Different properties of dark matter haloes, including growth rate, concentration, interaction history, and spin, correlate with environment in unique, scale-dependent ways. While these halo properties are not directly observable, galaxies will inherit their host haloes' correlations with environment. In this paper, we show how these characteristic environmental signatures allow using measurements of galaxy environment to constrain which dark matter halo properties are most tightly connected to observable galaxy properties. We show that different halo properties beyond mass imprint distinct scale-dependent signatures in both the galaxy two-point correlation function and the distribution of distances to galaxies' kth nearest neighbours, with features strong enough to be accessible even with low-resolution (e.g., grism) spectroscopy at higher redshifts. As an application, we compute observed two-point correlation functions for galaxies binned by half-mass radius at z = 0 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, showing that classic galaxy size models (i.e., galaxy size being proportional to halo spin) as well as other recent proposals show significant tensions with observational data. We show that the agreement with observed clustering can be improved with a simple empirical model in which galaxy size correlates with halo growth.


Flowers are a common element in Danish funerals. Drawing on fieldnotes, interviews and survey data on funeral practices in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark as well as theories of ritualization, meaning-making and practices, this article shows that flowers are not only a sine qua non in the funerals but are also used to make them more personal and to produce and reproduce social relations. Additionally, flowers are material objects and acquire their social meaning in the right ceremonial context. Outside this context they have no inherent meaning and might even obstruct the ceremony because, as physical objects, they have to be put somewhere in ceremonial space. Paradoxically, flowers are ubiquitous yet invisible.


The postoperative course of 309 eyes subjected to trabeculectomy has been studied over a 7-year period. The results have been compiled with regard to effectiveness to maintain a normal range of intraocular pressure with and without postoperative medication. The figures have been assessed in toto and for 3 groups of glaucoma, namely, open angle, chronic angle-closure, and acute angle-closure. Results support those of other reports to show that trabeculectomy gives satisfactory control over the years in a reasonably high proportion of eyes and with relatively few postoperative complications. There is also a small group of combined trabeculectomy with cataract extraction.


The Neotropical genus Acanthostyles R.M.King & H.Rob. (Asteraceae, Eupatorieae) occurs from northern Argentina up to northern Patagonia, southern Brazil, central and southern Bolivia, and Uruguay. Different taxonomic treatments have suggested that Acanthostyles might include two species (A. buniifolius (Hook. & Arn.) R.M.King & H.Rob. and A. saucechicoensis (Hieron.) R.M.King & H.Rob.), or even only a single, highly variable, species. Therefore, a detailed morphological study and a taxonomic revision of Acanthostyles were carried out. A principal component analysis of 73 specimens, representing the morphological variability and geographic distribution of Acanthostyles, was conducted to test the validity of these taxa. Results showed that the morphological variation of A. saucechicoensis is included within the infraspecific variation of A. buniifolius. No clearly separated groups were revealed by the principal component analysis. We, therefore, propose that A. saucechicoensis is treated as a synonym of A. buniifolius, and thus Acanthostyles becomes a single, highly variable species throughout its range.


The deterioration of merchantable trees over time is often assumed to be negligible in growth models and yield calculations. Although the annual probability of becoming unmerchantable is small, the cumulative probability over a cutting cycle is significant, and should be included in yield studies. Logistic regression analyses of permanent sample plot data revealed that changing merchantability can be modelled using species, stand basal area, tree size and time since last logging. The equation developed for the rainforests of north Queensland indicates that up to ten percent of trees may become unmerchantable during a forty year cutting cycle.


Polyphenols, organic acids and metal ions are an important group of compounds that affect the human health and quality of food and beverage products, including wines. It is known that a specific correlation between these groups exist. While wines coming from the New World and the Old World countries are extensively studied, wines coming from cool-climate countries are rarely discussed in the literature. One of the goals of this study was to determine the elemental composition of the wine samples, which later on, together as polyphenols and organic acids content, was used as input data for chemometric analysis. The multivariate statistical approach was applied in order to find specific correlations between the selected group of compounds in the cool-climate wines and the features that distinguish the most and differ between red and white wines and rosé wines. Moreover, special attention was paid to resveratrol and its correlation with selected wine constituents.


Are all conflicts the same? Can mediation manage all types of conflicts effectively? Or are some conflicts more resistant to conflict management than others? This chapter will attempt to answer these questions, in the first part of it, by looking at the impact of mediation on the resolution of intractable conflicts. While a number of studies have sought to address the duration of long-standing conflicts, it is clear that intractable conflicts require deeper study concerning the reasons for their emergence and how to terminate them. This chapter, therefore, will articulate at the beginning the components of a conceptual framework of intractable conflicts and examine the effects of mediation in attempting to resolve them. Then it will proceed to advocate for an approach that promotes interfaith dialogue as a means to bridge trust gaps in intractable conflicts. Finally, it will apply the approach in one such conflict – the Israel-Palestine dispute.


The linear marginal instability of an MHD Taylor-Couette flow of infinite vertical extension is considered. For hydrodynamically unstable flows the minimum Reynolds number exists even without a magnetic field, but there are also solutions with smaller Reynolds numbers for certain (weak) magnetic fields. The magnetic field can, therefore, destabilize the rotating flow. This instability, however, can only exist for not too small magnetic Prandtl numbers. Also the situation for nonaxisymmetric disturbances is considered. Without magnetic fields such modes possess higher Reynolds numbers than the axisymmetric modes. The situation is changed in the MHD regime. For modest magnetic fields the excitation of modes with m=1 is easier than the excitation of modes with m=0 if critical magnetic amplitudes are exceeded.


A 47‐year‐old man underwent low anterior resection for rectal cancer and was surveilled for 5 years without metastasis. Twenty‐four years later, the patient developed an implantation cyst at the anastomotic site. Two years after the diagnosis, colonoscopy revealed a disintegrated area in the lesion, and pathological examination of the biopsy specimen revealed adenocarcinoma. Due to the suspicion of invasion into the surrounding organs, the patient underwent laparoscopic total pelvic exenteration after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. A transabdominal and transperineal endoscopic approach was used for safe en bloc excision of the tumor. Pathological examination of the specimen confirmed mucinous adenocarcinoma arising from the implantation cyst. Although an implantation cyst is considered benign, it is important to suspect malignant transformation when its appearance changes. For the accurate diagnosis of implantation cysts, surgeons, endoscopists, and radiologists should be aware of this disease.


A third case of myelogenous leukemia that followed the gastric instillation of methylcholanthrene in Wistar rats is herein recorded. These 3 cases represent the first instances of myelogenous leukemia produced in rats by carcinogens that answer all the criteria for a true myelogenous leukemia; namely, positive peripheral blood picture, bone marrow, tissue infiltration and transferability. A high percentage of transfer of the myelogenous leukemia was obtained with peripheral blood given intraperitoneally to very young animals of our random bred colony. Successful transfer was also accomplished to very young rats of the Long Evans and Sherman strains. While none of the three animals in which myelogenous leukemia was induced showed any green coloration, all transfers developed as chloroleukemia. Animals with leukemia will be made available to investigators.


Section 4 of the Indian Contract Act 1872, provides that an offer is complete when it comes to the knowledge of the offeree and that an acceptance is complete as against the offeror when it is put in the course of transmission by the acceptor so as to be out of his power and as against the acceptor when it comes to the knowledge of the offeror. Section 5 provides that the offer can be revoked at any time before the acceptance is dispatched and that an acceptance can be revoked at any time before it comes to the knowledge of the offeror. Section 5 ostensibly departed from the English law as it allowed for the acceptance to be revoked by a more expeditious means than the one used to communicate it. But...


Purpose: Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is recommended for breast cancer patients with sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastasis, but further nodal disease is not always present. Several models exist for predicting non-sentinel lymph node (non-SLN) metastasis in SLN metastasis. This study evaluated and compared the predictive values of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) nomogram and the Stanford nomogram, which were conveniently available online, and clarified their usefulness for the micrometastasis or isolated tumor cell (ITC) subgroup. Methods: Data from 89 patients with positive SLN biopsy who underwent ALND were used, including 59 patients with macrometastasis and 30 with micrometastasis/ITC. The predicted probability of non-SLN metastasis was calculated using a computerized model from the websites for each nomogram. Results were compared using area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristics curve for each model. False-negative and false-positive rates were also calculated. Results: AUC for the entire population was 0.701 with the MSKCC nomogram and 0.756 with the Stanford nomogram. AUCs of macrometastasis and micrometastasis/ITC were 0.680 and 0.469 with the MSKCC nomogram and 0.676 and 0.574 with the Stanford nomogram, respectively. Conclusions: This independent comparison found no significant difference between the two nomograms. In our results, these nomograms could not reliably predict positive non-SLN in cases with SLN micrometastasis/ITC. Further validation in other patient populations is needed. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-07-35.


Background: Many potentially toxic substances are carried by the circulatory system and excreted through the kidneys; therefore, the haematological and renal systems are particularly at risk of damage by a variety of toxicants. Treating affected patients requires a combination of supportive care and specific therapy. Aim of the article: This article is the third in a series of four. It discusses specific toxicants that affect the haematological and renal systems and outlines principles for managing patients presenting with the consequences of intoxication.


BACKGROUND
The Pathways to Wellness trial tested the efficacy of two interventions for younger breast cancer survivors: mindful awareness practices (MAPs) and survivorship education (SE). This planned secondary analysis examines intervention effects on stress, positive psychological outcomes, and inflammation (Clincaltrials.gov NCT03025139).

METHODS
Women diagnosed with breast cancer at or before age 50 who had completed treatment and had elevated depressive symptoms were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of MAPs, SE, or wait-list control (WLC). Assessments conducted at pre- and post-intervention and at 3- and 6-month follow-up measured general stress perceptions, cancer-related intrusive thoughts and worry, positive affect, meaning/peace in life, altruism/empathy, and markers of inflammation. Analyses compared change in outcomes over time in each intervention group relative to WLC using linear mixed models.

