Abstract The genus Acricotopus Kieffer including three species from China is reviewed. Acricotopus lucens (Zetterstedt) is reexamined. Two species A. simplex sp. nov. and A. zhalingensis sp. nov. are described as male imagines. Acricotopus simplex sp. nov. was collected from Xizang, Sichuan and Qinghai Provinces; the species differs from others of the genus by the absence of hind tibial comb, temporal and clypeal seta. Acricotopus zhalingensis sp. nov. was collected from Qinghai Province; the species is recognized by a combination of characters: the larger body size; the clypeus without setae; anal lobe strongly produced, nearly hemispherical shape; inferior volsella triangular, strongly sclerotized; gonostylus with 13 very long setae. A key to the world males of the genus is presented. The generic diagnosis is emended. All the types described in this paper are deposited in Department of Biology, Nankai University, China (BDN).


Development of industries in the human based area became source of ecological contamination through accumulation of various health hazard pollutants into the water. Water is highly imperative treasure for living creature on earth because of its too much importance in physiochemical and for people's requirement. The objective of the current study is to synthesize the ecofriendly TiO2 nanoparticles using extract of pharmaceutically important plant Alhagimaurorum. The studies plant was collected locally. The TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared using the simple already reported method, by addition of TiO2 into the crude extract until change in color occurs. The synthesis was confirmed through UV-spectroscopic andFourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, shape and size of particles were measure using scanning electron microscope. The elemental presence was assured through energy Dispersive X-ray spectrometric analysis. The result showed that color change, band shift confirmed the successful synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles. Maximum synthesized nanoparticles were round in shape with varying in size. The waste water cleaning efficacy of prepared nanoparticles was analyzed. The prepared TiO2 nanoparticles significantly reduced the total dissolved salt contents and hardness of water. Therefore these synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles could be the best source for cleaning of waste water particularly hardness and total dissolved salts from waste water without spoiling quality of water.


An alkyl substitution in the beta-amino acid-containing polyamides 1, 2, and 3 leads to an increase in the population of intramolecularly hydrogen bonded conformations. However, the most stable conformation is not always the same one when the substituent is changed from a methyl group to an isopropyl group. For the beta-amino acid derivatives of succinic acid, a methyl group enhances the formation of a head-to-tail type of folding pattern through an 11-membered ring (2b), but an isopropyl group appears to decrease the enhancement. For beta-amino acid derivatives of glutaric acid, an isopropyl group promotes the formation of a bifurcated conformation (3c). The thermodynamic parameters for the equilibrium between non-hydrogen-bonded states and the head-to-tail type of folding of 2a and 2b are obtained by a van't Hoff analysis of the variable-temperature NMR data, which gives a DeltaH of -1.0 kcal/mol and a DeltaS of -4.7 eu for triamide 2a and a DeltaH of -1.0 kcal/mol and a DeltaS of -3.7 e.u. for triamide 2b, each with a correlation coefficient of better than 0.99. The increased proportion of the intramolecular amide-amide hydrogen bond observed for triamide 2b is entirely due to entropic effects according to this analysis.


Proton-driven 13C spin diffusion (PDSD) is a simple and robust two-dimensional NMR experiment. It leads to spectra with a high signal-to-noise ratio in which cross-peaks contain information about internuclear distances. We show that the total information content is sufficient to determine the atomic-resolution structure of a small protein from a single, uniformly 13C-, 15N-labeled microcrystalline sample. For the example of ubiquitin, the structure was determined by a manual procedure followed by an automatic optimization of the manual structure as well as by a fully automated structure determination approach. The relationship between internuclear distances and cross-peak intensities in the spectra is investigated.


This book is unique on the subject because it is not so much a collection of individual work, but basically comprising national reports from most European countries on the present-day design methods, as prescribed in more or less strict national codes or recommendations and so daily used in practice by consulting engineers and contractors. As far as already implemented, the application of these methods within the framework of Eurocode 7 is described as well. In order to improve the understanding of the design methods, the national papers also consider aspects such as the local piling practice, limitations of the design methods, some practical examples and particular national experiences. The proceedings also include the contributions of two invited speakers as well as those of the three session discussion leaders, focusing on some particular aspects with regards to pile design. The book is of particular interest for those who are involved with pile design in practice, consulting engineers, piling contractors, control organisms as well as those dealing with geotechnical normalisation and research work.


Drawing on the customer participation (CP) literature, this research proposes that CP variation is the degree to which employees perceive variability across customers with regard to customers sharing information, time, and effort and making suggestions to enhance the service delivery process and outcome. Drawing on the job demands–resources model, this research explicates the mediating process by which CP variation affects customer service performance and its boundary conditions. Study 1 uses data from a field study in the banking industry to show that CP variation negatively influences customer service performance through greater customer-related burnout. The authors show that this mediation process is moderated by contingencies that mitigate or exacerbate the indirect relationship. Study 2 further validates the CP variation construct by testing for discriminant validity against similar and related constructs, such as CP quality, in more diverse service industries (insurance, legal consulting, travel and tourism, health care, and physical fitness). Finally, an examination of the moderating role of CP quality provides a more nuanced picture of the intricacies between CP variation and CP quality. This article concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications for CP variation research.


Osteoid osteoma is a benign tumor originating from osteoblasts, and it is mostly seen in long bones of lower limbs. The distal phalanx of the foot is an atypical location for an osteoid osteoma, and lesions occurring in this location may be a diagnostic challenge. A 22-year-old man presented with a complaint of severe pain on the second distal phalanx of his right foot. An osteoid osteoma was suspected after radiologic evaluation. The lesion was surgically excised and removed completely by curettage. Histopathologic evaluation confirmed the diagnosis of an osteoid osteoma. The patient was followed-up for a 9-month period without any symptoms or recurrence.


Many committed learners struggle to achieve their goal of completing a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). This work investigates self-regulated learning (SRL) in MOOCs and tests if encouraging the use of SRL strategies can improve course performance. We asked a group of 17 highly successful learners about their own strategies for how to succeed in a MOOC. Their responses were coded based on a SRL framework and synthesized into seven recommendations. In a randomized experiment, we evaluated the effect of providing those recommendations to learners in the same course (N = 653). Although most learners rated the study tips as very helpful, the intervention did not improve course persistence or achievement. Results suggest that a single SRL prompt at the beginning of the course provides insufficient support. Instead, embedding technological aids that adaptively support SRL throughout the course could better support learners in MOOCs.


The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) is a transgenerational prospective observational study investigating influences on health and development across the life course. It has collected information on genetic, epigenetic, biological, psychological, social and other environmental exposures in relation to a diverse range of health, social and developmental outcomes. Recruitment sought to enrol pregnant women in the Bristol area of the UK during 1990–92. There were 13 761 women (contributing 13 867 pregnancies) recruited. This was extended to include additional children eligible using the original enrolment definition up to the age of 18 years. The children from 14 541 pregnancies were recruited in 1990–92, increasing to 15 247 pregnancies by the age of 18 years. The resource comprises a wide range of phenotypic and environmental measures in addition to biological samples, genetic and epigenetic information and linkage to health and administrative records. The study is celebrating its 21st Anniversary this year and over 700 peer-reviewed articles have been published using data from ALSPAC. The study has made contributions to understanding across a range of disciplines, exposures and outcomes. The presentation will present my view of the key contributions the study has made to date.


ABSTRACT Clinical human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) strains invariably mutate when propagated in vitro. Mutations in gene RL13 are selected in all cell types, whereas in fibroblasts mutants in the UL128 locus (UL128L; genes UL128, UL130, and UL131A) are also selected. In addition, sporadic mutations are selected elsewhere in the genome in all cell types. We sought to investigate conditions under which HCMV can be propagated without incurring genetic defects. Bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) provide a stable, genetically defined source of viral genome. Viruses were generated from BACs containing the genomes of strains TR, TB40, FIX, and Merlin, as well as from Merlin-BAC recombinants containing variant nucleotides in UL128L from TB40-BAC4 or FIX-BAC. Propagation of viruses derived from TR-BAC, TB40-BAC4, and FIX-BAC in either fibroblast or epithelial cells was associated with the generation of defects around the prokaryotic vector, which is retained in the unique short (US) region of viruses. This was not observed for Merlin-BAC, from which the vector is excised in derived viruses; however, propagation in epithelial cells was consistently associated with mutations in the unique long b′ (UL/b′) region, all impacting on gene UL141. Viruses derived from Merlin-BAC in fibroblasts had mutations in UL128L, but mutations occurred less frequently with recombinants containing UL128L nucleotides from TB40-BAC4 or FIX-BAC. Viruses derived from a Merlin-BAC derivative in which RL13 and UL128L were either mutated or repressed were remarkably stable in fibroblasts. Thus, HCMV containing a wild-type gene complement can be generated in vitro by deriving virus from a self-excising BAC in fibroblasts and repressing RL13 and UL128L. IMPORTANCE Researchers should aim to study viruses that accurately represent the causative agents of disease. This is problematic for HCMV because clinical strains mutate rapidly when propagated in vitro, becoming less cell associated, altered in tropism, more susceptible to natural killer cells, and less pathogenic. Following isolation from clinical material, HCMV genomes can be stabilized by cloning into bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs), and then virus is regenerated by DNA transfection. However, mutations can occur not only during isolation prior to BAC cloning but also when virus is regenerated. We have identified conditions under which BAC-derived viruses containing an intact, wild-type genome can be propagated in vitro with minimal risk of mutants being selected, enabling studies of viruses expressing the gene complement of a clinical strain. However, even under these optimized conditions, sporadic mutations can occur, highlighting the advisability of sequencing the HCMV stocks used in experiments.


