The recent progression of modern computer architectures from serial to multi-core to many-core has raised numerous questions about the placement of parallel computing topics in undergraduate computer science curricula. While several papers have explored how programming and algorithms courses might introduce parallel programming topics, there has been very little discussion of the changes needed in computer organization and architecture coursework to help students understand key issues about the behavior of these platforms. To increase the relevance of these courses and to tackle more modern architectural issues, we propose extending the performance coverage of a traditional computer organization course to include an exploration of the quantitative characterization of a program's performance on a variety of architectural platforms, including modern GPU hardware.
 In this paper, we outline the changes made to the Computer Organization and Design course at University of Wisconsin -- Eau Claire. These modifications included a 3 week unit on the basics of parallel and GPU architectures, along with a tiered project on program optimization.


Porous silk fibroin/sodium alginate hybrid scaffolds were prepared through lyophilization method. Hybrid scaffolds were characterized for morphological and functional properties related to different mixture ratios between silk fibroin and sodium alginate. The silk fibroin/sodium alginate hybrid scaffolds showed a thin-layer structure and much more irregular rod-like structure appeared at the layer surface after adding 50% sodium alginate. The results of wide-angle X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared analysis confirmed that the crystal structure of silk fibroin was not influenced by adding the different contents of sodium alginate, exhibiting the random coil structure in the hybrid scaffolds. The thermal behavior of the hybrid scaffolds exhibited major change with containing 30% sodium alginate or more. The porosity of the scaffolds varied between 92 and 94% with a favorable compressive modulus and stress. The mechanical properties results depicted the hybrid scaffolds containing 10% sodium alginate, with a porosity of 94.0 ± 0.10%, attained the highest compressive modulus and stress for 41 ± 6 and 44 ± 3 kPa, respectively. In addition, mineralization results showed hydroxyapatite crystal growing on the surface of the scaffold. This hybrid biomaterial should offer new and important options to the needs related to biomineralization and tissue engineering, in general. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:129–136, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers


This article argues that Adam Smith's notion of sympathy and the impartial spectator in his work The Theory of Moral Sentiments [1759] connects the individual to society. In this work, Smith's economics are far more complex than mere self-interest as a driver of commerce. Self-interest functions within a socio-ethical framework that limits excess and narcissism. However, morality was not based on normative assumptions for Smith and Hume. Morality was directly linked to social and cognitive processes in which the approbation of others was important. In other words, behaviour was based on the perceptions of others; therefore, action was to be adjusted to obtain sympathy. The impartial spectator refers to the cognitive process in which moral assessments are made. Therefore, the empiricism of Smith differs from determinism as related to physical causation because it operates through habituation and/or socialisation that can accommodate change and variation. Clearly, the socio-cultural presupposition of society directly influences the moral judgment of the individual. However, this deterministic tendency may result in an uncritical assessment of moral behaviour. To address this potential limitation of determinism, the embodied phenomenology of Merleau-Ponty is explored as an alternative theory which attempts to move beyond a dualism rooted in materialism/idealism. This perspective may expand on Smith's economics by adding a more inclusive assessment of behaviour. Specifically, Merleau-Ponty's corporeality provides a theory of behaviour that goes beyond a particular society's perceptions of acceptable behaviour. This framework may provide the impartial spectator with a more encompassing perspective on moral assessment that may also be beneficial for sustainable commerce. It will be proposed that Merleau-Ponty's embodied phenomenology and the hyper-dialectic of the flesh highlights the role of accountability and dialogue in moral assessment that may contribute to responsible economics in the South African context.


