novels, Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose and Kate Grenville's The Secret River, and highlight what can be learnt from the non-fiction companion pieces - what Eco calls the 'texts of poetics' - that accompany them.


This study makes use of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System techniques to assess the vulnerability of structures along river channels in Oyo metropolis. The vulnerable rates were classified into High, Medium and Low using 30m, 45m and 60m buffer distances from the middle of the river channels while network analysis was also carried out to attend to any emergency operation. To achieve this feat, a geospatial database was designed and created with various analyses carried out on the entities extracted from the satellite image of the study area. Such analyses include, buffering to categorize the vulnerable zones into the various classes, network analyst menu of ArcGIS 10.2.2 was employed to find the best route from the Fire Service Station to the point of accident and also an alternative route in case of a barrier or barriers on the best route. This showed that a total of 881 buildings will be affected in any instance of flooding that is within 60m from the middle of the river channels in the study area. 399 buildings fall in high vulnerable zone accounting for 45.29% of the buildings examined for vulnerability in the study area, 245 buildings fall within the moderately vulnerable zone accounting for 27.81% and 237 buildings fall within low vulnerable zone at 26.90%. The best route from the Fire Service Station to the point of accident is gotten to be 2.3 Km while the alternative route is 2.7 Km when a barrier is placed on the best route during rescue mission indicating 0.4 Km difference between the two routes. Maps, tables and a chart were produced for various results.


The present study was aimed to elucidate the spatial pattern in the beta diversity of marine bentic for Echinoidea and Asteroidea that assemblages the coastal area of Tomia Island, Wakatobi Marine National Park, Indonesia. The two transect lines of 460 and 260 m in length with small quadrats of 1m2 wide were placed at the open and unopen beaches perpendicularly to the coastlines. The important value index and similarity index SI of organisms on these taxa were estimated in each the transect. Echinometra mathaei was the most dominant Echinoidea at open and unpen beaches, while Protoreaster nodusus was the most dominant Asteroidea at both areas. Most of SI values of Echinoidea at open beach were estimated less than 50%, which was lower than SI values that of organisms at unopen beach. On the other hand, most of SI values of Asteroidea at both areas were estimated more than 70% representing high similarity degree of its species composition among sites. The disimilarity index of organisms in the taxa of Echinoidea and Asteroidae was increased significantly as increasing the distance of among stands, which suggested that pettern in beta diversity of these taxa was associated with the spatial heterogenity.


The present study was to investigate whether entopeduncular nucleus (EP) is involved in caudate-putamen nucleus (CPu) stimulation-induced analgesia and in acupuncture analgesia. It was found that the foot-withdrawal latency elicited by radiant heat exposure was increased after electroacupuncture analgesia (EA), and the nociceptive responses of neurons in parafascicular nucleus (Pf) were inhibited after EA or after excitation of CPu neurons in normal rats, but the foot-withdrawal latency and nociceptive responses of Pf neurons were unchanged by EA or excitation of CPu in the rats with lesion of EP by local application of kainic acid. The results obtained with microinjeciton of saline instead of kainic acid into the EP were the same with those in the nonlesioned control group. The differences in the results between the lesion group and the other groups were significant ( <0.05). It is suggested that EP is involved in acupuncture analgesia and also plays an important role in caudate-putamen nucleus stimulation-induced analgesia.


The relationship between the climate change and human rights regimes has been the subject of much scholarly debate. The Paris Agreement and work carried out under the auspices of the Human Right Council have shed new light on states' understanding of the interplay between these two bodies of law. This chapter analyses these recent developments, placing them in the context of the scholarly debate on the fragmentation of international law, analysing means to avoid conflicts and exploit synergies between the climate change and the human rights regimes.


Introduction: Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19), caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) catapulted the need to build, upgrade and expand the number of diagnostic laboratories having molecular capacity. Setting up and sustaining a molecular laboratory especially in the backdrop of a lockdown presented many challenges. The Department of Microbiology, in a tertiary level hospital in Mumbai was one of the first to start the molecular testing laboratory. All other tests performed in the department are accredited as per International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 15189:2012 since 2015. However, starting a molecular diagnostic facility for COVID-19 testing presented a unique set of challenges as the organism in question belonged to risk category 2 and had the potential for airborne transmission. Aim: To determine the challenges faced and activities undertaken especially with regards to the role of Quality Management System (QMS) in setting up and sustaining a molecular diagnostic facility during COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was carried out of experiences and data generated from March 2020 to April 2021 at the Microbiology Department of a tertiary level medical college and hospital in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The article included the processes which required and data generated during setting up and sustaining a new molecular testing facility as per the QMS with special reference to the 12 Quality System Essentials (QSE). Quality Indicators (QI) were identified, objectives defined and monitored over the period of the study. It was a descriptive study and statistical analysis was not indicated. Results: All the objectives of the QI were met with. Only 4% staff needed corrective training. Specimen rejection rate pretest and post-test was 0.26% and 0.56%, respectively. Quality control failure was seen in 0.16% runs and Turnaround Time (TAT) deviated beyond 12 hours in 0.52% samples. The run contamination, equipment problems and laboratory associated infections were 0.08%, 0.56% and 0%, respectively. There were no External Quality Assessment (EQAS) failure and negative feedback. Laboratory contamination rate was 1.02%. Definite improvement was observed over time in all identified parameters. Conclusion: Implementation of QMS with specific reference to strengthening QSE is a necessary requirement for achieving quality standards.


This article focuses on theoretical reflections on sovereignty and constitutionalism in the context of the globalization and Europeanisation of the nation states, their politics, and legal systems. Starting from a critical assessment of the Kelsen-Schmitt polemic, the author claims that sovereignty needs to be analysed by the sociological method in order to disclose its current structural differentiation. The constitution of society may be imagined as the multitude of self-constituted and functionally differentiated social subsystems. The constitutional pluralism argument subsequently reconceptualizes sovereignty as socially differentiated and divided between specific subsystems. The EU's differentiated constitutional domain and the paradox of divided sovereignty are used as examples of profound structural and semantic changes in contemporary national and transnational societies. While the sovereign nation-state institutions have become marginalized in political structures of European societies, the self-constitutionalization of the functionally differentiated EU legal system proceeds by internalizing the concept of divided sovereignty and using it semantically as its mode of self-reference.