The objective of this work is to research and analyse the performance of Cyclic Delay Diversity (CDD) with two transmit antenna on DVB-H systems operating in spatially correlated channel. It is shown in this paper that CDD can achieve desirable transmit diversity gain over uncorrelated channel with or without receiver diversity. However, in reality, the respective signal paths between spatially separated antennas and the mobile receiver is likely to be correlated because of insufficient antenna separation at the transmitter and the lack of scattering effect of the channel. Under this spatially correlated channel, it is apparent that CDD cannot achieve the same diversity gain as obtained under the uncorrelated channel. In this paper, a new upper bound on the pairwise error probability (PEP) of the CDD with spatial correlation of two transmit antennas is derived. The upper bound is used to study the CDD theoretical error performance and diversity gain losses over a generalized spatially correlated Rayleigh channel. This theoretical analysis is validated by the simulation of DVB-H systems with two transmit antennas and the CDD scheme. Both the theoretical and simulated results give the valuable insight that the CDD ability to perform well with a certain amount of channel correlation


With feature-oriented programming (FOP) and generics programmers have proper means for structuring software so that its elements can be reused and extended. This paper addre sses the issue whether both approaches are equivalent. While FOP targets at large-scale building blocks and comp ositional programming, generics provide fine-grained customization at type-level. We contribute an analys is that reveals the individual capabilities of both approaches with respect to program customization. Ther efrom, we extract guidelines for programmers in what situations which approach suffices. Furthermor , we present a fully implemented language proposal that integrates FOP and generics in order to combine the ir strengths. Our approach facilitates two-staged program customization: (1) selecting sets of features; (2) p arameterizing features subsequently. This allows a broader spectrum of code reuse to be covered – reflected by proper language level mechanisms. We underpin our proposal by means of a case study.


In the course of his diary study dealing with communication strategies, the writer of this paper has found that the way of acquiring a language is not merely as simple as "understanding the message" as Krashen's Input Hypothesis (1985) claims. Swain's Comprehensible Output Hypothesis (1985) maintains that the development of a learner's communicative competence does not merely depend on comprehensible input: the learner's output has an independent and indispensible role to play. Swain's thesis has proved to be of relevance to the writer's experience as a self-directed learner. This paper discusses in detail the significance to language acquisition of pushing for comprehensible output. Three issues are discussed: (I) comprehensible output and negative input; (2) comprehensible output and incomprehensible output; (3) comprehensible output and comprehensible input.


Polygamy remains a controversial issue not only in Malaysia but also in many Muslim countries around the world. From the legal perspective, Muslim men, who choose to enter into polygamous marriages and abuse it, largely due to the absence of eff ective measures taken to curtail the problems bring this about. In Malaysia, these steps include the incorporation of specific provisions controlling the practice of polygamy in the Islamic Family Law Enactments of each state. This move is considered as a step towards formulating better laws to control abuses in the practice of polygamy. This paper discusses the concept behind existing provisions and looks into adequacy of such laws. It also aims at identifying problems and provides suggestions on how women could remain protected within a polygamous set up.


Sixty patients with active RA were evaluated over 6 months in a double-blind randomized dose range multicentre study comparing the efficacy and tolerance of three different doses of the slow-acting anti-rheumatic bacterial extract OM-8980 (6, 24 and 48 mg of active principle). No patients were withdrawn during the study. At the end of the 6-month trial, significant improvements were observed for the different RA signs and symptoms (Ritchie index, morning stiffness, swollen joints, grip strength, ESR, pain scale and categories) as well as for the concomitant intake of symptomatic drugs in the 24-mg dose group with respect to the 6-mg group and without significant differences between the 24- and 48-mg groups. Tolerance was very good with nine minor and transient side effects (five itching and four diarrhoea) reported altogether by seven patients, without establishment of a dose-effect correlation. In conclusion, the two higher doses of OM-8980, 24 and 48 mg, were significantly more efficient than 6 mg, with the effect of the 24-mg dose being even slightly superior to the 48-mg dose, confirming the former as the optimal and well-tolerated dose for the treatment of RA.


Supraclavicular brachial plexus block is known for its simplicity, effectiveness, safety, reliability and being economical for day care and emergency surgery, circumventing problems of full stomach. In our randomized prospective, double blind study, total 60 adult ASA class I and II patients undergoing upper limb surgeries were given supraclavicular brachial plexus block with peripheral nerve locator and studied for effect of addition of buprenorphine on post operative analgesia. 30 Patients received 0.25% bupivacaine 40 ml in group Bupivacaine (B) and added buprenorphine 3 µgm/kg in the other group Bupivacaine + Buprenorphine (BB). All the patients were monitored for onset of effect, post op analgesia, time of first analgesic drug and number of analgesic drug require in first 24 hrs. Onset and duration of motor and sensory block were same in both groups. Post operative analgesia was significantly better in BB. Consequently, number of doses of analgesic required in first 24 hours was less in buprenorphine group (BB).


Purpose Recent studies have revealed the pathogenic role of interleukin (IL)-22 in atopic dermatitis and asthma. However, little is known about the role of IL-22 in the pathophysiology of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps. We aimed to investigate the expression of IL-22 and its pathogenic function in type 2 immune reactions of nasal polyps (NP). Methods Protein levels of inflammatory mediators were determined by multiplex immunoassay, and principal component analysis (PCA) was performed. Immunofluorescence analysis and mast cell culture were used to determine the cellular sources of IL-22. Normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells were stimulated using IL-22 in combination with diverse cytokines, and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) was measured. Results IL-22 expression was not up-regulated in NP compared with control tissues, but IL-22-high NP revealed distinct features characterized by type 2 inflammatory cytokines such as chemokine (C-C motif) ligand (CCL)-11, CCL-24, and IL-5 on the PCA. Additionally, IL-22 positively correlated with type 2 immune mediators and the disease severity in NP. For the localization of the cellular sources of IL-22 in eosinophilic NP, it was expressed in cells mostly composed of eosinophil peroxidase-positive cells and partially of tryptase-positive cells. The human mast cell line, LAD2 cells, released IL-22 mediated by immunoglobulin E. Moreover, IL-22 receptor subunit alpha-1 (IL-22Ra1) expression was significantly increased in NP. IL-22Ra1 was up-regulated with poly(I:C) stimulation in NHBE cells. Furthermore, TSLP production was enhanced when stimulated with a combination of IL-13, poly(I:C), and IL-22. Treatment with anti-IL-22Ra1 also inhibited IL-22-induced enhancement of TSLP production. Conclusion IL-22 was associated with type 2 inflammatory reactions in NP. The IL-22/IL-22Ra1 axis was enhanced and might be involved in type 2 inflammatory reactions via TSLP production in NP.


This appraisal of Arthur Miller's theatrical canon illumines the international importance of a playwright whose work is considered a mirror of American life. Griffin demonstrates that Miller's plays, though seeming to centre on uniquely American issues, speak to audiences from Brazil to Russia, Iceland to China - the last being a country where "Death of a Salesman" has enjoyed tremendous popularity despite the unfamiliarity of the Chinese people with Willy Loman's occupation. The book discusses Arthur Miller's major plays in depth, analyzing characters, plots, themes, dramatic effects and language. It also reviews: his one-act plays and longer plays of the 1980s; two plays of the 1990s, "The Last Yankee" and "Broken Glass"; his screenplay for the film version of "The Crucible"; and his articles, essays, speeches and introductions. A theatre editor and critic and drama professor when Miller's works were first staged, Griffin recalls the harshness with which most reviewers initially judged Miller's plays and recounts the vigour of the McCarthyistic attack on "The Crucible".


The aim of the current study is to examine the quality of sibling relationship in families with a sibling with substance misuse (SSU) and compare the relationship to families with a sibling with no use (SNU). Thirty-six (36) families participated in the study (17 with SSU and 19 with SNU; N = 144). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 40 siblings (20 SNU and 20 SSU; 18-31 years old) in order to qualitatively investigate the characteristics of the sibling relationship. The siblings were not identified with any psychopathology, according to SCL-90R. Moreover, we considered the family cohesion and adaptability, as identified by the FACES III (administered to the whole sample) and the family constellation (including number of children, birth order, gender, family size, family structure, years of substance misuse and socioeconomic level). The results of the thematic analysis seem to support Furman and Buhrmester's (1985) framework, in the context of SNU families. Nevertheless, when considering families with SSU the framework is enriched with a new axis: Loss/mourning. The substance misuse seems to provoke an overturn of the representation of the sibling relationship: the behavioral changes (i.e. disengagement) of the sibling with drug use are experienced as a loss by the sibling non user, thus triggering the psychological process of 'mourning'. Moreover, in these families, the sibling with no drug use seem to experience differential parenting, they feel neglected, angry and they take up a parental role towards the SSU, whom they experience as "sensitive" and "vulnerable".


