Chronic pain is a physical symptom often experienced by pediatric patients with cancer. Long-lasting pain conditions can cause the deterioration of the quality of life of children. In order to enhance their quality of life, they should get any intervention to control the pain. Besides the pharmacologic pain management, nurses also should develop a non pharmacologic pain management strategy. One of the simplest and cheap strategy which is currently being developed was aromatherapy. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of aromatherapy for controlling chronic pain experienced by pediatric patients with cancer. The method used is a quasi-experiment with a consecutive sampling technique. There were 20 respondents involved, which were divided randomly into 2 groups. This study showed that inhaled aromatherapy proved effective for reducing chronic pain (p = 0.001) compared with standard care. Aromatherapy also have other positive effects that make the patient feel more relaxed and improve the patient's sleep quality. Thus, the use of inhaled aromatherapy interventions can be considered to use in controlling the chronic pain experienced by pediatric patients with cancer to optimize the nursing care. However, further research is still needed by involving a larger number of respondents.


The Economy has always been considered an essential pillar of the development. This is why, when the European Union appeared, the idea of a community based on economic relations with the purpose of empowering the common economy seemed to be an attractive idea to the outside states of the European Economic Community. Even at first, the idea of empowering the Economy was a very good one, after politics, culture, agriculture, science, and other domains were directly linked to the economic development, the Economy was seen as the nucleus of development of all. Giving its role, we are asking ourselves: Is the Economy role only a positive one in the development of other domains? To understand the role that the fall of the Economy can have on other domains, we focus on Economy- culture relation. Assuming the role of the spillover effect of the Economic crises on the culture we conclude that the Economy should not be the only basis of development, but we should enlarge our possibilities of independence of other domains.


The design of joints in a transformer core significantly affects the transformer's efficiency. Air gaps cause variations in the flux distribution at the joints of the laminations, which depend on the geometry. Two similar samples consisting of electrical steel strips and amorphous ribbons were made. The spatial flux distributions were determined using an array of search coils for each sample. 2D models of these samples were created and examined by finite element analysis. The magnetic flux distribution for each lamination in the samples was computed. The results show that the flux density in amorphous ribbons above and below the air gap starts to approach saturation at lower flux density levels than for electrical steel. The flux density measured using the search coil under the air gap is increased in amorphous ribbons and decreased in the electrical steel with increasing frequency.


Although a safe procedure, hemodialysis (HD) can cause numerous complications. The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence of complications during dialysis, interdialytic weight gain, and the predialysis and postdialysis blood pressure in HD patients with and without variable sodium. Patients were observed during 12 HD sessions and those presenting with recurrent hypotension were selected for a step‐wise model of variable sodium profiling. A total of 53 patients were evaluated; the mean‐SD age was 53.7±16.3 years and 22 (41.5%) were male. Of these, 18 (34.0%) were selected to receive variable sodium profiling: the mean (SD) age was 59.9±12.6 years, and 10 (55.6%) were female. A significant decline in the occurrence of cramps (p<0.027), in the mean interdialytic weight gain (p<0.009), and a tendency to reduce the number of hypotensive episodes were detected in patients using variable sodium profiling. On the other hand, predialysis systolic blood pressure presented a significant increase (p<0.048). Using variable sodium, there was a statistically significant reduction in cramps and in the mean interdialytic weight gain. There was a significant increase in predialysis systolic pressure. Regarding hypotension episodes, only a tendency toward a reduction in the frequency of hypotension episodes could be detected.


PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGYAntidepressants have evolved through several generations since the 1950s, each a huge improvement over its predecessor--or so advocates have claimed. But a government-sponsored study published last month confirmed what other analyses had shown before: The fashionable antidepressants of the 1990s are no more effective than those of previous generations. The newer drugs do have a plus, however: fewer side effects.


Recordings have been made from neurones in the precentral cortex of conscious monkeys carrying out a stereotyped movement task for food rewards. The activity of each movement related neurone was investigated while the monkey performed a wide variety of movements in order to collect the food reward placed in a number of different positions. Of 362 task-related neurones, 176 neurones showed definite modulation of their discharge frequency which could be related to the performance of specific voluntary movements about one joint, or at a number of associated digit joints. These neurones could therefore be classified to have discharges associated with particular voluntary movements of shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand or fingers. The responses of the same neurones were then examined with natural stimulation of the skin, joints and muscles of the arm while the animal sat relaxed as it had been trained to do. 149 of the 176 neurones responded to afferent input from particular peripheral territories. 130 of the 176 neurones had afferent inputs from zones which were anatomically closely related to the joint involved in the specific active movement with which the neurone's natural discharges were clearly associated. An analysis of the anatomical distribution in the motor cortex of the cells exhibiting given input and output associations revealed that not all the members of a restricted local population of neurones shared the same peripheral territory. When they did, the direction of movement of that territory which was associated with discharge of the cell could be the same or opposite under active and passive conditions. Moreover, not all the neurones with a particular association with active movement of a joint and an input from that same region were aggregated in the one restricted local area of the motor cortex; some members of the group sharing these input/output characteristics could be situated up to 5 mm from the main aggregation. An attempt is made to distinguish between the properties of receiving neurones and output neurones of the precentral gyrus.


Reinforcement learning (RL) deals with long-term reward maximization problems via learning correct short-term decisions from on previous experience. It has been revealed that reward shaping, which provides simpler and easier reward functions to replace the actual environmental reward, is an effective way to guide and accelerate reinforcement learning. However, building a shaping reward requires either domain knowledge or demonstrations from an optimal policy, both involve participation of human experts that is costly. This work investigates whether it is possible to automatically learn a better shaping reward along with an RL process. RL algorithms commonly sample a lot of trajectories throughout the learning process. Those passive samples, though containing many failed attempts, may provide useful information for building a shaping reward function. A policy-invariance condition for reward shaping is introduced as a more effective way to handle noisy examples, followed by the RFPotential approach to learn a shaping reward from massive examples efficiently. Empirical studies on various RL algorithms and domains show that RFPotential can accelerate the RL process.


The engagment of penaided, nuclear armed Ballistic Missile Re-entry Vehicles (RVs) by a Theatre Missile Defence (TMD) system requires the use of a robust and adaptive discriminsation system to identify warheads from accompanying decoys and other penetration aids. TMD systems will be characterised by their electronic countermeasure environments, and short flight times of the ballistic missile threat. In such environments time is of the essence for TMD commanders to make effective decisions about the allocation of defence weapon systems. The identification and classification, i.e the discrimination, of warheads in a theatre environment is therefore especially stressing requiring detailed analysis and quantification. The discrimination system must be capable of processing object-attribute data derived by sensor systems throughout the four major flight regimes (boost, post boost, mid course, terminal) of ballistic missiles, in many different measurement domains, i.e in multi-feature space. Historically discrimination system designs have been based on a deterministic approach where the defence assumes that signature differences will eventually appear between the warheads and the penetration aids. The classic example is the use of the K factor, where Gaussian distributions - with different mean values for the warheads and penetration aids - are assumed for specific feature space. These classification methodologies process the multi-spectral and multi-spatial data using algorithms designed to separate features within these domains. This allows, in the first instance, the identification of different groups of threat objects. This is followed by their classification into either warheads or one of a number of penetration aids - perhaps through some form of population analysis. These methods rely upon identifiable differences appearing between warheads and penetration aids and are therefore known to be vulnerable to robust countermeasure designs. This has lead to a penaid matching philosophy based on minimisation of the Bhattacharyya Distance. The approach adopted by the research described within this paper is to add inferencing algorithms to the discrimination process - in combination with a database of a-priori information on likely countermeasure options, and their associated signatures. The discrimination system is then able to adapt to the measurements made during the course of the raid, and reason about the types and numbers of countermeasure employed by the offence; through this process postulating the configuration of the penetration aids on the missile systems. In this way specific features of interest can rapidly be identified allowing the discrimination system to concentrate on those areas in preference to those where no worthwhile data is available; thus optimising the use of sensors' viewing time in the course of battle. The paper reviews the principles behind the use of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) based approach to discrimination, and describes the design of an evaluation facility established to quantify the utility of this methodology.


Oriented attachment (OA) of nanoparticles is an important pathway of crystal growth, but there is a lack of tools to model OA. Here, we present several simple models that relate the probability of achieving OA to basic geometric parameters, such as particle size, shape, and lattice periodicity. A Moiré-domain model is applied to understand twist misorientations between parallel surfaces, and it predicts that the range of twist angles yielding perfect OA is inversely related to the width of the contact area. This idea is explored further through a surface functional model, which investigates how patterns of crystallographic registration can drive the emergence of complex orientational energy landscapes. The energy landscapes are predicted to possess multiple local minima that can trap particles in imperfect alignments, and these local minima become deeper and more numerous as the contact area increases, which makes OA more challenging for large particles. A second set of models is presented to understand the sequence of events by which two crystallographic faces become coplanar after the collision. We use a central force approximation to predict the odds that two particle faces will attain coalignment when the particles collide with random misalignments, and we show that in the absence of special biasing forces, the probability of attaining alignment on a given face is roughly proportional to its solid angle as viewed from the center of the particle. The model thus predicts that OA is most favorable between well-faceted particles and becomes exceedingly unlikely for large spherical particles that express many microfacets.


Recently, self-learning methods based on user satisfaction metrics and contextual bandits have shown promising results to enable consistent improvements in conversational AI systems. However, directly targeting such metrics by off-policy bandit learning objectives often increases the risk of making abrupt policy changes that break the current user experience. In this study, we introduce a scalable framework for supporting fine-grained exploration targets for individual domains via user-defined constraints. For example, we may want to ensure fewer policy deviations in business-critical domains such as shopping, while allocating more exploration budget to domains such as music. We present a novel meta-gradient learning approach that is scalable and practical to address this problem. The proposed method adjusts constraint violation penalty terms adaptively through a meta objective that encourages balanced constraint satisfaction across domains. We conducted extensive experiments on a real-world conversational AI and using a set of realistic constraint benchmarks. The proposed approach has been deployed in production for a large-scale commercial assistant, enabling the best balance between the policy value and constraint satisfaction rate.