A method based on Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is proposed and described for finding subspaces that carry meaningful information about the presence of groups in high‐dimensional data sets. The advantage of using PSO is that not only the variables that are responsible for the main data structure are identified but also other subspaces corresponding to local optima. The characteristics of the method are shown on two simulated data sets and on a real matrix coming from the analysis of genomic microarrays. In all cases, PSO allowed to explore different subspaces and to discover meaningful structures in the analyzed data. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Hong-Shin Zou, Yi-Zhen Chang, Shyh-Chi Chen, Shiou-Mei Yau, Ya-Lun Shen, and Chi-Ying Lee (2002) Localization of NADPH-diaphorase and nitric oxide synthase activity in the eyestalk of the crayfish, Procambarus clarkii. Zoological Studies 41(3): 244-250. The distribution of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the eyestalk tissues of the crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, was studied using NADPH-diaphorase (NADPH-d) histo- chemistry and an NOS biochemical assay. In the retina, NADPH-d activity was detected in the rhabdom of the ommatidium and axons of retinular cells that terminate in the lamina ganglionaris. In the eyestalk ganglia, NADPH-d was localized to the fibers in the 1st chiasma that connect the lamina ganglionaris and medulla exter- na, and 2 prominent fiber tracts that appear to originate from the medulla terminalis, project distally, and termi- nate in the synaptic layers of the medulla interna. In addition, NADPH-d-positive somata were found in the periphery of the medulla externa. Specific staining of NADPH-d activity was eliminated by DPIP, an inhibitor of NOS-associated NADPH-d. The distribution pattern of NADPH-d activity described above is much broader than that of NOS-immunoreactivity reported in a previous study (Lee et al. 2000). Biochemical analysis revealed that the regions (the medulla interna and medulla terminalis) where only NADPH-d activity (but not NOS-immunoreactivity) was detected also contained significant levels of NOS activity, suggesting that the observed NADPH-d activity is associated with NOS. The combined results indicate that, in contrast to a highly restricted pattern suggested by immunohistochemical data, NOS is widely distributed in the crayfish eyestalk and implicates NO in the processing of visual information. http://www.sinica.edu.tw/zool/zoolstud/41.3/244.pdf


The major findings of the present study may be summarized as follows: Muscle strength, measured as maximal isokinetic torque and maximal dynamic muscle power, measured as the highest 5 s power output during a 30 s maximal cycle exercise test, were unaltered by beta-blockade. When maximal exercise was prolonged to 30-60 s, anaerobic endurance, measured both as average power during 30 s maximal cycle exercise and as static endurance time at 65% of maximal voluntary contraction force, was decreased by beta-blockade. On the other hand, anaerobic endurance measured as peak torque decline during 50 repeated maximal isokinetic contractions was unaffected by beta-blockade. Aerobic power, measured as maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) during cycle exercise, was decreased by beta-blockade. In addition, aerobic endurance was decreased by beta-blockade when measured as both time to fatigue during 10 min cycling and as time for a 2000 m run. When comparing the effects of beta 1-selective and non-selective beta-blockade on work capacity, no differences were demonstrated with regard to muscle strength, muscle power, and aerobic power (VO2max). Aerobic endurance was decreased to a greater extent by non-selective than by beta 1-selective blockade, when similar reductions in heart rate and VO2 max were attained. The difference in aerobic endurance between the two types of blockers indicates that factors other than an effect on oxygen transport, are responsible for the further reduction in endurance induced by the non-selective blockade. These factors are most likely local metabolic factors. Similarly, work capacity was reduced to a greater extent by non-selective than beta 1-selective blockade when similar reduction in blood pressure were attained by both drugs in hypertensive patients. Muscle G-6-P concentration was reduced by non-selective, but not by beta 1-selective blockade, suggesting a beta 2-mediated retardation of glycolysis. The effects of beta-blockade on VO2max and work capacity shown during acute administration persisted during long-term treatment.


In this study the effects of increased graphene nanosheet (GNS) concentration on variations in the structure and properties of electrospun GNS-filled poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT/GNS) composite fiber, such as its morphologies, crystallization behavior, mechanical properties, and electrical conductivity, were investigated. The effects of GNS addition on solution rheology and conductivity were also investigated. GNSs were embedded in the fibers and formed protrusions. The PTT cold crystallization rate of PTT/GNS composite fibers increased with the gradual addition of GNSs. A PTT mesomorphic phase was formed during electrospinning, and GNSs could induce the PTT mesomorphic phase significantly during PTT/GNS composite fiber electrospinning. The PTT/GNS composite fiber mats (CFMs) became ductile with the addition of GNSs. The elastic recoveries of the PTT/GNS CFMs with 170 °C annealing were better than those of the as-spun PTT/GNS CFMs. Percolation scaling laws were applied to the magnitude of conductivity to reveal the percolation network of electrospun PTT/GNS CFMs. The electrical conductivity mechanism of the PTT/GNS CFMs differed from that of the PTT/GNS composite films. Results showed that the porous structure of the PTT CFMs influenced the performance of the mats in terms of electrical conductivity.


The unusual case of a ventral brain stem schwannoma located at the entry zone of the hypoglossal nerve in a 49-year-old woman is reported. The diagnosis of a schwannoma was confirmed histologically after partial tumor resection via the dorsolateral, suboccipital, transcondylar approach. Hypotheses for the pathogenesis of intramedullary schwannomas are discussed.