The paper contains a study of adsorption kinetics of lead ions on powdered corn cobs (PCCS). Corn cobs were collected within Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, washed with distilled water, air dried, powdered and sieved into different particle sizes (630 - 300μm, 300 - 212 μm, 212 - 150 μm and 150 -75 μm) and stored for use. Lead solutions were prepared from lead salt using standard methods. Physical and chemical properties of PCCS, and adsorption kinetics of lead onto PCCS were studied. Effects of pH, particle size and initial lead concentrations on the kinetics models and their constants were studied and analysed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Kinetics models' constants were determined using least square, graphical and Microsoft Excel Solver (MES) methods. Statistical evaluations of the three methods were conducted using Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Model of Selection Criterion (MSC). The study showed that moisture content of the PCCS was 7.29 %, volatile solid at 550 o C was 96.88 % and volatile solids at 1200 o C was 99.44 %. Ash contents of the PCCS were 3.13 %, and 0.52 % at 550 o C and 1200 o C respectively. Kinetics constants varied with pH, particle size of the adsorbent and initial lead concentrations. The study showed that pH, particle size and initial lead concentrations were significant factors that influence adsorption kinetics of lead ions on PCCS at 95 % confidence level. It was concluded that the adsorption processes of Pb 2+ onto the adsorbents followed two steps, mode of adsorption and transport are affected by more than one process. The order of accuracy of the methods was in Microsoft Excel Solver > Least Squared > Graphical method based on the value of MSC and AIC Keywords: lead; adsorption kinetics; low-cost adsorbents; solution; adsorption


The character of Gelindo is enormously popular in Piedmont and the play of the same name was still being staged well into the twentieth century. Indeed, Umberto Eco himself mentioned his participation, as a child, in a performance of this dialect work. Gelindo, in the nativity play, is the shepherd with rough hat and short trousers ( braje mutte , as M. Piccat reminds us) holding a lamb on his shoulders and indicating where Mary and Joseph can rest during the night. The play is bilingual and Gelindo speaks Piedmontese. The contrast between the formal Italian of Maria and Joseph and the expressive, realistic dialect has the effect of helping to make the character of Gelindo extremely lively and appealing. Gelindo is deeply rooted in popular culture and has his own independent onomastic story in the Piedmont region. He can be linked directly to texts such as A Ven Gilind , which evokes the return of Christmas or Gilind returns , which recounts the indecision of Gelindo who, about to leave for the Holy Land, continues to turn back under various pretexts (thus giving proof of a vacillating character). The name eventually became a nickname for a rough simpleton and, in a process of semantic degradation, for a violent husband.


Approximately 12% of the Dutch adults and adolescents reports to have food allergy. However, only one-third reports characteristics which are, from a medical point of view, consistent with food allergy. This thesis describes genetic and environmental risk factors for food allergy. A lower risk of food allergy was associated with a longer duration of breastfeeding, growing up at a farm and having no family history of eczema. In multiple studies, gene variants were associated with food allergy. Firstly, the filaggrin gene, important for the skin-barrier function, was associated with food allergy in children. Other recent studies showed that improving the skin-barrier leads to a lower risk of eczema and it may potentially lead to a lower risk of food allergy. Secondly, the Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 6 (STAT6) gene was associated with the presence of specific Immunoglobulin E to foods in blood and food allergy in children. Thirdly, specific Human Leukocyte Antigen class II gene variants were specifically associated with peanut allergy in both children and adults. These genes encode molecules that present antigens, including food antigens, to immune cells which mediate food allergic reactions. From this thesis we can conclude that in the pathophysiology of food allergy the following is likely to be true "Genes load the gun but environment pulls the trigger".


A design-oriented analysis of the microwave transmission-line class-E amplifier is presented. Experiments and harmonic-balance circuit simulations verify the theoretical equations which predict class-E-amplifier output power, maximum frequency of operation, and dc-RF conversion efficiency. Experimental results at 0.5, 1,2, and 5 GHz are presented. At 0.5 GHz, 83% drain efficiency and 80% power-added efficiency (PAE) are measured, with an output power of 0.55 W, using the Siemens CLY5 MESFET. These results are compared to a class-A and class-F power amplifier using the same device. At 5 GHz, 81% drain efficiency and 72% PAE are measured, with an output power of 0.61 W, using the Fujitsu FLK052WG MESFET. Finally, the 5-GHz class-E power amplifier is successfully integrated into an active-antenna array, demonstrating power combining of four elements with an 85% power-combining efficiency. At 5.05 GHz, the class-E power-amplifier antenna array delivers a total of 2.4 W of output power, with a dc-RF conversion efficiency of 74% and a PAE of 64%.


Machine translation (MT) and post-editing (PE) are two services that are increasingly in demand in the translation industry. In a context in which large-scale projects are required within tight deadlines, the deployment of this technology to increase productivity is a reality. However, this increase in productivity can only be achieved with appropriate management of the project: MT must not be understood as a tool, but as a process, and project managers, who are usually responsible for the project from start to finish, have to cope with new MT and PE workflows that pose different challenges. Although much has been written about the use of MT and PE in professional practice (resulting in different lines of research in this field), little attention has been paid to the role of the project manager in MT and PE projects. For this reason, the main objective of this paper is to analyse how MT and PE affect the factors that project managers must keep in mind when managing projects, taking as a starting point the most important reference frameworks in project management. The main objective is to offer an interdisciplinary perspective that explains the new challenges the industry is facing and how these challenges affect the different stakeholders involved in the project.


Recent damage to the mangrove ecosystem has threatened the existence of this ecosystem. The mangrove ecosystem of the Ujungpangkah area in the Bengawan Solo estuary is one of the few (pristine remaining) mangrove ecosystems in East Java Province of Indonesia. This study aims to investigate the type and structure of mangrove ecosystems in the Ujungpangkah coastal, region Gresik, East Java Province. The ecosystem structure was investigated using mangrove vegetation analysis and spatial analysis using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index system analysis. Based on spatial analysis, the mangrove area in the Ujungpangkah was 1.445 hectares distributed among 4 (four) villages, consisting of high density (650 hectares), medium density (453 hectares), and low density (342 hectares). This area comprised 7 (seven) mangrove species i.e. Avicenia marina, Rhizopora mucronata, Rhizopora apiculata, Bruguiera cylindrica, Excoecaria agallocha, Sonneratia alba and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza. The Avicenia marina and Rhizopora mucronata were two mangrove species with the highest important value index at each growth level. The highest value index (71.73%) was attributed to Avicenia marina for the tree level, while Rhizopora mucronata was dominant at the sapling level (82.55%).
Keywords: Mangroves, Density, Ujungpangkah


We calculate analytically the error introduced by the rotating-wave approximation (RWA) to the description of a two-level-atom response to a resonant sufficiently intense femtosecond optical pulse of a few-cycle duration and any envelope. The analytically calculated non-RWA refinements to the RWA response are of the lowest order, i.e., linear in the small ratio of the Rabi to optical frequencies. One type of such refinements is small-amplitude rapid oscillations at nearly twice the optical frequency superimposed on the standard RWA population-inversion evolution. The other refinement is an extension of the spectrum of the induced atomic dipole moment in which the third harmonic of the transition frequency appears. The spectrum of this harmonic has an internal structure dependent on both strength and duration of the pulse. The analytically found non-RWA corrections are in qualitative agreement with the recent results of different numerical approaches by other authors and a recent experiment.


Postgraduate educators in the past have assumed that lack of information underlies physician failures. It seems likely that faulty thinking is as commonly at fault and often due to biases that are part of us all. The correctives for these biases lie partly in the use of the controlled trial and the formal analysis of the decision matrix among other techniques. If as a profession we insist on analyzing and formalizing our beliefs in these ways, we can avoid major and expensive new fashions, and we may have shown to us more convincingly where present ways are inadequate and other ways preferable-with a corresponding improvement in our willingness to learn.


Most insect species rely on odours to orient themselves towards resources or escape hazardous environments. Over the past six years studies on odour perception in Drosophila melanogaster have rapidly increased our knowledge on the detection of such signals. Due to the availability of relatively straightforward genetic techniques, the cellular elements of the olfactory code in this insect can be manipulated. Olfactory receptor neurons (ORN) in Drosophila can be visualized with fluorescent proteins and their physiological properties studied using electrophysiological and optophysiological techniques. The ultrastructure of olfactory sensilla and the odour responses of ORNs in more than half of them have been described. On the molecular level, three large families of genes that provide the basis for these responses have been characterized; olfactory receptors (OR), gustatory receptors (GR) and odour-binding proteins (OBP). OR proteins have been shown to function as odour detectors and they have been mapped to ORN classes to a high degree of completion. Hence, the Drosophila olfactory system provides a good basis for studying how odour coding in insects has evolved and how ORNs relay the information present in chemical communication systems.


A facile reaction of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([EMIm]Ac) with dichloromethane at room temperature was observed with esters among the products. This esterification can be exploited for mild solvent-free esterification with a range of other carboxylate-based ionic liquids and alkyl halides.


ELECT A Fabry-Pérot cavity (FPC) array antenna providing both very high gain and circularly-polarised (CP) behaviour is proposed. To increase antenna gain and to obtain the CP characteristic, a superstrate is introduced above 2 × 2 feeding microstrip patch antennas (MPAs), which converts linearly-polarised (LP) incident waves to CP waves. Input phase difference between MPAs is designed to be exactly 90° to generate the high-quality CP characteristic in cooperation with the superstrate. By using the FPC, very high gain can be obtained with only a small number of feeders, which also provides another advantage of low mutual coupling among the neighbouring MPAs. Although the proposed antenna is very simple in its structure, it readily provides very high gain, high-quality CP property and very low axial ratio in a wide frequency range, which are great advantages compared with conventional CP antennas.


ABSTRACT Objective. To assess antibiotic use in three hospitals in three Caribbean countries based on data from 2013 and 2018 using the World Health Organization Essential Medicines List "Access, Watch, Reserve" (AWaRe) classification. Methods. A retrospective observational study, which analyzed the World Health Organization Point Prevalence Survey data from three hospitals in three Caribbean countries, to examine proportional AWaRe group antibiotic use for the top ten inpatient indications. The Access-to-Watch ratio was calculated, and the top three antibiotics prescribed in each hospital were determined. Results. The final data set included 376 prescriptions for the top ten indications in 766 inpatients. The hospital antibiotic use point prevalence for Hospital 1 was 35.6%, Hospital 2 was 48.6%, and Hospital 3 was 47.1%. The Access-to-Watch ratio for the top ten indications was 2.45, 1.36, and 1.72 in the three hospitals. Access group prevalence was 71.0% in Hospital 1, 57.6% in Hospital 2, and 63.2% in Hospital 3. There were no Reserve antibiotics prescribed in any of the institutions. The most common indication for Watch prescription was skin and soft tissue infections in Hospital 1 and pneumonia in Hospital 2 and 3. Conclusions. This study draws urgent attention to evidence of a high proportion of Watch antibiotic prescribing and lack of Reserve group antibiotics in three Caribbean countries. This research provides data that may inform national formulary and antimicrobial stewardship policy-making across the settings analyzed and the wider region.