In the Indonesia coffee premature market, it is important to confirm whether the futures market has interdependence with the spot market. Moreover, as the world's largest coffee producers after Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia, it is also important to examine the interdependence between Indonesia markets with the offshore futures market whose prices are used uses for local price determination. This study examined the granger causality relationship between Indonesia's futures and spot market, and granger relationship between Indonesia and the offshore futures market using data of daily Arabica and Robusta coffee prices starting from January 2014 to June 2018. The test indicated that the futures market has a stronger ability to predict the spot market; therefore, price discovery in the futures market. Bidirectional causality relationship between Arabica offshore futures and spot market indicates market demand on Arabica coffee. In general, it's identified unidirectional granger causality relationship between local and offshore futures market with information flows from the local futures market reflects the offshore market high expectation toward crop information during harvesting period both Arabica and Robusta. This is due to the importance of Indonesia's coffee crop report to world aggregate coffee production.


Abstract Little research exists on the participation of Chinese in Australian sport in the colonial or Federation periods. This article examines the involvement of three, hitherto-unknown, amateur sportsmen in late nineteenth-century Sydney—the Kong Sing brothers. Otto, Ophir, and George Kong Sing, sons of a Chinese shopkeeper and white Australian mother, participated in several sports over two decades, enjoying varying degrees of success and recognition. Adopting a mixed-race perspective, this article examines their identity in various contexts as Chinese, Australian, and Anglo-Chinese in order to explore the complexities of racial identity and the lived Chinese Australian experience.


Wave energy converters (WECs) have been extensively researched. The behaviour of the oscillating water column (OWC) in OWC WECs is extremely complex due to the interaction of waves, air, and turbines. Several problems must be overcome before such WECs can be put to practical use. One problem is that the effect of the difference in scale between a small-scale experimental model and a full-scale model is unclear. In this study, several OWC models with different scales and geometries were used in forced oscillation tests. The wave tank was 7.0 m wide, 24.0 m long, and 1.0 m deep. In the static water experiment, we measured the air pressure and water surface fluctuations in an air chamber. For the experiments, models with a box shape with an open bottom, a manifold shape with an open bottom, and a box shape with a front opening, respectively, were fabricated. Furthermore, 1/1, 1/2, and 1/4 scale models were fabricated for each shape to investigate the effects of scale and shape on the air chamber characteristics. Numerical calculations were carried out by applying linear potential theory and the results were compared with the experimental values. The results confirmed that the air chamber shape and scale affect the air pressure fluctuation and water surface fluctuation inside the OWC system.


: The lack of knowledge of the MSME community regarding the use of technology in marketing makes the marketing of MSME products less than optimal, especially in the midst of a pandemic condition like today. Therefore, this community service is carried out with the aim of introducing the use of internet technology in marketing MSME products. Community service activities (PKM) aim to provide education about the importance of developing market place-based micro, small and medium enterprises, so that MSME products can be sold to the maximum during the pandemic. this covid. The activity was carried out in Dusun Wangkis rt 02 rw 07 Dibal, Ngemplak Boyolali. Benefits of the activity: (a) application of digital marketing (shopee), (b) utilization of household waste in the form of plastic, cardboard, straws, coffee packs. The positive impact of community service is the introduction of the importance of social media and digital marketing for sales.


The current cause-related marketing concept mainly focuses on the relationships between charities and private firms. Very little research has investigated the role of government in the cause-related marketing concept. The government agencies such as the National Tourism Organisation (NTO) in Thailand often play a key role in Thai tourism industry as they regulate policies to both for-profit and non-profit organisations in the country. Thus, it is inappropriate to ignore the important role of the government in tourism marketing strategy. This paper provides an example of how the NTO may apply cause-related marketing to establish partnership tourism program, particularly after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in Thailand. The key contribution of the paper is to highlight the significance of business-charity-government strategic partnership.


Objective: To evaluate the lipid metabolism in a population of young people, with the hepatesplenic form of schistosomiasis mansoni, associated with bleeding esophageal varices. Methods: 20 young patients were selected, at random, and compared to a control group of 20 healthy young people with the same social, economical and environmental conditions. The patients had undergone splenectomy, ligature of the left gastric vein and auto implantation of spleen tissue into the major omentum. From these two groups were obtained plasma and erythrocytes, and it were extracted, separated and determinated the neutral lipids, free cholesterol and ester, phospholipids and triglicerides levels. Results: The results appointed that the total molar concentration of total, cholesterol was similar to the group of the patients, which was similar to the control group. Similar results were observed with the fractions of ester and free cholesterol. There was a reduction on the concentration of plasmatic triglicerides, but without significance. The individual's phospholipids presented relative concentration, similar to the control group, but there was significant reduction (p<0,01) in the patient's phosphatidilethanolamine fraction, however, there was no significantly reduction of molar concentration of total plasmatic phospholipids, compared to the controls. In the erythrocyte membrane, the total cholesterol and. total phospholipids levels do not suffered significant alterations. Conclusion: The obtained data indicated a similarity of the lipids levels in the plasma and in the erythrocyte membrane of the patients submitted to the surgical treatment.


ABSTRACT Drawing on the findings of an extensive questionnaire-based survey conducted in two Indian states of West Bengal and Gujarat, this paper investigates whether the concentration of women's labour contributions to agriculture has improved their autonomy in decision-making. It shows that women's labour burdens have increased without associated benefits, and raises the question of the invisibility of the 'preparatory work' that women do on and off the farm to support agriculture. The findings lead to the conclusion that for farming in India to thrive and ensure fulfilling lives for women farmers, the policymakers need to address rural women's discontent.


The influence of drinking tea on copper bioavailability is unclear, particularly when tea is consumed with food. A breakfast meal containing white bread, margarine, strawberry jam, cheese and tea, with or without milk, was digested in; vitro and the dialysis of copper investigated. Reference breakfasts were prepared with water and water with milk. Copper dialysability (percentage of copper dialysed) was markedly increased by tea. The influence of adding milk to tea was not significant. A second study was carried out in rats using the breakfasts containing tea and water. They were spiked with 64Cu and given orally to the animals in a single dose. Whole‐body 64Cu retention was measured over a 4‐day period after administration. In order to determine the true absorption of 64Cu a control group of rats received the dose intraperitioneally. The results in vivo indicate a tendency to higher absorption and retention of 64Cu with tea. Liver 64Cu retention was significantly elevated by tea. Therefore, the presence of tea in a breakfast meal favours the formation of soluble low‐molecular‐weight ligands which can be absorbed and retained by rats. The concomitant increase in liver copper retetition may be associated with higher bioavailability and/or lower copper mobilisation.


The authors discuss the design of a highly redundant distributed fault-tolerant environment based on the fault-tolerant monitor protocol (FTMP). An implementation of this protocol was developed on a 16-node 4-by-4 planar-2 mesh of Sun Sparcstations running UNIX. The implementation provided fully distributed reliability services to applications in a highly redundant, loosely coupled, distributed network. These services were based on five abstractions: projects, tasks, ports, critical files, and objects. The purpose of these abstractions was to provide a reliable computing environment for complex distributed applications such as autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) control systems which require a high degree of reliability and unattended availability. This approach has been shown to be feasible and capable of dealing with hardware and software items. When combined with an AUV control system it also has been shown to meet the mission requirements of an AUV.<<ETX>>


We present several new results about smoothed analysis of multiobjective optimization problems. Motivated by the discrepancy between worst-case analysis and practical experience, this line of research has gained a lot of attention in the last decade. We consider problems in which d linear and one arbitrary objective function are to be optimized over a set S ⊆ {0, 1}n of feasible solutions. We improve the previously best known bound for the smoothed number of Pareto-optimal solutions to O(n2d φd), where φ denotes the perturbation parameter. Additionally, we show that for any constant c the cth moment of the smoothed number of Pareto-optimal solutions is bounded by O((n2d φd)c). This improves the previously best known bounds significantly. Furthermore, we address the criticism that the perturbations in smoothed analysis destroy the zero-structure of problems by showing that the smoothed number of Pareto-optimal solutions remains polynomially bounded even for zero-preserving perturbations. This broadens the class of problems captured by smoothed analysis and it has consequences for nonlinear objective functions. One corollary of our result is that the smoothed number of Pareto-optimal solutions is polynomially bounded for polynomial objective functions. Our results also extend to integer optimization problems.


Cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks keep plaguing the Web. Supported by most modern browsers, Content Security Policy (CSP) prescribes the browser to restrict the features and communication capabilities of code on a web page, mitigating the effects of XSS. This paper puts a spotlight on the problem of data exfiltration in the face of CSP. We bring attention to the unsettling discord in the security community about the very goals of CSP when it comes to preventing data leaks. As consequences of this discord, we report on insecurities in the known protection mechanisms that are based on assumptions about CSP that turn out not to hold in practice. To illustrate the practical impact of the discord, we perform a systematic case study of data exfiltration via DNS prefetching and resource prefetching in the face of CSP. Our study of the popular browsers demonstrates that it is often possible to exfiltrate data by both resource prefetching and DNS prefetching in the face of CSP. Further, we perform a crawl of the top 10,000 Alexa domains to report on the cohabitance of CSP and prefetching in practice. Finally, we discuss directions to control data exfiltration and, for the case study, propose measures ranging from immediate fixes for the clients to prefetching-aware extensions of CSP.