In present report, we analyze the results of optical measurement in the LiNbO3 thin films (amorphous, poly-crystal, and single crystalline). The LiNbO3 films deposited on quartz and NaCl substrates were used for measuring the absorption and reflection spectra. The optical spectra of amorphous and single crystalline LiNbO3 films were obtained at temperatures of 90 K, 300 K and 420 K. Reflection spectra results, show that there are two wide bands (A and B) with a complicated structure in the energy region hw = 3.0-16 eV. The A-band has a more complicated structure as compared to the B-band. A large half width and a small oscillation strength, in comparison with the A-band, are characteristic of the reflection spectra obtained at different temperatures were investigated for single-crystalline thin films.


The retrospective analysis of dysentery morbidity in Blagoveshchensk for the period of 1960-1987 was made. The regularities linking general natural and biological factors triggering the epidemic process with dysentery morbidity among the population are emphasized. The study revealed that under the conditions of Blagoveshchensk dairy products were of major epidemic importance among factors contributing to the transmission of dysentery. Such a factor as flies also had a definite influence on the epidemic process of dysentery. Another risk factor was drinking water which influenced the epidemic process both directly and indirectly through dairy products and, probably, other foodstuffs. Reliable correlation between dysentery morbidity among the population and the quality of dairy products, tap water and the number of flies was established.


UK Higher Education Institutions have invested significantly in the implementation of multimedia and visualization material in teaching, learning and assessment of civil and building engineering-with mixed results. The paper focuses on the use and life cycle of digital imagery and visualization material, which is embedded within multimedia teaching aids to improve student understanding. It describes ways in which these materials are developed and used in the civil and building engineering curriculum and, in particular, how distributed performance support systems can be applied to make more effective use of digital imagery and visualization material. Following this, the paper then describes how a distributed performance support system approach to education is being adopted at Loughborough University as part of the CAL-Visual project. After highlighting the main aims and objectives of the project, the paper concludes by discussing some of the issues encountered during the design and implementation of a distributed performance support system.


Ross, P. J., Seaton, A., Foreman, H. M., and Morris Evans, W. H. (1974).Thorax, 29, 659-665. Pulmonary calcification following smallpox handler's lung. A follow-up study of six nurses who developed smallpox handler's lung during the 1962 South Wales smallpox epidemic and of the surviving smallpox patients is reported. The development of extensive punctate calcification in the chest radiographs of five of the nurses, together with the absence of abnormalities of lung function, is taken to support the view that the disease is a modified smallpox pneumonia rather than an allergic alveolitis.


Conversational agents are a promising way to provide assistance to novice users. After a semantic analysis, natural language requests are transformed into a formal representation the agent is using in conjunction with a model of the application to define the most appropriated reaction. But heuristics associating behaviors to patterns of semantically similar requests often fail to provide a reaction both efficient and realistic when they are only based on purely rational decisions. Therefore, we propose here an architecture for assisting conversational agents based on two notions: heuristics taking into account both rational and subjective parameters (based on a psychological model of the agent), and biases used to model deep personality contraints the agent can't modify (implemented as modifiers over the messages transmitted by the agent). We illustrate its functioning with typical requests extracted from a corpus of requests to an assisting agent.


This paper presents a novel numerical scheme applicable to the solution of the Boltzmann transport equation by means of a spherical-harmonics expansion. This scheme improves the solution at low energies, keeping the desired accuracy in the calculation of the mean quantities while saving a significant amount of CPU time. This is important in view of the applications of the method, since the typical number of nodes to be used in the combined space-energy domain is in the range of 104–105.


OBJECTIVE
Incidental pulmonary findings are commonly detected at lung cancer screening chest CT. Though most of these findings are clinically insignificant, it is difficult to prospectively determine which are potentially important to clinical care. The purpose of this review is to discuss the incidental pulmonary findings commonly detected at lung cancer screening chest CT.

CONCLUSION
Incidental pulmonary findings most commonly fall into one of three categories: interstitial lung disease, emphysema, and airways disease (both small and large airways).


It is shown that by MOCVD growth of a single strained GaAs:In layer, the quality of epitaxial GaAs material can be remarkably enhanced. This is demonstrated with respect to lifetimes and diffusion lengths of minority carriers. This technique permits an improvement of the quality of electronic and optoelectronic bipolar devices.


This study comparatively examines the determinants of working capital management for listed vs. unlisted firms, and assesses the impact of this policy on profitability by focusing on the cash conversion cycle, a commonly used measure of working capital management. By using a large UK public and private firm sample, it is found that private firms have significantly lower cash conversion cycles than their public counterparts, and that traditional determinants of the cycle significantly differ between the two groups. The findings are robust to matching public and private firms according to a number of fundamental characteristics, allowing only for their listing status to differ. Results further indicate that the cash conversion cycle has a relatively stronger (negative) impact on operating profitability for private, compared to public firms. This is consistent with greater importance of efficient working capital management for firms with more restricted access to external financing.


Google is a powerful search engine that offers quick and easy web searching. Use the tips and tricks provided in this guide to get the most your of your Google search.


Barchan dunes are crescent-shaped formations of sand that can dominate both desert and subaqueous landscapes when the supply of sand is scarce. Because of the complexity and scale of the underlying phenomena, the mechanisms governing the entire process from the genesis to the long-term evolution of barchan fields still remain to be better understood. Herein, we attempt to present a description of this process in a subaqueous environment by employing a large-eddy simulation approach that couples turbulent flow and sand-bed morphodynamics. We show that the seeds of the emergent structure in barchan fields are random turbulent flow motions near the initially flat bed. We also provide high-resolution insights into phenomena such as barchan migration and merging, and show how transverse sand waves are formed and migrate over the barchan horns. Furthermore, the transverse sand waves over the barchan horns are shown to be the seeds of the newly born barchans at the end points of the two horns of a barchan through the process known as calving. To show this, we examine the celerity, wavelength and amplitude of the transverse sand waves over the barchan as they approach the end of its horn. The celerity and wavelength of these transverse sand waves are shown to be the defining factors in determining the frequency of the calving process. The amplitude of the newly born barchans (through calving) is also shown to be associated with the amplitude of the transverse waves near the end of the horn. The simulation data also show that the wavelength of the newly born barchans (the distance between individual dunes) is closely related to that of the transverse sand waves over their maternal barchan. Finally, we use the simulation results to discuss past conclusions derived from theory, conventional models and field observations.


