Nonmedullary thyroid carcinoma (NMTC) includes papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC), the Hurthle cell variant of FTC, insular thyroid carcinoma, and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. PTC is the most common and occurs with an incidence of about 1 per 20,000 per year (1). Although most NMTCs are sporadic, a familial predisposition for PTC represents an important variant. In 1997, Fagin (2) reviewed the evidence for a familial predisposition to PTC in JCEM. He appropriately concluded that there was strong evidence for a familial predisposition to NMTC as a component of known familial tumor syndromes, but that familial NMTC (fNMTC) as a distinct inherited tumor syndrome had not been unequivocally established. It is still fair to conclude that fNMTC has not been unequivocally established, because this will require the identification of a susceptibility gene for this disorder. Individuals with germline mutations of a NMTC susceptibility gene are at risk for developing NMTC. Recent observations provide further evidence for a familial predisposition to PTC and suggest that there may be three or more PTC susceptibility genes. The identification of these genes will unequivocally establish familial PTC (fPTC) as a distinct entity, provide an important diagnostic tool for the practicing physician, and clarify the molecular mechanisms of thyroid tumorigenesis. A familial predisposition to medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is well recognized, and the genetic abnormalities of multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) types 2A and 2B have been characterized. Genetic testing has transformed the clinical approach to these patients. In contrast, a familial predisposition to nonmedullary thyroid neoplasia confronts the traditional teaching that NMTC is sporadic and not familial. However, epidemiological studies suggest that about 5% of all PTC may have a familial component (3). The results of the human genome project and powerful genetic techniques can be applied to fPTC to identify the susceptibility genes. Mutations of these genes are the earliest gene changes that predispose to development of this neoplasm. fNMTC can be divided clinically into two groups (Table 1). In the first group, PTC is the predominant clinical feature of a familial tumor syndrome. In the second group of disorders, NMTC is a relatively infrequent component of a familial tumor syndrome. There are no known familial syndromes characterized by a predominance of follicular, insular, or anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. A related group of interest is comprised of the familial syndromes that predispose to nodular goiter. This review will discuss the evidence that supports a distinct familial tumor syndrome(s) characterized clinically by a predominance of PTC and distill the clinically relevant information from these studies. It will briefly review the second group of inherited tumor syndromes characterized by NMTC as a relatively infrequent component. Clinical care suggestions are derived from this new information (Table 2).


PURPOSE
To study the impact of smoking on human beta defensin 2,3 expression in gingival crevicular fluid and gingival tissue of patients with chronic periodontitis.

METHODS
The study subjects were divided into chronic periodontitis with smoking and without smoking. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the concentration of hBD2,3. RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of hBD2,3. SPSS17.0 software package was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS
In GCF, the expression level of hBD2,3 in the smoking group was significantly lower than that in the non-smoking group. The mRNA expression level of hBD2,3 in the smoking group was weakened compared with that in the non-smoking group.

CONCLUSIONS
Smoking can change the expression of hBD2,3 in both GCF and gingivae, which indicates that smoking may have a negative effect on the immune defense system of the periodontal host.


Interventions for stroke-related sarcopenia in patients with stroke are needed, but the details of the target population are unclear. This systematic review aimed to identify trajectories of the prevalence of sarcopenia in the pre- and post-stroke periods and to determine the diagnostic criteria used in patients with stroke. We searched for literature in six databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, and Ichushi-web (in Japanese). We included 1627 studies in the primary screening, and 35 studies were finally included. Of the 35 studies, 32 (91.4%) included Asian patients, and the criteria of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia was mainly used as the diagnostic criteria. Nineteen studies used muscle strength and muscle mass to diagnose sarcopenia, whereas a full assessment, including physical performance, was performed in five studies. The estimated prevalences of sarcopenia in pre-stroke, within 10 days of stroke, and from 10 days to 1 month after stroke were 15.8%, 29.5%, and 51.6%, respectively. Sarcopenia increased by approximately 15% from pre-stroke to 10 days, and increased by approximately 20% from 10 days to 1 month. Healthcare providers should note that the prevalence of sarcopenia increases during the acute phase in patients with stroke.


A growing number of individuals who are blind or visually impaired is using smartphones in their daily activities. The touchscreen is a standard component of smartphones. While benefitting people with low vision by enhancing control of the text style and color and the size of images and text, the touchscreen has the downside for visually impaired users in that physical buttons for input of command selection and text entry are replaced with the touchscreen's soft buttons. To overcome this limitation, we are investigating eyes-free approaches to using the smartphone's touchscreen for information browsing. In this article, we present a laboratory study of three eyes-free touchscreen user interfaces for browsing menu hierarchies. Our findings indicate that quality of experience and familiarity may be as important as the time efficiency of completing tasks.


The article examines the interaction and tension between the attitudes of the police and the courts in the context of the criminal justice system. Canadian laws governing the authority of the police are argued to be generally permissive but lacking in clear and specific definition. Because of this, their application may be highly subjective which causes problems when the police and the courts have different expectations for the role of the police. Police generally adopt a crime control approach in their investigative processes while courts tend to use a due process approach in trials. The article examines the factors within law enforcement, as well as broader societal elements, which lead to police adopting a crime control approach. Also examined are behavioural and situational elements that influence police officers' decisions, particularly when they work from a presumption of guilt. This approach often conflicts with the legal presumption of innocent until proven guilty that is required in the trial process. This creates tensions, especially when police are required to explain their decisions and actions in the course of a trial. The article argues that the lack of clarity in the laws of police authority has resulted in police officers defaulting to a crime control approach, since it matches their view of their role in society. It conflicts, however, with the courts' assumptions of what police behaviour should be, which leads to tension between the two institutions. tries desperately


The magnetic response of antiferromagnetic CsO2, coming from the p-orbital S=1/2 spins of anionic O2(-) molecules, is followed by 133Cs nuclear magnetic resonance across the structural phase transition occurring at T(s1)=61  K on cooling. Above T(s1), where spins form a square magnetic lattice, we observe a huge, nonmonotonic temperature dependence of the exchange coupling originating from thermal librations of O2(-) molecules. Below T(s1), where antiferromagnetic spin chains are formed as a result of p-orbital ordering, we observe a spin Tomonaga-Luttinger-liquid behavior of spin dynamics. These two interesting phenomena, which provide rare simple manifestations of the coupling between spin, lattice, and orbital degrees of freedom, establish CsO2 as a model system for molecular solids.


This article addresses teachers' perception of behavioral adjustment in preprimary school children and how they relate to teachers' cultural beliefs and to the behavioral management strategies used by the teachers. The sample consisted of 120 preprimary teachers from 60 schools in 3 regions of the mainland of Tanzania. Teachers' perception of children's behavioral adjustment and teachers' behavioral management strategies were reported by teachers through interviews, whereas teachers' cultural beliefs were measured by questionnaires. About 70% of the teachers perceived children to display externalizing behaviors in class, which ranged from moderate (13%) to high (60%) proportions of children, and teachers reported applying supportive and restrictive behavioral management strategies to stimulate behavioral adjustment in children. Teachers' use of a restrictive behavioral management strategy was positively related to teachers' perception of children's externalizing behaviors. Furthermore, children in urban schools were perceived to display more externalizing behaviors than children in rural schools. It is argued that current urbanization processes are affecting traditional, collectivist educational strategies in Tanzania. Implications for future research and educational policy are discussed.


[1] Longitudinal and diel measurements of dual isotope composition (δ15N and δ18O) in nitrate (NO3-N) were made in the Ichetucknee River, a large (∼8 m3 s−1), entirely spring-fed river in North Florida, to determine whether isotopic variation can deconvolve assimilatory and dissimilatory removal. Comparing nitrate concentrations and isotope composition during the day and night we predicted (1) daytime declines in total fractionation due to low assimilatory fractionation and (2) diurnal variation in dual isotope coupling between 1:1 (assimilation) and 2:1 (denitrification). Five daytime longitudinal transects comprising 10 sampling stations showed consistent NO3-N removal (25–35% of inputs) and modest fractionation (15etotal between −2 and −6‰, enriching the residual nitrate pool). Lower fractionation (by ∼1‰) during two nighttime transects, suggests higher fractionation due to assimilation than denitrification. Total fractionation was significantly negatively associated with discharge, input [NO3-N], N mass removal, and fractional water loss. Despite well-constrained mass balance estimates that denitrification dominated total N removal, isotope coupling was consistently 1:1, both for longitudinal and diel sampling. Hourly samples on two dates at the downstream location showed significant diel variation in concentration ([NO3-N] amplitude = 60 to 90 μg N L−1) and isotope composition (δ15N amplitude = −0.7‰ to −1.6‰). Total fractionation differed between day and night only on one date but estimated assimilatory fractionation assuming constant denitrification was highly variable and implausibly large (for N, 15e = −2 to −25‰), suggesting that fractionation and removal due to denitrification is not diurnally constant. Pronounced counterclockwise hysteresis in the relationship between [NO3-N] andδ15N suggests diel variation in N isotope dynamics. Together, low fractionation, isotope versus concentration hysteresis, and consistent 1:1 isotope coupling suggests that denitrification is controlled by NO3− diffusion into the benthic sediments, the length of which is mediated by riverine oxygen dynamics. While using dual isotope behavior to deconvolve removal pathways was not possible, isotope measurements did yield valuable information about riverine N cycling and transformations.