Background : The new child patient fear of the dental care at the first time. The manifestations of anxiety can be seen from the expression, behavior and also physiological effect such as blood pressure. Children anxiety can be reduced about 50% by the presence of parents in dental chair. Parents play a role in providing information on the dentist. Objective : The purpose of this study was knowing the existence of anxiety level difference with or without assistance by parents based on facial image scale and blood pressure undergoing dental treatment. Materials and methods : The experimental subjects are the students of Fajar Jaya School who fulfilled the criteria such as aged 6-7 years old and never go to the dentist. Subjects divided into two groups, parental presence group and parental absence group then measured blood pressure and facial image in three times, when they arrived at clinic, sit the dental chair, and finished dental treatment. The result were tested with repeated measured annova and independent t-test to look the difference of facial image and blood pressure. Result : The data shows that the average anxiety level on parental presence in facial image when sitting dental chair (3,55) is higher than entering clinic (2,33) and leaving dental chair (2,55) and in the blood pressure when entering dental chair (94,55 mmHg) is higher than entering dental chair (97,88) and leaving dental chair(82,22). But the average anxiety level on parental absence is in facial image when sitting dental chair (2,71) is higher than entering clinic (2,14) and leaving dental chair (2,42) and in the blood pressure when entering dental chair (88,71 mmHg) is higher than entering dental chair (83,57) and leaving dental chair(78,57). Conclusion : This shows that parental presence method can't reduce anxiety of new child patient aged 6-7 years on dental treatment


This paper introduces a novel neural fuzzy inference method-NFI for transductive reasoning systems. NFI develops further some ideas from DENFIS-dynamic neuro-fuzzy inference systems for both online and offline time series prediction tasks. While inductive reasoning is concerned with the development of a model (a function) to approximate data in the whole problem space (induction), and consecutively-using this model to predict output values for a new input vector (deduction), in transductive reasoning systems a local model is developed for every new input vector, based on some closest to this vector data from an existing database (also generated from an existing model). NFI is compared with both inductive connectionist systems (e.g., MLP, DENFIS) and transductive reasoning systems (e.g., K-NN) on three case study prediction/identification problems. The first one is a prediction task on Mackey Glass time series; the second one is a classification on Iris data; and the last one is a real medical decision support problem of estimating the level of renal function of a patient, based on measured clinical parameters for the purpose of their personalised treatment. The case studies have demonstrated better accuracy obtained with the use of the NFI transductive reasoning in comparison with the inductive reasoning systems.


Deleterious effects of exposure to electromagnetic radiation on public health have been widely studied. This study was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of vitamin supplementation (E or E + C) on passive avoidance learning (PAL) and memory in rats subjected to 900 MHz radiofrequency waves (RFW). Thirty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (190 ± 20 g) were randomly divided into six groups as: control I (vehicle), control II (vitamin E 250 mg/kg), control III (vitamin E 100 mg/kg + l-ascorbic acid 200 mg/kg), and three exposed groups to RFW as: sham-exposed, treatment I (vitamin E), and treatment II (vitamin E + C). The duration of exposure was 30 continuous days (4 h/day). The PAL was evaluated on the last day by the shuttle box. Learning and memory of animals demonstrated as the duration of remaining within the light area, which is called the light time (LT). The sham-exposed group showed a significant decrease in LT on the learning, consolidation, and retention days compared to other groups (p < 0.05). Pretreatment with vitamins (E and E + C) could protect PAL against adverse effects of RFW, and the administration of vitamin E + C improved PAL performance in control III compared to control I and treatment II groups (p < 0.05). Administration of vitamin E + C to exposed group (treatment II) caused a significant increase in LT on the learning (p = 0.013), consolidation, and retention (p = 0.009) sessions compared to the treatment group I (vitamin E). Long-term exposure to 900 MHz RFW impaired PAL and memory, and pretreatment of vitamin (E or E + C) prevented these effects, which may be a new potential mechanism against side effects of RFW.


Let me begin with a declaration of disinterest. The esteemed editor of International Psychogeriatrics commissioned this article after reading my letter to Another Journal (Philpot, 2003) in which I called for a moratorium on all clock-drawing test (CDT) research. It seemed to me that an awful lot of effort was being put into a fairly trivial issue and that researchers' time might be better spent. That much effort is being expended cannot be denied. Using the search words 'clock drawing', MEDLINE currently lists 177 publications, 91 since the turn of the century. The first reference to this specific form of drawing test comes in 1983 (Goodglass and Kaplan), and the first paper on validation is that of Shulman et al. (1986).


This paper describes the role of Verification and Validation (V&V) during the requirements and high level design processes, and in particular the role of Independent V&V (IV&V). The job of IV&V during these phases is to ensure that the requirements are complete, consistent and valid, and to ensure that the high level design meets the requirements. This contrasts with the role of Quality Assurance (QA), which ensures that appropriate standards and process models are defined and applied. This paper describes the current state of practice for IV&V, concentrating on the process model used in NASA projects. We describe a case study, showing the processes by which problem reporting and tracking takes place, and how IV&V feeds into decision making by the development team. We then describe the problems faced in implementing IV&V. We conclude that despite a well defined process model, and tools to support it, IV&V is still beset by communication and coordination problems.


Over the course of the last two decades, much progress has been made in the approaches to the care of people with mental health and addiction challenges. Yet there is still more work to do in terms of advocacy and the provision of meaningful and effective support for these individuals.


Flexible employment is an upcoming phenomenon in The Netherlands and the rest of the world. Research that focuses on this phenomenon is, from the field of psychological contract theory, also upcoming. But this research only focuses on the perspective of the employee. Until now, the employer's perspective has hardly been analyzed. Tsui et al. (1997) and Tsui and Wu (2005) try to make a start in the theory building from this perspective by presenting four employee-organization relationships. They state that employers are only willing to make transactional investments in their flexible employees regarding HR practices. They are believed to hold a quasi-spot contract or an underinvestment approach towards these employees, and will not invest in a social, long-term relationship. But, these statements lack empirical research.
This paper tries to make a start in this research area, by focussing on the specific domain of temporary agency workers. Within two companies in the eastern part of The Netherlands semi-structured interviews en questionnaires have been conducted with six line managers, one higher manager and one HR manager, during June and July 2009.
The results only partially support the theory of Tsui and Wu (2005). Tenure, the amount of time a worker had spent in the company, has proven to be a crucial factor in determining the employee-organization relationship. Towards 'long tenure' temporary agency workers the employers held a mutual-investment approach, and consequently were willing to invest in a long-term relationship with these employees. Towards 'short or medium tenure' temporary agency workers it is found that the employers hold an underinvestment approach


Prion diseases are associated with the misfolding of the PrP (prion protein) from a largely alpha-helical isoform to a beta-sheet-rich oligomer. CD has shown that lowering the pH to 4 under mildly denaturing conditions causes recombinant PrP to convert from an alpha-helical protein into one that contains a high proportion of beta-sheet-like conformation. In the present study, we characterize this soluble pH 4 folding intermediate using NMR. (15)N-HSQC (heteronuclear single-quantum correlation) studies with mPrP (mouse PrP)-(23-231) show that a total of 150 dispersed amide signals are resolved in the native form, whereas only 65 amide signals with little chemical shift dispersion are observable in the pH 4 form. Three-dimensional (15)N-HSQC-TOCSY and NOESY spectra indicate that the observable residues are all assigned to amino acids in the N-terminus: residues 23-118. (15)N transverse relaxation measurements indicate that these N-terminal residues are highly flexible with additional fast motions. These observations are confirmed via the use of truncated mPrP-(112-231), which shows only 16 (15)N-HSQC amide peaks at pH 4. The loss of signals from the C-terminus can be attributed to line broadening due to an increase in the molecular size of the oligomer or exchange broadening in a molten-globule state.


Cadmium exposure can cause renal tubular dysfunction. Recent studies show that vitamin D can play multiple roles in the body. However, the association between serum vitamin D levels and renal tubular dysfunction in a general population exposed to cadmium has not been clarified. We performed study to assess the effects of cadmium on serum 25(OH) D levels and the association between serum 25(OH) D levels and renal tubular dysfunction in a population environmentally exposed to cadmium. A total of 133 subjects living in control area and two cadmium polluted areas were included in the present study. Cadmium in urine (UCd) and blood (BCd), urinary β2Microglobulin (UBMG), urinary retinol binding protein (URBP) and serum 25 (OH) D were determined. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between 25 (OH) D and prevalence of renal tubular dysfunction. No significant differences were observed in serum 25(OH) D levels among the four quartile of UCd and BCd after adjusting with cofounders. After adjusted with the confounders, the odds ratio (OR) of subjects with 25(OH) D ≥ 40 ng/ml were 0.20 (95%CI: 0.1–0.8) if UBMG was chosen as indicators of renal dysfunction and 0.28 (95%CI: 0.1–1.1) if URBP was chosen as indicators of renal dysfunction, compared with those with 25(OH) D < 30 ng/ml, respectively. Similar results were observed in those subjects living in cadmium polluted areas or with high level of UCd or BCd. Our data indicated that cadmium exposure did not affect serum 25(OH) D level and high 25 (OH) D levels were associated with a decreased risk of renal tubular dysfunction induced by cadmium.


BACKGROUND
Centrocytic/mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is characterized by a specific chromosomal translocation, t(11;14)(q13;q32), which leads to deregulated expression of the G1 cyclin, cyclin D1 (PRAD1, CCND1, BCL1). Cyclin D1 overexpression has been demonstrated in MCL at the mRNA level by Northern blotting and at the protein level by both Western blotting and immunoperoxidase staining.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
To assess the utility of in situ hybridization (ISH) to detect cyclin D1 mRNA expression in formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tissue, five MCL specimens from three patients and two cases of B-cell small lymphocytic lymphoma (B-SLL) were studied. BCL1 major translocation cluster gene rearrangements had been previously documented in two MCL patients; the other MCL and the two B-SLL, showed no detectable BCL1 or cyclin D1 rearrangements.