RESULTS
247 women were randomized to MAPS (n = 85), SE (n = 81), or WLC (n = 81). MAPs statistically significantly decreased intrusive thoughts and worry at post-intervention and 3-month follow up relative to WLC (ps < .027), and statistically significantly increased positive affect and meaning/peace at post-intervention, with positive affect persisting at 3-month follow up (ps < .027). SE statistically significantly decreased intrusive thoughts at 3-month follow up and statistically significantly increased positive affect at 6-month follow up relative to WLC (ps < .01). Pro-inflammatory gene expression increased in WLC relative to MAPs (p = .016) but did not differ from SE. There were no intervention effects on other outcomes.

CONCLUSION
MAPs had beneficial effects on psychological and immune outcomes in younger breast cancer survivors and is a promising approach for enhancing biobehavioral health.


Student evaluations of courses across many Australian universities typically give students the option to comment on the best aspects of a course and those aspects that they believe need improving. Such comments have been collated from students in introductory programming courses at four Australian universities. In this paper we present the results of a thematic analysis to see whether there are common themes to the areas students consider most in need of improvement. We have undertaken this study to gain an understanding of the student concerns in introductory programming courses, in the expectation that a framework could be developed to assist academics with reviewing their courses in subsequent offerings. We have found that at all institutions the main focuses of student comments are the course as a whole and the assessment, although at different universities the comments focus on different aspects of these items.


Atmospheric carbon dioxide and pollution due to the burning of fossil fuels is increasing. Many scientists attribute global warming to the rising levels of carbon dioxide and other pollutants, some of which also pose risks to health. These can be reduced by the more efficient use of conventional fuels and the development of non-polluting energy resources. Fuel cells offer a highly efficient and low polluting method of generating electricity, and are under development for both the power generation and transport sectors. There is a need to assess (a) emissions from fuel cells using various fuels and (b) ways of introducing such technology to transportation in the near future.

Fuel consumption, energy and emissions from the production and use of fuels (hydrogen, methane, propane, petrol, diesel, alcohols and rape methyl ester) are calculated per kilowatt hour of fuel cell output over a range of efficiency. These are compared with those for internal combustion engines with advanced exhaust control and for the recharging of battery driven vehicles. The results, which are applicable to both transport and power generation, enable the best low pollution fuels to be selected and are used to calculate through life emissions for public transport buses.

Fuel cells are an ideal solution to reduce pollution from transport, but their commercial development in this field is further away than that for stationary applications. Thus, a transition stage is recommended where fuel cell electrical power stations, based on existing demonstrators, are used to recharge fleets of battery driven vehicles during the development of mobile fuel cell systems. These fleets include public transport and commercial vehicles. Also, fuel cell power stations could provide energy for electric trains. A combined system is proposed where electric trains recharge battery driven commercial vehicles during long journeys. The above proposals would enhance fuel cell development, introducing them alongside current transport systems, possibly using the same fuel.


Stages of oocyte development were described for suruvi females (Steindachneridion scriptum) kept in captivity. Oocytes of 21 mature or maturing females and ovaries of 12 immature females were fixed in Karnovsky solution for 4 and 12 hours, respectively. After, they were processed for routine histology, embedded in paraffin and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Slides were examined under a light microscope and the oocytes were measured using the LAS EZ software, using the average between the largest and the smallest diameter of each oocyte for representation. There were six types of oocytes: Chromatin nucleolus: found in immature females, with average diameter of 9.5 ± 4.46 μm; Perinucleolar: present in all developmental stages with average diameter of 67.6 ± 15.61 μm; Cortical alveolar: measuring 175.6 ± 56.58 μm; Vitellogenic: average diameter of 797.65 ± 136.10 μm; Mature: with average diameter of 1184.98 ± 171.13 μm and Atretic, which were found in mature or maturing females of suruvi.


The Purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between leadership style of nurse managers and related variables and to provide the basic data for developing strategies of transformational, transactional leadership study. The subjects were 300 nurses and 10 head nurses were working at the 2 general hospitals in seoul. The data were collected from July 6 to July 14, 2001 by the structured questionnaires. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression with SAS package were used. The results of this study were as follows : 1. The score of the nurse managers' transformational leadership perceived by surbodinates' were higher than that of the nurse managers' transactional leadership. Among 5 subdimensions of the leadership styles perceived by surbodinates', the scores of 'charisma' and 'intellectual stimulation' were highest and 'management by exception' were lowest. 2. 'charisma' 'intellectual stimulation', 'individual consideration' and 'contingent reward' were positively related to all of variables except 'turnover intention'. 'Management by exception' was negatively related to all of variables and was positively related to 'turnover intention'. 3. As a result of regression analysis, leadership styles effect on 'leadership effectiveness', 'turnover intention', 'job satisfaction', 'empowerment', 'organizational commitment', 'autonomy', 'job involvement' in turn. The determinants of 'job satisfaction', 'autonomy', 'leadership effectiveness' were 'charisma' of transformational leadership and the determinants of 'organizational commitment', 'job involvement', 'empowerment' were 'intellectual stimulation' of transformational leadership.


This article argues that the virtual organization model (also called web-enterprises by the former U.S. Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich in The Work of Nations) can meet the challenge for our new age. This model is already in place in the U.S. federal government in the form of Cooperative Administrative Support Units (CASU's). These organizations bear a close resemblance to Reich's model and have documented significant successes. The article also argues that the implications and applications of the CASU in public administration are far reaching. This creative and innovative approach to responsible government warrants expanded use into new and diverse areas. Organizational designers should not restrict its use simply to rote administrative activities. This article draws heavily from the work of former Secretary Reich and Warren Master, Director of the National CASU Program in the U.S. General Services Administration. Both provide new paths of possibilities for administrators. Their leadership forges new and often brighter expectations for future organizational performance.


The aim of present study was to carry out pharmacognostic study of fruits of White teak. Fresh fruits and dried powder of the fruits were studied by morphology, microscopy, qualitative chemical test and florescence analysis of powdered drug. Other physicochemical parameters were also performed as per WHO guide lines. The detailed microscopy revealed the presence of stone cells, vascular strand and pitted parenchyma. Physicochemical parameters and florescence analysis were also studied. The preliminary phytochemical screening showed the presence of alkaloids, proteins, saponins, sterols, phenolic compounds and carbohydrates. The result of these studies could be useful for identification and standardization of White teak fruits.


In this article I explore the most recent literature on social robotics and argue that the field of robotics is evolving in a direction that will soon require a systematic collaboration between engineers and sociologists. After discussing several problems relating to social robotics, I emphasize that two key concepts in this research area are scenario and persona. These are already popular as design tools in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), and an approach based on them is now being adopted in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). As robots become more and more sophisticated, engineers will need the help of trained sociologists and psychologists in order to create personas and scenarios and to "teach" humanoids how to behave in various circumstances.


Glass cell experiments were conducted to understand kinetics of iron carbonate scale formation in pure carbon dioxide (CO2) corrosion of mild steel. Weight gain and loss (WGL) method was used as a direct approach to investigate kinetics of scale formation. The experiments were done at the temperatures of 60C to 90C, and an iron carbonate supersaturation range of 12 to 350. It is found that the calculated results obtained by the previous kinetics expressions using the traditional dissolved ferrous ion concentration method are one to two orders of magnitude higher than the experimental precipitation rates obtained in the present study by the WGL method. The results show that the main source of the ferrous ions which are involved in formation of the protective iron carbonate scale is the iron dissolution process. It has been clearly demonstrated that the precipitation rate of iron carbonate is directly related to the conditions at the steel surface which can frequently be very different from the one in the bulk fluid.


We examine signal fading statistics over a 1-year period corresponding to two overwater, line-of-sight, propagation links in the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. These links are composed of a transmitter on a tower at Parramore Island, Virginia, operating at 4.7 GHz, sending simultaneous CW signals to two receiver systems located on a lighthouse and a lookout tower on Assateague Beach, Virginia, at distances of 44 and 39 km, respectively. The receiving sites are separated by approximately 5 km. Cumulative fade distributions corresponding to yearly, monthly, and diurnal time scales were derived. The annual distributions showed fades in excess of 49 and 54 dB during approximately 7.7 hours of the year, for the lighthouse and lookout tower links, respectively. Fade duration statistics corresponding to sustained attenuation events were also derived. These events, which were arbitrarily defined as having fades relative to free space powers in excess of 20 dB for durations of 2 hours or more, are believed to be generally due to extreme subrefractive conditions. Analysis of synoptic weather conditions and nearby rawinsonde data during four sustained deep fading periods showed atmospheric conditions consistent with extreme subrefraction, where the refractivity height profiles had positive lapse rates. A measured refractivity profile, having a positive lapse rate, was injected into a propagation model based on an approximation to the scalar Helmholtz wave equation, and fade levels in the vicinity of the antenna locations were calculated. Although the refractivity profile was measured during an earlier period in the vicinity of the links, it was obtained over the water and showed an extreme positive lapse rate in refractivity, indicating that such profiles do in fact occur. Furthermore, the calculated fades were noted to have the same range of values as measured during the sustained deep fade events, showing consistency with the hypothesis that severe subrefraction may be the cause of these events.