This study discloses an original process for making calcium phosphate (CaP)/biopolymer nanocomposite fibrous scaffolds by biomimetic in-situ synthesis and electrospinning. Electrospinning (ES) produces non-woven nanofibrous mesh structure with 3D interconnected pores and a high surface area by applying electrostatic force to polymer-based solution. The resulting topography of the scaffolds mimics the natural extracellular matrix of human tissues, with the potential application in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and wound dressing. We have demonstrated that the possibility of inclusion of CaP into biopolymer nanofibers, inspired by mineralized collagen fibrils in bone tissue, makes ES an attractive processing route for preparation of the nanocomposites for bone tissue regeneration. Two different nanocomposite fibers were explored; i) poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with dicalcium phosphate anhydrate (DCPA) and ii) alginate with hydroxyapatite (HAp). In-situ synthesized DCPA in non-aqueous PLA solution were electrospun into self-fused and intra-nano porous networks. Homogeneous dispersion of DCPA nanocrystallites in the PLA nanofibers was induced by controlling the interaction of Ca²+ ions and the carbonyl groups in PLA, providing nucleation sites for DCPA during the in-situ synthesis. It is shown that the nucleation and growth of HAp on electrospun alginate nanofibers was generated at the [–COO‾]–Ca²+–[–COO‾] linkage sites on electrospun alginate nanofibers impregnated with PO₄³‾ ions during cross-linking treatment of alginate. This novel in-situ synthesis developed in this work resulted in the uniform distribution of the CaP nanophases and avoided agglomeration of the inorganic nanoparticles fabricated by the conventional mechanical blending method. Rat calvarial osteoblasts were stably attached and proliferated faster on the CaP/biopolymer nanocomposites fibrous scaffolds than the pure polymer scaffolds, respectively. Mineralized bone-like nodules deposited after 6 weeks of seeding on DCPA/PLA scaffolds. The unique nanofibrous architectures combined with the CaP nanophases were engineered using ES and the novel biomimetic in-situ synthesis. It is anticipated that the nanocomposite systems mimicking the mineralized collagen fibrils in bone tissue could be advantageous in bone tissue regenerative medicine applications.


Background and Aim: In view of improvement in therapeutic outcome of cancer treatment in children resulting in increased survival rates and the importance of hearing in speech and language development, this research project was intended to assess the effects of cisplatin group on hearing ability in children aged 6 months to 12 years. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, hearing of 10 children on cisplatin group medication for cancer who met the inclusion criteria was examined by recording auditory brainstem responses (ABR) using the three stimulants of click and 4 and 8 kHz tone bursts. All children were examined twice: before drug administration and within 72 hours after receiving the last dose. Then the results were compared with each other. Results: There was a significant difference between hearing thresholds before and after drug administration (p<0.05). Right and left ear threshold comparison revealed no significant difference. Conclusion: Ototoxic effects of cisplatin group were confirmed in this study. Insignificant difference observed in comparing right and left ear hearing thresholds could be due to small sample size. auditory brainstem responses test especially with frequency specificity proved to be a useful method in assessing cisplatin ototoxicity.


OBJECTIVE
We measured the ability of the medical history, physical examination, and peak flowmeter in diagnosing any degree of obstructive airways disease (OAD).

DESIGN
Prospective comparison of historical and physical findings with independently measured spirometry.

SETTING
University outpatient clinic.

PATIENTS
Ninety-two adult consecutive outpatient volunteers with a self-reported history of smoking, asthma, chronic bronchitis, or emphysema.

MEASUREMENTS
All subjects completed a pulmonary history questionnaire and received peak flow (PF) and spirometric testing. The subjects were independently examined for 12 pulmonary physical signs by four internists blinded to all other results. Multivariable analysis was used to create a diagnostic model to predict OAD as diagnosed by spirometry (FEV1 < 80 percent of predicted not secondary to restrictive disease, or FEV1/FVC less than 0.7).

RESULTS
The best model diagnosed OAD when any of three variables were present--a history of smoking more than 30 pack-years, diminished breath sounds, or peak flow less than 350 L/min. This model had a sensitivity of 98 percent and specificity of 46 percent. In addition, the model detected all subjects with probable restrictive lung disease. Thirty-one percent of subjects had none of these variables and were at very low (3 percent) risk of OAD. Fifty percent of subjects with one or more abnormal variables had OAD.

CONCLUSIONS
The history, physical examination, and peak flowmeter can be used to screen high-risk patients for OAD. Using this diagnostic model, 31 percent of subjects could be classified at very low risk of OAD while half of those referred for spirometry would have abnormal results.


One of the most inexpensive and effective method to protect steel against corrosion is paints containing active pigments. The traditional way to test these coatings performance is by accelerated tests (exposition to salt spray and/or humidity chambers) and electrochemical tests (corrosion potential, ionic resistance and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy). However, these tests give incomplete information if the results are not correlated to outdoor or service tests. The aim of this work was to evaluate water-borne epoxy anticorrosion paints containing different commercial phosphate pigments. The paints were exposed to a semi-industrial atmosphere for 7 years. Electrochemical tests and accelerated assays were also done in order to find a correlation between laboratory and service tests. The results obtained showed no correlation between those from pigment suspensions and those from painted panels, as it seemed that paint performance is highly dependent on the resin. The pigments zinc iron phosphate and zinc aluminium phosphate performed poorly in pigment suspensions. However, the coatings containing them exhibited the highest ionic resistance, the lowest film capacitance and gave the better results in outdoor tests. Results in outdoor exposure tests correlated with those from impedance measurements.


Mirrors for the imaging optics of extreme ultra-violet lithography (EUVL) systems require highly precise figure processing. We have examined a method of fabricating the aspherical surfaces by deposition. A film of graded thickness is deposited on a spherical substrate using an RF-plasma-enhanced magnetron sputtering system with a deposition mask. The distribution in thickness of the deposited film is close to the designed value, and the method was shown to be feasible for figuring aspherical surfaces. The deposition films for the method are required to have little surface roughness and low residual stress. We have compared the roughnesses and residual stresses in Mo single layer films and Mo/Si multilayer films used in mirrors for soft X-rays. Both values for Mo/Si multilayers were about one order of magnitude smaller than those for Mo single layer films. The roughness of Mo/Si multilayer films almost satisfies the required value for EUVL optics; however, further study is necessary to diminish the residual stress.


Abstract Behçet's Disease (BD) is a rare, chronic, relapsing, inflammatory, and multisystemic disease. There is no universally described test for confirming diagnosis, so it is made clinically, on the basis of its classic triad of signs: oral ulcers, genital ulcers, and uveitis (inflammation of the uveal tract of the eye). The aim of this study is to evaluate the importance of endovascular treatment in Behçet's disease. The literature review conducted to achieve this objective covered 30 articles published between 2002 and 2021. Behçet's Disease affects both the venous and arterial systems. Rupture of aneurysms is the main cause of death and thus requires treatment, which can be clinical, open surgical, or endovascular. Endovascular surgery has been gaining ground for surgical treatment of arterial aneurysms, including those related to BD, although the therapy of choice is still controversial.


Introduction Objectives Creativity has usually been considered as the individual capacity of generating creative ideas or products. But in today's society, collaborative creativity can be observed more and more often in many creativity-related fields, such as the development of open-source software (OSS) and the utilization of user-generated content (UGC). In academia, the studies related to creativity have never stopped being advanced and have been extended from psychology to many other disciplines. Many scholars have identified the collaborative nature of creativity and have proposed theories to explain it. But these latest academic achievements are not reflected in the general public understanding of creativity today. For example, the dictionary (Hornby, Wehmeier, & Ashby, 2000) explanation for the word "creativity" is actually inherited from an ability definition made by Sternberg (Sternberg, 1999), and the current Wikipedia entry (contributors, 2018) for creativity only integrates Csikszentmihalyi's phenomenon definition (Csikszentmihalyi, 1988) to this ability definition. Both definitions were developed about 20 years ago, and both of these sources only addressed individual creativity. Considering these quite limited definitional circumstances, this paper is trying to establish a consolidated theoretical framework for contemporary creativity studies. As well as incorporating most existing creativity theories, this framework shall cover both individual and collaborative creativity.


In the study of sparse stochastic block models (SBMs) one often needs to analyze a distributional recursion, known as the belief propagation (BP) recursion. Uniqueness of the fixed point of this recursion implies several results about the SBM, including optimal recovery algorithms for SBM (Mossel et al. (2016)) and SBM with side information (Mossel and Xu (2016)), and a formula for SBM mutual information (Abbe et al. (2021)). The 2-community case corresponds to an Ising model, for which Yu and Polyanskiy (2022) established uniqueness for all cases. In this paper we analyze the $q$-ary Potts model, i.e., broadcasting of $q$-ary spins on a Galton-Watson tree with expected offspring degree $d$ through Potts channels with second-largest eigenvalue $\lambda$. We allow the intermediate vertices to be observed through noisy channels (side information). We prove that BP uniqueness holds with and without side information when $d\lambda^2 \ge 1 + C \max\{\lambda, q^{-1}\}\log q$ for some absolute constant $C>0$ independent of $q,\lambda,d$. For large $q$ and $\lambda = o(1/\log q)$, this is asymptotically achieving the Kesten-Stigum threshold $d\lambda^2=1$. These results imply mutual information formulas and optimal recovery algorithms for the $q$-community SBM in the corresponding ranges. For $q\ge 4$, Sly (2011); Mossel et al. (2022) showed that there exist choices of $q,\lambda,d$ below Kesten-Stigum (i.e. $d\lambda^2<1$) but reconstruction is possible. Somewhat surprisingly, we show that in such regimes BP uniqueness does not hold at least in the presence of weak side information. Our technical tool is a theory of $q$-ary symmetric channels, that we initiate here, generalizing the classical and widely-utilized information-theoretic characterization of BMS (binary memoryless symmetric) channels.