The development of clinically overt porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) can be attributed to joint effects of genetic predisposition and environmental factors. Regarding exogen factors, studies from several countries published in the last years gave an account of significantly higher frequency of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in PCT patients compared to the normal population. At the Department of Dermatology of University of Debrecen the prevalence of positive anti-HCV antibodies has been found in approximately 55% of PCT patients diagnosed from 1990 to 1999, which is comparable to the average prevalence rate seen in Southern-European countries. The majority of male patients were anti-HCV positive and consumed regularly alcohol, whereas every female patient had taken contraceptives. Liver enzymes were only slightly elevated in the majority of the patients and liver biopsy had to be performed only in three patients duo to chronic hepatitis. Our findings emphasise how important the screening of PCT patients for anti-HCV antibody considering that it might be important quo ad vitam for young men.


Impedance and phase measurements on a sandwiched-structure thin-film device thick were carried out at room temperature as a function of frequency in the range 0.1 Hz - 1.0 MHz under dark and visible-light environments . A thorough impedance analysis was carried out using two types of equivalent-circuit model to explain the observed AC behaviour. One of these models utilizes the classical concept of interfacial space-charge polarization based on the Maxwell - Wagner two-layer capacitor system, whereas the other takes into consideration the physical meaning of a optoelectronic device. The latter model has been invoked to calculate the individual electrical, photoelectric and dielectric parameters of the . The results of such an analysis enable us to deduce a value for the room-temperature volume dark resistivity of the material equal to . Furthermore, these results confirm that the photoconduction phenomenon in is due to semiconductivity with the photoconductivity varying with light intensity F according to the generally accepted experimental power law of the form , with . The relative dielectric constant of this semi-insulating material has been found, for the first time, to have a value of 14.9, irrespective of the illumination level. On the other hand, the electrical, photoelectric and dielectric properties associated with the contact, which is probably responsible for the low-frequency dispersion in the device, were found to have a large influence on its overall AC characteristics and this has been attributed to interfacial space-charge effects which seem to be enhanced by illumination.


This thesis is a comparable study between a conventional tanker hull design and a tanker hull design when introducing the "Air cavity" bottom structure. The study is initiated by Stena Teknik to investigate the structural and hydrostatic effects. The concept "Air Cavity", were air pockets are introduced in the bottom structure, holds air kept under the hull so the vessel "floats" on cushions of air. The interface between the water and the air provides a lower viscous friction than the interface between water and the hull. Investigating this alternative hull design is an important step for the continuous work to reduce fuel consumption and environmental impact. The objective is to identify and evaluate how the two designs relate to each other with respect to cargo loading properties, steel weight, critical structural areas and intact stability. The hydrodynamic data, from were the resistance reduction is taken, is a separate study and will not be covered in this thesis. The conventional tanker hull have been be modelled to serve as a reference, while the new Air cavity hull design have been modelled from scratch, using the conventional hull as a design platform. The structure of the two designs was evaluated with respect to CSR (Common Structural Rules) as well as with the general stability requirements. A financial indication is done for the two concepts to further understand the impact of an Air cavity design. The Air cavity design complies with the general stability requirements. Structural results indicate an increased steel weight of 6% and reduced cargo volume of 7% for the midship section. A shift in the stress distribution between the two designs is clearly seen and critical areas around the cavities are identified. Based on these indicators the efficiency of the Air cavity system could be estimated. This was done with 15% friction reduction including loss for the air compressors/fans and systems for maintaining the air pressure in the cavity. Air cavity related systems and equipment is roughly estimated and included in the cost breakdown. The bunker savings need to meet the added financial cost, "break-even" is met at bunker reduction of 19%, which equals the frictional reduction 26%.