RESULTS
ISH was performed using anti-sense 3H-labeled RNA probes for the cyclin D1 3' untranslated region (pPL7) and partial cyclin D1 cDNA (pPL8). ISH experiments using an anti-sense actin RNA probe demonstrated adequate RNA preservation in all cases. Each of five specimens of MCL demonstrated increased cyclin D1 mRNA. In contrast, neither of the two cases of B-SLL demonstrated detectable levels.

CONCLUSIONS
Overexpression of cyclin D1 mRNA can be detected in MCL by ISH using formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue. The ISH technique may be useful in diagnosing and classifying low-grade B-cell lymphomas and should be applicable to the study of cyclin D1 mRNA expression in a broad spectrum of lymphoid proliferations and solid tumors.


The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of two teaching formats under Mosston's practice style on the motor skill acquisition of school-age children. In these popular formats, referred to elsewhere as station work, learning centers, and circuit training, the teacher designs a series of tasks. In the teacher-rotated format (TR) the teacher systematically moves learners from task to task, while in the learner-rotated format (LR) the learners individually decide on task order and the amount of time to spend on each task. The present study examined the effects of these formats as fifth grade children practiced a football punting skill. While both formats were generally found to be effective, for low ability children the conditions provided by the LR format were found to be more profitable. It is recommended that teachers (a) be more sensitive to the tendency of learners not to use their practice time efficiently and (b) establish clear minimal engagement levels.


This paper describes a project that aims to enhance student learning of Object Oriented Programming through the development of an interactive learning environment. Through a series of connected experiments we have sought to discover more about how our students learn and have incorporated this knowledge into a specially tailored Integrated Development Environment (IDE), VorteX.


The beginning of the work of Slavic associations ought to be connected with the idea of Slavic alliance – the idea of Panslavism – which was reborn after World War I. It was argued that Slavic nations needed to be united on equal rights, without the supremacy of any single nation. This cooperation (bringing together, improving relations) was to take place, first of all, in economy (according to the idea of economic unity), and also in politics (political alliance), and culture (the idea of common acquaintance, understanding, promotion of culture) and it was to involve all Slavic nations. What may serve as an example of such cooperation can be the PolishCzechoslovakian relations, in spite of their political and social difficulties. Throughout the years 1929–1939 associations of Slavic women were established and active in Poland as well as Czechoslovakia. The forms of their work as well as aims and tasks were similar. They would implement similar ideas. Their statutes clearly defined the aims and the forms of work in education; they were: establishing and fostering friendly contacts between Slavic nations, learning about the culture and the life of Slavs, promoting, supporting, and bringing together Slavic nations by all means permitted by law, and improving economic and cultural cooperation in the spirit of Slavonic mutuality. The broad and diverse educational work of the Slavic women's associations in Poland and Czechoslovakia contributed to the improvement of the good relations and bringing together the two nations.


The present investigation was carried out at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Polasa, Jagtial, Telangana state, India to study the correlation and path coefficient analysis towards yield, physical and chemical quality traits in 46 genotypes including two checks in Randomized Block Design with two replications during kharif, october, 2019. Association of yield and yield components and among grain yield characters makes us to understand their relationship towards selecting a high yielding and good quality varieties. The result from the study revealed that all the nineteen characters studied has shown a great range of variation for correlation and path analysis. The character association studies in this experiment revealed that the trait grain yield plant-1 had showed significant positive correlation with plant height, spikelet fertility, 1000 grain weight, milling %, hulling %, kernel length and kernel breadth whereas it showed negative and non-significant association with days to 50% flowering. The path analysis studies revealed that kernel length was the major contributor for grain yield plant-1 followed by plant height, spikelet fertility, number of grains per panicle, 1000 grain weight, milling %, gel consistency, amylose content and alkali spreading value. These characters showed direct positive effects for grain yield plant-1. From the study it can be concluded that the above characters can be used directly as the selection criteria in any rice yield improvement breeding programmes.


Aim: Interprofessional education (IPE) is taking on increasing importance in our complex healthcare system and receiving ever greater attention in the teaching of health science. The majority of concepts and methods employed in this area are based on normative ideas about interprofessional cooperation and only seldom based on empirical research. This paper is an initial attempt to augment this deductive approach with an inductive perspective for the purpose of subsequently providing empirical support for IPE teaching methods. Method: Drawing on the qualitative approach to linguistic conversation analysis, language-based professional markers are identified on the basis of recorded classroom simulations with nursing and midwifery students; it is assumed that these markers are significant in relevant interprofessional communication processes and, as a result, influence actual collaboration between the health professions. These markers are classified and commented on, and their importance to teaching and practical implementation in interprofessional interaction is emphasized. Results: Students routinely use various professional markers in simulations. However, these occur much less frequently than initially expected, except when marking difference in relation to physicians. At the same time, all the interactions are shaped by pronounced self-presentation among the students, and this comprises a large aspect of the interactions observed here. Profession-specific communication and differentiation processes also appear to be slow in establishing themselves in terms of students delegating tasks or voicing expectations. In addition, the role of "student" has a function that should not be underestimated in these interactions. Conclusion: Professional markers are an essential component of interprofessional communication and are based on numerous, observable linguistic phenomena, of which only a few are presented here. This empirical approach has not yet appeared in the discourse surrounding IPE; however, it is, in the authors' opinion, not only necessary to compare interprofessional interactions with lived reality, but also to be in a position to operationalize interprofessional practice and ultimately assign it to competency areas. For this reason, further empirical observations and analyses are needed to tighten the still unclear definition of interprofessional communication and to develop empirically founded, measurable criteria for teaching and testing.


B3 Human papillomavirus (HPV) genital infection is very common, with one or more subtypes of HPV. In most cases, viral DNA can no longer be detected after some time, revealing the transient character of infection. However, in some cases, tied to some so-called "high-risk" HPV subtypes, infection is persistent and leads to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and potentially to cancerous transformation. Nearly all cases of cervical cancer involve infection with a high-risk HPV.
 Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers among women, and can be readily treated if diagnosed at early stage. Current routine screening involves cytological detection of abnormalities (Pap smear). Abnormal results are confirmed through histology on a biopsy and sometimes detection of high-risk HPV DNA. However, given the high rates of spontaneous clearance of the virus and regression of CIN, tests based either on detection of high-risk HPV DNA or on histological analysis of cervical cells have a low predictive value for the evolution towards cancer.
 Molecular combing allows high resolution analysis of large regions of genomic DNA at a single molecule level. A surface-treated coverslip is dipped in a solution of high molecular weight (>1Mb) DNA, then pulled out of the solution vertically. The motion of the meniscus stretches the DNA molecules and aligns them vertically. Hundreds of genomes are thus immobilized on a single slide. Hybridization allows direct visualization and physical cartography over tens of megabases and at kilobase-resolution. In addition, pre-labelling of nascent DNA with modified nucleotides on cells in S-phase allows precise assessment of DNA replication kinetics in a given region or throughout the whole genome.
 We have applied Molecular combing to the study of HPV integration and its consequences on the host genome. We recently established a link between the integration profile (site and fragment size) of HPV, amplification of myc family genes, and aggressiveness in several cervical cancer cell lines. We now show an analysis of the replication dynamics in the amplicon. The replication pattern (origin spacing and fork progression) was highly perturbed in the amplicon compared with other regions of the genome. Strikingly, replication origins fired from both viral sequences and co-amplified genomic sequences. This may explain the genomic instability associated with HPV integration and further supports a link between integration profile and tumor aggressiveness.
 Because integration of HPV is reported to be a critical event in the cancerous transformation of cervical cells, and because we hold a sensitive and sharp tool for the detection of integrated HPV and assessment of integration profile and oncogene amplification, we intend to initiate a larger-scale study in order to develop a clinically relevant cancer prediction and tumor staging tool.


In order for bridge managers to evaluate the consequences of adopting new fatigue retrofitting techniques and management strategies on the cost of maintaining their bridge infrastructure, simple predictive models are needed, which can be easily integrated with the analytical tools that are already being using to model other deterioration processes (e.g. corrosion, road surface wear). These models must be capable of predicting the effects of inspection and retrofitting events with a sufficient degree of accuracy to ensure that optimal management strategies are correctly identified. Considering the large number of fatigue-prone welds and structures that may be present in a road network, minimizing computational effort is also critical. In this paper, a simple Markov chain deterioration model, similar to those currently used in bridge management systems (BMSs) to model deterioration due to other processes, is used to determine critical cost ratios for selecting optimal fatigue management strategies for steel highway bridge welds, First, the model is briefly described. A study is then presented, wherein the long term costs associated with different management strategies are related to parameters such as the equivalent stress range, traffic volume, and intervention costs for a generic weld detail. The results of this study are used to establish critical cost ratio contour plots, which can be used for the selection of the optimal management strategy. A limited number of strategies are investigated, in order to demonstrate an application of the presented methodology. They are composed of different intervention types, including: inspection, repair, replacement, and the use of post-weld 'peening' treatments.