An analytical method for determining the line capacitance of a microstrip line is presented. The solution is exact, but it is expressed by means of the solution of an infinite system of linear equations whose coefficients are the result of certain numerical quadratures. The analysis is carried out for the case of two dielectric substrates. Changes to include additional stratified layers are readily available using the transfer matrix method described by P.M. van Berg et al. (1985). Comparison of the results obtained using the proposed formula with those obtained using exact formulas (available in particular cases) shows that, in cases of practical interest, it is sufficient to consider only the first two equations in the above-mentioned infinite set of linear equations. >


not referred to later and could have been deleted. The third section focuses on endocrine studies; however, several articles deal with affective disorders rather than schizophrenia. There is a good article that reviews endocrine studies in schizophrenia, but since this is a very active area it already is somewhat dated. This section also includes an interesting article on a possible role of MSH hormone in addictive behavior, autism, and schizophrenia. Sections 4 and 5 deal with diagnosis and treatment. These two sections probably are the most deficient in the book. They deal with C-reactive protein activity in schizophrenia, a review of lecithin treatment for tardive dyskinesia, and nutritional deficiencies associated with schizophrenia. There was no reference to other biological markers in schizophrenia, and the only mention of antipsychotic drugs was their role in tardive dyskinesia. Section 6 explores, in detail, a hypothesis on prostaglandins, essential fatty acids, and schizophrenia. Stated briefly, they propose that schizophrenia is related to a deficiency in prostaglandin E-l (PGE-l), and that alcohol increases PGE-I transiently, followed by a depression. Profound lowering of PGE-I is said to occur with alcohol withdrawal, possibly explaining schizoid reactions that may appear in alcoholics undergoing withdrawal. They also propose that co factors of PGE-I formation (zinc, ascorbic acid, pyridoxine, and niacin), and agents that enhance PGE-I formation (penicillin, colchicine, and spironolactone) may be useful in the treatment of schizophrenia. They present some anecdotal findings to support this hypothesis. Section 7 is entitled "Pharmacology and Addiction." Here, there were articles on behavioral side effects of antipsychotics in endocrine research. Also reviewed were the actions of cannabis and benzodiazepine dependence. Again, this section was incomplete. The last section focused on allergy. The main point of this section was that reaction to various food and environmental chemicals may playa key role in the precipitation of mental and physical illness. They contend that agents that decrease PGE-I concentrations may contribute to schizophrenia. This book raises some important questions about the biological etiology of schizophrenia, and proposes an interesting hypothesis. However, the biological aspects presented are limited, and much of the data are unscientific. They also fail to report controlled studies that show PGE-I cofactors to be no better than placebo in the treatment of schizophrenia. Some parts of the book may be useful to psychopharmacologists interested in new etiological theories of schizophrenia.


Objective: Increasing demand for pediatric procedural sedation has resulted in a marked increase in provision of pediatric procedural sedation by pediatric critical care physicians both inside and outside of the ICU. Reported experience of pediatric critical care physicians–administered pediatric procedural sedation is limited. We used the Pediatric Sedation Research Consortium database to evaluate a multicenter experience with propofol by pediatric critical care physicians in all settings. Setting: Review of national Pediatric Sedation Research Consortium database to identify pediatric procedural sedation provided by pediatric critical care physicians from 2007 to 2012. Demographic and clinical data were collected to describe pediatric procedural sedation selection, location, and delivery. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors associated with pediatric procedural sedation–related adverse events and complications. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 91,189 pediatric procedural sedation performed by pediatric critical care physicians using propofol were included in the database. Median age was 60.0 months (range, 0–264 months; interquartile range, 34.0–132.0); 81.9% of patients were American Society of Anesthesiologists class I or II. Most sedations were performed in dedicated sedation or radiology units (80.9%). Procedures were successfully completed in 99.9% of patients. A propofol bolus alone was used in 52.8%, and 41.7% received bolus plus continuous infusion. Commonly used adjunctive medications were lidocaine (35.3%), opioids (23.3%), and benzodiazepines (16.4%). Overall adverse event incidence was 5.0% (95% CI, 4.9–5.2%), which included airway obstruction (1.6%), desaturation (1.5%), coughing (1.0%), and emergent airway intervention (0.7%). No deaths occurred; a single cardiac arrest was reported in a 13-month-old child receiving propofol and ketamine, with no untoward neurologic sequelae. Risk factors associated with adverse event included: location of sedation, number of adjunctive medications, upper and lower respiratory diagnosis, prematurity diagnosis, weight, American Society of Anesthesiologists status, and painful procedure. Conclusions: Pediatric procedural sedation using propofol can be provided by pediatric critical care physicians effectively and with a low incidence of adverse events.


IL-10 production by Th17 cells is critical for limiting autoimmunity and inflammatory responses. Gene array analysis on Stat6 and T-bet double deficient Th17 cells identified the Th2 transcription factor c-Maf to be synergistically up-regulated by IL-6 plus TGFβ, and associated with Th17 IL-10 production. Both c-Maf and IL-10 induction during Th17 polarization depended on Stat3, but not Stat6 or Stat1, and mechanistically differed from IL-10 regulation by Th2 or IL-27 signals. TGFβ was also synergistic with IL-27 to induce c-Maf, and induced Stat1 independent IL-10 expression in contrast to IL-27 alone. Retroviral transduction of c-Maf induced IL-4/Stat6 independent IL-10 expression, and c-Maf directly transactivated IL-10 gene expression through binding to a MARE motif in the IL-10 promoter. Together, these data reveal a novel role for c-Maf in regulating T effector development, and suggest that TGFβ may antagonize Th17 immunity by IL-10 production through c-Maf induction.


To assess whether age-related differences in suppressing nontarget material impact subsequent performance, the authors initially asked younger and older adults to perform a go/nogo task with colored letters used as conflicting go/nogo stimuli and 2 colored numbers as low-conflict nogo stimuli. Next, participants performed another go/nogo task. A previous number was reused as a nogo stimulus and the other as a go stimulus, with new numbers serving as a baseline. In a 1st block of trials, younger adults showed slower responses to previous nogo/now-go numbers than to new go numbers, an effect not shown by older adults. Alternative accounts of these differential transfer costs are discussed.


Dialogical approaches to Religious Education in Britain's schools have opened the subject to input by Buddhist insiders more than ever in its history, although shortcomings remain in the way Buddhism is portrayed in the classroom. With the proviso that insider input can move beyond the 'do-ut-des' religious style, this paper describes eight possible areas of classroom experience where Buddhist insiders can make a beneficial contribution. Of these, examples could be found in the educational literature where insider input through home nurture, teaching materials, teacher expertise, insider input and pedagogy had already been applied to good effect in the classroom. However, in the areas of the Agreed Syllabuses for Religious Education, school ethos and national representation input was found lacking or skewed toward 'convert' Buddhist expectations, while the voice of the more numerous 'migrant' Buddhist community remained relatively unheard.


The Vietnamese privatisation programme, launched in 1992, differs from usual Western privatisation programmes in terms of the residual percentage of shares owned by the state and the portion of shares transferred to insiders. This begs the question whether these differences influence the effects of the programme on firm performance. This study measures the impact of privatisation on firm performance in Vietnam by comparing the pre- and post-privatisation financial and operating performance of 121 former state-owned enterprises (SOEs).We find significant increases in profitability, sales revenue, efficiency and employee income. In addition, an increase in employment and a decline in leverage of newly-privatised firms is found, although the changes are statistically insignificant. Regression analyses reveal that firm size, residual state ownership, corporate governance and stock-market listing are key determinants of performance improvements.


Objective Massage therapy is one of the most widely used complementary and alternative medicine therapies for children. This study was conducted to determine the effect of Swedish massage on the muscle tonicity of children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Materials & Methods This study was a single blind clinical trial conducted on forty children with spastic CP, recruited from clinics of the University of Social Welfare & Rehabilitation Sciences. They were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. Routine occupational therapy techniques were performed during a 3 monthperiod in both groups, while the intervention group also received Swedish massage for 30 minutes before every rehabilitation session. Muscle tonicity was evaluated at the  beginning of the study and 3 months later using the Modified Ashworth Scale. Results The average ages of children in the intervention (n=13) and control (n=14) groups were 49.5 and 42.1 months respectively. Although after intervention, tonicity of upper and lower limbs, trunk and neck in the intervention group in comparison with controls had no significant differences, there were statistically significant differences in reduction rate of tonicity in upper limbs and trunk between the two groups (P <0.05). Conclusion Massage therapy is not a panacea for improvement of spasticity in children with CP but the encouraging results of other studies on children with CP indicate that further studies are needed for more definite results.


Accurate dense depth estimation is crucial for autonomous vehicles to analyze their environment. This paper presents a non-deep learning-based approach to densify a sparse LiDAR-based depth map using a guidance RGB image. To achieve this goal the RGB image is at first cleared from most of the camera-LiDAR misalignment artifacts. Afterward, it is over segmented and a plane for each superpixel is approximated. In the case a superpixel is not well represented by a plane, a plane is approximated for a convex hull of the most inlier. Finally, the pinhole camera model is used for the interpolation process and the remaining areas are interpolated. The evaluation of this work is executed using the KITTI depth completion benchmark, which validates the proposed work and shows that it outperforms the state-of-the-art non-deep learning-based methods, in addition to several deep learning-based methods.


This paper discusses different needs and approaches to establishing "causation" that are relevant in legal cases involving statistical input based on epidemiological (or more generally observational or population-based) information.

We distinguish between three versions of "cause": the first involves negligence in providing or allowing exposure, the second involves "cause" as it is shown through a scientifically proved increased risk of an outcome from the exposure in a population, and the third considers "cause" as it might apply to an individual plaintiff based on the first two. The population-oriented "cause" is that commonly addressed by statisticians, and we propose a variation on the Bradford Hill approach to testing such causality in an observational framework, and discuss how such a systematic series of tests might be considered in a legal context.