We have investigated the optical properties of Λ-configuration ultracold dense Bose gas interacting with two laser pulses, which usually result in electromagnetically induced transparency. With the nonrelativistic quantum electrodynamics and taking into account the atomic dipole-dipole interaction and local field effect, we have derived the Maxwell-Bloch equations of the system. The dispersion relation of an ultracold Bose gas has been obtained and the light-induced nonlinear effects have been analysed. The light-induced nonlinear effects are different from the effects induced by two-body collision of Bose-Einstein condensation atoms which have a frequency shift of transparent window.


Anaphylaxis to propofol is rare and has not been previously reported in Asia. We describe a 35-year-old man with nasopharyngeal carcinoma who developed acute respiratory distress and hypotension after propofol infusion for parenteral anesthesia for Port-A-Cath insertion. Chest roentgenogram showed bilateral diffuse alveolar infiltrates. Respiratory failure ensued, and vocal cord swelling was found during endotracheal intubation. Hemodynamic data included a low cardiac index, a low systemic vascular resistance, and a high pulmonary vascular resistance. His condition and the shadows on the chest roentgenogram improved quickly after fluid challenge and the use of vasopressors, antihistamine, and intravenous steroids. Early awareness and appropriate management are necessary to prevent a fatal outcome in patients with propofol anaphylaxis.


Although the experiments which have been described do not permit definite conclusions to be drawn regarding the nature of the photo-current, it is very probable that it is to a large extent, if not entirely, electronic, as predicted in a preliminary note to 'Nature' (May 4, 1929). As, however, the method of attacking the problem has been by a comparison with the dark current, the mechanism of which is known from the work of previous investigators, it is advisable first to refer briefly to the question of electrical conduction through unilluminated fused salts. The work of many previous investigators has definitely shown that in the dark at room temperature the conduction process is purely electrolytic, there being no evidence of any electronic current in salts of the silver chloride-silver bromide type. Tubandt and his co-workers have shown that in silver bromide all the dark current is carried by the silver ion only. The experiments of Phipps, Lansing and Cooke, of Phipps and Leslie, and of Phipps and Partridge, show that the transport of electricity by means of the kation only is a common characteristic of many solid salts. These authors found that from room temperatures Up to the melting points the kation is the only carrier of electricity in the case of the chlorides and bromides of silver, lead and thallium, but that in the case of sodium and potassium chlorides, the anion also conducts at the higher temperatures. In all these cases the relation between the conductance (σ) and the absolute temperature (T) was found to be log σ = A - B/t, where A and B are constants, which is the same equation as we have found to hold in our experiments over the entirely different range, from room temperatures to -180°C.


All nations of the world have ratified the Post 2015 Agenda, Global Action Program on ESD and the Incheon Declaration 2015. The GAP and Incheon have prioritized on 'building capacities of educators and trainers to enable them to deliver ESD'. This study was conducted to explore the perceptions of teacher educators (TEs) about the issues threatening sustainable development (SD) at the global and national levels, perceived role of teacher education in SD, the possible SD curricular spaces and the barriers for doing so. A questionnaire was distributed to 108 TEs of nine TEIs. They were found much below the satisfactory level on knowledge and understanding of the concepts and issues hindering the sustainable development. They did not perceive much relevance of SD concepts in the courses they were teaching. They neither have time and authority to modify the curricula nor do they have administrative and institutional support to do so.


Background Late-onset hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) is a common viral infections after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Most cases of HC occurring after HSCT are self-limited, but they can cause pain, pollakiuria, and prolonged hospitalization. In cases with progression of HC, ureteral stenosis has occurred and occasionaly resulted in obstructive renal failure. Several risk factors associated with HC after bone marrow transplantation(BMT) and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation(PBSCT) have been reported in several studies. However, most of these risk factors for HC after cord blood transplantation(CBT) have not been observed in detail. Subjects and methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical records of 461 patients who underwent HSCT at Toranomon Hospital between November 2002 and December 2006. Median age of the patients was 53 years (range 17– 79). Source of HSCT was peripheral blood (PB) in 79 patients (17%), cord blood (CB) in 281 patients (61%), bone marrow (BM) in 101 patients (22%). Underlying diseases were AML(n= 146), ALL(n=61), MDS(n=68), ATL(n=34), CML(n=8), NHL (n=109), other(n=35). The most frequently used conditioning regimens were fludarabine (Flu), alkylating agent (melphalan, busulfan or cyclophosphamide) with total body irradination (TBI).The most frequently used prophylaxis regimens for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were calcineurin inhibitor (CI) alone or CI plus methotrexate. HC was defined as the presence of sustained microscopic hematuria for more than 7 days at least 10 days after HSCT in the absence of other conditions such as gynecologic-related bleeding, multiple organ dysfunction, or sepsis. HC was graded according to the following criteria: grade0 = no HC, grade1 = microscopic hematuria, grade2 = macroscopic hematuria, grade3 = macroscopic hematuria with clots, grade4 = macroscopic hematuria requiring instrumentation for clot evacuation or causing urinary retention. BK virus and adenovirus were detected by PCR on urinary samples in all patients who developed HC. Results Overall, 73 patients (16%) developed HC. The median day of presentation was 55 days (range 10 to 505 days). HC cases were graded as follows: grade 1 (8%), grade 2 (64%), grade 3 (24%), grade 4 (4%). The following variables were associated with a higher incidence of HC: CB source vs BM vs PB (14.2% vs 19.8% vs 16.5%, p Conclusion We concluded that there is no significant disparity in the rate of HC among CBT and other HSCT, and immune reconstitution in parallel with BK and adenovirus viruria after CBT stand comparison with other HSCT.


A new, sensitive method allows one to search for the enhancement of events with nearly equal-sized fragments as predicted by theoretical calculations based on volume or surface instabilities. Simulations have been performed to investigate the sensitivity of the procedure. Experimentally, charge correlations of intermediate mass fragments emitted from heavy ion reactions at intermediate energies have been studied. No evidence for a preferred breakup into equal-sized fragments has been found. PACS number(s): 25.70.Pq


Abstract The colour of honey is one of the most important quality criteria for consumers. The colour depends mainly on the content of plant pigments but the honey consistency, shape, and size of the crystals may also influence the honey colour parameters. It is related to the crystallisation and decrystallisation processes of honey during storage. In the present study, directions of colour changes of honey during storage were evaluated using a tristimulus colorimeter and the CIE 1976 L*a*b* and CIE L*C*ho systems. The effect of time (3 and 9 months) and storage conditions (cold storage, room temperature storage with access to light, and room temperature storage without access to light) on the colour of nectar honeys was investigated. The results obtained showed that both the type of honey and the storage conditions influenced the honey colour parameters. Significant differences in direction and intensity of the colour changes of honey during storage were observed. These differences make it difficult to indicate which storage conditions are optimal to preserve the colour of the honey. It was found that acacia and heather honeys were the most susceptible to colour changes during long-term storage in all of the study's applied conditions, whereas rape and buckwheat honeys were the most stable in colour parameters.


Three activated carbons from lignocellulosic residues and a commercial carbon have been tested for the removal of the herbicide metolachlor and its two degradation transformation products, named ESA and OXA, in aqueous solutions. The kinetics and equilibrium adsorption were studied for the four materials, showing higher adsorption capacities for the three molecules on the carbon materials chemically activated by potassium carbonate, mainly associated with its greater porous development, especially in the range of microporosity. Additionally, the chemical composition of the adsorbents also highlighted their important influence on the ESA and OXA adsorption process. The efficient adsorption of both compounds—even at low initial concentrations—allows a removal efficiency of up to 80% to be reached, revealing promising perspectives for the use of biomass-derived carbon materials for the elimination of not only the herbicide metolachlor, but also its degradation compounds from contaminated wastewater.


In the course of our fermentation studies, it became important to investigate the optimal conditions for producing dense populations of bacteria. Serratia marcescens was selected as the organism to be studied to facilitate the ease and accuracy of the many counts which would be required. There were two objectives. The first was to devise a medium and to select the other fermentation conditions which would support unusual numbers of highly pigmented viable cells. The second objective was to find means of consistently reproducing the optimal conditions and the high bacterial counts so that ample quantities of physiologically uniform cells would be available for evaluation of stabilizers, protectants, and other pertinent factors in an investigation of freeze-drying. Smith and Johnson (1954) employed a synthetic medium in producing S. marcescens cells and showed the importance of aeration in cell production.