Once a suitable reference sequence is generated, genomic differences within a species are often assessed by re-sequencing. Variant calling processes can reveal all differences between two strains, accessions, genotypes, or individuals. These variants can be enriched with predictions about their functional implications based on available structural annotations i.e. gene models. Although these functional impact predictions on a per variant basis are often accurate, some challenging cases require the simultaneous incorporation of multiple adjacent variants into this prediction process. Examples are neighboring variants which modify each others' functional impact. Neighborhood-Aware Variant Impact Predictor (NAVIP) considers all variants within a given protein coding sequence when predicting the functional consequences. As a proof of concept, variants between the Arabidopsis thaliana accessions Columbia-0 and Niederzenz-1 were annotated. NAVIP is freely available on github: https://github.com/bpucker/NAVIP.


Sometimes, in the case of highly nonlinear systems the traditional approaches of identification and control could be difficult to implement. In this case, a good alternative are the neural networks. In this paper a modular neural network for the identification of a pneumatic servo system is proposed. This approach is based on the partitioning of static characteristic of the pneumatic system. The neural modules are implemented with multilayer neural networks.


ABSTRACT. Lima D.A.S.D., Souza A.P., Borges O.M.M., Santana V.L., Araujo A.L., Figueiredo L.C.M., Nobrega Neto P.I. & Lima W.C. [Comparative study of the association of Ketamine to Dexmedetomidine, Medetomidine or Xylazine in rabbits.] Estudo comparativo da associacao de Cetamina a Dexmedetomidina, Medetomidina ou Xilazina em coelhos. Revista Brasileira de Medicina Veterinaria 36(1):35-41, 2014. Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Medicina Veterinaria, Centro de Saude e Tecnologia Rural, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Av. Universitaria, s/n, Patos, PB 58708-110, Brasil. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com There are a variety of different anesthetic techniques that aim to overcome the various problems of anesthesia in rabbits, such as handling stress and apnea during induction with inhalational anesthetic agents, reducing the risks of the procedure. The objective of this study was to compare the anesthetic effects promoted by ketamine associated/mixed with three different agonists α2 -adrenergics in rabbits. Were used 6 healthy animals, (SRD) mixed breed, weighing 2.42+0.36 kg, submerged to treatments called GCX, GCD and GCM. The fixed-dose ketamine (15 mg/kg) combined with xylazine (10 mg/kg) was administered intramuscularly in the GCX, the dexmedetomidine (0.05 mg/ kg) in GCD and medetomidine (0.25 mg/kg) in the GCM. Were evaluated the heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (ƒ), rectal temperature (RT), oxyhemoglobin saturation (SpO2 ), mean arterial pressure (MAP), glucose (GLI), variables electrocardiography (Pms, PmV, PRms, QRSms, RmV, QTms, RRms), latency, able anesthetic and recovery period. The records of the variables were initiated before drug administration (basal) and every 5 minutes after taking them for 50 minutes. Data were subjected to ANOVA followed by the Tukey test (P<0.05), for the clinical variables, and the "t" test of Student (P<0.05) for the other variables. More stable HR and MAP, respectively were obtained in the GCD and the GCM. There was a reduction of the average of ƒ and hyperglycemia in all groups. The PR in GCX had high averages from M5. We conclude that the effects were similar in both groups and without significant changes in the physiology of rabbits. It is worth mentioning a better cardiovascular stability associated with the use of dexmedetomidine.


11-Oxygenated steroids with a ring A dienone system are reduced in non-protic media with cleavage of the 9,10-bond, and the resulting 9,10-secosteriods (2) or (5) were converted into 9,10-secocholesta-1,3,5(10)-triene-3-ol (12), an unknown isomer of cholecalciferol (vitamin D3).


This study explores the introduction of product-service offerings in which the manufacturing firmmay loose its product based competitive advantage. Conceptually, the study furthers understanding of therole that capabilities have in servitisation. It also establishes the link between product-service system anddiscontinuous innovation. Empirically, the study provides insights into management considerations whenfaced with the dilemma of having to pursue product service propositions that weaken or marginaliseexisting product or technology based capability advantages. This affects firm value proposition, creationand capture in a substantially different way than in existing servitisation models.


The role of standing waves in the microwave measuring systems used in the study of normal and tumor cells is discussed. A pronounced cyclic variation in measured power as a function of frequency through biological materials has been reported in curves published for two frequency ranges 66-76 GHz and 76-86 GHz. The materials studied included a variety of normal and tumor cells and compounds such as guanine and guanylic acid. A condition for cyclic and multiple resonances in a waveguide system is satisfied when at least two impedance discontinuities giving rise to reflections are present. When we have only two discontinuities, the distance between them may be calculated from the operating frequency and the separation between frequencies for maximum power transmission through a branch of the measuring system. In the resulting standing-wave pattern, the effect of introducing the organic or biological sample with losses over a wide frequency range into the measuring system is to reduce the magnitude of the maxima in the standing-wave pattern and to increase the magnitude of the minima. To distinguish between Iosses due to the sample and the frequency selectivity of the microwave measuring system, one sound procedure is to adjust the system for unity standing-wave ratio (SWR). After this is done, if one still observes a frequency-dependent absorption which arises on introducing the sample or by use of a comparison method employing two samples, the results will no longer be ambiguous. The ambiguity in results reported in the literature will be resolved when effective methods are used to control the frequency selectivity of the equipment.