ABSTRACT
 In this study, we evaluated the growth of adults and juveniles of the endangered noble pen shell Pinna nobilis, calculated the growth rates of newly recruited juveniles, and described relative directional growth during ontogeny. We described growth using posterior adductor muscle scars (PAMS) and fit of the von Bertalanffy growth curve for adult population data at shallow depths (5–10 m) around the Mallorca and Ibiza islands, and compared the parameters with other Mediterranean populations. Populations around Mallorca could be fitted according to the von Bertalanffy function Lt = 65.31(1 - e-0.11(t + 0.53)), whereas for Ibiza the function was Lt = 154.55(1 - e-0.03(t + 4.31)). We compared first-year growth rates obtained in the laboratory and from field collections with newly settled individuals. We found that experimentally evaluated growth rates of juveniles in the laboratory of 0.18 mm/day are low compared with minimum values obtained in the field, which range, on average, from 0.28–0.32 mm/day, indicating food availability can limit growth. Furthermore we investigated relative allometric growth patterns during ontogeny using a unique data set ranging from measurements of newly recruited juveniles with shell length less than 1 cm to measurements on adult shells of 69.8 cm length. Fitting a sigmoidal function to our data and solving for the allometric exponent b, we found 3 distinct growth periods: preferential growth in the length direction up to 5.82 cm in shell length, then widening of the shell up to 14.64 cm, after which the shape of the shell becomes more elongated once again.


The SEA‐CALIPSO wide‐angle seismic experiment revealed a high velocity region beneath the island of Montserrat. Field recordings show a decrease in the amplitude of seismic signals crossing this high velocity region. We constrain the geometry and nature of this attenuating body, by forward modeling of the seismic wave field with a viscoelastic finite‐difference method. We interpret the attenuation observed as caused by a scattering region, which we model as a stochastic perturbation of the velocity field with characteristic length scale of 0.4 km. The scattering region approximately coincides with the top part of the high velocity region and is estimated to have a volume of about 800 km3. We argue that the scattering is caused by geological heterogeneities corresponding to a system of dikes and sills and to the complex structure of the volcanic edifice.


Large samples of field horizontal branch (FHB) stars make excellent tracers of the Galactic halo; by studying their kinematics, one can infer important physical properties of our Galaxy. Here we present the results of a medium-resolution spectroscopic survey of 530 FHB stars selected from the Hamburg/ESO survey. The stars have a mean distance of ∼7 kpc and thus probe the inner parts of the Milky Way halo. We measure radial velocities from the spectra in order to test the model of Sommer-Larsen et al., who suggested that the velocity ellipsoid of the halo changes from radially dominated orbits to tangentially dominated orbits as one proceeds from the inner to the outer halo. We find that the present data are unable to discriminate between this model and a more simple isothermal ellipsoid; we suggest that additional observations towards the Galactic Centre might help to differentiate them.


The outstanding photoluminescence (PL) properties of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) had attracted great interest in optical applications such as fluorescent imaging. In this work, a facile one-step hydrothermal method was used to synthesize nitrogen doped GQDs (N-GQDs) with a Teflon-lined autoclave heated at 180 °C for 8 hours. High crystallinity was discovered in the purified N-GQDs with a lattice spacing of 0.21 nm corresponding to in-plane graphene (100 facet). From Tauc plot, the optical band gap of N-GQDs was estimated, derived from their UV-vis absorption spectrum. The as prepared N-GQDs are strongly fluorescent and highly soluble in aqueous solution. Due to the cheap material source, this synthesis provides a feasible route towards the commercial synthesis of N-GQDs. Thus, provides an effective strategy studies of electron transfer and to engineer the optical properties of GQDs.


One potential threat to a stable financial system is the phenomenon of contagion, where a risk that is ordinarily small becomes a problem because of the way it spreads to other institutions. Researchers have investigated multiple channels through which contagion might occur. We look at two--banks borrowing from each other and banks holding similar types of assets--and argue that the latter is a potential source of systemic risk. We review recent data on asset concentrations and capitalization levels of the largest US banks and conclude that the overall risk from this particular contagion channel is at present likely limited.


INTRODUCTION
Paragangliomas are tumors of neuroendocrine origin, may appear in different localizations, and are related to the autonomic nervous system. Paragangliomas are generally asymptomatic and may rarely appear with adrenergic symptoms, and clinical findings depend on the catecholamines they secrete. Extra-adrenal paragangliomas are mostly benign like all paragangliomas. Malignancy criteria consist of local recurrence, metastasis after total resection, and presence of distant metastasis during primary diagnosis.

CASE PRESENTATION
This report presents the case of a 31-year-old man with jugular paraganglioma, multiple skeletal metastases, and a long-segment tumor thrombus. Imaging procedures showed a continuous tumor thrombus extending from the posterior fossa to the right atrium and metastases in C2, T1, T6, T8, L5, and right humerus. Histopathological assessment of the metastasis in C2 identified malignant paraganglioma. Curative surgery was not an option for this patient, combined chemotherapy was given.

CONCLUSION
In cases of malignant paraganglioma with multiple distant metastases, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are feasible treatment methods.


An implementation of translators between Ada and Pascal is described. The method used is to define subsets of each language between which there is a straightforward translation and to translate each source program to its respective sublanguage by program transformations. A common internal tree representation is used. The underlying organization of the translators is described, and some of the difficulties we have confronted and solves are discussed.


The aim of this work was to develop a bioactive bone substitute with an effective antibacterial ability based on a cerium (Ce) doped glass-reinforced hydroxyapatite (GR-HA) composite. Developed composites were physicochemically characterized, using x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, SEM, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and flexural bending strength (FBS) tests. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis was performed to analyze the oxidation state of Ce in the prepared doped glass. The antimicrobial activity of the composites was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; whether the cytocompatibility profile was assayed with human osteoblastic-like cells (Mg-63 cell line). The results revealed that the Ce inclusion in the GR-HA matrix induced the antimicrobial ability of the composite. In addition, Ce-doped materials reported an adequate biological behavior following seeding of osteoblastic populations, by inducing cell adhesion and proliferation. Developed materials were also found to enhance the expression of osteoblastic-related genes. Overall, the developed GR-HA_Ce composite is a prospective candidate to be used within the clinical scenario with a successful performance due to the effective antibacterial properties and capability of enhancing the osteoblastic cell response.


Dhar et al.1 described difficulties with background turbidity in an immunoturbidimetric assay for urine albumin. It has been recognized for several years that sample turbidity may influence apparent reaction rates, particularly in the case of nephelometric monitoring in plasma samples.i? Whilst these problems may be overcome in most cases there is a practical limit to the use of these techniques which is largely determined by the signal generated following immunoaggregate formation. In the case of unenhanced immunoaggregation assays this signal is only a few tens of rnA units, but the range of light scattering immunoassays can be markedly extended by the use of particle enhancement. Our group has demonstrated in several publications that particle enhancement generates much larger signals and allows reductions in sample volume, or use of higher sample dilution.v' Both these factors significantly improve the signal to noise ratio and reduce the contribution of background turbidity to a negligible level. Any remaining turbidity in urine samples can be eliminated by means of sample centrifugation, as has been amply described previously.i'" In conclusion, we recommend the use of a latex-particle enhanced assay for the immunoturbidimetric measurement of urine albumin with centrifugation as the only necessary sample pretreatment.


Abstract Introduction. Metastatic disease is a major cause of death in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). We have previously investigated expression of an orphan cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme, CYP2W1, and found high expression in about one third of colorectal tumors. CYP2W1 has proven to metabolize duocarmycin analogs into cytotoxic substances, compounds that in xenografts of CRC cells expressing CYP2W1 completely inhibit tumor growth. This study was designed to evaluate whether the enzyme is expressed in primary CRC and corresponding metastases. Material and methods. Samples from primary tumors, corresponding lymph node metastases and liver metastases from 96 patients were collected and analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Data regarding patient's demographics, tumor characteristics and survival were also collected. Results. Out of 96 patients, 25 (26%) had high CYP2W1 expression in the primary tumor and 46 (48%) showed high levels in the liver metastasis. In total 59 patients had lymph node metastases, and 31% of them had high CYP2W1 expression. When comparing the expression in primary tumor with that of the first liver metastasis, the increase in expression was statistically significant (p = 0.005). Conclusion. High CYP2W1 expression is seen in 26% of primary CRC and in 48% of corresponding liver metastases. This opens possibilities for new targeted therapies to metastatic CRC in the future.


The evolution of the accounting systems is a great cross-cultural matter (for example Doupnik and Salter's model). The German (KonTraG) or the French (NRE) evidenced a radical evolution of the accounting systems and specially of the external control However, cultural models do not answer to a few questions. Why do this systems have to import « foreign models » and how do we implement them ? This article explores the contribution of the networks theory. It analyses the compatibility of standards and the propagation of business solutions, international standards or indicators engineered in different cultures in a network facing systemic risks. It proposes the concept of« network of cultures ».


High homeownership level shows little about how individuals and households in Croatia resolve their housing issue, while cross-sectional data on tenure structure, housing policies, and pre-transitional research studies provide insufficient answers to this question. By relying on the concepts of housing tenures, housing transitions, and housing careers, as well as on the periodisation of dominant housing provision structures from 1975 to 2015, this paper addresses the following questions: first, what are the dominant forms of housing transitions in Croatia? Second, how are housing careers connected to the resulting tenures? And third, what are the dominant patterns of housing careers in Croatia? These questions are then related to housing provision characteristics in certain periods and, lastly, considered from the perspective of intercohort differences. This paper is based on an analysis of retrospective survey data on housing careers, which was carried out using event history and sequence analysis methods. The survey was conducted on a national representative sample (N=1000) as part of the IPSOS Puls Omnibus research in November 2016. The analysis is focussed on the identification of housing patterns in Croatia, and the account of individuals' housing careers during the socialist and post-socialist periods (1975–2015). Throughout the whole period, family-type self-provision of housing was dominant, followed by housing transitions based on market supply that were rising in numbers. Persistently least represented and almost vanquished by the start of the crisis period were socialised transition modalities. Housing transitions from parents' home started late and the duration of once-started tenures was very long, especially in the case of homeownership. Housing careers are relatively simple and mostly lead to homeownership, often also through staying in a family home.