DNA variants that alter gene expression contribute to variation in many phenotypic traits. In particular, trans-acting variants, which are often located on different chromosomes from the genes they affect, are an important source of heritable gene expression variation. However, our knowledge about the identity and mechanism of causal trans-acting variants remains limited. Here, we developed a fine-mapping strategy called CRISPR-Swap and dissected three expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) hotspots known to alter the expression of numerous genes in trans in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Causal variants were identified by engineering recombinant alleles and quantifying the effects of these alleles on the expression of a green fluorescent protein-tagged gene affected by the given locus in trans. We validated the effect of each variant on the expression of multiple genes by RNA-sequencing. The three variants were strikingly different in their molecular mechanism, the type of genes they reside in, and their distribution in natural populations. While a missense leucine-to-serine variant at position 63 in the transcription factor Oaf1 (L63S) was almost exclusively present in the reference laboratory strain, the two other variants were frequent among S. cerevisiae isolates. A causal missense variant in the glucose receptor Rgt2 (V539I) occurred at a poorly conserved amino acid residue and its effect was strongly dependent on the concentration of glucose in the culture medium. A noncoding variant in the conserved fatty acid regulated (FAR) element of the OLE1 promoter influenced the expression of the fatty acid desaturase Ole1 in cis and, by modulating the level of this essential enzyme, other genes in trans. The OAF1 and OLE1 variants showed a non-additive genetic interaction, and affected cellular lipid metabolism. These results revealed remarkable diversity in the molecular basis of trans-regulatory variation, highlighting the challenges in predicting which natural genetic variants affect gene expression. Author summary Differences in the DNA sequence of individual genomes contribute to differences in many traits, such as appearance, physiology, and the risk for common diseases. An important group of these DNA variants influences how individual genes across the genome are turned on or off. In this paper, we describe a strategy for identifying such "trans-acting" variants in different strains of baker's yeast. We used this strategy to reveal three single DNA base changes that each influences the expression of dozens of genes. These three DNA variants were very different from each other. Two of them changed the protein sequence, one in a transcription factor and the other in a sugar sensor. The third changed the expression of an enzyme, a change that in turn caused other genes to alter their expression. One variant existed in only a few yeast isolates, while the other two existed in many isolates collected from around the world. This diversity of DNA variants that influence the expression of many other genes illustrates how difficult it is to predict which DNA variants in an individual's genome will have effects on the organism.


The Terahertz Intensity Mapper (TIM) is designed to probe the star formation history in dust-obscured star-forming galaxies around the peak of cosmic star formation. This will be done via measurements of the redshifted 157.7 µm line of singly ionized carbon ([CII]). TIM employs two R~250 long-slit grating spectrometers covering 240 to 420 µm. Each is equipped with a focal plane unit containing four wafer-sized subarrays of horn-coupled aluminum kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs). We present the design and performance of a prototype focal plane assembly for one of TIM's KID-based subarrays. The overall detector package must satisfy thermal and mechanical requirements, while maintaining high optical efficiency and a suitable electromagnetic environment for the KIDs. In particular, our design manages to strictly maintain a 50 µm air gap between the array and the horn block. The prototype detector housing in combination with the first flight-like quadrant were tested at 250 mK. A frequency scan using a vector network analyzer shows 823 resonance features, which represents ⪆90% yield, indicating a good performance of our TIM detector wafer and the whole focal plane unit. Initial measurements also showed that many resonances were affected by collisions and/or very shallow transmission dips as a result of a degraded internal quality factor. This is attributed to the presence of an external magnetic field during cooldown. We report on a study of magnetic field dependence of the quality factor of our quadrant array. We implemented a Helmholtz coil to vary the magnetic field at the detectors by (partially) nulling earth's. Our investigation shows that the earth magnetic field can significantly affect our KIDs' performance by degrading the quality factor by a factor of two to five, well below those expected from the operational temperature or optical loading. We find that we can sufficiently recover our detectors' quality factor by tuning the current in the coils to generate a field that matches earth's magnetic field in magnitude to within a few µT. We emphasize that it is impractical to fly a Helmholtz coil on TIM and dynamically "null" earth's. Therefore, it is necessary to employ a properly designed magnetic shield enclosing the TIM focal plane unit. Based on the results presented in this paper, we set a shielding requirement of |B| ⪅3 µT.