We review some current legal approaches to using probabilistic statements, and link these with the scientific methodology as developed here. In particular, we provide an approach both to the idea of individual outcomes being caused on a balance of probabilities, and to the idea of material contribution to such outcomes.

Statistical terminology and legal usage of terms such as "proof on the balance of probabilities" or "causation" can easily become confused, largely due to similar language describing dissimilar concepts; we conclude, however, that a careful analysis can identify and separate those areas in which a legal decision alone is required and those areas in which scientific approaches are useful.


The diametral tensile and compressive strengths of both conventional doughy and low‐viscosity (LVC) bone cements were tested with sequential admixtures of up to 50% (by weight) liquified fat. The addition of as little as 5% (by weight) fat caused a significant reduction (p = 0.05) in the strengths of both cements. The LVC appeared to be affected to a greater degree by fat contaminations than did the conventional cement, although the strengths of the LVC were generally equal to or higher than those of the conventional cement. The enhanced effect of fat contamination on the LVC was thought to be due to the more fluid, tacky nature of this material during administration.


This study was carried out in order to investigate the quality characteristics of baguette with different amounts of yeast and fermented rice bran sourdough(Control: Yeast 30 g + Fermented rice bran sourdough 0 g, A sample: Yeast 20 g + Fermented rice bran sourdough 150 g, B sample: Yeast 10 g + Fermented rice bran sourdough 300 g, C sample: Yeast 0 g + Fermented rice bran sourdough 450 g). The pH of fermented rice bran sourdough by fermentation time was decreased as the fermentation time was longer. The pH of baguette dough was decreased as the fermented rice bran sourdough increased; the volume was the highest in control at the 1st fermentation, and in the B sample at the 2nd fermentation. The weight of baguette was the highest in the C sample, and the volume and specific volume were the highest in the B sample. The microstructure of the cross section analysis indicated that the air cell of baguette crumb was large and regular in the B sample. The moisture content and water binding capacity were the highest in the B sample, although significantly different. The L value was decreased as there was an increasing addition ratio of fermented rice bran sourdough; further, the a and b values were decreased with an increase in baguette volume. Hardness, gumminess and chewiness were decreased as volume and specific volume were increased; yet, springiness was increased. According to the result of the sensory evaluation, the flavor, taste, appearance and texture were the highest in the B sample.


The current study examined the impact of interpersonal conflict on mood and physical symptoms for individuals who scored high on a personality characteristic called unmitigated communion (UC), as compared to individuals who did not score high in UC. UC is defined as a focus on others to the exclusion of the self. Forty-one undergraduate students participated in 7 consecutive nightly interviews. Participants described their social interactions, indicated whether the interaction involved interpersonal conflict, and indicated their distress and physical symptoms at the end of the day. Multilevel modeling analysis demonstrated that conflict adversely affected UC and non-UC individuals similarly on the same day, but had a more negative impact for UC individuals on the following day.


During the period 1962-73 twenty-nine cases of Burkitt's lymphoma were seen and examined histologically in Khartoum, Sudan. Burkitt's lymphoma formed 20% of the cases of childhood lymphomas. The average age at presentation was 6.8 years and the male to female ratio was 3.8:1. The clinical features, the anatomical localization and histological appearances were similar to those reported in the literature. The geographical distribution of the tumour showed close correlation to that of holo- or hyperendemic malaria.


Contraceptive prevalence rate is the proportion of women of reproductive age who are using (or whose partners are using) contraceptive method to prevent conception at a given point in time. Family planning promotion is a unique medical intervention because of its potential benefits, which include reduction of poverty, maternal and child mortality among others. Despite increasing contraceptive availability, unintended pregnancy remains a global problem, representing as many as 30% of all known pregnancies. Various strategies have been proposed to reverse this disturbing trend. However, several factors affect uptake of contraceptives. Little is known on the factors affecting uptake of contraceptives in Kakuma Refugee Camp. This was a cross-sectional study employing quantitative and qualitative designs to investigate the factors affecting uptake of contraceptives among women of reproductive age in Kakuma Refugee Camp. The study investigated the effect of demographic, socio-economic and cultural factors affecting use of contraceptives. The research instruments were a structured questionnaire, Focus Group Discussions and key informant interviews. The study subjects were 487 women in the reproductive age (15 49 years). Data was analysed using PAS software and descriptive statistics generated. In addition, chi square test and logistic regression analysis were used to determine the factors affecting uptake of contraceptives. Content analysis was employed on qualitative data. Findings showed that the current contraceptive prevalence rate was at 19.2 % with majority using the pill and injectable contraception. A total of 32.4 % did not know any method of contraception, and 10.7 % had heard of one method, 32.0 % had heard about two methods and 24.8 % had heard of about three or more methods. Result of logistic regression revealed that: the age of women, their education level, inter-spousal communication about family planning, awareness of contraceptive methods, and husband disapproval of family planning services had positive significant effect on contraceptive uptake. Those who belonged to the Muslim religion were more likely to use contraceptives (OR 2.1, chi square 10.137, p<0.002). Women with no education were OR 2.6 times more likely to use contraceptives p<O.OOO1. Age group between 15-19 years old had positive significant effect on contraceptive use (p<0.0094) OR 1.9. Married women had negative significant association with contraceptive use than unmarried women with significant p<O.OOIand OR 0.238. Contraceptive uptake remains low; therefore, effective educational and counselling interventions will improve consumers' knowledge and subsequent uptake of contraceptive usage.


Mitochondrial dysfunction has been linked to many diseases including organ degeneration and cancer. Mesenchymal stem cells/stromal cells (MSCs) provide a valuable source for stem cell-based therapy and represent an emerging therapeutic approach for tissue regeneration. Increasing evidence suggests that MSCs can directly donate mitochondria to recover from cell injury and rescue mitochondrial damage-provoked tissue degeneration. Meanwhile, cancer cells and cancer stromal cells also cross-talk through mitochondrial exchange to regulate cancer metastasis. This review summarizes the research on MSCs and their mitochondrial transfer. It provides an overview of the biology, function, niches and signaling that play a role in tissue repair. It also highlights the pathologies of cancer growth and metastasis linked to mitochondrial exchange between cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells. It becomes evident that the function of MSC mitochondrial transfer is a double-edged sword. MSC mitochondrial transfer may be a pharmaceutical target for tissue repair and cancer therapy.


The Act on electromobility introduced in Poland, within the scope of its regulation, implements a European directive on the development of alternative fuels infrastructure, the aim of which is to minimize the dependence on oil and to reduce the impact of transport on the environment. An important factor in the development of electromobility in Poland is the increased availability of charging infrastructure. The aim of the publication is to analyze the Low-Emission Transport Fund in terms of financing the electromobility development in Poland. The article consists of four parts preceded by an introduction and ending with conclusions. The applied research methods are: critical analysis of the literature (theoretical approach to issues related to low-emission economy, electromobility and distribution system operators), secondary documents analysis (desk research) relying on presentation of included in legal acts and program documents assumptions and logical reasoning method contributing to presentation of applications and implementation of the purpose of publication. The conclusions included in the final part of the article concern the identification of the planes of the Low-Carbon Transport Funds impact in the context of its functioning as a financial instrument.


—Stabilizing unknown dynamical systems with the direct use of data samples has drawn increasing attention in both control and machine learning communities. In this paper, we study the sample complexity of stabilizing linear time-invariant systems via Policy Gradient (PG) methods. Our analysis is built upon a discounted Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) framework which alternatively updates the policy and the discount factor of the LQR. In sharp contrast to the existing literature, we propose an explicit rule to adaptively adjust the discount factor by characterizing the stability margin using Lyapunov theory, which has independent interests of its own. We show that the number of iterations per discount factor is uniformly upper bounded, which enables us to prove the sample complexity of stabilizing linear systems via PG methods. Particularly, it only adds a coefficient logarithmic in the spectral radius of the state matrix to the sample complexity of solving LQR problems. We perform numerical experiments to verify our theoretical finding and empirically evaluate the effectiveness of our results on nonlinear systems.


The metal complexes [M{HB(hpp)}(2)(CO)(4)] (M = Cr, Mo or W) and [M(cod){HB(hpp)}(2)Cl] (M = Rh or Ir) of the doubly-base stabilized diborane(4) ligand [HB(hpp)](2) were fully characterized and their bonding nature was investigated in detail. While bonding in the group 6 complexes predominantly occurs through the hydrogen atoms, the metal-ligand interaction in the group 9 complexes can be regarded as an early stage oxidative addition of the boron-boron bond leading to diboryl compounds.


The quality of water is related to how it is used and how its physical, chemical and biological conditions are evaluated. The use of different evaluation tools can therefore provide accurate data about the environmental quality of aquatic ecosystems. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the aquatic contamination of the Laguna da Jansen Ecological Park in São Luís, in the state of Maranhão, Brazil, using different tools (physical variables, microbiological analysis and erythrocytic and gill alterations in Oreochromis niloticus). The microbiological analysis of the water was based on the identification of the most probable number (MPN) of total and thermotolerant coliforms using a chromogenic and fluorogenic enzymatic substrate test (MUG), while the physical-chemical parameters determined were temperature, pH, turbidity and dissolved oxygen. The fish were captured and then anaesthetized for the blood collect by gill puncture. Blood smear slides were prepared and stained with modified Rosenfeld staining for the evaluation of erythrocyte alterations. For histopathological analysis of the gills, the second left branchial arch was removed from each specimen and fixed in 10% formaldehyde for 24 hours. These were subsequently decalcified in 10% nitric acid and histological protocols in paraffin. Large numbers of erythrocyte alterations, notably micronuclei, were identified. Among the most common branchial alterations were lamellar epithelium lifting, blood capillary dilation, aneurysms, and total and partial lamella fusion. The result of the microbiological analysis of the water revealed a quantity of thermotolerant coliforms than is permitted under current legislation. These results indicate that the health of the animals has been damaged, pointing out the poor quality of the water in the Laguna da Jansen.