The optical radiation transfer of plane parallel isotropic scattering media is for many purposes of technical importance adequately described by the Kubelka and Munk equations. By a simple substitution these can be converted to the set of equations describing an electrical transmission line with resistive parameters. Consequently, such a line can be used to simulate the optical transfer of the medium. For practical purposes the continuous line may be replaced by the series connection of lumped parameter sections. Both transmittance and reflectance of the optical medium can be determined from voltage and current measurements on the model. The model can then be used to invert the transfer equations in terms of incremental absorbance as required in photometric or reflectometric analysis of thin-layer chromatograms, electrophoretograms, etc.


From the early 90's, the pool of free scholarly electronic journals has increased considerably. Electronic Journals in Scholarly setting continue a tradition of creation and dissemination of knowledge that has begun long ago on Print Journals. The attitude and publishing habits of researchers have changed. Amidst the furore of serial price increase, the steady growth of scholarly journals freely available in electronic form is worth noticing. Most editors and publishers agree that the research findings should be made widely available to all, and the internet is capable of doing just that. This paper tends to look at some of the aspects of free scholarly journals, their availability, impact on the scientific community and resource links.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of fetal lateral ganglionic eminence (LGE) on nerve fiber outgrowth formed by fetal ventral mesencephalon (VM). Organotypic tissue cultures of fetal VM and LGE plated as single or cocultures were employed. Survival time was 3–21 days in vitro. Nerve fiber outgrowth and migration of astrocytes were analyzed using immunohistochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and S100. In addition, cultures were labeled with the TUNEL technique and with antibodies directed against neurofilament (NF) in order to study apoptosis and retraction of nerve fibers, respectively. The results revealed two morphologically different types of TH-positive outgrowth growing into the substrate. The initially formed TH-positive outgrowth radiated continuously without changing direction, while a second wave of TH-positive outgrowth became obvious when the initial growth already had reached a distance of approximately 1000 μm. The second wave of TH-positive outgrowth radiated from the tissue, but at a certain distance changed direction and formed a network surrounding the culture. The initially formed TH-positive growth was not associated with the presence of S100-positive astrocytes and avoided to grow into the LGE. At longer time points the first wave of TH-positive nerve fibers appeared dotted, with disrupted NF-immunoreactive fibers and in most cultures these long distance growing fibers had disappeared at 21 days in vitro. The second wave of TH-positive nerve fibers was growing onto a layer of glia and never reached the distance of the first wave. LGE became innervated by TH-positive fibers at the time point for when the second wave of TH-positive growth had been initiated, and the innervation appeared in TH-dense patches that also showed a high density of S100-positive astrocytes. Significantly increased TUNEL activity within LGE portion of cocultures was observed when TH-positive fibers entered the LGE and formed patches. In conclusion, two morphologically different types of TH-positive outgrowth were found and the initially formed fibers neither targeted the LGE nor were they guided by glial cells, but their potential to grow for long distances was high.


The government's proposal to set up a new regulatory body for the private and voluntary sectors is regrettable. The major hospital groups in the private sector could undertake some system of clinical governance. Whatever form regulation takes, it must be supported by much better information on the private sector, including consultants' activity rates and rates of re-admission and numbers of transfers to NHS hospitals.


Here, we report on the structural and the optical properties of polycrystalline NiO thin films prepared by using the thermal oxidation of metallic Ni. After the deposition of the Ni films, they were placed in a thermal oxidation furnace at different temperatures (400, 500, 600, 700, and 1000 °C), resulting in mean crystallite sizes between 6 nm and 40 nm. From the optical absorption spectra, we determined the energy gaps of these films. Interestingly, the energy gaps were in the range of 3.13 ∼ 3.29 eV, which were smaller than those of the bulk.


Combining computation and water warming is an efficient alternative for recycling dissipated energy. Based on a set of Computing Water Heaters, used as a distributed super computer, we introduce a computing water heater scheduling system that has been validated by simulation on extreme workloads. These simulations lead us to reach an approximate CPU usage of about 60% while minimizing the thermal resistance usage to 10% (only when necessary) on a complex steady state.


A novel two-step process for pretreatment of corn stover was investigated with the goal of increasing sugar recovery and decreasing the capital cost. In the process, corn stover was first treated with dilute hydrochloric acid to maximize xylan recovery, and then the residue was treated with aqueous ammonia to alter the lignin structure and swell the cellulose surface. The optimal conditions were 110 °C and 40 min for 1% dilute hydrochloric acid pretreatment with a liquid to solid ratio of 10:1 followed by aqueous ammonia pretreatment at 37% NH3, 130 °C, 30 min, and liquid to solid ratio of 6:1. Under these pretreatment conditions, the glucan and xylan recoveries were 83.2% and 97.3%, respectively, with cellulase dosage at 15 FPU/g of substrate. When the cellulase dosage was decreased from 15 FPU/g to 10 FPU/g of substrate, the glucan recovery only dropped to 70%, while the xylan recovery remained high at 95.1%. The results show that this two-step pretreatment was effective for achieving high sugar recovery from corn stover by enzymatic hydrolysis.


The importance of fruit beverages, and of apple juice in particular, in daily food habits makes juice authentication an important issue in order to avoid fraudulent practices and to protect human health. Among the instrumental techniques available in analytical laboratories, infrared spectrometry (IR) is a fast and convenient technique to perform screening studies in order to assess the quantity of pure juice in commercial beverages. The information gathered from the IR analyses has some "fuzzy" characteristics (random noise, unclear chemical assignment, etc.) and, therefore, advanced computation techniques (Artificial Neural Networks or ANNs) are needed to develop ad hoc classification models. Disappointingly, the large number of variables derived from IR spectrometry makes ANNs require too much training time. As a result, this work studies two different approaches to apply genetic algorithms as a suitable method to select a small subset of variables intended to optimize the development of the ANN models. Their performance will be compared among them and with several linear methods as well.


The state-of-the-art methods for filling single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are analyzed systematically. In situ and ex situ approaches for filling SWNTs are addressed. They are based on both intercalation of inorganic substances from the gas phase, solution or melts inside SWNTs and the formation of nanocrystals inside the channels as a result of chemical reactions. A comparative evaluation of these methods is performed, and major requirements for successful formation of '1D-crystal@SWNT' nanocomposites are formulated. The functional properties of the intercalated single-walled nanotubes and their possible applications in modern nanotechnologies are discussed.


The rapid growth of multi-access devices interconnected via Body Area Networks (also referred as Body Sensor Networks, BSN) has recently played a vital role in the healthcare sector. The different wireless technologies available today facilitate the co-existence of BSNs and mobile healthcare applications. In this paper, we review the use of biosensors to monitor or collect data, such as glucose levels and heart rate. The biosensors are connected to an android device which provides the necessary information to the patient. Moreover Cloud computing technology is also used to connect the biosensors and relay data and information to the medical centre. The Internet of Things (IoT) has been extensively researched on over the last decade and it has gained more attention and traction lately. The fundamental concept of IoT is the ability to use electronic devices that monitor or collect data, connected to a public or private cloud, allowing them to initiate certain events. For this scenario, each biosensor will have its own IPv6 address.


The productivity, nutrient status and ichthyofauna of the Imo River Estuary at Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State, Southeastern Nigeria, were studied to establish the primary production, nutrient load and the predominating pathway of organic carbon production. Monthly sampling was done at fishing grounds designated as upper, middle and lower course of the estuary in the wet months of April to September 2011. The mean primary productivity of organic carbon was 1.2 x 109 gC/m 2 /day. Sediment nitrate and phosphate levels were 7.04 mg/kg and 1.28 mg/kg respectively. TOC was 7.194%C, representing 12.438% organic matter. Sixteen fish and shellfish species from twelve families including Chrysicthys nigrodigitatus, Tilapia niloticus, Lutjanus agennes, Ethmalosa fimbriata and Cynoglossus senegalensis were observed. The middle course had significantly higher primary productivity of 2.034±0.277gC/m 2 /day, nitrates in water (7.25±0.218 mg.l -1 ), nitrate in sediments (12.198±0.365 mg.kg -1 ), phosphate in water (1.457±0.180 mg.l -1 ) and TOC in sediments (3.715±0.060 %C) than other locations (p<0.05). Autotrophic-heterotrophic production pathways of organic carbon were significantly different (P<0.05). Key words: Productivity, nutrient status, ichthyofauna, Imo River estuary


Kratom is a traditional medicinal herb with mild addictive properties.
Nevertheless, current available data on substance use disorder related to kratom use is
scarce. This study aims to clinically evaluate and identify factors that are associated with
kratom use disorder among regular kratom tea/juice users in traditional settings in Malaysia.

Method: 150 regular kratom users were recruited through convenient sampling for this crosssectional
study. They were interviewed with Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview
(M.I.N.I.) to diagnose substance use disorder related to kratom use, while the Ketum Dependence
Scale (KDS) and Clinical Opioid Withdrawal Scale (COWS) were administered to
evaluate kratom dependence and withdrawal severity.

 All subjects were males with the majority being Malays (99%, n=148/150). More
than half were single (n=84/150), had secondary education (91%, n=136/150), and were employed
(93%, n=139/150). Almost all (99%) fulfilled the criteria for substance use disorder
related to kratom use, 95% reported withdrawal symptoms on abstinence, 87% reported
tolerance, and 93% craving for kratom. Results from Chi-square analysis indicated that higher
quantity (>3 glasses) of daily kratom tea/juice consumption was significantly associated
with severe kratom dependence (OR: 2.1: 1.0-4.5: p<.041) and moderate withdrawal (OR:
3.1: 1.5-6.3: p<.002). Similarly, those who consumed >3 glasses of brewed kratom tea daily
had higher odds of reporting longer kratom use history (>7 years) (OR: 4.4: 2.2-8.8: p<.001)
and higher frequency of daily kratom use (>5 times) (p<.001), compared to those who consumed
less than three glasses of kratom daily.