Abstract Asian tiger mosquitoes (Aedes albopictus (Skuse)) are a highly invasive global pest capable of transmitting a range of viruses to humans, including dengue and chikungunya. In recent years these mosquitoes have invaded temperate regions of developed nations and been responsible for large outbreaks of disease in both tropical and temperate climes. Now widely spread throughout the Torres Strait islands north of Queensland and repeatedly detected at ports, invasion and colonisation of mainland Australia is considered highly likely. In this article, the probable geographic range of the species in Australia and changes to vector-borne disease risk are reviewed. Aedes albopictus is capable of colonising much of Australia's north and east coasts, although predictions vary. This species should flourish in water-filled containers in urban areas and could add significantly to nuisance biting. While dengue transmission in Australia is currently restricted to Queensland, the spread of A. albopictus throughout coastal northern and eastern Australia could extend the range in which dengue transmission may occur. However, any displacement of the existing dengue vector in Queensland (Aedes aegypti (L.)) could ironically decrease dengue risk there given that A. albopictus is a less efficient vector of this virus. Furthermore, such spread could make densely populated eastern Australia susceptible to chikungunya transmission, a virus not yet established here but increasingly detected in arriving travellers. Further work with biologically realistic, mechanistic computer modelling is required to clarify the likely geographic spread of A. albopictus and subsequent disease implications. Such work will allow public health and preventative quarantine strategies to be devised and implemented at high risk areas.


In the present paper, synthesis of few novel pregnane derivatives and their evaluation as potential
anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-oxidant agents has been reported. The synthesis of 3β-hydroxy-
16α-methoxy pregn-5-en-20-one (4) was achieved by reaction of 3β-hydroxy-5,16-pregnadiene-20-one
(3) with KOH/MeOH under reflux. Compound 4 on treatment with succinic and phthalic anhydride afforded
compound 6 and 7, respectively. The reaction of the C-20-oxime-pregnadiene (8) with 1,5-
dibromohexane yielded 20-(O-6-bromo hexyl)-oximino-3β-hydroxy-pregn-5, 16-diene (9). A novel
heterocyclic derivative 3β-hydroxy-androst-5-en [17,16-c]-2′-methyl-7′ bromo-3′,4′-dihydro quinoline
(16) was synthesized by reaction of 3 with 3-bromoaniline. However, attempted synthesis of other heterocyclic
derivatives by reaction of (3) with other halogenated amine led to Aza-Michael addition
products (10-14). The synthesized compounds were also evaluated for their anti-hyperlipidemic and
anti-oxidant activities. Compounds 6 and 14 were found to exhibit more lipid lowering and antioxidant
activities in comparison to other compounds.


Many pathogenic mycobacteria are known to cause severe disease in humans and animals. M. avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map) is the causative agent of Johne's disease—a chronic wasting disease affecting ruminants such as cattle and sheep, responsible for significant economic losses in the dairy and beef industries. Due to the lack of treatment options or effective vaccines, mitigating losses can be difficult. In addition, the early stages of Map infection may occur in asymptomatic hosts that continue to shed viable bacteria in their faeces, leading to the infection of other healthy animals. Using multi-locus short sequence repeat (ML-SSR) analysis we previously reported that individual Johne's positive dairy cattle from farms across the island of Newfoundland were infected by Map with multiple SSR-types simultaneously. The occurrence of multiple mixed genotype infections has the potential to change pathogen and disease dynamics as well as reduce the efficacy of treatments and vaccines. Therefore, we conducted whole genome sequencing (WGS) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis on a subset of these isolates for a more in-depth examination. We also implemented a PCR assay using two discriminatory SNPs and demonstrated the incidence of a mixed infection by three genotypically diverse Map isolates in a single animal. In addition, results show that WGS and SNP analysis can provide a better understanding of the relationship between Map isolates from individual and different animals. In the future such studies on the occurrence of mixed genotype infections could potentially lead to the identification of variable pathogenicity of different genotypes and allow for better tracking of Map isolates for epidemiological studies.


How does President Clinton's leadership style influence the nature of the White House and its organization? This paper presents a framework that links leadership style to patterns of authority and coordination in advisory systems and explores how the early Clinton administration fits within this framework. In making judgments about Clinton and his advisers, the analysis builds from a personality profile of him done by the author as well as descriptions and observations by journalists and associates during the campaign, from the time he was governor of Arkansas, and during the first seven months of his presidency.