Sevoflurane anaesthesia is often related to emergence agitation. This study investigates the drugs administered to treat this side effect. Methods Our retrospective study included 100 oncologic paediatric patients with mean age of 33.67 ± 2.12 months, weight mean 15.22 ± 0.44 kg, height 94.68 ± 2.24 cm undergoing anaesthesia for radiotherapy immobilisation purpose. Results Sevoflurane 8% was administered to 100% of the patients for anaesthesia induction/maintenance. The number of radiotherapy session were 22.43 ± 1.01 days and the period of anaesthesia was 33.09 ± 1.81 min. Emergence agitation was observed during anaesthesia recovery in 73% patients and was treated with propofol 0.5–4.4 mg/kg (29 patients), midazolam 0.35–79 mg/kg (12 patients), nalbuphine 0.1–0.15 mg/kg (4 patients), haloperidol 1,5 mg/kg (4 patients) and fentanyl 2–3.6 mg/kg (1 patient). All these central depressant drugs controlled the emergence agitation except haloperidol which induced extrapyramidal side effect (akathisia). Conclusions Respiratory depression should be considered in sevoflurane association with central nervous system depressants. Although midazolam has flumazenil as antagonist, midazolam high dosages should be administered with caution. Neuroleptics, such as haloperidol, is not an appropriated choice for agitation considering the possibility of akathisia.


Dear Editor:

In both experimental and clinical studies, the two cerebral hemispheres have been linked to different immune responses. In patients with stroke, the right frontal cortex-putamen region has been shown to influence the magnitude of immune responses. The delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction is altered in the chronic phase of stroke only in patients with right hemisphere lesion (Tarkowski et al., 1991, 1995). Also, in animal models, indications of a specialization of the right and left sides of the brain have been demonstrated with regard to the modulation of the immune system. Thus, ablation of the left frontoparieto-occipital cortex leads to a decrease of mitogen-induced T-cell proliferation, whereas similar ablation of the right side leads to an enhanced mitogenesis (Renoux et al., 1983). Also, at the subcortical level, an asymmetrical modulation of immune responses may exist. Lesions in the right substantia nigra enhance the proliferation of splenic T-cells, and similar lesions on the left side decrease their proliferation (Neveu, 1992).

The question of whether the immune response is controlled by special areas in the brain might be illuminated by the study of another of its diseases. Malignant gliomas infiltrate and destroy a volume of the brain during a relatively short time period. One could speculate that, if the immunoresponse of the patients is controlled by special brain areas, tumor growth in immunosuppressive areas should allow for longer survival and in immune-stimulating areas should lead to a more rapid death.

We have reanalyzed a prospective study from the years 1981 to 1987 (Sandberg-Wollheim et al., 1991) on the effect of chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy on survival time of patients with supratentorial glioblastoma (GBM). One single group of patients differs from all the others. Eleven women with left-sided frontal GBM had a significantly shorter survival time (P = 0.02; log-rank test) than 11 women with right-sided frontal tumors.

A new retrospective study of 369 patients with distinct lobar GBM localization, conducted in our department from 1988 to 1997, shows the same results: 26 women with left-sided frontal tumors have a shorter survival time (P = 0.002; log-rank test) than 21 women with right-sided frontal tumors. When all women studied from 1981 to 1997 are included, 37 with left-sided frontal GBMs have a shorter survival time than 32 with right-sided frontal tumors (P = 0.0001; log-rank test).

How can this be explained? Is an immunostimulating center in the left frontal lobe destroyed by the infiltrating tumor? Why only in women? Hormonal influence? Left-sided GBMs in men do not kill faster than right-sided GBMs, and surgical extensiveness is not related to sex. The literature describes many unexplained differences between the hemispheres and genders in function and in hormonal, transmitter, and immunological situations. However, brain injury has proven to induce immune deficiency syndrome (Meisel et al., 2005), and if studied in detail, the localization of the injury and gender might stratify these effects further.

Continued search for these and other differences may give clues to a better understanding of the battle between the advancing malignant brain tumor and its hosting brain, and thereby possibilities for improved therapies.

Sincerely,


Restriction site‐associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) has emerged as a useful tool in systematics and population genomics. A common feature of RADseq data sets is that they contain missing data that arise from multiple sources including genealogical sampling bias, assembly methodology and sequencing error. Many RADseq studies have demonstrated that allowing sites (single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs) with missing data can increase support for phylogenetic hypotheses. Two non‐mutually exclusive explanations for this observation are that (a) larger data sets contain more phylogenetic information; and (b) excluding missing data disproportionally removes sites with the highest mutation rates, causing the exclusion of characters that are likely variable and informative. Using a RADseq data set derived from the East African banana frog, Afrixalus fornasini (up to 1.1 million SNPs), we found that missing data thresholds were positively correlated with the proportion of parsimony‐informative sites and mean branch support. Using three proxies for estimating site‐specific rate, we found that the most conservative missing data strategies excluded rapidly evolving sites, with four‐state sites present only when allowing ≥60% missing data per SNP. Topological similarity among estimated phylogenies was highest for the data sets with ≥60% missing data per SNP. Our results suggest that several desirable phylogenetic qualities were observed when allowing ≥60% missing data per SNP. However, at the highest missing data thresholds (80% and 90% missing data per SNP), we observed differences in performance between high‐ and mixed‐weight DNA extraction samples, which may indicate there are trade‐offs to consider when using degraded genomic template with RADseq protocols.


Introduction: Asthma and COPD patients are advised to stay moderate physically active as much as possible. The most common active means of transport are walking and cycling [1]. On average, people in The Netherlands, use a car 0.83 times/day and a bicycle 0.76 times/day for distances under the 10 km. People above the age of 50 also tend to cycle 2.2 km/day and walk 0.8 km/day. Activity monitors, worn on the lower back, are increasingly used to measure physical activity. Distinguishing walking from cycling has not been successful with a lower back activity monitor. This abstract describes a method for detection of cycling. Methods: A classifier was developed on 46 days of data from a convenience sample of 17 subjects, aged 24 to 81 years, both males and females. The classifier received frequency content of 5-s windows of 3D low-back accelerations (DynaPort MoveMonitor) as input. Cycling was reported in a diary to train the classifier. A learning algorithm was developed to reduce the propensity for overlearning. This method optimizes both sensitivity and positive predictive value and classified every second of data as cycling or non-cycling. Subsequently, continuous bouts shorter than 62 s were considered non-cycling. Results: The classifier detected 88.8% of all true cycling periods (sensitivity - SE). From all data classified as cycling, 88.6% was true cycling (positive predictive value - PPV). This resulted in a F1-score, (2*SE*PPV) / (SE+PPV), of 88.7%. Conclusions: The classifier developed detected cycling with good accuracy. The method was developed and validated on the same data, hence validation on independent data is required.
 Projectteam Mobility in NL, Government of The Netherlands, November 2010.


The median of a graph $G$ is the set of all vertices $x$ of $G$ minimizing the sum of distances from $x$ to all other vertices of $G$. It is known that computing the median of dense graphs in subcubic time refutes the APSP conjecture and computing the median of sparse graphs in subquadratic time refutes the HS conjecture. In this paper, we present a linear time algorithm for computing medians of median graphs, improving over the existing quadratic time algorithm. Median graphs constitute the principal class of graphs investigated in metric graph theory, due to their bijections with other discrete and geometric structures (CAT(0) cube complexes, domains of event structures, and solution sets of 2-SAT formulas). Our algorithm is based on the known majority rule characterization of medians in a median graph $G$ and on a fast computation of parallelism classes of edges ($\Theta$-classes) of $G$. The main technical contribution of the paper is a linear time algorithm for computing the $\Theta$-classes of a median graph $G$ using Lexicographic Breadth First Search (LexBFS). Namely, we show that any LexBFS ordering of the vertices of a median graph $G$ has the following \emph{fellow traveler property}: the fathers of any two adjacent vertices of $G$ are also adjacent. Using the fast computation of the $\Theta$-classes of a median graph $G$, we also compute the Wiener index (total distance) of $G$ in linear time.


Purpose
Family centered non-economic (FCNE) goals, such as environmental and social goals, are sometimes strenuous to "sell" to non-family members in a family business, and are often open to resistance. The purpose of this paper is to identify socio-psychological mechanisms for achieving FCNE goals because, in addition to economic goals, they are the other two components of the triple bottom line.

Design/methodology/approach
Through a juxtaposition of the literature on family businesses, and the theories of mindfulness and psychological ownership, this paper argues for the facilitating roles of family involvement and mindful organizing in the achievement of FCNE goals. An example of how a Kuwaiti oil company implements these ideas is appended.

Findings
A moderated link between family involvement, mindful organizing and FCNE goal of environmental sustainability. Besides its direct effect on environmental sustainability, mindful organizing also has a potential mediating role in the relationship between family involvement and environmental sustainability. Psychological ownership, environmental sensitivity and individual mindfulness will moderate the relationship between mindful organizing and the achievement of environmental sustainability goals.

Research limitations/implications
The paper presents ten propositions and argues that three types of family involvement (ownership, management and inter-generational), together with non-family engagement (through mindful organizing) would lead to success in achieving the FCNE goal of environmental sustainability. Psychological ownership, environmental sensitivity and individual mindfulness are potential moderators.

Practical implications
The paper suggests some key drivers of FCNE goal of environmental sustainability as well as several contingent factors. Applicable to family businesses, owners and/or managers of similar firms can apply knowledge from this study in the pursuit of environmental sustainability.

Originality/value
The paper's model advances the current understanding of the link between family involvement, mindful organizing, environmental sustainability, psychological ownership, environmental sensitivity and individual mindfulness in the context of family business. The paper further suggests new future research directions.


In this paper, we propose a novel approach for parameterized model compensation for large-vocabulary speech recognition in noisy environments. The new compensation algorithm, termed CMLLR-SUBREST, combines the model-based uncertainty decoding (UD) with subspace distribution clustering hidden Markov modeling (SDCHMM), so that the UD-type compensation can be realized by re-estimating the models based on small amount of adaptation data. This avoids the estimation of the covariance biases, which is required in model-based UD and usually needs a numerical approach. The Aurora 4 corpus is used in the experiments. We have achieved 16.9% relative WER (word error rate) reduction over our previous missing-feature (MF) based decoding and 16.1% over the combination of Con-strained MLLR compensation and MF decoding. The number of model parameters is reduced by two orders of magnitude.