 Our findings indicated that regular and chronic (>3 glasses daily) kratom
tea/juice consumption was associated with kratom use disorder, severe kratom dependence
and moderate withdrawal.


An ultra-low-power area-efficient 8-bit successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is presented. To achieve ultra-low-power performance a DAC architecture is proposed that employs two rail-to-rail low-power unity-gain buffers and only 4 minimum-size capacitors instead of the conventional binary-weighted capacitor array. Thereby, power consumption and area are drastically reduced by virtue of lower switching activity and smaller size capacitor array. The proposed 8-bit SAR ADC is designed and simulated in a 0.13µm CMOS process. Simulation results show that for a 2.4 kHz (12.4 kHz) input signal while sampling at 25 kHz, the ADC achieves an ENOB of 7.9 (7.8), consumes 290 nW (350 nW) form a 0.8 V analog supply and a 0.6 V digital supply, and achieves a FoM of 48 fJ/conversion-step (62 fJ/conversion-step).


Objective. To assess the dynamics of neurological disorders in children with spine and spinal cord trauma in the thoracic and thoracolumbar spine, depending on the timing of surgery and the severity of spinal cord injury. Material and Methods . A total of 36 children aged 3 to 17 years were operated on for injuries to the thoracic spine and thoracolumbar junction accompanied by neurological deficit. Thoracic spine was damaged in 16 (44.4 %), thoracolumbar junction - in 20 (55.6 %) patients. Patients were divided into four groups based on time to surgery. Spinal bone lesions were assessed according to Magerl's classification, and neurological disorders - to the ASIA scale. Results . Long-term results were followed for 5 years in all patients. Neurological function improvements in patients of Group 1 were observed in 1-2 days after surgery, Group 2 - in 2-3 days, Group 3 - in 5-7 days, and Group 4 - in 4-5 months. In Group 1 positive dynamics was observed as significant regression of sensory disorders, in Group 2 - as complete regression of neurological deficit in 2 patients, in Group 3 - as transition from C to D grade in 4 patients, from B to D grade in 2 patients, and 2 children had no regression. In Group 4 a regression of neurological disorders from B to C grade was observed in 6 children in 2-3 years, and 10 patients (A grade) had no improvement in neurological status. Conclusion . Complete and rapid recovery of neurological functions in children with complicated fractures of thoracic and thoracolumbar spine is observed after surgical treatment performed within the first 6-12 hours after injury, when neurological deficit is mainly caused by compression of the spinal cord and its elements, and secondary circulatory and pathological changes have not yet expressed.


Abstract Assessment of middle ear impedance using noninvasive electroacoustic measurements has undergone successive developments since its first clinical application in the 1940s, and gained widespread adoption since the 1970s in the form of 226-Hz tympanometry, and applications in multifrequency tympanometry. More recently, wideband acoustic immittance (WAI) is allowing unprecedented assessments of the middle ear acoustic mechanics thanks to the ability to record responses over a wide range of frequencies. The purpose of this article is to present fundamental concepts for the assessment and interpretation of wideband measures, including a review of acoustic impedance and its relation to the mass, stiffness, and resistance components of the middle ear. Additionally, an understanding of the middle ear transfer function reveals the relationship between impedance and middle-ear gain as a function of frequency. Wideband power absorbance, a WAI measure, quantifies the efficiency of sound conduction through the middle ear over a wide range of frequencies, and can serve as an analogous clinical measure to the transfer function. The interpretation of absorbance measures in ears with or without a conductive condition using absorbance measured at ambient pressure and pressurized conditions (wideband tympanometry) is described using clinical case examples. This article serves as an introduction to the fundamental principles of WAI measurements.


Some aspects of e-beam-pumped KrF laser physics and technology are considered with an impact on Fusion Test Facility design. These includes fluorescence and transient absorption measurements in KrF gain medium aimed at elaborating the kinetic model of large-scale amplifiers, studying the radiation stability of laser and target chamber optics, development of fluorine-resistant high-optical-strength protective coatings for laser windows.


Several investigators have been looking for less toxic conditioning regimen for stem cell transplantation in Fanconi anemia (FA) patients because of sensitivity to DNA cross-linking agents and tendency to malignancy. We report 16 multitransfused FA patients who underwent peripheral stem cell transplantation from 13 related and 3 unrelated donors. Although the first 6 patients received thoraco-abdominal irradiation + cyclophosphamide + antithymocyte globulin (regimen A) for conditioning, fludarabine (FLU) + cyclophosphamide + antithymocyte globulin (regimen B) were used in the last 10 patients in which 3 of them received unrelated graft. Cyclosporin A was given alone for the related allografts but also included mycophenolate mofetil for the unrelated allograft as graft versus host disease prophylaxis. We observed a lower risk of peritransplant morbidity and mortality with fewer and milder graft versus host disease in FLU based group. We lost 3 patients in regimen A group and 1 of them from secondary acute myeloid leukemia. Three patients are alive with transfusion independent. In regimen B group, 9 of 10 patients are alive with normal hematologic parameters and full donor chimerism. The longest follow-up durations are 90 and 60 months in regimen A and B, respectively. In conclusion, FLU based conditioning is more effective and successful with lower toxicity in multitransfused FA patients. However, it needs more experience and longer follow up duration.


"This admirably produced and well-translated volume of stories from the Sanskrit takes the Western reader into one of the Golden Ages of India. . . . The world in which the tales are set is one which placed a premium upon slickness and guile as aids to success. . . . Merchants, aristocrats, Brahmins, thieves and courtesans mingle with vampires, demi-gods and the hierarchy of heaven in a series of lively or passionate adventures. The sources of the individual stories are clearly indicated; the whole treatment is scholarly without being arid."-"The Times Literary Supplement" "Fourteen tales from India, newly translated with a terse and vibrant effectiveness. These tales will appeal to any reader who enjoys action, suspense, characterization, and suspension of disbelief in the supernatural."-"The Personalist"


Working-class politics in Birmingham and Sheffield contrasted sharply
in the 1920s - Birmingham was a bastion of working-class Conservatism,
Sheffield, a Labour stronghold. In the first half of the thesis, we
explored this contrast by an examination of the economic, social and
political conditions which underlay it.
Sheffield's large-scale industry was found to reinforce working-class
values and trades union traditions which facilitated Labour's political rise.
Birmingham's diversified, often small-scale, economy impeded the development
of working-class consciousness and eased inter-class relations.
These differences were reflected in the towns' working-class
cormtinities. The forms of Sheffield society consolidated the working-class
loyalties of which Labour affiliations became one aspect. Birmingham
society was more penetrable and possessed a powerful civic tradition of
cross-class cooperation.
In local government, Birmingham retained a confident, reforming
middle-class leadership fulfilling the heritage of Joseph Chamberlain.
Sheffield's middle-class politicians retreated into reactionary
oppositionism which hastened Labour's advance. Contemporary events in the
national economy and politics strengthened Labour's claim to be the real
party of the working class.
In the second half, we studied the content of working-class politics;
examining, firstly, Labour's principles and practice. Ethical and
constitutional values, combined with a corrrnitment to practical reform, were
found dominant. A genuine party life of extra-political activities existed
but its scope and ambitions were modest.
Cooperation shared similar values, allied with an ambiguous attitude
towards political action which strained relations with the wider Labour
movement. The revolutionary Left was active but its aggressive style and
far-reaching demands distanced it from the broader working class.
In conclusion, we looked at working-class Conservatism - still
influential and with several ideological and structural strains in workingclass
culture perpetuating its appeal. We viewed it, particularly among
the poorer strata, as one method of getting by in a life deemed
fundamentally unalterable.


MG. Antiarrhythmic drug prescription in post-myocardial infarction patients in the last decade: the GISSI experience. Arch Intern Med 1994; 155:1041-5. 7. Kates RE. Plasma level monitoring of antiarrhythmic drugs. Am J Cardi011983;52(suppl):8C-13C. 8. Garfein OA. Pharmacology of commonly used antiarrhythmic drugs and comments on the use of therapeutic drug monitoring. Ther Drug Monit 1982;4:1-14. 9. Pearce GA, Day RO. Compliance with criteria necessary for effective drug concentration monitoring. Ther Drug Monit 1990;12:250-7. 10. Me Innes GT. The value of therapeutic drug monitoring to the practising physician. An hypothesis in need of testing. Br J Clin Pharmacol 1989; 27:281-4. II. Reiffel JA, Cook JR. Physician attitudes toward the use of type IC antiarrhythmics after the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST). Am J Cardiol 1990;66:1262-4.


This study presents an investigation of some performance parameters and emissions characteristics of a six-cylinder submarine diesel engine operated on blends of biodiesel produced from waste vegetable oil (WVO). A heterogeneous catalyst was developed from waste eggshells via calcination 900 oC for 3 hrs. Waste vegetable oil was purified via hydrolysis to degum and reduce the free fatty acid of the oil. Biodiesel was produced from the purified WVO using the heterogeneous catalyst and methanol as alcohol. Nanoparticles were prepared from coconut shells via calcination at 900 °C for 5 hrs. Nanoemulsified fuel samples, B5 (5% biodiesel + 95% diesel), B10 (10% biodiesel + 90% diesel), and B20 (20% biodiesel + 80% diesel) were prepared from the produced biodiesel together with a constant weight of 5g of nanoparticles and 5wt% water. Engine tests were carried out under different load conditions (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%) using nano-emulsified biodiesel blend and pure diesel. Performance characteristics such as brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC), brake thermal efficiency (BTE), and exhaust gas temperature (EGT) were determined. The emissions measured include CO, CO2, HC, NOx. The heterogeneous catalyst was found to have 62% CaO composition. An average yield of 90.5% was obtained from biodiesel production. The CO and HC emissions were maximum for pure diesel compared to the biodiesel blends. However, there was an increase in CO2 emissions as biodiesel content increased in the fuel blends. The NOx emissions were maximum for pure diesel, with B5 showing more NOx reduction. The results showed that all the fuel blends demonstrated more suitable qualities as a substitute fuel for a diesel engine. The blended fuels are similar to diesel performance, but B20 showed maximum BTE at full load conditions.