Heterotaxy is the failure of the developing embryo to establish normal left-right asymmetry, which is often associated with multiple malformations. Previous studies have identified different mutations in the cytoplasmic tail of the connexin 43 (cx 43) gene in six patients from a series of six sporadic cases with defects of laterality and severe heart malformations. These cases showed that of the genes involved in lateralization defects with autosomal recessive transmission, cx 43 was the most important. This result was challenged by two different teams, which, on sequencing only the carboxyl terminal end of the cx 43 gene in 30 patients, found no mutations. To assess the responsibility of the cx 43 gene in human autosomal recessive lateralization defects, we tested its involvement in a selected group of 25 patients (19 familial cases) with a wide variety of lateralization defects and cardiovascular malformations. The whole coding sequence and direct flanking sequences were screened for mutations, both by single strand conformation analysis and direct fluorescent sequencing. We could only detect a single base pair insertion in the 3' untranslated region of one patient. To test the possibility of mutations in other parts of the cx 43 gene, the gene was located onto the physical map of chromosome 6, and flanking polymorphic markers were genotyped. Haplotype analysis excluded the cx 43 gene locus in nearly all of the familial cases of lateralization defects. Thus, our results do not support the suggestion that this gene is implicated in human autosomal recessive lateralization defects.


The present study was undertaken to determine the drug resistance pattern of M. tuberculosis isolated from 225 pulmonary and 45 extrapulmonary tuberculosis cases. The samples were cultured on Lowenstein Jensen (L-J) media for isolation of M. tuberculosis . Drug resistance to first line anti tubercular drugsnamely isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RIF), Ethambutol (ETH) and streptomycin (SM) were determined by indirect proportion method. The overall drug resistance of M. tuberculosis was 53.6% to any of the first line anti tubercular drugs. Rate of multi drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) among the untreated cases was 4.2%, while it was 36.0% in previously treated cases. It was found that 83.3% rifampicin resistant M. tuberculosis was cross resistant to one or more of other first line anti-tubercular drugs, while cross resistance of INH, ETH and SM resistant isolates was much low. The present study revealed that high level of drug resistance exists to individual anti tubercular drugs and MDR-TB is an emerging problem, particularly in treated cases. Rifampicin resistance could be used as a surrogate marker for drug resistance to other first line anti tubercular drugs. Ibrahim Med. Coll. J. 2014; 8(2): 41-46


Traditionally, the grounds for recusation are objective circumstances established in the course of criminal proceedings, which exclude the participation of certain subjects in the trial, regardless of the discretion and expression of the will of the parties. The paper substantiates that "other circumstances giving grounds to believe that they are personally, directly or indirectly, interested in the outcome of this criminal case" provided for by Part 2 of Art. 61 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation as a basis for challenging a judge and other persons do not imply the mandatory establishment of interest, it is enough that there are circumstances giving grounds to believe its existence. It is in this interpretation of the law that the general idea underlying the institution of recusation is realized, i.e. ensuring confidence in the composition of the court. Ignoring mistrust in the composition of the court as a basis for recusation leads to violations of the law when resolving recusations in the event of an interpersonal conflict in court, when establishing a corporate relationship between a party and the composition of the court, when recalling a defense attorney, etc.


The present study describes an experience that involved the development of a long lasting WebQuest in an adult education and training course, from the secondary education level, on the theme "Sexually Transmitted Diseases". A case study was developed with the purpose of verifying if the WebQuest foments the trainees' motivation and commitment towards learning and if it facilitates the research and interpretation of the information available online, in the production of the end result; to listen to the trainees' opinions on the fulfilment of the WebQuest, the written assignment and the informational bulletin; to increase the trainees' informatics skills and contribute to prepare 21st century citizens. The results of the study sustain that the WebQuest improved the constructive role of the trainees in the comprehension of the "Sexually Transmitted Diseases" theme, stimulated the acquisition of competences at the informatics level and contributed to make them become citizens that are more active and critically prepared for decision-making in the global information and knowledge society of the 21st century.

 Key words: WebQuest, adult education and training, Web 2.0.


Past legal consciousness research has revealed a great deal about what individuals think and do with regard to law, but less attention has been paid to the social processes that underpin these attitudes, beliefs, and actions. This article focuses particularly on a "second-order" layer of legal consciousness: people's perceptions about how others understand the law. Ethnographic observations and in-depth interviews with cockfighters in rural Hawaii reveal how law enforcement practices not only affect cockfighting rituals, but are embedded within them. Police practices and informal rules work in concert to shape fighters' second-order beliefs. These beliefs have implications for participants' understanding of central concepts, including order, disorder, and illegality. Examining legal consciousness from a second-order perspective also underscores that notions of legitimacy are constantly created and recreated. Recognizing legitimacy's inherently relational nature helps us understand how experiences of law are synthesized into beliefs -- for example, when an unusual police action directed toward a subgroup of fighters compromised the law's legitimacy for them. Foregrounding the relational nature of legal consciousness offers scholars a means to better understand and operationalize the dynamic nature of human relationships to law.


Texture plays an important role in image features, in both display and perception of halftone images. We propose a quantitative measure for the occurrence of textures in binary images. This metric considers the fact that textures may be disturbed by missing or spurious pixels and that texels may overlap. Moreover, the texture may be black on white or white on black, which is also considered in the texture metric. We analyze various binary images with different textural characteristics with respect to different textures, to demonstrate the properties of the texture metric.