Due to the global increases in urbanisation rates, urban sprawl has become a worldwide issue. In China, the development of rural areas has been affected by urban expansion and adjustments of metropolitan areas by administrative divisions that have led to losses in agricultural lands and ecosystem services. There is the 'paradoxical' desire for governments to promote rural development and protect land resources. Urban fringe sprawl is a prominent issue in the process of rural development. Identifying and measuring sprawl at the urban fringe could assist policymakers to either encourage or discourage this phenomenon. This paper demonstrates use of multidimensional indicators to effectively measure urban fringe sprawl by remote sensing, in addition to demographic and socio-economic data. Using integrated indicators observed in the recent Chinese development context, urban fringe sprawl was measured comprehensively for Jiangning, a district in the city of Nanjing, China. This study indicates that Jiangning is sprawling rapidly. The results also show that the multidimensional indicator approach could provide decision support to create effective long-term land-use planning policies for controlling urban sprawl patterns.


Objectives: To provide comprehensive information regarding the implications of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), mode of transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), and its effects on orthodontic care during the pandemic and post-pandemic outbreak of the disease, based on currently available literature and information. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive research for studies that focused on the COVID-19 pandemic and orthodontic care up to August 18, 2020, with no language restriction. The databases included PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Google Scholar, and COVID-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD-19) 2020. The research was focused on presenting symptoms, disease transmission, infection control, orthodontic care, and financial implications affecting the delivery of orthodontic treatment. The research also included reports from major health policy regulatory bodies such as World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, and major international dental and orthodontic societies and associations. The peer-reviewed publications and guidelines from the health regulatory authorities were given priority. Results: The latest information on the SARS-CoV-2 virus effects and orthodontic implications were arranged sequentially. The SARS-CoV-2 virus mode of transmission and its prevention were emphasized to keep the orthodontic and dental operatory safe for continuing practice. Conclusion: The COVID-19 outbreak has changed the way orthodontics is practiced. Strict infection control, near-zero aerosol production, and minimal touch dentistry are the keys to prevent contamination of orthodontic operatory. During the pandemic, only emergency orthodontic procedures could be extended to the orthodontic patient while adhering to all the regulatory guidelines. Fortunately, to date, there is no reported case of cross-transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus at the dental setup.


Nutritional Status plays an important part in the management of diseases especially among patients suffering from COPD and critically ill. Subjective Global Assessment is well validated screening tool for malnutrition. It is the aim of this study to determine if there is a correlation between Nutritional Status using SGA and Pulmonary Function Parameters of Filipino COPD patients according to GOLD criteria. This is a Cross Sectional Study. Patients 40 years old and above diagnosed with COPD confirmed with Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) are included in the study. Nutritional status were assessed using anthropometric indices such as weight, height, Body Mass Index (BMI), Mid Arm Circumference (MAC) and Subjective Global Assessment. Leukocyte count and serum albumin were also tested. Nutritional status and PFT were correlated. One hundred twelve COPD patients participated in the study. Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1), and FEV1/FVC ratio significantly decrease as SGA score worsens (p=0.003,p=0.000,p=0.000 respectively). Among the anthropometric measurements performed, weight and mid arm circumference have positive correlation with FEV1 and FEV1/FVC ratio. BMI was noted to be positively correlated with FEV1/FVC ratio. However, no correlation was noted on both leukocyte count and albumin with PFT parameters. SGA, weight, MAC, BMI can be a gauge to monitor the severity of COPD without doing frequent PFT especially among difficult COPD patients.


Ed Piskor's ongoing series Hip Hop Family Tree, of which four volumes have been published so far by Fantagraphics between 2013 and the present, not only brings together two nostalgic aspects from Piskor's own youth but also attempts to revisit the feelings of excitement in his initial experience of discovering both comics and rap music. The possibilities and problems inherent within such attempts to return to the experience of ones' past are explored in Adorno and Horkheimer's engagement with Book XII of Homers Odyssey which "…tells how Odysseus sailed past the Sirens. Their allurement is that of losing oneself in the past" (2002: 25). In many ways, Piskor manages to capture his own nostalgic feelings of the past in this reimagining of both the comics and music of the period, but in doing so he unwittingly re-establishes a patriarchal position that not only privileges his own gender, but also his ethnicity.
With this position set out, the paper will argue that the art style Piskor develops in Hip Hop Family Tree, not only pays homage to the 'underground comix' aesthetic of creators such as Robert Crumb and Trina Robbins, but also to the more 'popular' sequential art styles of creators such as Jack Kirby and Will Eisner. In doing so Piskor makes a return to the 'repressed' theme of pop culture in the aesthetic style of 'alternative comix' that is often perceived, rightly or wrongly, to have eschewed aspects of pop culture. This stylistic critique in 'alternative comix' of the 'Culture Industry' mirrors Adorno's elitist position and fails to see what Walter Benjamin praised in mass culture as being a site for radical politics. Piskor's work is not only a nostalgic re-telling of Hip Hop culture but also attempts to address contemporary ethnic, race and class politics. Therefore, this paper will argue that for all its shortcomings, Piskor's Hip Hop Family Tree should not be read merely as a piece of cultural revisionist appropriation of the history of Hip Hop music, or as merely a form of 'blank parody' of previous art styles (Jameson, 1984: 65); but can be seen as a form of artistic pastiche (Hutcheon, 1987), that contains a relevant political critique of late capitalist, neoliberal, class inequality that also returns to the uncanny nostalgia and excitement of one's initial experience of 'being caught by the sirens song' on first finding comics and music.


A practical approach to Tamiflu is developed featuring the construction of the carbocycle core of the target molecule through a Diels-Alder reaction with concurrent introduction of one of the nitrogen atoms. Incorporation of another nitrogen atom was achieved via a high-yielding regioselective ring opening of a cyclic sulfite.


This report evaluates the results from corrosion investigations on twelve 50 year old bridges on the A82 trunk road between Bridge of Orchy and Invergarry in Scotland. The bridges experience a harsh environment and have been treated with deicing salts since the mid 1960's. Superstructural elements were surveyed by a contractor for reinforcement corrosion using half-cell potential, electrical resistivity, carbonation, chloride and cover measurements. These tests were supplemented by petrographic examinations of thin sections from cores and by measurement of compressive strength, density, cement and sulphate content to assess the condition of the concrete. The investigations showed that the beams and soffits of the decks have suffered the most corrosion as a result of the synergistic action of carbonation and chlorides. Data from the top steel of the decks were more difficult to interpret.


An accelerated test for the oxidative discoloration of developed silver images has been studied. While hydrogen peroxide testing has been used to predict the oxidative discoloration of developed silver images in monochrome photographic materials, this method is sometimes impractical when applied to materials stored under a normal atmosphere in which the contents of aggressive oxidizing chemicals are small or nonexistant. The article presents a new testing method that uses incubation in an atmosphere of compressed oxygen to accelerate oxidative discoloration. Such incubation for one or two months was found to reproduce the oxidative discoloration occurring in radiographic films stored under a normal atmosphere for four or five years under the climatic conditions of the Tokyo area. And an induction period in which discoloration is imperceptible was observed in the blue density increase of this accelerated testing. From these results, the mechanism of the oxidative discoloration is discussed and the rate-determining process of this discoloration reaction is presumed to be ion migration in the gelatin layer.


Postprandial hyperglycemia plays an important role in the development of type 2 diabetes. Inhibition of alpha-amylase was led to a delay in breaks down of starch and glycogen and prevented a rapid rise in blood sugar. Alpha-amylase was isolated by gel filtration chromatography Sephadex G-75 from bovine pancreas. Then, total methanolic extracts of plants were prepared and IC50 values of extracts on alpha-amylase were obtained and compared with acarbose IC50. The polyphenolic content of extracts and antioxidant capacity were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu test and DPPH test, respectively. The specific activity of alpha-amylase was 48.2 U/mg. For inhibition of alpha-amylase, IC50 values of H. persicum, Z. jujuba, and acarbose were 307, 827, and 113 μg/ml, respectively. For inhibition of DPPH radical, IC50 values of extracts were 235 and 701 μg/ml. Total phenolic contents of methanol extracts were and  μg tannic acid equivalent/mg extract. Acarbose causes gastrointestinal symptoms and liver toxicity, but H. persicum and Z. jujuba decrease these side effects and prevent gastrointestinal disorders. Due to the high polyphenolic content and antioxidant capacity of these plants and significant inhibitory effect of the plants on alpha-amylase, these plants can be proposed for treatment of diabetic patients.


Among Many fundamental communication primitives in wireless ad hoc network, flooding in wireless ad hoc network reduces the number of transmission in network and it plays a significant role in which every node transmits the message after receiving it for the first time. To successfully reducing the number of transmissions of broadcast that are required to achieve full delivery and constant approximation to the optimum solution without using exact position information of node. This paper presents two main approaches such as static and dynamic to broadcast algorithm in wireless ad hoc network. In static approach node status depends on local topology and priority function of node using this approach it can't guarantee both full delivery and constant approximation if node exact position information isn't available. On other hand in dynamic approach if node exact position information is available or not they can achieve both full delivery and constant approximation to their optimum solution using their partial 2-hop hybrid algorithm.


Cerebral metastases are clinically significant in 10% to 30% of patients with neoplasia. Multiple cerebral metastases are typically treated with palliative radiotherapy. There is no consensus on the role of enhanced chemotherapy delivery as an adjuvant treatment modality in this disease. In this report, the authors detailed their experience with intraarterial (IA) chemotherapy infusion with and without blood‐brain barrier disruption (BBBD) in patients with multiple cerebral metastases.