We already proposed "monthly temperature coefficient"(1)(2) as the coefficient that indicates the losses caused by the temperature rise, etc., of the photovoltaic generation system (PV system). This coefficient contains non-linear based losses under the low irradiance of the PV system adding to the loss due to the temperature rise of the photovoltaic module. In this paper, we compare "monthly temperature coefficient" and "cell temperature factor", and discuss the followings:·The difference in the fundamental view of two coefficients, and two coefficients of the installed 40kW class photovoltaic generation system·Calculation results and analysis of the photovoltaic module output and temperature coefficient under the typical irradiance and cell temperature of the photovoltaic module·Simulation calculation results and analysis of two coefficients in the case that the characteristics of the photovoltaic module, location, and support structure of the photovoltaic module are differentNext, the embodiment of practical use method of "monthly temperature coefficient" is described as follows:(1) The calculation method of annual power generation using the table of "monthly temperature coefficient"(2)The separation method of losses of the installed photovoltaic generation system using "monthly temperature coefficient"


The California Pleistocene molluscan faunas are characterized by a number of faunal associations in which cold and warm water taxa occur together. These associations have been considered anomalous by some workers because such taxa normally do not co-exist in the same community at present. It has been postulated that current action has mixed elements from closely adjacent warm and cold water habitats such as cold water upwelling centers in subtropical regions or warm water embayments in temperate regions. I propose that some of these anomalies resulted from periodic local and temporary current changes that permitted the introduction of larvae of tropical mollusks into areas of cooler water temperatures. Some tropical taxa can live in water which is too cold to permit reproduction. Thus these newly arrived taxa would represent only temporary members of the community. Since these mollusks possess a preservable shell, they are just as likely to be preserved in the fossil record as any other shell-bearing member of the community. This hypothesis is supported by a number of anomalous occurrences of warm water Panamic mollusks in the temperate waters along the coast of Southern California during the past 50 years.


Mammalian cells produce inflammatory mediators in response to the innate immune signal and their expression is tightly regulated. Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 2 (CXCL2), also known as MIP2-alpha, belongs to the CXC chemokine family. CXCL2 is chemotactic for neutrophils. Elevated expression of CXCL2 is associated with many inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Recently we have found that the Fli-1 transcription factor is a novel regulator in modulating the expression of many inflammatory mediators. including MCP-1,CCL5) and IL-6. Since we found that lupus-prone mice with reduced expression of Fli-1 had significantly decreased neutrophil infiltration into the kidneys, we investigated if Fli-1 regulates the expression of CXCL2. We found that Fli-1 protein expression in endothelial cells transfected with Fli-1 specific siRNA was significantly decreased compared to the expression of Fli-1 in cells transfected with control siRNA after stimulation by Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 ligands, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha. The production of CXCL2 in endothelial cells with LPS stimulation is dose-dependent. We found that Fli-1 binds to the CXCL2 promoter by Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay. Transient transfection assays show that Fli-1 drives transcription from the CXCL2 promoter in a dose-dependent manner. These results indicate that Fli-1 is a novel, critical transcription factor in regulating the expression of the inflammatory chemokine CXCL2.


A high-resolution structure of a 16-nucleotide bacteriophage T4 RNA hairpin, 5'-GCCU[AAUAACUC]GGGC (loop bases in square brackets), has been determined in solution by proton, phosphorus, and carbon (natural abundance) NMR spectroscopy. This RNA hairpin is known to play a crucial role in the translational repression of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase. Ultraviolet absorbance melting curves indicate that the structure formed is unimolecular. The NMR spectra indicate that a single conformation consistent with a hairpin structure is formed. Strong imino-imino NOEs confirm the formation of the G.U base pair at the stem-loop junction. There is no evidence that A5 is protonated (at pH 6.0) and involved in an A+.C pair. However, the NMR data indicate that the stem is extended beyond the G.U pair and that A-form stacking continues for three nucleotides on the 5' side and one nucleotide on the 3' side. Structure calculations using restraints obtained from NMR data give a precisely defined structure with an average root mean square deviation (RMSD) of approximately 1.2 A for the entire molecule. The assignment of all the protons and most of the 31P resonances in the loop yielded a large number of distance and torsion angle restraints for these nucleotides. These helped obtain a well-defined loop with an average RMSD of 1.1 A for the loop nucleotides of 11 converged structures.


The beginning of children's school education is a potential risk of morphofunctional and psycho-physiological disorders in the body because of the significant reduction in daily physical activity, the change in day regimen, emotional and intellectual stress, which are often inadequate for the age-related psycho-physiological capabilities of schoolchildren. In this paper, we analyzed the literature on the development of modern children of primary school age according to the results of the assessment of morphological, functional and mental indicators. The identification of a general trend in the development of primary school-aged children is necessary for determination and development of health-saving programs to implement in the system of modern education. A review of data on the development of younger school children over the past 20 years shows an increase in the number of children with digressions in physical development, deterioration in physical fitness, delay of biological age from actual age, stress of the cardiovascular system, decrease in lung capacity and muscle strength. This pattern is manifested regardless of the region of residence and the nationality of children. There is an increase in the number of children with learning difficulties. Among the reasons for these changes, researchers highlight the complexity of the educational program, physical inactivity, the delay of physical development and, at the same time, medical and social successes of the state, allowing preserving the life of newborns even with somatic and neurological abnormalities. In connection with the identified trend of development of modern primary school children, the measures are needed to optimize children's learning activities by the following criteria: level of physical activity, intensity of intellectual loads, rest mode.


In her novel North and South (1854–55), the nineteenth-century British writer Elizabeth Gaskell suggests an innovative practice of conversational rhetoric involving diverse stakeholders. Through the story of Margaret Hale and her efforts to help mill workers and millowners negotiate their seemingly intractable conflicts in the fictional city of Milton, she sets forth a dialogic process in which both male and female interlocutors bring their reasoning and experience to the table, recognize the value of other interlocutors, and establish bonds of sympathy beyond their individual interests, thus breathing new life into the art of conversational rhetoric. Exploring this art of conversation—which both aligns with and diverges from the work of the eighteenth-century Scots theorists (such as Hugh Blair and George Campbell), Richard Whately, and Thomas De Quincey as well as the women's conduct book tradition and the fiction of female writers of the era such as Almira Phelps, Louisa Tuthill, and Harriet Martineau—is the focus of this study. Both extending and complicating Enlightenment and Romantic rhetorical thinking, Gaskell's contribution to the rhetorical tradition deserves recognition and further investigation.


Although magnesium sulfate has been a traditional or standard treatment for severe preeclampsia and eclampsia to prevent convulsions, its efficiency has always been in doubt and its induced side‐effects also make it controversial for use. In this study, 64 patients, diagnosed with severe preeclampsia, were randomized into group I (34 patients) managed with MgS04, and group II (30 patients) managed without MgS04. There were no occurrences of eclampsia in either group. Although there was no statistical significance in the final delivery method, group I had a higher rate in cesarean section, in which most were significantly due to fetal distress (p<0.05). Furthermore, group I had significantly more babies with poor apgar score than group II (p = 0.019). During the reatment period for those with a gestational age of less than 34 weeks, there were two patients with abruptio placentae in group 1 and the treatment periods were noted to be longer in group II than in group I. From the results of monitoring serum magnesium level in group I, when therapeutic level was achieved, magnesium sulfate induced great discomfort which might have led to the deterioration of the patients' condition. According to this study, magnesium sulfate's minimal efficiency. and its adverse side‐effects, also make magnesium sulfate a poor choice in the management of preeclampsia. Therefore, because of our poor understanding of the etiology of preeclampsia, suitable management should be undertaken without magnesium sulfate. Improvement of the patient's pathophysiological condition or termination of pregnancy as early as possible, is recommended.


The aim of this article is to explore the relationships that exist between cognitive style, self-regulated learning and academic achievement at different levels in the learning process. The review of specialized literature suggests there is a close relationship between academic performance in general and a student's cognitive style and ability to regulate learning.


We report observations of stable, localized, linelike structures in the spatially periodic pattern formed by nematic electroconvection, along which the phase of the pattern jumps by pi. With increasing electric voltage, these lines form a gridlike structure that goes over into a structure indistinguishable from the well-known grid pattern. We present theoretical arguments that suggest that the twisted cell geometry we are using is indirectly stabilizing the phase jump lines, and that the phase jump lines lattice is caused by an interaction of phase jump lines and a zig-zag instability of the surrounding pattern.


The introductory chapter clarifies this book's aims and scope. By 'new frontiers in Japanese Studies' we are referring to a shift in geographical emphasis from the United States and the United Kingdom to countries in the Asia-Pacific region through the integration of multiple perspectives on Japanese society from hereto scholarly underrepresented areas. We also envision 'new frontiers' as a repositioning of Japanese Studies from 'outsiders looking in' to 'insiders looking out'. Lastly, we perceive a 'new frontier' in Japanese Studies as a decisive movement away from the idea that people working in Japanese Studies are primarily presenting case studies while eschewing theoretical contributions to knowledge. Ultimately, this chapter proposes that scholarship should go beyond methodological nationalism – an assumption that the nation-state is the natural and necessary form of society in modernity. To re-conceptualise Japanese Studies, we will open up new horizons by demonstrating how we can make the empirical investigation of border crossings and other transnational phenomena possible. The methodology we employ in this book is in line with Yoshio Sugimoto's notion of 'cosmopolitan methodology' (presented in Rethinking Japanese Studies, Routledge 2018). In so doing, we make Japanese Studies ever more multicultural, multilingual, interdisciplinary and transnational in nature


The aim of the present study was to evaluate retropatellar contact characteristics at different angles of flexion of the knee joint. To this end, 6 cadaveric legs were examined using pressure sensitive film (Fuji Prescale type "super low") at angles of flexion of 45 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees and 120 degrees both in neutral rotation and 10 degrees internal and external rotation of the femur in the same knee joints. A force of 140 N was applied to both the vastus medialis and lateralis, and a comparison made with a medially and a laterally dominating muscle force. The contact areas decreased with increasing angles of flexion. The medially dominating muscle traction increased the contact area. Comparison between internal and external rotation revealed a decrease in contact area on internal rotation. The pressure measurements were comparable in all loading situations. Comparison between neutral and medial traction revealed significant differences in contact area, pressure and force. The influence of femoral rotation showed no significant difference. A comparison of the different angles of flexion revealed only few significant differences. To prevent the development of retropatellar arthrosis, maximum contact areas are necessary. The study has shown an advantage for medially dominating muscle traction, and external rotation of the femur.