This study compared African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and White Americans on their intentions to enroll in a state organ donor registry and to talk with family about organ donation. The overall results showed that attitudes and subjective norms from the theory of planned behavior were significantly related to intention to enroll whereas perceived behavioral control was not. Attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control were significantly related to intention to talk with family. The differences among ethnic groups were small, but the relationship between attitudes and intention to enroll was stronger for Asian Americans and weaker for African Americans than for White Americans. The implications of these and other findings are discussed for organ donation campaigns.


The purpose of this study was to identify the independent components of physical frailty that most influence disability indicators in institutionalized older women. A cross-sectional study with 319 participants (81.96±7.89 years old) was performed. Disability was assessed through dynamic and static balance tests, activities of daily life and falls risk screen. Fried physical frailty protocol was used to access physical frailty. The frail subgroup displayed the weakest results for all disability indicators (p < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that in the two models tested, low physical activity levels and slowness were the physical frailty independent components that better associated with the disability indicators. More studies with larger samples will help to better understand the independent relationship of each physical frailty component with disability outcomes and assist to design a co-adjuvant treatment to reverse physical frailty.


Abstract A new species of Xenophrys is described from Yadong County, Tibet Autonomous Region, China based on morphological and molecular evidence. Phylogenetic analyses based on the mitochondrial genes 16S rRNA and COI indicated that this new species represents an independent lineage and the minimum p-distance based on 16S rRNA between this species and its congeners is 4.4%. Additionally, the new species is distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following morphological characters: (1) small body size, SVL 17.9–22.2 mm in adult males and SVL 23.4 mm in the single adult female; (2) tympanum indistinct, supratympanic fold distinct; (3) canthus rostralis well-developed, snout tip far beyond the margin of the lower lip; (5) pupil vertical; (6) vomerine teeth present, maxillary teeth present; (7) tongue notched posteriorly; (8) supernumerary tubercles absent, subarticular, metacarpal and metatarsal tubercles indistinct; (9) relative finger lengths I < II < IV < III, finger tips rounded, slightly expanded relative to digit widths; (10) toes with narrow lateral fringes and tarsal folds; (11) a dark triangular marking with light edge between eyes, a dark ")("-shaped marking, with light edge, present on center of dorsum, pectoral glands on sides of the breast.


The emerging Sociology of Networks and Flows, as it can be found in the works
of Castells and Urry among others, offers promising perspectives for
Environmental Sociology in rethinking its principle object of study: nature and
environment. The Sociology of Flow perspective takes us beyond the nationstate,
helps us to rethink global dynamics, puts an emphasis on the "material
dimension" of the social and provides new insights into issues of equality and
power in relation to environmental flows. Next to these positive points to be
derived from the works of Castells and Urry, environmental sociologists will be
also confronted with problems or dilemma's when working within a network
and flow perspective. Noteworthy in this respect are Castells' relation between
the space of flows and the space of place and Urry's emphasis of natural
science dynamics at the expense of human agency. When these problems are
dealt with in an adequate way, the Sociology of Networks and Flows can help to
formulate a new agenda for 21st century Environmental Sociology.
Keywords: Environmental Sociology; flows; networks; governance; states.


Errors may occur in the registration of in-hospital mortality, making it less reliable as a quality indicator. We assessed the types of errors made in in-hospital mortality registration in the clinical quality registry National Intensive Care Evaluation (NICE) by comparing its mortality data to data from a national insurance claims database. Subsequently, we performed site visits at eleven Intensive Care Units (ICUs) to investigate the number, types and causes of errors made in in-hospital mortality registration. A total of 255 errors were found in the NICE registry. Two different types of software malfunction accounted for almost 80% of the errors. The remaining 20% were five types of manual transcription errors and human failures to record outcome data. Clinical registries should be aware of the possible existence of errors in recorded outcome data and understand their causes. In order to prevent errors, we recommend to thoroughly verify the software that is used in the registration process.


Thermo-chemical networks using absorption and desorption to capture and valorise the potential of very low-grade residual heat (20 °C to 60 °C) to offer a reduction of end user costs and increased primary energy efficiency. The paper demonstrates the technical and economic potential of thermo-chemical networks by defining use cases and their related level of energy efficiency and technological feasibility. Furthermore, specific economic scenarios, including estimations on investment and operation costs, demonstrate the economic benefit of the technology. Simple payback periods between about 0.5 and 7.5 years indicate a good economic feasibility with end user costs below 4 €ct/kWh-equivalent and refunds of 0.5 to 1 €ct/kWh for the required residual heat. Due to the low-temperature characteristics of the relevant systems and services, detailed simulations are required to approve the functioning and viability of the new technology. For this purpose, the paper demonstrates the simulation outline using the example of space heating based on a low-temperature air heating system partially driven with thermo-chemical fuel.


Solid state transformation of crude poly (ethylene terephthalate)(PET) and PET/nano-CaCO3 (MPET) composites were studied by variable temperature FTIR spectroscopy during the heating process from 40 to 250 degrees C. The effects of nanometer calcium carbonate(nano-CaCO3) on the solid state transformation and crystal correlation bands of MPET composites were analyzed by the curves of the ratio of 1 342 and 1 410 cm(-1) absorbency(A1 342/A1 410) with temperature increasing, and together with DSC curves in the same condition. The results showed that the crystallization degrees of crude PET and MPET are obviously different in this condition by adding nano-CaCO3 particles as inhomogeneous nucleating agents.


Surirella cf. fastuosa is an apparently isopolar elliptic marine raphid diatom. We observed cells before and after sexual reproduction in monoclonal cultures using light and scanning electron microscopy (LM and SEM). After sexual reproduction cells were approximately twice as large as before, in valve length and width. The stria and infundibula densities were stable during the life cycle. Subtle morphological differences were detectable between the two poles of the frustule. One pole (pole A) was characterized by endings of the external raphe fissure that turned toward the valve face, continuity of the domed wall of the raphe canal externally, an elliptic chamber visible internally, a shallow nick in the interior of the valvocopula. The other pole (pole B) was with the following: straight endings of the external raphe fissures, a dent in the domed wall of the raphe canal externally, a double chamber internally, presence of the open ends of the valvocopula nearby, a deep nick in the valvocopula. Furthermore, at pole A virgae developed at an early stage in morphogenesis, whereas at pole B they were not formed. In the auxospores, pole A was situated beneath the primary transverse perizonial band. Pole A is suggested to be homologous with the head pole in heteropolar Surirella and is the "protopole" likely equivalent to the central nodule in naviculoid taxa. Pole B is homologous with the foot pole in heteropolar Surirella and is the "synaptic pole" formed by fusion of components equivalent to both poles of naviculoid taxa.


According to the Investment Development Path (IDP) hypothesis, there is a U-shaped relationship between a country's economic development and its net outward investment position. An emerging country should evolve from a position of net recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI) to net exporter of FDI as its level of economic development increases. Under the combined pressure of global competition, trade and financial liberalization, privatization and regulatory reform, and faster and shorter product cycles, firms in emerging, transition, and developing countries are expanding overseas through FDI in greater numbers and at an earlier stage of their lifecycle. Much of the existing literature (albeit limited itself) examines this important new phenomenon in a small group of large emerging economies (Brazil, China, India, and Russia). This paper, on the other hand, covers Egypt, an under-researched country in an under-researched area (North Africa). Short of fully testing this hypothesis, this paper looks at the incipient internationalization of the Egyptian economy through the experience of a couple of its multinational corporations (MNCs), Orascom and Oriental Weavers. The paper starts by providing a brief description of the Egyptian economy and industrial structure. It highlights how Egypt, due to poor investment climate and broader geopolitical motives, receives limited FDI inflows, while outward FDI remains limited in size and scope. It then dwells in details into the international expansion of the two MNCs. The paper concludes by pointing to the importance of promoting corporate internationalization throughout an active policy to make the business environment more conducive to risk-taking, instead of rent-seeking, behaviors.


Summary The kilogram is the unit of mass in the International System. Its definition dates from 1889 and, therefore, predates most of modern physics. The definition simply states that the 'kilogram' is the mass of an object known as the international prototype. Thus, we have the extraordinary situation that certain fundamental physical constants (the Planck constant, the Newtonian constant of gravitation, the mass of an electron, the mass of an atom of carbon-12, etc.) are measured in terms of an artefact that was manufactured in the nineteenth century. We begin by describing what is presently known about the long-term stability of artefact standards and how this stability can be experimentally monitored with respect to fundamental constants of physics. Finally, we suggest that present experiments are close to achieving the target uncertainty of the order 10−8, although the current incoherence between two classes of experiments is cause for concern.


The human serotonin transporter (SERT) terminates neurotransmission by removing serotonin from the synaptic cleft, which is an essential process that plays an important role in depression. In addition to natural substrate serotonin, SERT is also the target of the abused drug cocaine and, clinically used antidepressants, escitalopram, and paroxetine. To date, few studies have attempted to investigate the unbinding mechanism underlying the orthosteric and allosteric modulation of SERT. In this article, the conserved property of the orthosteric and allosteric sites (S1 and S2) of SERT was revealed by combining the high resolutions of x-ray crystal structures and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The residues Tyr95 and Ser438 located within the S1 site, and Arg104 located within the S2 site in SERT illustrate conserved interactions (hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions), as responses to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Van der Waals interactions were keys to designing effective drugs inhibiting SERT and further, electrostatic interactions highlighted escitalopram as a potent antidepressant. we found that cocaine, escitalopram, and paroxetine, whether the S1 site or S2 site, were more competitive. According to this potential of mean force (PMF) simulations, the new insights reveal the principles of competitive inhibitors that lengths of trails from central SERT to an opening were ~18Å for serotonin and ~22Å for the above-mentioned three drugs. Furthermore, the distance between the natural substrate serotonin and cocaine (or escitalopram) at the allosteric site was ~3Å. Thus, it can be inferred that the potent antidepressants tended to bind at deeper positions of the S1 or S2 site of SERT in comparison to the substrate. Continuing exploring the processes of unbinding four ligands against the two target pockets of SERT, this study observed a broad pathway in which serotonin, cocaine, escitalopram (at the S1 site), and paroxetine all were pulled out to an opening between MT1b and MT6a, which may be helpful to understand the dissociation mechanism of antidepressants.


Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings are often contaminated by artifacts from electromyogram (EMG). This artifact not only affects the visual analysis but also strongly impedes its various usages in biomedical research. With a sufficient number of EEG recordings, numerous blind source separation (BSS) methods can be applied to suppress or remove such EMG artifacts. However, in many practical applications (e.g., ambulatory health-care monitoring), the number of EEG sensors is often limited, while conventional BSS methods (e.g., independent component analysis) may fail to work in such cases. Considering the increasing need for acquiring EEG signals in ambulatory environments, we propose a novel underdetermined joint BSS method to remove EMG artifacts from EEG data with a limited number of EEG sensors. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated through numerical simulations in which EEG recordings are contaminated with muscle artifacts. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively remove muscle artifacts while preserving EEG signals successfully.


Driver inattention is one of the main causes of road crashes. Factors that result in drivers' attention-related errors, especially from the perspective of driver characteristics, have not been systematically investigated. This study conducted a questionnaire survey and investigated the inter-relationship between driver characteristics and their attention-related errors. Results indicated that (1) driving experience decreases attention-related errors while driving; (2) a higher frequency of driving violations, high disinhbition, and high susceptibility to involuntary distraction are associated with frequent attention-related errors. The findings shed light on the direction of countermeasures to reduce distracted driving and attention-related errors.


The gate-all-around nanowire FET (GAA NW FET) is one of the most promising architectures for the next generation of transistors as it provides better performance than current mass-produced FinFETs, but it has been proven to be strongly affected by variability. For this reason, it is essential to be able to characterize device performance which is done by extracting the figures of merit (FoM) using data from the IV curve. In this work, we use numerical simulations to evaluate the effect of the threshold voltage (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathrm {V_{TH}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) extraction method on the variability estimation for a gate-all-around nanowire FET. For that, we analyse the impact of four sources of variability: gate edge roughness (GER), line edge roughness (LER), metal grain granularity (MGG) and random discrete dopants (RDD). We have considered five different extraction methods: the second derivative (SD), constant current (CC), linear extrapolation (LE), third derivative (TD) and transconductance-to-current-ratio (TCR). For the ideal non-deformed device at high drain bias, the effect of the extraction technique can lead to a 137 mV difference in <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathrm {V_{TH}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and an 89 mV/V difference in the drain-induced-barrier-lowering (DIBL), and when considering GER and LER variability, the influence of the extraction method leads to differences in the standard deviation values of the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathrm {V_{TH}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> distribution (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sigma \mathrm {V_{TH}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) of up to 2.3 and 3.7 mV respectively, values comparable to intrinsic parameter variations. Therefore, the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathrm {V_{TH}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> extraction technique presents itself as an additional parameter that should be included in performance comparisons as it can heavily impact the results.


This paper estimates the impact of foreign participation in determining long-term local currency government bond yields and volatility in a group of emerging markets from 2000-2009. The results of a panel data analysis of 10 emerging markets show that greater foreign participation in the domestic government bond market tends to significantly reduce long-term government yields. Moreover, greater foreign participation does not necessarily result in increased volatility in bond yields in emerging markets and, in fact, could even dampen volatility in some instances.


The status of leopard in Iraq and south-eastern Turkey has been unclear for decades. Because of recent and on-going armed conflicts in important parts of the potential leopard distribution range, no studies were done that could have proved the presence of the species. We report here 10 confirmed and 2 unconfirmed leopard records between 2001 and 2014 from northern Iraq and south-eastern Turkey. All records for which the gender of the animal was identified were of males, which could be hypothesized as long-range dispersers from Iran. However, the long distances between our records and the nearest known breeding populations in Iran suggests that a so far unnoticed reproducing population nuclei may occur along the north-western part of the Zagros Mountains in western Iran, northern Iraq and south-eastern Turkey.


This paper is concerned with methods of sample size determination. The approach is to cover a small number of simple problems, such as estimating the mean of a normal distribution or the slope in a regression equation, and to present some key techniques. The methods covered are in two groups: frequentist and Bayesian. Frequentist methods specify a null and alternative hypothesis for the parameter of interest and then find the sample size by controlling both size and power. These methods often need to use prior information but cannot allow for the uncertainty that is associated with it. By contrast, the Bayesian approach offers a wide variety of techniques, all of which offer the ability to deal with uncertainty associated with prior information.


This work reports an investigation into the effect of 1-octanol concentration in the formulation of concentrated polyalphaolefin-based magnetorheological fluids. Special emphasis is paid to the understanding of their kinetic stability and redispersibility characteristics in the 'off-state' (absence of magnetic field). Techniques employed involve light scattering, electroacoustics and rheometry, using a vane tool, to precisely determine the yield value. The results obtained show a minimum in the rheological material functions for 1-octanol concentrations within the range 0.5–5.0 wt%. This finding is tentatively explained in terms of the potential energy of interaction between the dispersed particles as a result of the formation of 1-octanol micelles in good agreement with Bombard and Dukhin (2014 Langmuir 30 4517–21).


Low water-infiltration rates may be detrimental to crop growth by reducing the water available to the plant, limiting salt leaching, and inducing ponding that may result in poor aeration during irrigation. Permeability has been shown to be a function of both the total salinity and the exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) of the soil. Our objective was to measure the changes in water infiltration that occurred following extended salt loading on a Holtville silty clay (clayey over loamy, montmorillonitic (calcareous), hyperthermic Typic Torrifluvent) with permeability problems. An earlier 4-yr salt-tolerance experiment provided large plots (6 by 6 m) with six levels of salinity-sodicity and three replicates. Plots were surrounded by fiberglass barriers and were adequately drained. Colorado River water, with an electrical conductivity (EC) of 0.9 dS m⁻¹, was used to reclaim the plots in a series of small 80-mm irrigations. Measurements of the salinity and the exchangeable cations of saturated soil extracts were taken before, midway through, and following reclamation. Infiltration rates were measured after 4 h of ponding and were found to differ significantly both during and after salt removal by leaching. The infiltration rates showed a hysteretic effect (delayed reaction) of saline and sodic treatments on soil water permeability. We attributed the effect to the slowly reversible flocculation and deflocculation of clay particles. Final soil ESP data from different treatments indicated that a traditional ESP threshold value may be of limited worth unless past salt history of the soil is considered. Models of hydraulic conductivity should account for this permeability hysteresis. Strategies of reusing saline drainage water may benefit from the hysteretic permeability by allowing high infiltration rates to persist.


SHRIMP dating of xenotime overgrowths on detrital zircon grains can constrain maximum durations since diagenesis and therefore provide minimum dates of sediment deposition. Thus, xenotime dating has significant economic application to Precambrian sediment‐hosted ore deposits, such as Witwatersrand Au–U, for which there are no precise depositional ages. The growth history of xenotime in the Witwatersrand Supergroup is texturally complex, with several phases evident. The oldest authigenic xenotime 207Pb/206Pb age obtained in sandstone underlying the Vaal Reef is 2764 ± 5 Myr (1 σ), and most likely represents a mixture of diagenetic and hydrothermal growth. Nevertheless, this represents the oldest authigenic mineral age yet recorded in the sequence and provides a minimum age of deposition. Other xenotime data record a spread of ages that correspond to numerous post‐diagenetic thermotectonic events (including a Ventersdorp event at ≈ 2720 Ma) up to the ≈2020 Ma Vredefort event.


The goal of Florida's 2012 Strategic Highway Safety Plan is to reduce serious and fatal crashes on all of Florida's road system, including small rural communities. However, there are a few challenges in the way: most small communities lack technical expertise and crash data systems; Florida Department of Transportation's (FDOT) manpower to provide this support is limited; and the necessary funding is lacking. Given the long-time Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) experience in assisting local communities, the purpose of this study was to research options to find a structured and sustainable solution that would address the challenge above by involving LTAP and in coordination with FDOT. To accomplish this goal, the research team reviewed existing efforts in Florida and in other states, surveyed small counties in Florida, and developed a case study for a selected rural (Union) county. Several findings emerged. First, for small agencies a "hands on" support with studies and analysis is required, which will need additional resources to accomplish. Second, some of the safety issues identified could be corrected through maintenance practices and training. Third, there is a need to incorporate the systemic approach with low cost countermeasures, and therefore, further development of systemic analytical tools is needed. Fourth, continued efforts are needed to develop ways to expedite the implementation of safety projects after they have been approved for federal funding. The following recommendations are proposed for a successful application of these findings: (1) establish a program and plan resources to conduct and execute safety studies for small local agencies through LTAP; (2) inform the larger agencies about the safety program through safety summits; (3) expand the outreach program at the state level by reaching out to various relevant professional associations; (4) enhance tools for systemic analysis; and (5) expand methods for expediting implementation of safety improvements.