In vitro infection of human quiescent B cells with Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) activates them and leads to infinitely proliferating lymphoblastoid B cell lines (LCL), in which the virus establishes a stable latent infection. In this process, the virus triggers dramatic changes in the host cell biology to allow its long-term persistence and guarantee the survival of its host cell. During latency, EBV encoded proteins mimic activating physiological cellular pathways and processes promoting viral success. In my PhD thesis, I wished to investigate the very early steps of EBV infection focusing on changes in the host cell biology. I investigated the early phenotypes of the infected cells, which grow in cell volume and massively induce RNA and proteins synthesis, initially. Within the first two days, the cells show stable metabolic activity and do not proliferate. On day three post infection (p.i), the cells initiate DNA replication and divide followed by a phase of intense cellular proliferation. Starting at day four p.i., the cells show very high metabolic activities characterized by an increased uptake of glucose and enhanced mitochondrial activity. To monitor the obvious alterations in the biology of the EBV-infected B cells, I devised well-controlled and time-resolved RNA expression profiling (RNA-seq) experiments. The analyses of these experiments identified seven different clusters of genes with very specific gene expression patterns in EBV-infected cells compared with uninfected cells. My results document that the virus governs all important cellular processes including proliferation, cell metabolism, various epigenetic mechanisms, and ncRNAs biosynthesis in a very strictly time-controlled manner during infection.
The virus delivers its epigenetically naive genomic DNA to the host cell upon infection, but in latently infected cells the viral DNA is extrachromosomaly maintained and organized identical to cellular chromatin with nucleosomes including mostly repressive histone marks. In my PhD work I wanted to investigate the kinetics of nucleosome assembly on viral DNA as well as the specific positioning of nucleosomes. Within 24 hours after infection, EBV DNA had acquired nucleosomal structures, which accumulated and became more prevalent until day three p.i.. Nucleosome acquisition did not appear to be random, but I found pre-defined locations occupied with nucleosomes very early after infection. In my MNase-seq experiments nucleosome occupancy at certain cellular loci also changes dramatically indicating that dynamic alterations in nucleosome positioning might cause the profound changes in the transcriptome of the virally infected B cells.


This article is aimed at exploring the relationship between the phosphatase 2A catalytic subunit Cα (PP2Acα, encoded by PPP2CA) and methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) in the malignant progression of gastric cancer (GC). Through analyzing the bioinformatics database and clinical tissue immunohistochemistry results, we found that abnormal PP2Acα and METTL3 levels were closely related to the malignant progression of GC. To explore the internal connection between PP2Acα and METTL3 in the progression of GC, we carried out cellular and molecular experiments and finally proved that PP2Acα inhibition can upregulate METTL3 levels by activating ATM activity, thereby promoting the malignant progression of GC.


In the past 10 years a large amount of data has been published with respect to myelodysplasia. However, this newly emerged data, to date, has not been integrated into an all encompassing cohesive concept. The more knowledge we have about this illness to more precise diagnostic classifications, prognostications and eventually curative treatment modalities are possible. The ineffective haemopoiesis that is a hallmark of the disease may be explained by the apoptosis, hence antiapoptotic therapy, it appears, in some cases results in improvement. It is known that the malfunction of the mitochondria is responsible for accumulating the iron in sideroblastic anemia. The same mitochondrial malfunction may also be a factor in the development and progression of the non-sideroblastic forms of myelodysplasia as well. Promising research is on the way in examining the interaction between stroma cells of the bone marrow and the stem cells. Several publications study the hypothesis that the stroma also plays a significant role in the development of myelodysplasia clone. This role may be a causative one or perhaps a more passive/permissive one. This paper attempts to provide an overview of the newly emerged data, published in the most recent years, concerning myelodysplasia.


This paper proposes a mathematical analysis of the inertial flow of an MHD second-grade non-Newtonian fluid in a ciliated channel. The two-dimensional flow is modelled under the effect of inertial forces, magnetic field and Darcy's resistance, which make the system of partial differential equations highly non-linear. To solve the complex system of partial differential equations, the Homotopy Perturbation Method (HPM) is preferred. The HPM solutions for the velocity profile, stream function and pressure gradient are obtained using the software MATHEMATICA. The significances of the Reynolds number (due to inertial forces), Hartmann number (due to magnetic field), porosity parameter (due to Darcy's resistance) and fluid parameters (related to the second-grade fluid) on the pressure gradient, stream function and velocity profile are discussed in detail. The pertinent parameters show that the horizontal velocity decays in the presence of a magnetic field, whereas it rises under the effect of inertial forces, Darcy's resistance and fluid viscosity in the centre of the channel. This research indicates that, for the ciliary flow of a second-grade fluid, a favourable pressure gradient (negative pressure gradient) in the horizontal direction increases when applying a magnetic field, whereas it decreases due to the porous medium. This mathematical model can be helpful to observe ciliary activity under magnetic resonance imaging, when ciliary activity is abnormal.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Barley mixed rice, "Mugi gohan," is traditionally eaten with yam paste in Japan. Both ingredients contain dietary fiber and reportedly reduce postprandial hyperglycemia. However, evidence supporting the benefits of combining barley mixed rice with yam paste is limited. In this study, we evaluated whether ingesting a combination of barley mixed rice and yam paste affected postprandial blood glucose concentration and insulin secretion.

METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN
This study followed an open-label, randomized controlled crossover design, following the unified protocol of the Japanese Association for the Study of Glycemic Index. Fourteen healthy subjects each consumed four different test meals: white rice only, white rice with yam paste, barley mixed rice, and barley mixed rice with yam paste. We measured their postprandial blood glucose and insulin concentrations after every meal, and we calculated the area under curve for glucose and insulin.

RESULTS
Participants had significantly reduced area under curve for glucose and insulin after eating barley mixed rice with yam paste compared to when they ate white rice only. Participants had similar area under curve for glucose and insulin after eating barley mixed rice only, or eating white rice with yam paste. Participants had lower blood glucose concentrations 15 min after eating barley mixed rice only, whilst eating white rice with yam paste did not maintain lower blood glucose after 15 min.

CONCLUSIONS
Eating barley mixed rice with yam paste decreases postprandial blood glucose concentrations and reduces insulin secretion.


The computer is an important tool to design an engineering system and CAD systems are widely used for
various design practice. To meet the market requirements, the old mass production system is being changed
into the mass customization system. As for CAD systems, it is increasingly required to extend, automate,
and customize a wide range of functionality. This article describes the state-of-the-art of the principal
technologies for customizing CAD systems. And we have implemented an application that enables the
parametric design by directly inputting numerical values of parameters for a CAD model. Based on this
application, we have developed another system that makes it possible sharing of part family data between
SolidEdge and Pro/Engineer. Through customization of CAD systems, it is possible to improve the product
quality using external knowledge-based systems or to integrate with external system such as CAE tools.
This paper can be a guide for engineering designers who want to customize CAD systems.


BACKGROUND
Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), the causal agent of Kaposi's sarcoma, is transmitted sexually among homosexual men, but little is known of its transmission among women. Although HHV-8 has been detected in blood, there has been no clear evidence of blood-borne transmission.

METHODS
We identified risk factors for HHV-8 infection in 1295 women in Baltimore, Detroit, New York, and Providence, Rhode Island, who reported high-risk sexual behavior or drug use. HHV-8 serologic studies were performed with two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.

RESULTS
In univariate analyses, HHV-8 was associated with black race, Hispanic ethnic background, a lower level of education, and infection with syphilis, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), or hepatitis C virus (HCV). The risk of seropositivity for HHV-8 increased with the frequency of injection-drug use (P<0.001); HHV-8 seroprevalence among the women who used drugs daily was three times that among women who never injected drugs. Among the women with a low risk of sexual transmission, HHV-8 seroprevalence was 0 percent in those who had never injected drugs and 36 percent in those who had injected drugs (P<0.001). However, injection-drug use was linked less strongly to HHV-8 infection than to infection with HBV or HCV. In a multivariate analysis, independent predictors of HHV-8 seropositivity included HIV infection (odds ratio, 1.6; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.1 to 2.2), syphilis infection (odds ratio, 1.8; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.1 to 2.8), and daily injection-drug use (odds ratio, 3.2; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.4 to 7.6).

CONCLUSIONS
Both injection-drug use and correlates of sexual activity were risk factors for HHV-8 infection in the women studied. The independent association of HHV-8 infection with injection-drug use suggests that HHV-8 is transmitted through needle sharing, albeit less efficiently than HBV, HCV, or HIV.


To investigate the effect of soy protein film packaging on the quality of beef, the rate of weight loss, pH, 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), and microbial (total bacterial count) Salmonella spp., E. coli changes were determined during storage. Beef samples were packaged with soy protein film containing rosemary extract and then stored at . Soy protein film was effective on prevention of weight loss, compared with the control, regardless of addition of rosemary extract. Change in pH of soy protein films containing the rosemary extract (RPF) was less during storage, compared with the control. Packaging of beef products with RPF inhibited lipid oxidation by at day 8 of storage, compared to the control. RPF packaging also affected the microbial growth, resulting in retardation of total bacteria by more than 1 log cycle. These results indicate that storage of beef packaged with RPF should be appropriate in terms of quality as well as shelf-life.