This paper describes a novel multiplexing scheme for delay-sensitive multiple VBR-coded bit streams in live multimedia service offered to high-speed networks. The primary goal of multiplexing in this paper is to keep delay limits of each bit streams and to enhance network resource utilization when they no multiplexed and transmitted over network. For this aim, this paper presents a dynamical control scheme which does not cause violation of any delay constraints to each bit steam. The scheme is based on the assumption that recent behavior of the each bit scream has high correlation with near-term future behavior. Such property is used to make as flat as possible by both temporal averaging on a stream-by-stream and spatial averaging is introduced when multiple VBR-coded bit streams are multiplexed. The effectiveness of the scheme is evaluated by several simulation using an MPEG-coded video trace of Star_wars and it is shown that the proposed scheme can effectively reduce the feat rate and coefficient of variation of the multiplexed transmission rate.


The aim of this study was to characterize adult distribution with respect to light and analyze ovary contents in the four seasons of the year. The swimming behavior of Ciona intestinalis, Molgula manhattensis, Ascidella aspersa and Phallusia mammilata larvae against certain abiotic factors were commented. For the field data on adult distributions, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to test for differences in adult orientation, with surface orientation as a fixed factor. Two adult species (Ciona intestinalis and Molgula manhattensis) showed no orientation with respect to light while in the other two species (Ascidella aspersa and Phallusia mammilata) light exerted a significant effects on the orientation and density of individuals. To evaluate among the different species the level of gregariousness found in the field, the number of individuals per clump for each species has been compared using one-way ANOVA, with species as a fixed factor. Artificial heterologous inseminations were carried out.


In the central and southwestern Grenville province in Canada and the northeastern United States, anorthosites and related granitoids were emplaced during two distinct pulses, at ca. 1.16–1.13 Ga and 1.09–1.05 Ga, each following major crustal thickening events. U-Pb age constraints on movement along major ductile shear zones indicate that they were emplaced within extending crust in an overall convergent orogen. We suggest that convective thinning of the lithosphere played a significant role in their emplacement and in the tectonic evolution of the Grenvillian orogeny.


In November 1990 a consensus conference was held in Norway on the use of oestrogens for perimenopausal and postmenopausal complaints, and for preventive purposes. The sales statistics reveal an increase in sales of drugs for hormone replacement therapy after the conference, but the trend had already started before the conference was held. We found the conference had had a statistically significant impact on sales of some of the drugs. We also collected information on marketing campaigns before and after the conference. Only a modest change was found in marketing efforts by the pharmaceutical industry. Presentations in the media were considered to have a strong impact on oestrogen promotion.


This paper examines the perceived impact of newspaper usage among University of Agriculture, Makurdi students and its impact on their academic performance. The overall objective is to assess the level of newspaper usage and students' perception on the availability and accessibility of newspaper in the library. This study also highlights some of the challenges students face in using newspapers and proffer workable solutions. The population was made up of 150 students of University of Agriculture, Makurdi, comprising of undergraduates and postgraduates. The survey research method was adopted. The respondents were selected through random sampling of registered users the library at that particular time. As shown in the findings, the students use newspaper mostly for academic purpose followed by other purposes. The study revealed adequate but untimely provision of newspaper.


The effects of nitrogen plasma on the adhesion of thermoplastic olefin elastomer (TPO) are studied with attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR), the lap shear test, and the contact angle measurement. The plasma is applied after the TPO is dip-coated with acrylic acid (AA), mixed with benzophenone (BP), benzoyl peroxide, and 2,2-azoisobutyronitrile initiators. ATR spectra confirm the presence of grafted AA on TPO, with the amount depending on the exposure time and the initiator used. The total surface energy and the polar component of the grafted TPO increase while the lap shear strength (LSS) decreases with exposure time, and all these also vary with the initiator. The plasma treatment and the grafted AA improve the LSS of the TPO. The greatest LSS is obtained from the specimen grafted with AA and BP. The nature of the reacted surface layer has a significant effect on the adhesion strength of the TPO.


The effect of the dietary fiber on apo A-I and apo A-IV mRNA levels was studied in the intestine of rats fed either by fiber-free or high-fiber diets. Rats fed high-fiber diet had lower plasma cholesterol concentrations than animals fed fiber-free diet. A proximal-distal apo A-I and apo A-IV mRNA gradient was found in both groups. High-fiber diet feeding reduced apo A-I mRNA levels in jejunum and ileum and ileal apo A-IV mRNA levels as compared to fiber-free diet fed rats. The obtained results suggest that some dietary fibers may play a role in regulation of lipoprotein metabolism in the intestine, including apolipoprotein synthesis.


The propagation of a 2π pulse in an ensemble of paramagnetic ions in a magnetic field is analyzed. The paramagnetic part of the magnetooptic activity of the medium contributes to the rotation of the polarization of the light pulse. The Faraday-rotation angle for a 2π pulse which has passed through the medium can be controlled by varying the saturation of the magnetic resonance.


The paper considers the problem of labor migrants from the CIS countries distribution in the regions of Russia. The relevance of this migration situation aspect is determined by its connection with the general state of the domestic labor market, the imbalances existing here, the lack of necessary regulation of the foreign labor demand and supply. It's extremely important to understand this situation from the point of view of the need for adaptation and integration of migrants. The analysis showed that the national contingents of visa-free labor migrants are extremely unevenly distributed across the regions of the country. During the pandemic, the total number of foreigners in Russia decreased significantly, while the structure and direction of flows remained practically unchanged. A significant obstacle to the analysis is gaps in statistics, inconsistencies between individual blocks of indicators and their sources.


Pepper of the Capsicum species is a common ingredient in various food preparations by different cultures worldwide. The Capsicum is recognised by its five main domesticated species, namely Capsicum annuum, C. baccatum, C. chinense, C. frutescens and C. pubescens. The genetic diversity in Capsicum offers fruits in wide ranges of morphology and carotenoid profile. Carotenoids enhance the value of pepper from a nutritional standpoint, despite being commonly prized for the pharmacologically active pungent capsaicinoids. Carotenoids of pepper comprise mainly of the unique, powerful and highly stable capsanthin and capsoroubin, together with β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, antheraxanthin and violaxanthin. These carotenoids are present at diverse profile and varying levels, biosynthetically connected to the fruit maturity stages. This review describes the health-promoting functional attributes of the carotenoids that are mainly associated with their excellent role as lipophilic antioxidants. Capsicum as a great source of carotenoids is discussed in the aspects of main domesticated species, biosynthesis, pigment profile, antioxidant activity and safety. Findings from a number of in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies provided appreciable evidence on the protective effects of pepper's carotenoids against degenerative diseases. Hence, pepper with its functional carotenoids might be recommended in health-promoting and disease preventing strategies.


In this work are discussed the technology for preparing and characterisation of indium-tin oxide (ITO) and ITO with titanium oxide underlayer thin films with properties appropriate for usage at elevated temperatures as heat reflective coatings and gas sensors. For preparing the samples the methods of radio frequency (RF) and DC-magnetron reactive sputtering were used. Sputtering of indium-tin and ITO targets with different composition in presence of oxygen as reactive gas was made. The technological parameters were studied to obtain films with optimal properties at different substrates – glass, silicon, quartz. Heating of the substrates during the preparation and their postdeposition annealing in different environments also were studied. Comparison how the different techniques and target composition affect on the films' properties was made. The composition and microstructure of the films were studied by XPS, EPMA and XRD, the surface of the films was observed by a high-resolution SEM. Thorough profile analyses on the structure changes were performed applying XPS. Some unwished phenomena like diffusion and interactions with the substrate also were investigated. To identify the optical properties of the films the methods of visual spectrophotometry and laser ellipsometry were used. The reflectance of the films in the thermal IR range was investigated by FTIR spectrophotometer.


Organic micro-contaminants (OMCs) enter in freshwaters and interact with other contaminants such as carbon nanoparticles, becoming a problem of unknown consequences for river ecosystems. Carbon nanoparticles (as fullerenes C60) are good adsorbents of organic contaminants and their interaction can potentially affect their toxicity to river biofilms. We tested the C60 interactions with selected OMCs and their effects on river biofilms in different short-term experiments. In these, river biofilms were exposed to C60 and three OMCs (triclosan, diuron, or venlafaxine) and their respective mixtures with fullerenes (C60 + each OMC). The effects were evaluated on structural, molecular, and functional descriptors of river biofilms. Our results showed that C60 did not cause toxic effects in river biofilms, whereas diuron and triclosan significantly affected the heterotrophic and phototrophic components of biofilms and venlafaxine affected only the phototrophic component. The joint exposure of C60 with venlafaxine was not producing differences with respect to the former response of the toxicant, but the overall response was antagonistic (i.e., decreased toxicity) with diuron, and synergistic (i.e., increased toxicity) with triclosan. We suggest that differences in the toxic responses could be related to the respective molecular structure of each OMC, to the concentration proportion between OMC and C60, and to the possible competition between C60 pollutants on blocking the receptors of the biological cell membranes. We conclude that the presence of C60 at low concentrations modified the toxicity of OMC to river biofilms. These interactions should therefore be considered when predicting toxicity of OMC in river ecosystems.