We studied the effects of head-down tilt to 10 degrees for 30 minutes on plasma atrial natriuretic peptide and the renin-aldosterone system in 8 preeclamptic pregnant women, 8 healthy pregnant women, and 11 nonpregnant women of fertile age. Mean arterial blood pressure did not change in the pregnant groups but increased significantly in the nonpregnant control subjects. Heart rate decreased significantly in preeclamptic women but remained unchanged in both control groups. Baseline atrial natriuretic peptide concentration was significantly higher in both preeclamptic (66 +/- 4 pmol/L) and pregnant (54 +/- 6 pmol/L) control subjects compared with nonpregnant subjects (40 +/- 2 pmol/L), but the difference between the pregnant groups was not significant. Head-down tilting induced a significant increase in atrial natriuretic peptide only in healthy pregnant women. Baseline plasma renin activity and aldosterone concentrations were significantly higher in pregnant control subjects compared with both the preeclamptic and nonpregnant groups. The differences between the preeclamptic and nonpregnant control groups were nonsignificant. After head-down tilting, plasma renin activity decreased significantly only in nonpregnant control subjects, whereas aldosterone decreased significantly in preeclamptic and nonpregnant control subjects. In preeclampsia, atrial natriuretic peptide release followed blood pressure and not changes in cardiac output. When all 27 women were studied, a correlation between atrial natriuretic peptide and mean arterial pressure was found in the left lateral supine position. The results suggest that pregnant women developing preeclampsia lose their usual hemodynamic control and show reactions resembling the nonpregnant state when subjected to head-down tilt.


Synovial cysts are cystic dilations of synovial sheaths with or without anatomical continuity within a joint space that occasionally involve the lumbar spine. Image-guided aspiration has been used successfully in the management of lumbar synovial cysts. Synovial cysts of the cervical spine are rare, tend to present with myelopathic symptoms, and are classically treated using operative intervention. We report a novel approach for cervical synovial cyst aspiration under CT guidance. A 66-year-old woman presented to the clinic complaining of severe pain, tingling, and dysesthesia in her right upper extremity in the C5, C6 and C7 nerve root distribution. MR imaging of her cervical spine showed a synovial cyst within the right C6-C7 neural foramen with significant compression and obliteration of the C7 nerve root. The patient underwent CT-guided aspiration of the cyst using a double needle technique, where one needle was used to open up the epidural space while another aspirated the cyst. This was followed by epidural injection of local anesthetic and steroids. Immediately after injection, the patient experienced complete relief of her right forearm pain, tingling, and dysesthesias. The patient tolerated the procedure well and there were no postprocedure complications. At four year follow-up the patient is free of any symptoms. Image-guided aspiration of cervical synovial cysts is feasible using CT fluoroscopy. Aspiration of these cysts combined with epidural steroid injection can provide long-lasting symptomatic relief in some patients.


Emulsion gray-scale masks were fabricated using three types of ink-jet printers and a 1/20 projector. Scanner was used to measure the light transparency of the printed transparency sheets and emulsion gray-scale mask. Power of UV light was measured with UV power meter especially for the wavelength of 313[nm] in which photosensitive glass absorbs well. The UV light transparency of emulsion gray-scale mask was measured with UV power meter, and the effect for the etching depth of photo sensitive glass was discussed in this paper. Then, photosensitive glass was processed by the mask and deep UV light source, and the relationship between etching depth and gray-scale value was measured. From the result, characteristics emulsion gray-scale mask of were unveiled for 3-D micro machining of photosensitive glass.


Introduction Health professionals are daily exposed to a set of demands that are often unpredictable and, consequently, have direct implications for their physical and mental health. These demands can come not only from users and family members, but also from working hours and conditions, which are difficult to control or change. According to the World Health Organization, chronic stress in the workplace leads to Burnout Syndrome. In this line of thought, one of the main concerns of Cantanhede's Arcebispo João Crisóstomo Hospital is to seek and guarantee the general well-being of its employees and to make efforts to ensure a high level of this well-being. Objectives The main objective of this evaluation is to understand the Cantanhede's Arcebispo João Crisóstomo Hospital health professionals' levels of Anxiety, Depression and Burnout. Methodology Self-response instruments were used, such as the Anxiety, Depression and Stress Scale (EADS-42) and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) Questionnaire. These instruments were applied to professionals who voluntarily collaborated in the study. After applying them, the results were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Results Out of the 62 employees who participated in the questionnaire, 83.9% are female and the most represented professional category is Nursing (38.7%). It should be noted that all the results obtained were considered normative/inferior when compared with the data for the Portuguese population, apart from Burnout, related to work, since it presents moderate values for the male gender and moderate for Nursing professional category. Discussion/Conclusion Cantanhede Hospital has developed several strategies for Anxiety, Depression and Burnout Syndrome prevention and minimization, carrying out periodically an assessment of the health professional's psychosocial risk. In this sense, the hospital has developed several initiatives, such as concerts, commemorative activities, more structured interventions such as yoga and mindfulness, clarification sessions on Burnout syndrome and even psychological and/or psychiatric intervention, whenever the need is identified. It is important to point out that, always aiming health professionals' well-being, the continuity of this study is imperative, so it will be replicated in 2024. KEYWORDS Burnout Syndrome, Anxiety, Depression, Stress, Occupational Health, Occupational Medicine.


The objective of this research was to study the optimal waters requirement of palm oil seedling at pre-nursery peatsoil which is applied with in-organic fertilizer to enhance growth of oil palm on pre-nursery in peat soil. The research hasconducted on peat soil growth media, taken from Desa Rimbo Panjang Kab. Kampar, Province of Riau. The experimentalunits were arranged in Factorial Completely Randomized Design with three replications. The first factor is: 0, 1⁄2 and 1times of recommended dosage. The second factor is: 2, 3 and 4 (times/day) of watering. Parameters studied were anincrease seedling height, number of leaves and stem diameter. The results showed that application of in-organic fertilizerwith 1 time of recommended dosage in 2 times of watering/day in trended to give the best growth of oil palm seedlings,which was equal to growth standard recommended by the Indonesian Palm Oil Research Center.


This study on the learning of sociolinguistic variants by 41 adolescents from a French immersion program in Toronto, Canada, synthesizes the findings of our research on this topic. This article provides answers to the following questions. First, do the immersion students use the same range of sociolinguistic variants as do speakers of Quebec French, who are used in our research as a first language (L1) benchmark? Second, do they use variants with the same discursive frequency as do L1 speakers? Third, is their use of variants correlated with the same linguistic constraints observable in L1 speech? Finally, what are the independent variables influencing their learning of variants, for example: treatment of variants by immersion teachers and authors of French language arts materials used in immersion programs; interactions with L1 speakers; influence of the students' L1(s); influence of intra-systemic factors – markedness of variants; and influence of the students' social characteristics – social standing, sex?


Highly simplified models of random flows interacting with background microturbulence are analyzed. In the limit of very rapid velocity fluctuations, it is shown rigorously that the fluctuation level of a passively advected scalar is not controlled by the rms shear. In a model with random velocities dependent only on time, the level of cross-correlations between the flows and the background turbulence regulates the saturation level. This effect is illustrated by considering a simple stochastic-oscillator model, both exactly and with analysis and numerical solutions of the direct-interaction approximation. Implications for the understanding of self-consistent turbulence are discussed briefly.


These are the fasta files associated with the assembled BAC clones that span the SVMP gene complexes.The following clone sequences are available:C. scutulatus - type A clone 125O12C. scutulatus - type A clone 133D14C. helleri -type A clone 46A6C. helleri - type A clone 136F17C. horridus - type B clone 27I13C. horridus - type B clone 132M5C. horridus - type B clone 145P9


The 14-3-3 protein family plays an important role in regulating plant growth and development. The genes of the 14-3-3 family have been reported in multiple species. However, little is known about the 14-3-3 gene family in bamboo. In this study, a total of 58 genes belonging to the 14-3-3 family were identified in three representative bamboo species, i.e., Olyra latifolia, Phyllostachys edulis, and Bonia amplexicaulis, whose encoding proteins were grouped into ε and non-ε groups by phylogeny analysis with 14-3-3 proteins from Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa. The 14-3-3s had diverse gene structures and motif characteristics among the three bamboo species. Collinearity analysis suggested that the genes of the 14-3-3 family in bamboo had undergone a strong purification selection during evolution. Tissue-specific expression analysis showed the expression of Pe14-3-3s varied in different tissues of P. edulis, suggesting that they had functional diversity during growth and development. Co-expression analysis showed that four Pe14-3-3s co-expressed positively with eight ribosomal genes. Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) assays showed that Pe14-3-3b/d could interact with Pe_ribosome-1/5/6, and qPCR results demonstrated that Pe14-3-3b/d and Pe_ribosome-1/5/6 had similar expression trends with the increase in shoot height, which further confirmed that they would work together to participate in the shoot growth and development of bamboo. Additionally, the transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing Pe14-3-3b had longer roots, a larger stem diameter, an earlier bolting time and a faster growth rate than wild-type Arabidopsis, indicating that Pe14-3-3b acted as a growth promoter. Our results provide comprehensive information on 14-3-3 genes in bamboo and highlight Pe14-3-3b as a potential target for bamboo improvement.


Biopsy and brachytherapy for small core breast cancer are always difficult medical problems in the field of cancer treatment. This research mainly develops a magnetic resonance imaging–guided high-precision robotic system for breast puncture treatment. First, a 5-degree-of-freedom tendon-based surgical robotic system is introduced in detail. What follows are the kinematic analysis and dynamical modeling of the robotic system, where a mathematic dynamic model is established using the Lagrange method and a lumped parameter tendon model is used to identify the nonlinear gain of the tendon-sheath transmission system. Based on the dynamical models, an adaptive proportional–integral–derivative controller with friction compensation is proposed for accurate position control. Through simulations using different sinusoidal input signals, we observe that the sinusoidal tracking error at 1/2π Hz is 0.41 mm. Finally, the experiments on tendon-sheath transmission and needle insertion performance are conducted, which show that the insertion precision is 0.68 mm in laboratory environment.