Recent advances in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have provided an unprecedented peek into the activity of subareas of major anatomical structures in the healthy human brain. However, little is known about subregional activity in the human amygdala, a small, almondshaped corticoid structure in the medial temporal lobe that lacks clear MRI landmarks for compartmentalization of its dozen nuclei. Previous attempts to localize functions within the amygdala using standard fMRI either have relied on gross subdivisions, such as quadrants (Dolcos et al., 2004), or have estimated where the peak activation clusters lie (Davis et al., 2010), sometimes with the aid of probabilistic atlases (Amunts et al., 2005). In pages 134–145 of this volume, Prevost et al. (2011) use high-resolution fMRI to evaluate amygdalar subregional responses during reward and avoidance learning. Their paper makes several important methodological advances, including improved resolution using a tailored fMRI protocol, increased precision due to a region-of-interest-based alignment approach and lack of spatial smoothing, and better specification of behavioral correlates using computational modeling. The results indicate that the centromedial (CM) and basolateral (BLA) divisions make dissociable contributions to avoidance and reward learning, respectively, for coding action value at the time of choice and for evaluating estimation uncertainty of the cue. The CM further correlated with reward value of anticipatory state signals in the avoidance condition. However, a lateral region of the BLA correlated with reward prediction errors at the time of trial outcome during both learning conditions, albeit in adjacent sectors. These findings contribute to the broader literature regarding specialization of rewardand avoidance-based learning systems in the human brain and demonstrate the potential efficacy of high-resolution fMRI for investigating larger amygdalar subdivisions. Yet the findings show that reward and avoidance learning may not be neatly compartmentalized across subnuclear divisions in all aspects, and, curiously, neither region showed increased activation to putative aversive signals (loss of money) in the avoidance condition. Discrepancies between these observations and the clear role of both the BLA and the CM during classical fear conditioning remain to be resolved. Future studies could further validate anatomical localization by considering the known differences in relative connectivity of the CM and BLA with subcortical versus cortical association areas, respectively (Swanson & Petrovich, 1998), as demonstrated by Etkin et al. (2009) using functional connectivity analyses.


This article explores how elderly English-speaking Indian immigrant women living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada perceive and manage mental distress. With elders' consent, in-depth interviews were recorded, transcribed and transcripts were thematically analyzed. The findings suggest that these women believed that to lower the risk of mental distress it is critical for individuals to `maximize control over inner self' by `being busy.' The elder's busy behavior is framed within the Indian cultural and spiritual/faith matrix in dialogue with acculturation experiences in Canada. `Staying busy' allows these elders to use culture as a `moral medicine' to facilitate coping and adaptation.


We administered neurocognitive batteries to 49 youth soccer athletes (9–15 yr), who were selected from competitive soccer teams in Central Florida. We collected observational data on soccer heading, self-reported soccer heading, as well as demographics, including school, medical, and soccer history. Both the frequency and intensity of heading the ball in soccer was low in comparison with adolescents and adults. In our sample, the vast majority of soccer headings were of low to moderate intensity and direct (i.e., the incoming flight of the ball was perpendicular to the forehead). Age significantly correlated with frequent heading. Parents were reliable observers of their children's soccer heading behavior and other at-risk behaviors during games. The majority of soccer headings were direct rather than flicks. Almost half of our participants reported headache and one-fourth reported dizziness after instances of heading the ball. Frequency of soccer heading was not related to neuropsychological score data.


Paulomycin A2 (C34H46N2O17S), paulomycin C (C32H42N2O17S), paulomycin D (C31H40N2O17S), paulomycin E (C29H36N2O16S) and paulomycin F (C29H38N2O16S) have been isolated from fermentations of Streptomyces paulus strain 273. The structure of these compounds was determined using NMR and mass spectroscopic techniques. The new paulomycins, like paulomycins A and B (J. Antibiotics 35: 285-294, 1982) are highly active mainly against Gram-positive organisms.