Damage mechanism and hydrogen storage ability variation of palladium (Pd) were investigated on hydrogen absorption-desorption multi-cycles. In order to study this problem, palladium plates and round bars with mechanical working or annealing have been used. Specimens were hydrogenated cyclically by the electrochemical method, and hydrogen absorption ratio (H/Pd) as well as deformation of specimens were measured at each hydrogenation cycle. As results, it was shown that damage mechanism of Pd specimens was occurred differently with their geometries and mechanical or heat treatment. In thin plate Pd specimens, the thickness increased in increasing hydrogenation cycles whereas length and width decreased, and grains were greatly deformed however damage of micro and macro structures were scarcely observed, and also hydrogen storage ability scarcely changed. On the other hand, in round Pd specimens, both length and diameter increased with increasing hydrogenation cycles, and significant damage of structures were widely observed which resulted in decrease of the ratio H/Pd to -4.2% at the final hydrogenation stage. The damage of structures and deformation were by far intensive in the specimens with mechanical working than with heat treatment however the hydrogen storage ability were not so different within the two type specimens.


Internet of Things (IoT) technology has drawn the attention of the industry, where it has been able to, and still can, solve many industrial intractable issues. However, the emerging technology suffers from severe security shortcomings. Authentication is a cornerstone of IoT security, as it presents the measures of checking the legitimacy of communication entities. The Industrial IoT (IIoT) technology has special conditions, resulting from a lack of resources and a shortage of security skills. As far as we can tell, from the literature, IIoT user authentication has not been studied extensively. In 2017 Tai et al. presented an authenticated key agreement for IoT networks. Here we prove that Tai et al. scheme is susceptible to sever security weaknesses, such as; i. unknown key share attacks, ii. node capturing attacks, iii node information secrecy. In this research article, we offer an innovative IIoT user authentication protocol that can achieve secure remote user authentication without timestamping requiring precise synchronization, our protocol only needs Hashing and Xor-ing. We examine the efficiency of the presented protocol using Tmote Sky node over an MSP430 microcontroller using a COOJA simulator. we also show its correctness using the Scyther verification tool.


Investigations on the presence of cyanophages in the fresh and sea waters of Romania resulted in the isolation of 31 strains. The host range of the cyanophage isolates showed some particularities as compared with classical cyanophages types. The electron optic study of the cyanophage strains grown in Phormidium sp. revealed the presence of three types of virus particles, differing as regards their tail length, with a morphology similar to that of T-odd coliphages.


The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of political marketing done by political parties on the preferences and choices of the electors. In accordance with this aim, the concepts of political marketing, political marketing procedure and political marketing system are explained. Population of the research is consists of the electors from different cities and urban areas who voted in 1 November general parliamentary elections. The survey form is applied to 400 people which is above the limit value of n=384. The data collected through survey and questionnaire were evaluated using frequency-percentage analysis; "t-test" and "Variance (ANOVA) analysis" were used for unrelated measurements on the comparison of the opinions of the participants and demographic features of them. According to the results, the electors were affected more little by the near political marketing works to the date of the elections, while they were affected more by beforehand activities and marketing studies of the parties.


Dependence of the intensities of low-angle equatorial reflections from frog live resting sartorius muscle on sarcomere length between 1.95 micron and 3.1 micron were studied in stretch and shortening regimes. It is found that intensities of the (10), (20), (30) and Z-reflections increase at sarcomere length increase from about 2 micron, reach maximum value at sarcomere length between 2.3 micron and 2.7 micron, and then fall at further increase of the sarcomere length. The (11) and (21) intensities decrease at sarcomere length increase. A conclusion is drawn that tetragonal lattice of the thin filaments near Z-line gives essential contribution to Z-reflection together with Z-line. It is proposed that hexagonal lattice of A-band and tetragonal lattice of the thin filaments distort each other at sarcomere length less than 2.3 micron and have the most order at sarcomere length between 2.3 micron and 2.7 micron. At further increase of the sarcomere length the packing of both lattices deteriorates apparently due to other factors than in the case of the short sarcomere length.


Design has the potential for transformation and innovation. In the current changing and complex environment facing multiple new challenges, the design discipline itself is also changing, being increasingly implicated in less tangible matters. The purpose of design and the role of designers is being redefined, and in this context, which designerly ways of innovating, namely Design Attitudes, do we have to promote in order to have presence in the future? This paper presents the Design Attitudes Trend report as well as a digital Design Attitudes Survey, obtained through the use of a qualitative trends' analysis methodology. The report and survey propose four different ways of innovating, that is, design innovators' types, and an initial exploration of the meaning of the resulting collective survey data collected amongst design professionals and students.


A 24 days old male neonate presented to the University of Gondar Hospital with deformity at the right wrist joint since birth. Physical findings were deformity of the wrist joint with lateral deviation of fingers and absent thumb. Plain radiographs of the wrist joint showed absent radius and bones of the thumb which suggest the diagnosis of radial ray defect. Radial ray defect is a rare congenital defect that may be isolated or associated with other anomalies. This is a rare case of radial ray defect which has no association with other anomalies.


BACKGROUND
Diabetes mellitus is a complex multisystem metabolic disorder characterized by a deficit in the production of insulin. The oral complications of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus are devastating. Saliva is an organic fluid that can be collected noninvasively and by individuals with limited training. These reasons create an interest in evaluating the possibility of using saliva as a diagnostic tool.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to determine, if saliva can be used as a noninvasive tool to monitor glycemic control in Type 2 diabetes. Comparative assessment of salivary (glucose, amylase, total protein levels) in patients with Type 2 diabetes and controls.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 40 individuals, 20 with Type 2 diabetes and 20 controls of age group 40-60 years were selected for the study. Diabetic status was assessed by estimating random blood glucose levels. Unstimulated saliva was collected from each participant and investigated for glucose, amylase, and total protein levels. Salivary glucose estimation was performed using glucose-oxidase method, amylase by the direct substrate kinetic enzymatic method, and total protein by pyrogallol red dye end point method. All the parameters were subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS version 20.0.

RESULTS
Significantly higher salivary glucose, lower amylase, and total proteins were observed in patients with Type 2 diabetes than controls. There was no significant correlation between salivary and blood glucose levels.

CONCLUSION
These results suggest that diabetes influences the composition of saliva. Since a significant correlation was not observed between salivary and blood glucose levels, further research is needed to determine salivary glucose estimation as a diagnostic tool for diabetes mellitus.


Two main mechanisms contribute to the continuous evolution of influenza viruses: accumulation of mutations in the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes (antigenic drift) and genetic re-assortments (antigenic shift). Epidemiological surveillance is important in identifying new genetic variants of influenza viruses with potentially increased pathogenicity and transmissibility. In order to characterize the 2019/20 influenza epidemic in Romania, 1042 respiratory samples were collected from consecutive patients hospitalized with acute respiratory infections in the National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Prof. Dr. Matei Balș", Bucharest Romania and tested for influenza A virus, influenza B virus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) by real-time PCR. Out of them, 516 cases were positive for influenza, with relatively equal distribution of influenza A and B. Two patients had influenza A and B co-infection and 8 patients had influenza-RSV co-infection. The most severe cases, requiring supplemental oxygen administration or intensive care, and the most deaths were reported in patients aged 65 years and over. Subtyping showed the predominance of A(H3N2) compared to A(H1N1)pdm09 pdm09 (60.4% and 39.6% of all subtyped influenza A isolates, respectively), and the circulation of Victoria B lineage only. Influenza B started to circulate first (week 47/2019), with influenza A appearing slightly later (week 50/2019), followed by continued co-circulation of A and B viruses throughout the season. Sixty-eight samples, selected to cover the entire influenza season and all circulating viral types, were analysed by next generation sequencing (NGS). All A(H1N1)pdm09 sequences identified during this season in Romania were clustered in the 6b1.A clade (sub-clades: 6b1.A.183P -5a and 6b1.A.187A). For most A(H1N1)pdm09 sequences, the dominant epitope was Sb (pepitope = 0.25), reducing the vaccine efficacy by approximately 60%. According to phylogenetic analysis, influenza A(H3N2) strains circulating in this season belonged predominantly to clade 3C.3A, with only few sequences in clade 3C.2A1b. These 3C.2A1b sequences, two of which belonged to vaccinated patients, harbored mutations in antigenic sites leading to potential reduction of vaccine efficacy. Phylogenetic analysis of influenza B, lineage Victoria, sequences showed that the circulating strains belonged to clade V1A3. As compared to the other viral types, fewer mutations were observed in B/Victoria strains, with limited impact on vaccine efficiency based on estimations.


This paper presents a novel method for pedestrian detection and tracking by fusing camera and LiDAR sensor data. To deal with the challenges associated with the autonomous driving scenarios, an integrated tracking and detection framework is proposed. The detection phase is performed by converting LiDAR streams to computationally tractable depth images, and then, a deep neural network is developed to identify pedestrian candidates both in RGB and depth images. To provide accurate information, the detection phase is further enhanced by fusing multi-modal sensor information using the Kalman filter. The tracking phase is a combination of the Kalman filter prediction and an optical flow algorithm to track multiple pedestrians in a scene. We evaluate our framework on a real public driving dataset. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves significant performance improvement over a baseline method that solely uses image-based pedestrian detection.