The authors report several cases showing that use of over-the-counter (OTC) medications containing decongestants can cause hypertensive reactions in patients who are treated with monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Patient instructions accompanying OTC products (particularly those containing phenylpropanolamine) often omit specific warnings about the dangers of those products' concomitant use with MAOIs. Of further concern is the opportunity for patients to be confused by the similarity in names between some prohibited combination products and other more pharmacologically innocuous products that are acceptable for concomitant use.


Modeling & Simulation (M&S) and Machine Learning (ML) have been used separately for decades. They can also straightforwardly be employed in the same study by contrasting the results of a theory-driven M&S model with the most accurate data-driven ML model. In this paper, we propose a paradigm shift from seeing ML and M&S as two independent activities to identifying how their integration can solve challenges that emerge in a big data context. Since several works have already examined this interaction for conceptual modeling or model building (e.g., creating components with ML and embedding them in the M&S model), our analysis is devoted on three relatively under-studied stages: calibrating a simulation model using ML, dealing with the issues of large search space by employing ML for experimentation, and identifying the right visualizations of model output by applying ML to characteristics of the output or actions of the users.


Atenolol [4-(2-hydroxy-isopropylaminopropoxy)-phenylacetamide], is a cardioselective beta1-adrenergic receptor blocking agent prescribed for treatment of hypertension, angina pectoris and cardiac arrhythmias. However, most of these medicines are not formulated for easy or accurate administration to children. Atenolol is unstable in solutions and therefore the development of a liquid dosage form is a significant challenge. Studies showed that the degradation rate of atenolol is dependent on the temperature, indicating higher stability at 4 degrees C. Atenolol syrup is stable for 9 days, with acceptable apearance. A second order model adequately described atenolol decomposition when stored as syrup. A stability-indicating method was developed and validated in order to evaluate these studies.


Background: Dermatoglyphics serve as a tool to describe and predict occurrences of certain diseases. Present study was conducted to assess the relationship between right thumbprint, general health problems and health practices among medical students.
Materials and methods: A total of 143 undergraduate medical students, 54 males, and 89 females, participated in the study. Validated questionnaires were used, and the right thumb impression from the students was collected. The fingerprints were grouped, and was correlated to the health problems faced by the students.
Results: Most common fingerprint pattern found among the students was the whorl pattern (n=55), followed by the radial loop, arch and ulnar loop. Majority of students with ulnar loop had dental problems (40%); they were also more prone to allergies (75%), used spectacles or contact lens (70%). Students faced hair fall problem and the percentage was high among the students with radial loop and arch pattern. Students with loop patterns exercised often, and this percentage was less among the other students.
Conclusion: Percentage occurrence of common health problems like allergies, hair fall, acne and usage of spectacles was high among the students with loop pattern mainly ulnar loop.


Local and distributed power generation is increasingly relianton renewable power sources, e.g., solar (photovoltaic or PV) andwind energy. The integration of such sources into the power grid ischallenging, however, due to their variable and intermittent energyoutput. To effectively use them on alarge scale, it is essential to be able to predict power generation at afine-grained level. We describe a novel Bayesian ensemble methodologyinvolving three diverse predictors. Each predictor estimates mixingcoefficients for integrating PV generation output profiles but capturesfundamentally different characteristics. Two of them employ classicalparameterized (naive Bayes) and non-parametric (nearest neighbor) methods tomodel the relationship between weather forecasts and PV output. The thirdpredictor captures the sequentiality implicit in PV generation and uses motifsmined from historical data to estimate the most likely mixture weights usinga stream prediction methodology. We demonstrate the success and superiority of ourmethods on real PV data from two locations that exhibit diverse weatherconditions. Predictions from our model can be harnessed to optimize schedulingof delay tolerant workloads, e.g., in a data center.


United States Geological Survey, Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Chief Scientist: Andrew Schroth. Sampling; data of field activity 2010-089-FA (L-89-10-AK) in Copper River watershed, Alaska, Gulf of Alaska, United States, North America from 10/04/2010 to 10/10/2010, http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/infobank/l/l8910ak/html/l-89-10-ak.meta.html.


The aim of this work was to determine the most suitable sampling headspace technique for the study of strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) fruit aroma. The aromatic qualities of different headspace extracts of strawberry ('Festival') puree were evaluated using direct gas chromatography-olfactometry (D-GC-O), a technique that allows assessing global odor from solvent-free extracts without chromatographic separation. Two solid phase microextraction (SPME) extracts, with different types of fibers, polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) and divinylbenzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (DVB/CAR/PDMS), and two static headspace extracts, with different phase ratios (ratio of gas to sample phase volumes), were evaluated using D-GC-O. A similarity test with three panelists allowed comparison of the odor of these extracts to that of strawberry puree. The results indicated that SPME using a DVB/CAR/PDMS fiber generated the most representative odor, a "green" impression and a strong "fruity" note. A fruity note was also obtained with the 10-mL static headspace extracts, which exhibited a volatile concentration that was higher than that in the 20-mL headspace. When comparing the aroma profile of each extract, the DVB/CAR/PDMS extract showed the highest concentration of methyl butanoate and ethyl butanoate, two key compounds in strawberry aroma.


The t-closeness technique is one of the most popular techniques for preserving individual privacy in data. It involves generalizing and suppressing some attributes of a given table, after partitioning the set of all records of that table into equivalence classes that satisfy a certain constraint. We present a new method to partition the set of records of a table into such equivalence classes. Our method has several advantages over the existing methods for this task. Firstly, the classes generated by our method are near-optimal, in that they satisfy the t-closeness constraint for even the "smallest" t value for which t-closeness is achievable and useful for the given table, thereby providing the highest amount of privacy. Secondly, our method generates classes of approximately the same size, resulting in low information loss caused by generalization of attribute values. Lastly, while generating classes with minimum information loss is known to be NP-hard, our classes with reasonably low information loss can be generated in just polynomial time.


Aim: This study is carried out to determine the prevalence of nasal carriage of staphylococcus aureus among Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU) students and determine the antibiotics susceptibility pattern.
Methods: Nasal swab specimens collected from the anterior nares were cultured on mannitol salt agar. S.aureus isolates were identified by mannitol fermentation, coagulase positivity and catalase positivity. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed on Meuller-Hinton Agar (MHA) by modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method.
Result: Out of the 100 swabs collected, S.aureus was isolated from 60% of the samples. Among colonized students, 63.3% (n=38) were from male students whereas 36.7% (n=22) were from female. The antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the Staphylococcus aureus isolates indicates that Staphylococcus aureus isolates showed high rate of sensitivity towards antibiotics as follows; Gentamycin (81.67%), followed by Ciprofloxacin  (80%), Levofloxacin (76.67%), Ceftriaxone (58.33%), and resistance towards antibiotics Imipenem (100%) followed by Cefotaxime (90%), Cefexime (83.33%), Cefoxitin (65%), azithromycin (55%) and cefuroxime (50%).
Conclusion: This study showed a high rate of nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus among MOUAU students and a high incidence of antibiotics resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage.


Ve1y often African languages have been claimed to have tones but no intonation which may be understood as some organization of complex prosodic or breath grouping, beyond the segment. Howeve1; recent studies have shown that these languages may have complex prosodic structures. Avikam, an isolate lagoon language of the Kwa cluster spoken in the 1vmy Coast, is investigated The paper argues that Tone Lowering is a well established phonological rule that is constrained both by syntactic and prosodic domains, in a quite intricate way. This interaction points to an inte1face level between syntax and phonology, which may differfi·om a mere po; :lexical component. Based on the Tone Lowering rule, prosodic domains such as the phonological word, the phonological phrase and the tonal foot are identified The paper provides evidence that recursion of the prosodic word is a common process similar to that attested in Leben and Ahoua (1997). The paper has implications for the strong version of the Strict layer Hypothesis (Selkirk 1978),for which some weakening may be required.


Evaluating sources is necessary in order to figure out if sources are going to help or hurt your studies! This research guide will help you examine your sources.


Raman spectroscopy is a powerful experimental technique, yet it is often missing from the undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory curriculum. Tetrachloromethane (CCl4) is the ideal molecule for an introductory vibrational spectroscopy experiment and the symmetric stretch vibration contains fine structure due to isotopic variations of the molecule according to CClx Cl4−x. We report simple theoretical predictions of the fine structure, calculation of Raman differential scattering cross sections, and discussion of the inherent asymmetry in the v1 mode resulting from the different isotopes of chlorine. All calculations and discussion are appropriate for an undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory as either an independent dry lab or a supplement to a pre-existing vibrational spectroscopy lab.


Whenever an acoustic scene contains a mixture of sources, listeners must segregate the mixture in order to compute source content and/or location. Some past studies have explored whether perceived location depends on which sound elements are perceived within a source. However, no direct comparisons have been made of "what" and "where" judgments for the same sound mixtures using the same listeners. The current study tested if the sound elements making up an auditory object predict that object's perceived location. Listeners were presented with an auditory scene containing competing "target" and "captor" sources, each of which could logically contain a "promiscuous" tone complex. In separate blocks, the same listeners matched the perceived spectro-temporal content ("what") and location ("where") of the target. Generally, as the captor intensity decreased, the promiscuous complex contributed more to both what and where judgments of the target. However judgments did not agree either quantitatively or qualitatively. For some subjects, the promiscuous complex consistently contributed more to the spectro-temporal content of the target than to its location while for some it consistently contributed more to target location. These results show a dissociation between the perceived spectro-temporal content of an auditory object and where that object is perceived.