Carcass traits and relative organ weights of growing rabbits fed graded levels of processed (ash treated and rumen liquor fermented) kola nut (Cola nitida) pod husks (PKPH) were investigated. One hundred and twenty (120) weaner rabbits of mixed breeds (New-Zealand white × Chinchilla) of equal sexes and average body weight 525.46g were randomly allotted to four (4) dietary treatments at 0 (0.00 % PKPH), 10 (10 % PKPH), 20 (20 % PKPH), and 30 % (30 % PKPH) inclusion levels and designated as diets 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Each treatment group was replicated ten (10) times with three (3) rabbits per replicate and was fed ad-libitum for 56 days. The highest slaughter weight (1813.80 g/r), dressing weight (1068.70 g/r) and dressing percentage (58.54 %) recorded in rabbits fed diet 3 (20% PKPH) were similar to those fed the control diet (0 % PKPH) and diet 2 (10% PKPH) but was significantly (P<0.05) higher than those fed diet 4 (30 % PKPH). The lungs, liver, kidney, heart, and spleen of the rabbits fed dietary treatments were not significantly influenced. It was concluded that processed kolanut pod husk had no deleterious effect on carcass and relative organs weight of weaner rabbits.


The analogue of Kontsevich's matrix Airy function, with the cubic potential $\mathrm{Tr}(\Phi^3)$ replaced by a quartic term $\mathrm{Tr}(\Phi^4)$, provides a toy model for quantum field theory in which all correlation functions can be computed exactly and explicitly. In this paper we show that distinguished polynomials of correlation functions, themselves given by quickly growing series of Feynman ribbon graphs, sum up to much simpler and highly structured expressions. These expressions are deeply connected with meromorphic forms conjectured to obey blobbed topological recursion. Moreover, we show how the exact solutions permit to explore critical phenomena in the Quartic Kontsevich Model.


A shale GeoBioCell microfluidic testbed has been used to evaluate the processes by which the growth of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) biofilms and iron sulfide biominerals reduce porosity and increase hydraulic resistance in hydraulically fractured (fracked) shale reservoirs. These microbe-mineral-water interactions were tracked in real-time at 45°C (113°F) within proppant-filled microchannels constructed within Devonian New Albany Shale samples from the Illinois Basin. Metagenomic analyses of the SRB communities used in experimentation indicate they are composed of Desulfovibrio alaskensis, Aminivibrio species, and two Synergistaceae species. SRB growth and iron sulfide precipitation were tracked with high-resolution brightfield (BF) microscopy and hydraulic resistance (HR) measurements. After ~80-160 hours, exponential increases in HR reached complete clogging after ~150-230 hours (HR > 0.10 PSI/(μl min-1)). Porosity and permeability occlusion was caused by the growth of SRB biofilm streamers encrusted with iron sulfides. Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) revealed that these large 100's μm-diameter SRB streamers were composed of microbial cells that adhere to each other, attach to proppant surfaces and extend downstream in and around proppant pore spaces. This indicates that in proppant-filled fracked shales, SRB streamers with iron sulfides readily attach, occlude pore space, and hinder flow. This establishes the shale GeoBioCell as a viable experimental testbed for future determination of the efficacy of microbial biocides and other oil field amendments that are routinely applied to maintain and enhance hydrocarbon production in fracked shale reservoirs.


BACKGROUND
Previous studies highlight a possible association between alcohol-drinking patterns and dietary inadequacies, which may have negative implications, particularly for women of child-bearing age. The present study aimed to compare dietary adequacy among alcohol drinkers versus nondrinkers in Inuvialuit women of child-bearing age.

METHODS
A cross-sectional survey of 92 randomly selected women of childbearing age (19-44 years) was conducted in three communities in the Northwest Territories of Arctic Canada, using a validated quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Data were analysed to compare mean daily energy and nutrient intakes, dietary adequacy and nutrient densities (per 4184 kJ) between alcohol drinkers and nondrinkers, as well as heavy drinkers and nonheavy drinkers, using the nonparametric Wilcoxen rank sum test.

RESULTS
The response rate was between 65% and 85% depending on the community sampled. Of the study participants, 54% (n = 49) were drinkers and 46% (n = 42) were nondrinkers. Of the drinkers, 45% (n = 22) were heavy drinkers. Mean energy intakes were high among all women, although they were significantly higher among drinkers [17,179 kJ (4106 kcal)] compared to nondrinkers [13,317 kJ (3183 kcal)]. There were no significant differences in nutrient intake between the two groups; however, drinkers had a lower nutrient density for most nutrients. Heavy drinkers had a significantly lower nutrient density for all nutrients, except protein, iron, and vitamins B6 , C and D, compared to nonheavy drinkers.

CONCLUSIONS
The findings of the present study provide evidence of inadequate dietary intake among Inuvialuit of child-bearing age, regardless of alcohol-drinking behaviour.


Mathematical concepts often have applicability in areas that may have surprised their original developers. This is the case with piecewise isometries (PWIs), which transform an object by cutting it into pieces that are then rearranged to reconstruct the original object, and which also provide a paradigm to study mixing via cutting and shuffling in physical sciences and engineering. Every PWI is characterized by a geometric structure called the exceptional set, E, whose complement comprises nonmixing regions in the domain. Varying the parameters that define the PWI changes both the structure of E as well as the degree of mixing the PWI produces, which begs the question of how to determine which parameters produce the best mixing. Motivated by mixing of yield stress materials, for example granular media, in physical systems, we use numerical simulations of PWIs on a hemispherical shell and examine how the fat fractal properties of E relate to the degree of mixing for any particular PWI. We present numerical evidence that the fractional coverage of E negatively correlates with the intensity of segregation, a standard measure for the degree of mixing, which suggests that fundamental properties of E such as fractional coverage can be used to predict the effectiveness of a particular PWI as a mixing mechanism.


An inventory study of fishes was carried out from June 2003 to May 2004 at Sungai Enam and Sungai Telang, which was last logged 40 years ago. In spite of the negative impacts of logging, the study recorded a total of 21 fish species in these headwaters, comprising nine families. Sungai Telang recorded 19 species with 11 species classified as "locally rare", whereas Sungai Enam recorded 11 species with nine species classified as "locally rare". When species from previous studies were included, the total number of species recorded in Sungai Enam and Sungai Telang was 28 and 27 species respectively. The presence of Devario regina, Neolissochilus soroides and Poropuntius smedleyi in all inventory studies conducted indicate that both headwaters are healthy, and function as sources of clean water, nutrient supplies and fish recruits for Temengor Reservoir.