Aim: To ascertain the prevalence and nature of psychoactive drug use amongst taxi drivers in Nigeria. Materials and Method: A total of 192 taxi drivers in Enugu, South East Nigeria was studied using a questionnaire. Information obtained from the questionnaire included socio-demographic characteristics of the drivers, pattern and reasons for drug use and factors associated with it\'s use, awareness of danger posed by drugs as well as accident rates amongst the drivers. Result: The prevalence of psychoactive drug use amongst the drivers was 85.4%. The commonest drugs used were alcohol, tobacco and central nervous system stimulants such as coffee and kolanut. Drivers who were single, of younger age group, of low literacy level and who had been in the profession for more than 5 years had higher prevalence of drug use. The commonest reason for using drugs was to remain strong and alert while religious conviction was a major consideration for not using psychoactive drugs. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of psychoactive drug use amongst taxi drivers in Nigeria. A drug rehabilitation program for taxi drivers in Nigeria is advocated. Religious leaders should be integrated into the program. A health education programme to create awareness on dangers of these substances as well as stress coping mechanisms is advocated.
 Keywords : Psychoactive Drugs; Taxi Drivers; Nigeria. Journal of College of Medicine Vol. 13 (1) 2008: pp. 48-52


The coincidence of two cases of burns, each followed by tetanus, occurring within two days of one another, coupled with the prevalent belief as to the supposed infrequency of such a complication, formed the incentive for this report and review of the literature. Case 1 (Reported by courtesy of Dr. J. A. Graham). —E. F., female, 6 years old, admitted to the Children's Memorial Hospital August 23, 1911, with history that about three hours before while playing about a bonfire, she jumped too near the flames, caught her clothes on fire, and sustained a burn of the body. Examination. —Burn of first degree, and, to a slight extent, of second degree, covering all of back from neck to buttocks, and extending around the right side to the middle line in front. Burn also of both hands, and of right upper arm. Child very nervous and irritable; cried and talked almost


Objectives Or goals, or mission statements should be measurable or quantifiable one. Otherwise, a mere qualitative one could be only like a half-truth, similar to the tip of an iceberg. Safety Health and Environmental (SHE) Key Performance Indicator (KPI) shall comprise of the major elements such as baseline data of past performance, references to similar industries KPI on a global scale, appropriate to its business objectives, dynamic and proportionate to satisfy its stakeholders' expectations. The figures shall be difficult to achieve requiring an extra mile to stretch but shall not be unrealistic or impossible. Say, an organization 'A' wants to achieve Zero Injuries is the best, however, it's past performance indicate that there were at least one Loss Time Injury (LTI) in every calendar year for the last ten year. Should it be practically achievable? If so, what road map it should follow to achieve? Here comes the comparison with a similar industry performance across the globe. If global Bench Mark says it is possible, then the organization has to do a gap analysis, identify its strengths and weaknesses and weigh the possibilities of achieving that difficult task. Probably, it could stagger the same objective as a long-term and plan accordingly. Similarly, Zero Discharge of Effluents, Zero Wastes, Zero that and Zero this are all very fancy to hear but are not quite easy to achieve and to sustain. While the ultimate goal shall be similar to the above, practically a convincing goal setting is best. What needed is to blend the business objectives, stakeholder engagement and SHE KPI in a very balanced and idealistic manner with measurable quantities for a Responsible Care company by having a clear roadmap. This paper aims at providing guidelines for a variety of permutation and combinations to help industries at large.


Arabidopsis has five phytochrome (PHY) genes for sensing the Red:Far Red (R:FR) ratio in ambient light, of which PHYA has an established role in responses to FR. To study whether and how PHYs may influence each other's transcription, PHY-Luciferase reporter plants (pPHYA:LUC, pPHYB:LUC, pPHYC:LUC, pPHYD:LUC and pPHYE:LUC) were constructed. Subsequently, reporter lines representative for each PHY were crossed into each of the five single phy-mutant backgrounds. Reporter activities in WT and phy mutant was studied under diurnal mixed (R, B, FR), R, FR or B LED light in seedling or rosette plants. Both pPHYA:LUC and pPHYB:LUC show strong induction under FR. Full FR upregulation of both PHYA and PHYB is dependent on PHYE, identifying PHYE as a novel sensor for FR light responses. Results also show that PHYA expression is strongly suppressed by PHYD. Results were confirmed for expression of endogenous PHYA and PHYB, albeit with different dynamics compared to the LUC reporters. Profiling of pPHYA:LUC and pPHYB:LUC reporters suggest gating of FR responses. Manipulation of PHY expression levels by FR may provide a novel basis for manipulating plant growth in controlled environments.


When a man considers himself to be very ill, he may distrust just about any prescription. But that is how not to get well. The gravity of the depressed state of the Nigerian economy could trivialize measures for its redemption. However, when properly considered, employment generation in agricultural industry has the capability and capacity to turn poverty to prosperity, criminalize indolence while canonizing industry and transforming the entire landscape in the six geo-political zones of the country. The relevance of scholarship to policy formulation should be abundantly clear.


OBJECTIVE
To assess insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function associated with lower maternal fasting plasma glucose levels at high altitude compared with sea level.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
We studied 215 pregnant women at 8-42 weeks of gestation in Peru. The women were recruited from Cerro de Pasco, which is situated 4,370 m (14,340 feet) above sea level, and Lima, which is at sea level. We also examined 53 nonpregnant control subjects (22 in Cerro de Pasco and 31 in Lima). Fasting plasma glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and proinsulin concentrations were measured in samples obtained from the antecubital vein between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. after an overnight period of fasting for 10-14 h Insulin resistance and beta-cell function were calculated using homeostasis model assessment.

RESULTS
Fasting C-peptide levels and beta-cell function were similar, fasting concentrations of insulin and proinsulin were lower, and insulin sensitivity was higher at high altitude compared with sea level.

CONCLUSIONS
Maternal fasting plasma glucose that is lower at high altitude than at sea level in the presence of similar insulin secretion is associated with higher peripheral insulin sensitivity. This may partly explain the lower birth weights at high altitudes.


This paper analyzes the characteristics of oil behavior in the oil-cooling of motors with hairpin winding to understand how to maximize cooling performance. The oil cooling is performed by directly spraying oil onto the motor components. The results show that as the temperature of the oil increases, the viscosity decreases, and the oil film is formed more evenly; however, oil splashing also increases. Similarly, as the flow rate increases, oil splashing also increases, but the amount of oil forming the oil film increases. However, the oil film is not affected by the rotor's rotation. In contrast, the immersed oil is found to be closely related to the rotor's rotation. As the rotational speed increases, the immersion oil is mixed with the air, and oil churning occurs. The mixing phenomenon increases as the temperature and flow rate of the oil increases. The higher the oil level, the greater the oil churning. As the oil is mixed with air, the heat transfer coefficient decreases, which adversely affects the thermal management of the motor. As a result, when considering the oil film and the immersion oil, the optimal oil temperature, flow rate, and oil level are at 60 °C, 0.140 kg/s, and 85 mm, respectively. The results of this paper give important information about EV motor cooling and can contribute to the development of high-performance motors.


The extracellular matrix (ECM) is crucial for regulating cellular functions and maintaining tissue integrity. Alterations in ECM stiffness are associated with various pathological conditions, including cancer and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, being able to tailor and customize ECM stiffness could revolutionize personalized research and therapies in tissue engineering. Clay nanomaterials are an emerging class of biomaterials with unique properties that make them promising candidates for biomedical applications.
In this study, we investigated the potential of laponite nanoclays (LapNC) to enhance the mechanical properties of collagen hydrogels without increasing the collagen amount. Collagen hydrogels of different concentrations (2.5, 4, and 6 mg/ml) were supplemented with LapNC, and the resulting hydrogels were thoroughly characterized using rheology, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and other assays to quantify additional physical parameters, such as the permeability and swelling potential. In this study, we investigated the potential application of the customized hydrogels as 3D cancer culture systems for tumor spheroid growth. To this end, we quantified the spheroid area over time by culturing three cancer cell lines in the supplemented and non-supplemented matrices. Moreover, we assessed the migration capacity of the spheroids with respect to the initial cluster formation.
Our results confirmed that LapNC solution could be successfully incorporated into the culture media without clay aggregation. The supplemented hydrogels exhibited enhanced mechanical properties without compromising cellular viability or causing collagen collapse. Regardless of the collagen concentration, LapNC-supplemented hydrogels showed higher storage moduli and lower permeability than control hydrogels, which was qualitatively corroborated by SEM visualization of the porosity. Furthermore, the addition of LapNC resulted in the formation of larger spheroids at every collagen concentration. These findings have significant implications for tissue engineering applications, particularly in cancer spheroid analysis.
The successful incorporation of LapNC into collagen hydrogels as nanofillers to modify the rheological and structural properties highlights their potential for tissue engineering applications. Our results demonstrate that the mechanical properties of collagen hydrogels can be enhanced by the addition of LapNC without increasing collagen density. This may provide a powerful method for personalized research and therapies in multiple fields of tissue engineering. In particular, our study suggests that LapNC-supplemented hydrogels can serve as 3D cancer culture systems for stiffness-dependent tumor spheroid growth, opening up new avenues for cancer research and therapy.


Background: Gingival ulcer is often accompanied by severe pain and bleeding and prevents the practicing of appropriate oral hygiene. Most inflammatory and immune-mediated gingival ulcers can be successfully treated with topical corticosteroids, but those refractory to corticosteroids are difficult to treat. Case description: An 18-year-old female visited our clinic with a complaint of gingival bleeding. Since topical corticosteroids and oral antibiotic were not effective for gingival ulcers of the patient, an anti-gastric ulcer agent, irsogladine maleate, was used. Oral administration of irsogladine maleate reduced gingival bleeding. The patient became able to perform tooth brushing, and the bleeding from the gingivae was markedly improved. Conclusions: Oral administration of irsogladine maleate may be useful to improve persistent bleeding from gingival ulcers caused by inflammatory and immune-mediated gingival disease with minimal adverse effects.


Background Current in-silico based proteomics requires the prediction, validation and functional analysis of a modelled protein. The main drawback in this protocol is the lack of a singular protocol that utilizes a proper set of benchmarked open science tools to accurately predict a protein's structure and function. Results The present study aims to utilize a series of openly available computational tools to formulate a complete pipeline capable of analyzing a novel protein's amino acid sequence, reveal its phylogenetic relationships and conserved residues. The resultant data would then be utilized in the formulation of the protein's tertiary structure followed by functional analysis through virtual screening. This novel protocol was benchmarked utilizing the Cystatin C protein obtained from Danio rerio and the AChE proteins of Homo sapiens and Rattus norvegicus. Conclusion The resultant pipeline utilizes freely available in-silico tools capable of complete protein analysis including a novel protein's functional analysis. The methodology has been proven and the tools have been benchmarked as the most suited for complete trifecta protein analysis.


Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been an ongoing global pandemic for over a year. Recently, an emergent SARS-CoV-2 variant (B.1.1.7) with an unusually large number of mutations had become highly contagious and wide-spreading in United Kingdom. From genome analysis, the N501Y mutation within the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2's spike protein might have enhanced the viral protein's binding with the human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (hACE2). The latter is the prelude for the virus' entry into host cells. So far, the molecular mechanism of this enhanced binding is still elusive, which prevents us from assessing its effects on existing therapeutic antibodies. Using all atom molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrated that Y501 in mutated RBD can be well coordinated by Y41 and K353 in hACE2 through hydrophobic interactions, increasing the overall binding affinity between RBD and hACE2 by about 0.81 kcal/mol. We further explored how the N501Y mutation might affect the binding between a neutralizing antibody (CB6) and RBD. We expect that our work can help researchers design proper measures responding to this urgent virus mutation, such as adding a modified/new neutralizing antibody specifically targeting at this variant in the therapeutic antibody cocktail.


tert-Azido or amino substituted penciclovir analogs, 1-3 were synthesized for the purpose of improving the efficacy and bioavailability of penciclovir and searching for novel antiviral agents. Among several methods attempted to insert an azido group into the alpha,beta-unsaturated ester 6, only Bronsted acid-catalysed 1,4-conjugate addition conditions (NaN3, 75% acetic acid, 80 degrees C) gave the desired tert-azido product 7. The synthesized final penciclovir analogs 1-3 were evaluated in vitro against several viruses such as HIV-1, HSV-1 and 2, poliovirus, VZV, and VSV. Compound 2 only showed weak antiviral activity against HSV-1 without cytotoxicity. Although the synthesized compounds did not exhibit an excellent antiviral activity, the successful method used in introducing the tert-azido group is expected to be generally utilized for the synthesis of nucleoside analogs with a tert-azido substituent.


Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) and Pre-maturity amylase (PMA) are physiological defects in wheat grains that reduce their end-use quality. PHS is the precocious germination of grains before harvest while PMA is the accumulation of α-amylase in grains. Both traits are quantitative in their expression and are strongly influenced by the environment. In this project, I studied six Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) located on chromosomes 1A, 2D, 3A (2 loci), 4A and 7B, which confer resistance to PHS or PMA in UK wheat varieties. The aims of this project were to validate and characterise the effects of these QTL, as well as to fine-map the QTL with the most significant effect.
To achieve these aims, isogenic materials were developed to independently study these QTL effects. Physiological characterisation of these QTL showed that they exert their effects by affecting the dynamic of dormancy loss in grains, albeit at different stages of grain development and maturation. We also show that temperature during grain development and germination affect the expression of these QTL effects.
In addition to the characterisation above, I also undertook the fine-mapping and positional cloning of the 4A QTL (named Phs), as this QTL showed the highest effect on PHS resistance of all the QTL studied. I took advantage of recent advances in wheat genomics, high-throughput genotyping and the syntenic relationship between wheat and other grasses, to delimit Phs to a less than 0.2 cM interval. Furthermore, examination of the physical map of this interval identified 17 genes with varied biological functions. High-resolution fine-mapping of the 0.2 cM interval in three independent and diverse populations further delimited Phs to a 10 kb genomic interval. Finally, I report on the comparative sequence analysis around this critical interval, and show the presence of some genomic lesions that could be critical for the Phs effect.


ABSTRACT The comonotonicity and countermonotonicity provide intuitive upper and lower dependence relationship between random variables. This paper constructs the shuffle of min's random variable approximations for a given Uniform [0, 1] random vector. We find the two optimal orders under which the shuffle of min's random variable approximations obtained are shown to be extensions of comonotonicity and countermonotonicity. We also provide the rate of convergence of these random vectors approximations and apply them to compute value-at-risk.


Maternal obesity is a global epidemic affecting both developed and developing countries. Human and animal studies indicate that maternal obesity adversely programs the development of offspring, predisposing them to chronic diseases later in life. Several mechanisms act together to produce these adverse health effects. There is a consequent need for effective interventions that can be used in the management of human pregnancy to prevent these outcomes. The present review analyzes the dietary and exercise intervention studies performed to date in both altricial and precocial animals, rats and sheep, with the aim of preventing adverse offspring outcomes. The results of these interventions present exciting opportunities to prevent, at least in part, adverse metabolic and other outcomes in obese mothers and their offspring.


Despite the progress that has been made in the treatment of cholera, mortality rates from this disease remain high in rural areas where intravenous fluids are not readily available. The authors have therefore conducted controlled studies into the efficacy of a simpler form of maintenance therapy-the administration of glucose-containing electrolyte solutions by mouth. The results obtained from the study of 51 adult patients (36 with cholera and 15 with severe non-cholera diarrhoea) indicate that oral fluids are adequate for maintenance therapy in cholera and severe diarrhoeal disease, and that there is no significant increase in the duration of diarrhoea or in the stool volume in patients receiving such therapy.The addition of a non-specific adsorbent, charcoal, to the fluid led to a significant increase in the volume of diarrhoeal stools and to prolongation of vibrio excretion; its use is therefore not recommended. The use of oral replacement solutions should result in improvement of cholera treatment of adults in rural areas and in a reduction in the cost of treatment.


Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) presents a highly promising and challenging advanced application of flat-panel detectors (FPDs). The great advantage of this adaptable technology is in the potential for sub-mm 3D spatial resolution in combination with soft-tissue detectability. While the former is achieved naturally by CBCT systems incorporating modern FPD designs (e.g., 200 - 400 um pixel pitch), the latter presents a significant challenge due to limitations in FPD dynamic range, large field of view, and elevated levels of x-ray scatter in typical CBCT configurations. We are investigating a two-pronged strategy to maximizing soft-tissue detectability in CBCT: 1) front-end solutions, including novel beam modulation designs (viz., spatially varying compensators) that alleviate detector dynamic range requirements, reduce x-ray scatter, and better distribute imaging dose in a manner suited to soft-tissue visualization throughout the field of view; and 2) back-end solutions, including implementation of an advanced FPD design (Varian PaxScan 4030CB) that features dual-gain and dynamic gain switching that effectively extends detector dynamic range to 18 bits. These strategies are explored quantitatively on CBCT imaging platforms developed in our laboratory, including a dedicated CBCT bench and a mobile isocentric C-arm (Siemens PowerMobil). Pre-clinical evaluation of improved soft-tissue visibility was carried out in phantom and patient imaging with the C-arm device. Incorporation of these strategies begin to reveal the full potential of CBCT for soft-tissue visualization, an essential step in realizing broad utility of this adaptable technology for diagnostic and image-guided procedures.


The management of natural resources has become an important subject because of the increasing population. To meet human requirements for resources such as food and water, many control strategies have been proposed to improve biomass production and nutrient supply. However, implementing these strategies may be limited by the expense of large numbers of control devices and by the effects of stochastic perturbations. In this study, a robust reference tracking control strategy for the natural resource management of nonlinear stochastic biotic-abiotic ecosystems is proposed, using a limited set of controllers, to regulate the systematic dynamics achieving a desired reference trajectory under the influence of intrinsic fluctuations and environmental disturbances. To simplify the design procedure and make the robust reference tracking control strategy more feasible, we propose a fuzzy stochastic partial differrential equations system to represent the ecosystem, itself approximated by a fuzzy stochastic spatial state space model, based on a finite difference scheme. This allows replacement of a complex Hamilton-Jacobi integral inequality by an equivalent set of local linear matrix inequalities which can be easily solved. We verify the efficiency of the proposed approach using a nonlinear stochastic biomass-nutrient control example and compare the robust tracking control performance for different arrangements of control devices. Managers may select appropriate tracking control schemes based on this comparison. The robust reference tracking control strategy can be applied not only to agricultural systems but also to biophysical systems in ecological conservation, ecosystem restoration or engineering.


The objective of this paper is to overview the methods of detection and elimination of illegal collusions among firms in the European Union and to evaluate the effectiveness of these methods. The main legal regulations regarding competition were presented, and the key tools of cartel detection in the EU were analysed. The need for a greater application of economic analysis to fight cartels was formulated.


Introductory statistics texts have been noted to have inaccuracies in the tables of critical values for Spearman's correlation. Even the best texts currently available use critical values from the exact distribution only for N≥ 11. Zar's table gives critical values for N ≥ 100 but does not use the most accurate approximation procedure available. This paper provides a table of critical values based on the exact distribution for 3 ≥ N ≥ 18 and very accurate critical values for 19 ≥ N ≥ 100 estimated using the Edgeworth approximation.


Attachment of biomolecules on gold, silicon or glass surfaces has direct implications for the development of novel biosensors in the context of nanoscale detection of pathogens and other metabolites related to issues of human health. In this critical review, we have highlighted the current developments in various techniques of immobilization of biomolecules, specifically biological macromolecules on surfaces through the modification of a functional self-assembled monolayer. The utility of such immobilized biomolecules in the area of biosensing in nanoscale has been surveyed. Merits and demerits of some of the methods with reference to sensitivity of detection and practical use have been discussed (221 references).