The abundance and composition of bacterioplankton of the Northern South China Sea (NSCS) were investigated using flow cytometry and high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that the absolute abundance of bacterioplankton retained high values in surface waters at both continental shelf and oceanic sites and Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Bacteroidetes represented the three typical dominant phyla in NSCS. The average bacterioplankton abundances at 5 m, 75 m, and 200 m were 9.55, 5.04, and 1.32 × 105 cells mL−1, respectively, and there was a significantly positive correlation between bacterioplankton abundance and Chl a content (r = 0.84, p < 0.01). Drastic changes of the bacterioplankton community occurred in different water layers. Three operational taxonomic units (OTUs), whose distribution were significantly different between 5-m and 75-m water layers, all belonged to Flavobacteriales of the Bacteroidetes (p < 0.05). In addition, bacterioplankton community richness and diversity at the continental shelf (CS) was generally higher than at oceanic stations (SB and KI). Five OTUs, which favored the habitat of continental shelf, belonged to Alphaproteobacteria including the orders of the SAR11 cluster, Rhodospirillales, Rhodobacterales and other unclassified orders (p < 0.05). Two OTUs, which favored the habitat of oceanic stations, were assigned to the orders of Flavobacteriales and Alteromonadales. Furthermore, the abundances of two OTUs belonging to the Cyanobacteria phylum and Verrucomicrobiales order were significantly different between the sea basin (SB) and Kuroshio influenced area (KI) stations (p < 0.05).


The recent Egan report on the UK construction industry has concluded that "integrated construction process" holds the key to further improvement in efficiency and productivity. In the last decade or so, considerable R&D efforts have been devoted to the integration issues in numerous research initiatives. A range of technologies of different levels of maturity have emerged from these studies, including data and process modelling, data management, data exchange using STEP standards, integrated project database, object oriented implementation, concurrent engineering systems, etc. The paper seeks to explore how these integration technologies can be used to support organisational changes necessary if the performance improvement is to be achieved.


The paper presents the application of neural networks in software quality estimation using object-oriented metrics. Quality estimation includes estimating reliability as well as maintainability of software. Reliability is typically measured as the number of defects. Maintenance effort can be measured as the number of lines changed per class. In this paper, two kinds of investigation are performed: predicting the number of defects in a class; and predicting the number of lines change per class. Two neural network models are used: they are Ward neural network; and General Regression neural network (GRNN). Object-oriented design metrics concerning inheritance related measures, complexity measures, cohesion measures, coupling measures and memory allocation measures are used as the independent variables. GRNN network model is found to predict more accurately than Ward network model.


The article is about the popularizing science dimension of the journalistic text, its reformating character and didacticity. The analysis focuses on the treatment of economy information throughout the crisis, because of its specialized nature, requiring a discursive strategy to make the rigour of presentation compatible with the wide heterogeneous receiver that is typical of the media. This informative process requires a recontextualization of the specialized knowledge that is developed through three procedures: the reworking of the original conceptual networks, the retextualization of scientific discourse in the journalistic environment and reconceptualization affecting terminology and lexical referents. Â


Hijama means cupping, but in Arab and Muslim culture it refers to wet cupping. At present, there is much controversy around the practice of wet cupping. To evaluate the current scientific evidence for Hijama, specifically wet cupping, we searched for relevant literature using CAM on PubMed, ACP journal club, Cochrane controlled trials register, Cochrane database of systematic reviews, Cochrane methodology register, database of abstracts of reviews of effects, health technology assessment database, Journals@Ovid, MEDLINE and the NHS economic evaluation database. Three systematic reviews investigated the effectiveness of wet and dry cupping. Two of the reviews found some evidence of effectiveness for cupping and pain. Favourable effects were reported for wet cupping when used as an adjuvant to conventional drugs. The third systematic review found very little evidence of effectiveness for cupping and stroke rehabilitation. Other clinical and observational studies were of limited quality. Few randomised controlled trials have examined the effectiveness of cupping (specifically wet cupping), and those that have been published were generally of low quality, with many limitations.


The Zagórów washland (the Natura 2000 sites, Ostoja Nadwarciańska and the Warta Landscape Park) included in the ecological compensation project, provide an example of ecoturism potential to obtain information on the flora of the region and to conduct nature observations. This area is characterized by varied landscape and considerable floristic diversity. Attractiveness of the area for ecotourism was evaluated using a method proposed by Mahon and Miller based on relevés prepared in the years 2011 2012 and landscape records. Results indicate that this area thanks to its predominantly natural landscape resulting from the variety in land relief may be attractive for ecotourism. This is confirmed by the presence of protected species, observations of natural succession in flood meadows, high resistance to recreation land use assessed based on the threshold load index, as well as considerable health-promoting and psychoregulatory value of distinguished communities. Moreover, this object provides an opportunity to investigate the effect of water management on vegetation, and thus to observe succession changes and to control them, which is also an element connected with pure science and education in the promotion of environmental protection and management.


The limited opportunities available for refugees to resettle in a third country, the reluctance of refugees to voluntarily repatriate to place of origin and the unwillingness of some host countries to encourage the integration of refugees have led to protracted refugee situations, especially in developing countries. This paper assesses factors likely to influence the integration of refugees at a camp near Krisan in the Western Region of Ghana within the context of refugee-host interaction. Quantitative data were collected from 180 people from the host population and 180 refugees and in-depth interviews were held with opinion leaders, representatives of UNHCR and partners. The paper argues that the integration of refugees depends on the tolerance of host communities to infractions and the preparedness of the refugees to operate within the accep table norms of the community. Where the activities of refugees threaten the systems of the host population, peaceful coexistence is likely to be problematic. At Krisan, the host population has tolerated and accommodated the refugees to some extent, but there have been misunderstandings on issues such as use of forest resources. To ensure peaceful co-existence in areas such as Krisan, there is the need for periodic platforms for stakeholders to interact and address potential conflict areas. Keywords : Krisan, Refugee Settlement, refugee-host interaction, local integration, peaceful co-existence


OBJECTIVE:Recently a novel DNA virus (TT virus) has been identified in Japan and shown to be associated with elevated aminotransferase levels after blood transfusion. The exact role of TTV in the pathogenesis of liver disease is yet to be established. Our aim was to determine the prevalence and role of TTV in the pathogenesis of elevated transaminases in healthy blood donors in the absence of markers for viral hepatitis A-C.METHODS:Stored sera were collected from 99 healthy blood donors with elevated alanine amino transferase (ALT) values that were discovered at the time of blood donation. A total of 146 samples were obtained from healthy donors with normal ALT values who were used as controls. None of the patients or controls had a history of blood transfusion or had clinical signs of acute or chronic hepatitis. Serological markers for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C viruses were negative. TTV DNA was amplified and detected using polymerase chain reaction followed by gel electrophoresis.RESULTS:Five of 99 (5%) samples obtained from donors with elevated ALT had TTV DNA detected by PCR, as compared to one of 146 (0.7%) of those with normal ALT (p = 0.006). Among those with elevated ALT, mean ALT values in patients with TTV (296 ± 305 U/L) were higher than in patients without TTV (95 ± 37 U/L), but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.08). The two samples with highest ALT values (both >450 U/L) were among the five samples with detectable TTV DNA in serum.CONCLUSIONS:Although TTV is not likely to explain the majority of elevated ALT cases in otherwise healthy blood donors, TTV infection may potentially be associated with some cases. Based on these findings, we propose that the role of TTV in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic liver diseases merits further investigation.


We propose a 2D shape deformation method to fit technical drawings of garments ("flats") to body figure drawings with a diversity of fashion poses. We first dress a flat onto a body figure in a standard standing pose using Radial Basis Function (RBF) mapping. For different types of clothing, we suggest two levels of treatment to determine handles automatically. We deform the flats using the selected handles to create realistic fashion sketches that fit the garments onto fashion figures in different poses. Shape deformation is performed to minimize the distortion of all the triangles of the garment mesh and preserve garment properties in the deformation. Finally, the garment details, such as style lines and seams, are deformed accordingly for realistic deformation results. Experimental results have shown that our method can deform various garment flats to fit fashion figures in different poses.


In the Western world, governments are put in place for the benefit of the masses. Thus, in the formation of government and the initiation and implementation of policies and programmes, the interests of the masses are paramount and sacrosanct and are consequently safeguarded and protected. One cardinal factor that has made this possible is the fact that governments, in that part of the world, are formed by the compatibles - that is by people and parties that are united in thought, principle and ideology and are unwavering in their commitment to adding value to human life. Conversely, in the third world, particularly in Africa, governments are formed, in most cases, for reasons other than altruistic. Across Africa and particularly in Nigeria, governments are formed, first and foremost, to benefit individuals, ethnic and social groups. Since being in government is generally seen as being at the fountain-head of wealth as well as the best form of insurance against domination by other ethnic or social groups, ethnic groups (and by implication, political parties which, more often than not, are ethnically or regionally based) do everything possible to control or partly control the federal government. Since Nigeria is a multi-ethnic state with no nationally acknowledged political leader; with the exception of the present People's Democratic Party government, Nigeria's federal governments had always been in the form of alliance between political parties. In the formation of these alliances however, principle and ideology have no place whatsoever and since ideological compatibility is what keeps alliance-governments together, virtually all Nigeria's alliance-governments turned out to be governments by incompatibles. This article examines the reasons for and the consequences of the formation of one of such governments by incompatibles in Nigeria.

 Key words: governments by incompatibles, alliance-governments, masses, political parties, Africa, Western World.


Ejaculated boar sperm were incubated with explants of porcine oviductal mucosa that had been dissected from the isthmic and ampullar regions of gilts. Sperm bound within minutes to the epithelial surfaces of the explants. Binding was not affected by region (isthmus or ampulla) nor day of estrous cycle (Day 0 or Day 10), but was increased by addition of 70 pg/ml 17 beta-estradiol to the medium. Scanning electron micrographs indicated that sperm bound, via the acrosomal region, to ciliated cells. After 24 h, the numbers of bound sperm dropped significantly, but the motility of the bound sperm did not. A mucous material that entrapped sperm was observed on the epithelial surfaces of 23/32 isthmic and only 4/32 ampullar explants. These results indicate that sperm sticking to ciliated cells and mucus can create a sperm reservoir in the isthmus, but the means by which sperm are released remain unknown.