Prescribed burning is used to reduce the occurrence, extent and severity of uncontrolled fires in many flammable landscapes. However, epidemiologic evidence of the human health impacts of landscape fire smoke emissions is shaping fire management practice through increasingly stringent environmental regulation and public health policy. An unresolved question, critical for sustainable fire management, concerns the comparative human health effects of smoke from wild and prescribed fires. Here we review current knowledge of the health effects of landscape fire emissions and consider the similarities and differences in smoke from wild and prescribed fires with respect to the typical combustion conditions and fuel properties, the quality and magnitude of air pollution emissions, and the potential for dispersion to large populations. We further examine the interactions between these considerations, and how they may shape the longer term smoke regimes to which populations are exposed. We identify numerous knowledge gaps and propose a conceptual framework that describes pathways to better understanding of the health trade-offs of prescribed and wildfire smoke regimes.


Numerous studies have been published on the psychobiological factors which either facilitate or impede a patient's adaptation to haemodialysis. These studies have tended to group all dialysands together, and the psychological heterogeneity of dialysands has not always been adequately recognized. Recent research has assisted in identifying certain homogeneous subgroups. With this information it appears possible to formulate a more rational approach to psychotherapeutic intervention and management. This paper deals with some of the psychological factors involved in the differential management of stress in in-centre patients on ongoing haemodialysis, i.e. differentiation between those who comply and those who do not and the reflection of this in psychotherapeutic management.


If fusion of the ventral and dorsal pancreatic ducts does not occur during fetal life, endoscopic retrograde cannulation of the papilla of Vater will visualize a small complete ductal system which is confined to the head of the pancreas. This system is characterized by normal arborizations throughout, relatively small duct diameters and the absence of a communication with the minor papilla. In contrast, if fusion has taken place and the ductal system is shortened by disease, pancreatography will demonstrate abrupt proximal termination or proximal tapering without side branches, and may show a significant duct of Santorini. If the ducts have fused, an area of narrowing approximately 3-20 mm in length commonly occurs at the level of fusion. This should not be confused with pathologic ductal stenosis.


A single bottle blood culture system that detects the gas produced by micro-organisms from substrates in a specially formulated medium was compared with the Bactec radiometric system. A total of 725 blood samples collected from patients with suspected bacteraemia yielded 75 clinically important isolates. Fifty five (73%) of these cultures were detected by both methods, 16 (21%) by only the Bactec system, and four (5%) by only the Oxoid system. No significant differences were found between the two systems after allowance was made for the different volume of sample inoculated into each system.


This paper proposes the Novel Differential Evolution (NDE) method for solving the environmental economic hydrothermal system dispatch (EEHTSD) problem with the aim to reduce electricity generation fuel costs and emissions of thermal units. The EEHTSD problem is constrained by limitations on generations, active power balance, and amount of available water. NDE applies two modified techniques. The first one is modified mutation, which is used to balance global and local search. The second one is modified selection, which is used to keep the best solutions. When performing this modified selection, the proposed method completely reduces the impact of crossover by setting it to one. Moreover, the task of tuning this factor can be canceled. Original Differential Evolution (ODE), ODE with the first modification (MMDE), and ODE with the second modification (MSDE), and NDE were tested on two different hydrothermal systems for comparison and evaluation purposes. The performance of NDE was also compared to existing methods. It was indicated that the proposed NDE is a very promising method for solving the EEHTSD problem.


Objectives: We present safety and clinical outcomes of Rituximab (RTX) in connective tissue diseases-associated interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD) in a real-life clinical setting. Methods: Efficacy was assessed by lung function tests (LFT) and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). ILD exacerbations and safety were assessed. Results: 14 patients with CTD-ILD (29% rheumatoid arthritis, 21% Sjogren, 21% unclassifiable CTD, 14% systemic sclerosis and 14% myopathies) received 4000mg (2000 – 6000) RTX (observation period 161 patient-year). ILD patterns were: 57% usual interstitial pneumonia, 21% unclassifiable ILD, 7% nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, 7% cryptogenic organizing pneumonia and 7% lymphoid interstitial pneumonia. At baseline, IgG levels and leukocyte subset counts were within normal range, with reduced numbers of unswitched memory B cells. Incidence infection rate during RTX therapy was 4.35/100 patient-month (p/m) with one case severe. There was 1 death, due to neutropenia with a disseminated fungal infection. LFT available in 12 patients showed an overall improvement in FVC (85%±19 vs. 73%±18) and DLCO (58%±18 vs. 45%±19). Radiographic progression could be evaluated in 6 patients, with 5 stabilized and 1 improved. ILD incidence relapse rate during RTX therapy was 0.745/100 p/m compared to 5.56/100 p/m in the pre-treatment period. Conclusions: Our preliminary data indicate that RTX is safe and shows a low exacerbation rate. Although optimal outcome measures in the short term are difficult to establish, we could confirm disease stabilization in most patients.


Focusing on the most prominent features, this paper presents the stock of the 1913 Gazetteer of Hungary and the heritage of the preceding project known as "the registration of Hungarian settlement names", which fundamentally restructured the former system of Hungarian settlement names. Because of the significant reorganization of public administration in the successor states of historical Hungary after 1921, at least 20% of the 1913 name stock changed; in successor states, except for present-day Hungary, the survival of the 1913 registered names as well as the development and overall spread of Hungarian names for new settlements was restricted due to historical reasons. Contemporary Hungarian settlement names in the successor states in part are prescribed by the law, but popular scenes of name use (cf. encyclopaedias, maps, and search engines on the Internet) are affected by different dictionaries of settlement names, including non-standardized name stocks. With respect to settlement names included in legal documents as well as in dictionaries, one can claim that the purpose and the principles of the early-twentieth century settlement-name registration have been corrupted: homonymy and synonymy have reappeared; and names displaying distinct developments in their orthography, syntax and lexis have emerged again.