A novel compound Nd3Fe26.5Re2.5 was synthesized. The structure and magnetic properties of the compound were investigated by means of x-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis and magnetic measurements. Nd3Fe26.5Re2.5 crystallizes in a monoclinic Nd3(Fe, Ti)29 structure with space group A2/m. The lattice constants of Nd3Fe26.5Re2.5 are a = 10.6131(1) Å, b = 8.5897(1) Å, c = 9.7518(1) Å, and β = 96.69(4)°, respectively. Rietveld refinement of the XRD data reveals that the Re atoms have a strong preference to occupy the three dumb-bell 4g, 4i3, and 4i4 sites. The preferential occupancy of the Re is predominantly determined by the atomic size effect. The final refined stoichiometry Nd3Fe26.65Re2.35 is in good agreement with the result of chemical analysis: Nd3Fe26.6(1)Re2.39(3). Nd3Fe26.5Re2.5 is found to be of planar anisotropy perpendicular to the [204] direction at room temperature. The Curie temperature TC, saturation magnetization MS, and magnetocrystalline anisotropy field HA are 354 K, 52.9 µB/f.u., and 20.6 T, respectively. The relatively low TC is related to the preferential occupations of the Re of the 4g, 4i3, and 4i4 sites. The temperature-dependent XRD experiment shows a contraction of the unit-cell volume with temperature around TC, which can be ascribed to the vanishing magnetism. The magnetism has a significant effect on the lattice parameters a, b, c, and β, which is anisotropic in character.


We present the case of a 12-year-old girl with severe pernio as the sole clinical presentation of celiac disease (CD), without associated gastrointestinal symptoms. Lesions greatly improved once a gluten free diet was initiated. At 5-year follow-up, she remains in clinical remission throughout the year with no pharmacological treatment, without skin lesions flare-up in the winter months.


Twelve low-calorie orange-based formulated jams were prepared mainly from orange, pumpkin and papaya, and then sweetened using fructose (F), stevioside (St) and sucralose (Su). The nutritional value of formulated jams was estimated after the approximate chemical composition and total soluble solid have been determined. The effect of storage on total phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity, carotenoids content and vitamin C was investigated. Organoleptical attributes of prepared low-calorie jams were done as well. Results indicated that the nutritive value [kcal 100 g–1 fw] ranged from 88.10 ± 0.60 to 164.34 ± 0.41; total phenol content (TPC, mg GAE 100 g–1 fw] ranged from 188.52 ± 2.45 to 411.79 ± 3.3; the antioxidant capacity (μmol TE g–1 fw) ranged from 14.57 ± 0.86 to 32.39 ± 1.19; total carotenoids [mg 100 g–1 fw] ranged from 115.20 ± 5.66 to 204.33 ± 4.21; vitamin C [mg 100 g fw] ranged from 8.94 ± 1.07 to 28.77 ± 4.46; total soluble solids [Brix] ranged from 22.53 ± 0.05 to 43.37 ± 0.13. Jams storage for a period of 12 months at room temperature led to a decrease in vitamin C content, TPC, antioxidant capacity, while total soluble solids (TSS) and carotenoids increased during storage. The results of organoleptical attributes showed that the formulas O11, O1 had the highest score of color and odor respectively while O7 recorded maximum score for taste, texture and bitterness respectively. Statistical analysis showed that storage intervals and treatments had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on sensory quality of diet jam. The organoleptical characteristics were affected with the extension of shelf-life. Addition of stevioside and sucralose to formulate the low-calorie jam increased total phenol and antioxidant capacity, improved color, taste and produced targeted low-calorie jams. The use of sweeteners such as fructose, sucralose and stevioside in the manufacture of orange diet jam was shown to be satisfactory, resulting in low-calorie jams, improved the quality and could be produced commercially.


Algal material has been known to exist in the Pennsylvanian and Lower Permian beds of Kansas for many years. Twenhofel described some in 1919, and later writers have repeatedly mentioned their occurrence. Moore (1935) and Elias (1937) pointed out that they occur quite consistently at certain positions in the depositional cyclothems. The algae were collected from 74 formations or named formation members which range in age from the top of the Lower Pennsylvanian up almost to the top of the Lower Permian. The algae described belong mainly to the green and blue-green algae (Chlorophyta and Cyanophyta) and include members of the families Dasycladaceae, Codiaceae, Porostroma and Spongiostroma. The Dasycladaceae are represented by six new species of the genus Epimastopora, the Codiaceae by a new genus Anchicodium represented by six species. Three species of Girvanella are present. The genera Ottonosia and Osagia named long ago by Twenhofel are discussed, and details of their microstructures are given. The Osagia colonies are shown to consist of an intimate intergrowth of several different algae often associated with Foraminifera belonging to the "Nubecularia." Among the Spongiostroma described are the Somphospongia and several species of Cryptozoon. The importance of the algae as rock builders is considered. Locally they are very important. The relation of the algal deposits to the cyclothems of deposition is noted and discussed.


Optimal conditions were established for evaluating the phytohemagglutinin-induced proliferative responses of purified peripheral blood T lymphocytes. This assay was utilized to determine whether T cells (in the absence of monocytes and serum inhibitory factors) from patients with Hodgkin's disease were defective in their ability to proliferative in response to optimal (50 microgram/ml) and suboptimal (25 and 12.5 microgram/ml) concentrations of phytohemagglutinin. T cells from 6 of 12 untreated patients exhibited 6-day proliferative responses below the range of 15 control subjects using optimal mitogen concentrations, and 9 of 12 patients exhibited subnormal responses using lower concentrations. Kinetic analyses indicated that the abnormal T-cell proliferative responses were characterized by peak proliferation occurring at day 4 or 5, rather than day 6. The observed abnormalities were not related to elevations in the proportions of T cells bearing surface receptors for IgG (T gamma Cells). Our results suggest that intrinsic functional T-cell defects contribute to the impaired immunity associated with Hodgkin's disease.


Striving for growth in service exports is an important way many service-oriented countries offset trade deficits commonly generated by a disproportional dependence on manufactured imports. Exports of business services are a significant subset of overall services trade. This paper examines whether innovation enhances exports of financial and insurance services by firms operating in these service industries. Results indicate that innovation has a sizable, positive impact on financial and insurance services exports. This holds true when examining a country's aggregate level of insurance and financial services exports, as well as bilateral exports to a specific trade partner. However, robustness tests suggest that the positive effect of innovation on bilateral financial and insurance services exports holds true only at the extensive margin of trade (i. e. the decision to export), but not at the intensive margin (i. e. how much to export).


Water is the main sources for all living beings. However, with the vast development and advancement of technology, water resources have been seriously contaminated by industries effluent, especially organic dyes. Various methods have been implemented to achieve certain level of acceptable cleanliness. Current most efficient and cost effective process is the photocatalytic process using highly photoreactive ZnO and TiO2 semiconductors. However, separation of the semiconductor powder arises at the end of the decomposition process. Therefore, there have been many researches trying to dope magnetic material into the semiconductor to make it easily separable and cost effective by just applying a magnetic field. However, most of the preparations require various recalcitrant and toxicant precursor chemicals as well as high sintering temperature. In light of these, this study has tried to use simple method of preparation and followed by a significantly moderate sintering temperature. The ZnO/Fe3O4 and TiO2/Fe3O4 nanocomposite materials have been successfully prepared by simple mechanical mixing and sintered at significantly moderate temperature of 300 and 350 oC, respectively. Besides, the prepared nanocomposite exhibit remarkable photocatalytic decomposition on few chosen dyes.

The XRD results indicated a good crystallinity with the standard for both nanocomposites. The SEM and TEM results showed ZnO/Fe3O4 nanocomposite was square-like and elongated in shape, whiles it was mostly spherical for TiO2/Fe3O4 nanocomposite. VSM measurements showed that both nanocomposites exhibit ferromagnetism, while ZnO and TiO2 are diamagnetism in nature. Both nanocomposites able to completely decomposed the MB dye. All the photocatalytic measurements show that the photodegradation processes are following the pseudo-first-order kinetics. Both nanocomposites were successfully magnetically separated from the decomposed solution by using a 0.60 T permanent magnet. A 9.0wt% loading of ZnO/Fe3O4 nanocomposite with 10wt% doped Fe3O4 and sintered at 300 oC was able to completely decomposed MB in 30 minutes (99.9%) with kinetic constant of 0.242 min–1. On the other hand, TiO2/Fe3O4 nanocomposite with 1wt% doped Fe3O4 sintered at 350 oC and at optimum loading of 3wt% was able to decompose 98.7% of MB in 60 minutes with kinetic constant of 0.0729 min–1.

The repeatability experiments were conducted and the results indicated that there was a minor deactivation (~1.08%) after the second and third run. This shows that both nanocomposites were photocatalytically stable and reusable for wider application on organic dyes decomposition. The effect of the intrinsic properties for the chosen organic dyes, such as their azo groups, benzene groups, molecular weight and absorbance, in relation to their rate of decomposition were evaluated in the last part of this study. The results show that the degradation rate is linearly proportional to the number of azo groups, the number of benzene groups, the molecular weight and inversely proportional to the absorbance of the dye's solution.