BACKGROUND: There is extensive literature demonstrating that formulary restrictions reduce the pharmacy costs and utilization of restricted drugs. However, some research suggests that there may be unintended consequences of formulary restrictions on other patient outcomes. While several literature reviews have assessed the relationship between formulary restrictions and medication adherence, clinical outcomes, economic outcomes, or health care resource utilization, these reviews were either not systematic, were conducted more than 5 years ago, or did not assess the aggregate directional impact of the relationships. OBJECTIVES: To conduct a systematic literature review assessing the direction (positive, negative, or neutral) of the relationship between managed care formulary restrictions (including step therapy, cost sharing, prior authorization, preferred drug lists, and quantity limits) on medication adherence, clinical outcomes, economic outcomes, and health care resource utilization. METHODS: Articles published in 1993 or later were identified from PubMed using 2 lists of search terms. List A included 12 formulary restriction terms and List B included 12 patient outcomes terms, resulting in 144 unique search term combinations. Each article was evaluated by 2 investigators against the following exclusion criteria using a stepwise approach: (a) the article was a commentary or review article; (b) the article did not assess the impact of managed care formulary restrictions on outcomes; and (c) the study was conducted outside the United States. The total number of studies was reported by formulary restriction type. Next, the total number of outcomes reported in each study was summed to conduct an outcomes-level analysis. The outcomes were categorized by type of outcome (medication adherence, clinical, economic, or health care resource utilization) and direction of association (positive, negative, or neutral/not significant) based on the relationship reported in each study. The frequencies of each type of outcome were stratified by direction of association. RESULTS: A total of 93 studies were included from 811 reviewed articles. Cost sharing was the most commonly assessed type of formulary restriction (60.2% of included articles), followed by prior authorization (21.5%). Of the 262 patient outcomes assessed, medication adherence was the most common (120 outcomes, 45.8%). Overall, formulary restrictions were most frequently negatively correlated with outcomes (130 outcomes, 49.6%). When outcome type was stratified by direction of association, 68.3% (82/120) of medication adherence outcomes were negative. The direction of association of economic outcomes (n = 59) with formulary restrictions was split between neutral (37.3%), positive (33.9%), and negative (28.8%). Health care resource utilization outcomes (n = 72) had no association with formulary restrictions in 50.0% of the outcomes assessed. There were 11 clinical outcomes identified in the literature review. CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong evidence base demonstrating a negative correlation between formulary restrictions on medication adherence outcomes. Additional research on commonly used formulary restrictions, specifically prior authorization and step therapy, as well as on the association between formulary restrictions and clinical outcomes, is warranted.


Abstract Background High-grade osteosarcoma (HGOS) is the most common primary malignant bone tumor. In metastatic patients, survival rates are poor and remained virtually unchanged over the past 30 years. Furthermore, recent randomized trials failed to improve the efficacy of current chemotherapy. Here we tested the anti-neoplastic activity of a novel peptide-conjugated alkylator melflufen in preclinical osteosarcoma setting. Due to its high lipophilicity melflufen rapidly enters tumor cells where it is immediately cleaved by peptidases leading to entrapment and enrichment of alkylating payload. Overexpression of peptidases is often seen in tumor cells and can thus lead to increased melfufen sensitivity. In osteosarcoma, over-expression of aminopeptidase N (ANPEP/CD13) has been associated with poor survival and metastasis suggesting that melflufen may represent a valid new therapeutic option. Methods Gene expression of ANPEP/CD13 in patient samples from GEO datasets was analyzed using standard tools. Anti-neoplastic activity of melflufen and was evaluated in a panel of 11 osteosarcoma cell lines including early passage patient-derived primary lines. In vitro anti-neoplastic activity was examined using survival and apoptosis assays. In vivo activity of melflufen was tested in a chicken embryo xenograft model. Results Melflufen has demonstrated superior anti-neoplastic activity in comparison to other alkylating agents including melphalan, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, busulfan, and bendamustine. Melflufen was active in all osteosarcoma cell lines including the cells resistant to methotrexate, etoposide, and talazoparib. Anti-neoplastic activity of melflufen could be hindered by ANPEP inhibitor bestatin. Furthermore, in vivo administration of melflufen reduced tumor growth and metastasis of highly aggressive 143B osteosarcoma cells in a xenograft model. Conclusions Melflufen has demonstrated promising results in preclinical osteosarcoma model showing anti-neoplastic activity superior to other alkylating agents and PARP inhibitor talazoparib. Melflufen's favorable toxicity profile suggests that it might represent a novel valid therapeutic approach for osteosarcoma patients with poor response to chemotherapy and metastasis. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding Oncopeptides AB. Disclosure A. Slipicevic: Full / Part-time employment: Oncopeptides AB. K. Byrgazov: Research grant / Funding (self): Oncopeptides AB. F. Lehmann: Full / Part-time employment: Oncopeptides AB; Leadership role: EpiEndo Pharmaceuticals. T. Lion: Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (self): Incyte. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


Cyclanthus bipartitus is characterized as a rhizomatous, and terrestrial shrub with divided leaves and the plant can grow up to 460 cm in height. The plant can be propagated using seeds but seed set is very low, as the pollination process for this plant requires a specific pollinator. Even though this plant can be propagated by cutting and division, micropropagation seems to be the best method for commercial purposes as mass multiplication can be done at a faster rate compared to the conventional method. Thus, this study was carried out to develop an efficient protocol for micropropagation of C. bipartitus. More specifically, the objectives of the study were to determine suitable source of explants and to evaluate the effects of varying concentration of 6-
benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) (as plant growth regulators), and concentration of sucrose (as a carbon source) for micropropagation of C. bipatitus. The study also aimed at determining the
genetic variability of regenerated plants following micropropagation protocols adopted.
 Type of explants used in this study was first determined by excising 1 cm of explants from petiole and basal stem and 1 cm2 explants from distal and basal lamina, and culturing them in sterilized MS medium for containing BAP and NAA 10 weeks. Compared to other explants, distal lamina and basal lamina generated equally high number of shoots (with a mean of 49 shoots/explant). The shoot was also found to be significantly longer than those generated by other explant. Due to its superiority, explants from lamina part of the plant were used in the following experiments.
 An experiment to determine a suitable level of sucrose added to MS medium supplemented with BAP and NAA concentration was also performed. Explants were cultured in sterilized MS medium containing 1.0 mg/L of BAP and 0.5 mg/L NAA with five different concentrations of sucrose: 20 g/L, 25 g/L, 30 g/L,35 g/L and 40 g/L. The highest number of shoots/explant (54.88), tallest shoots
(3.80 cm), highest number of roots (3.12) and longest root (0.78 cm) were obtained from explants cultured in MS media containing a combination of 1.0 mg/L of BAP, 0.5 mg/L of NAA and 30 g/L of sucrose after 10 weeks of culture.
 Genetic variability of regenerated plants at the DNA level was also analyzed by using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) molecular markers. Ten arbitrary primers were screened for RAPD use. Primers that produced scoreable bands were chosen to analyse polymorphism in regenerated plant DNA. By PCR amplification, 26 score-able bands were amplified from 5 primers out of 10 arbitrary primers screened, where 18 of them were polymorphic and 8 were monomorphic, which gave 69.2% of polymorphism frequency. In conclusion, explants from lamina part of the plant were used for propagating
 Cyclanthus bipartitus in vitro in MS medium supplemented with BAP and NAA concentrations of 1.0 mg/L and 0.5 mg/L, respectively. Regenerated plants from the micropropagation were shown to have 69.2% of polymorphism
frequency, which indicates the occurrence of genetic variation subcultured plants.


The main objective of this study is to validate the satellite estimated solar Ultraviolet radiation data with ground based data in  Kathmandu (27.72 N, 85.32 E), located at an elevation of 1350m,  from the sea level. The ground based measurement and the satellite estimation were performed by NILU-UV irradiance meter and EOS Aura OMI satellite respectively. The NILU-UV irradiance meter is a six channel 0 0 radiometer designed to measure hemispherical irradiances on a fat surface. Meanwhile the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on board, the NASA EOS Aura space craft is a nadir viewing spectrometer that measures solar refected and back scattered light in ultraviolet and visible spectrum. The study is based on OMI and ground based (GB), Ultraviolet Radiation (UVR) data. Considering these data the relative differences between predicted OMI and ground based Ultraviolet Index (UVI) assuming normal distribution ±1σ was found to be 24.8±13.7% in July. Further study showed that the ratio of predicted OMI, UVI to that determined from ground based measurement is 1.14. Also the relative difference in UVI in corrected condition in summer season was found to be 5.8%. The correlation between predicted UVI and ground based UVI was found to be signifcant.  Journal of the Institute of Engineering , 2015, 11(1): 101-107


For the first time, few-layered ReS2 nanosheets directly nucleated and grown on the tube walls of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been synthesized through a facile hydrothermal method. The ReS2/CNTs composite delivers remarkably enhanced electrocatalytic performance. It exhibits a smaller onset overpotential of 80 mV and lower Tafel slope of 93.5 mV dec -1 than that of bare ReS2 (100 mV, 152.7 mV dec -1 ). The unique architecture with a high conductive and porous internetwork guarantees easy electrolyte infiltration, efficient electron transfer and sufficient active edge sites, resulting in enhanced HER performance of ReS2/CNTs. The presented synthesis approach can be extended to synthesize other 2D-semiconductor-based composite for energy storage and catalytic devices.


Dimensions of critical factors that impact online retailing (e‐quality) are synthesized from the literature and organized along the four phases of a consumer's online shopping experience: encountering the online retailer's home page, selecting a product from the online catalog, completing the order form and accessing customer service and support. Using a random sample of 55 online retailers, the study benchmarks real online transactions against these e‐quality dimensions. Findings suggest several areas that e‐retailers should target for improvement. These areas include increasing the speed of home page loading, providing the ability to translate into multiple languages, enhancing the capabilities of search engines, displaying security policies more conspicuously, offering multiple payment options, and reducing the minimum number of clicks to complete a transaction. The final phase of the online shopping experience, customer service and support, seems to offer the most room for improvement in the areas of instant automated merchant notification of orders and on time delivery.