The International Planned Parenthood Federations Vision 2000 Strategic Plan has emphasized advocacy and the training of family planning associations (FPAs) in the Western Hemisphere region. During the summer of 1995 training programs in advocacy leadership management were sponsored for six FPAs in the Bahamas Suriname Belize Colombia Honduras and Brazil. At the Western Hemisphere Regional Council Meeting in September 1995 awards were presented to FPAs for media outstanding projects. These FPAs used outreach to the community to promote the goals of Vision 2000. The Bahamas FPA won the Rosa Cisneros Award for articles published in a magazine that is distributed in primary and secondary schools and deals with the activities achievements and opinions of students. Issues include: love relationships responsibility and teen pregnancy. A weekly television talk show also addresses the issues facing youth including education music community work sexuality pregnancy and the relationship between teenagers and adults. The Family Planning Association of Honduras was also nominated for the award for a radio show on the health of mothers and children the problems of adolescents and FP. The newspaper Tiempo received the award for feature articles on social issues and FP. In 1994 the Association distributed thousands of booklets on contraceptives as well as fliers on vasectomy female sterilization oral contraceptives IUDs condoms responsible parenthood high-risk pregnancy vaginal cytology and cervical cancer. Similar posters were placed in hospitals and health centers in 1997 FP posts and 400 commercial outlets. The Family Planning Association of Suriname also carried out an impressive advocacy program during the period of 1968-93 with the goals of establishing a balance between population growth and the available resources to achieve well-being with regard to education health care nutrition and housing.


Integrated urban development strategies are shaping a new policy frame to cope with the complexity of urban problems. This implies multi-level policy mixes involving multiple goals, the collaboration between different actors, and policy theories based on complementarity between different policy tools (and their causal processes). As in other policies, the third aspect has been less analysed. This article studied the theory behind policy mixes developed in the European Union URBAN I Initiative framework and the effects on its employment inclusion goal. The policy theory suggests complementary effects between policy actions oriented toward economic activities and those oriented at increasing employment skills to, in turn, increase residents' inclusion in the labour market. The quasi-experimental approach applied at the neighbourhood level in Spain showed a moderate influence on employment among the youngest age cohorts and a more evident impact on business density. Nevertheless, evidence concerning the complementarity between actions oriented at improving labour market demand and labour market supply in targeted neighbourhoods suggested in the program theory is less convincing. This exercise showed the methodological challenges in assessing the effectiveness of integral urban initiatives and offered some suggestions regarding the policy theory behind them through a European Union case.


It is shown that ftj = \Ajt\, where AH is the minor of A. In the second half the author shows how to obtain the Boolean function fx conditioning energization of a coil of a relay X with the terminal nodes i, j . I t is shown that fx arises from the sum of all summands of /,-,(where fy is supposed to be given in the disjunctive normal form) containing X by a substitution of l's for X and for all other coil symbols Y, . . . , Z. Although the problem stated by Aranovic is interesting and original, the paper is somewhat lacking in accuracy, because the author expresses his ideas by means of examples rather than by means of rigorous and general methods. ZDZISLAW PAWLAK


Research was performed to determine the validity of a model developed to theoretically predict the optimal characteristics of a recirculating filter system for minimizing the lung dose to a person breathing airborne Rn progeny. Four designs, each with different filter thicknesses, solidities, and fiber diameters, were tested to evaluate the accuracy of the model over a range of parameters. Increasing thicknesses were then tested for the most effective filter design to provide a more definitive comparison of experimental data and model predictions for this key parameter. The experimental data supported the conclusion that the most effective design was a thin filter of low solidity composed of coarse fibers. Although the maximum reduction in the dose-equivalent rate observed in these experiments was 50%, this was largely due to constraints on the experimental arrangements. With properly constructed filter units, much better removal efficiencies can undoubtedly be achieved.


BOHACENKO I., CHMEL IK J., PSOTA V. (2006): Determination of the contents of A- and B-starches in barley using Low Angle Laser Light Scattering. Czech J. Food Sci., 24: 11–18. A method was proposed for the determination of the contents of A- and B-starches in barley and for the use in plant breeding stations and brewing/malting laboratories. A combination was used of classical methods (incl. crushing of barley kernels by a roll crusher, steeping in 0.02M HCl, repeated rubbing and filtering through the sieve of 0.08 mm), and novel pieces of know-how (treatment with β-glucanase and cellulase, alkalisation at pH = 10.0 and centrifugation of crude starch suspension through the layer of CsCl). In this way, barley starch of high purity was obtained at a very low loss, using Low Angle Laser Light Scattering for the determination of the size distribution of starch granules. The boundary of the particle size between the peaks of A-starch and B-starch (7 µm) was evaluated from the distribution curves, while the contents of A- and B-starches were calculated from the cumulative curves. As a whole, the method was internally validated and for its repeatability and uncertainty of measurement the stimates of standard deviation s = 1.56 and confidence interval L 1,2 = x ± 1.9% were established, respectively. Taking into account the generally well known difficulties associated with the extraction of substances from biological materials, in this case the separation of starch from barley kernels, we believe that the proposed method will bring satisfactory results in practice.


Interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) is experimentally investigated in Pt/Co/Pt multilayer films under strain. A strong variation (from 0.1 to 0.8  mJ/m^{2}) of the DMI constant is demonstrated at ±0.1% in-plane uniaxial deformation of the films. The anisotropic strain induces strong DMI anisotropy. The DMI constant perpendicular to the strain direction changes sign, while the constant along the strain direction does not. Estimates show that the DMI can be controlled with an electric field in hybrid ferroelectric-ferromagnetic systems. So, the observed effect opens the way to control the DMI and eventually skyrmions with a voltage via a strain-mediated magnetoelectric coupling.