ABSTRACT In lieu of the market model of vote buying, this study probes how brokers do their work of securing votes and what meanings people attach to the giving and receiving of money during elections. Based on an ethnography of a rural village in Camarines Sur province during the 9 May 2016 election campaign period, this study points to the strategic importance of ad hoc alliance systems that are not necessarily aligned with formal party structures. Created to promote a local candidate, an alliance network relies on village brokers, who engage in personalized communication strategies to convince voters to support specific candidates. However, competing alliance networks create deep social fractures. Amid social tensions, brokers establish relationships with voters in the context of which money is given not in exchange for a vote but as a reward for joining an alliance. Voters, for their part, regard money from their own moral perspectives. This study advances a cultural model of alliance systems in which broker agency, voter agency, and social relationships play key roles.


In this paper, we present a model to propose an optimal placement for a robot in a social group interaction. Our model estimates the O-space according to the F-formation theory. The method automatically calculates a suitable placement for the robot. An evaluation of the method has been performed by conducting an experiment where participants stand in different formations and a robot is teleoperated to join the group. In one condition, the operator positions the robot according to the specified location given by our algorithm. In another condition, operators have the freedom to position the robot according to their personal choice. Follow-up questionnaires were performed to determine which of the placements were preferred by the participants. The results indicate that the proposed method for automatic placement of the robot is supported from the participants. The contribution of this work resides in a novel method to automatically estimate the best placement of the robot, as well as the results from user experiments to verify the quality of this method. These results suggest that teleoperated robots such as mobile robot telepresence systems could benefit from tools that assist operators in placing the robot in groups in a socially accepted manner.


ABSTRACT

Setyadi, Muhamad Ravly. 2019. "Prinsip Sopan Santun dalam Film Animasi Kaguya Hime no Monogatari". Thesis, Department of Japanese Language and Culture, Fakulty of Humanities, Diponegoro University. The Advisor : Maharani Patria Ratna, S.S., M.Hum.
This research has two goals. First, describe violations and obedience of maxim politeness in animated film Kaguya Hime no Monogatari. Second, describe the impact of violations and obedience of maxim politeness in animated film Kaguya Hime no Monogatari.
This researh uses conversations in animated film Kaguya Hime no Monogatari as the data resource. This type of reseacrh is qualitative with descriptive form. The research consist of three stages. First, providing data using refer to method with techical notes. Second, analyzing data using "padan ekstralingual" method. The theory which used in this reach are Leech's maxim of politness theory, Austin's speech act classification theory, Searle' Illocution act classification theory, and Alston's perlocution vebrs. And the last was presenting data using informal method.
Based on the analysis, the animated film "Kaguya Hime no Monogatari", the lessons that speaker of compliance or violation of politeness maxim try to give the participants are to behave politely and treat others appropriately.
Keywords: Kaguya Hime, Politness, Perlocution


The linear mixed model is one of the common models used to analyze the longitudinal data;it may comprise of separate (Univariate), joint Bivariate, and joint Multivariate linear mixed model, which is predicted on the number of response variables incorporated in the analysis. Adjusting for correlation matrix and covariance matrix between and within subjects is one reason why modern longitudinal data analysis techniques are deemed more appropriate than some of the previous methods of analysis. Some studies assume that the correlation between observation is zero. However, it is unlikely that repeated measurements on the same individual Will actually be independent. To that end, comparing the different linear mixed models identifying the appropriate model demonstrates that the evolution of patients with congestive heart failure is necessary.In this study the separate, bivariate, and multivariate linear mixed models were compared with different covariance and correlation structures. Finally, a multivariate linear mixed model with autoregressive order one correlation structure and unstructured covariance structure for random effects, to consider within and between patient's variations, was considered as a best model to depict the evolution of patients with congestive heart failure.


Newborn screening for cystic fibrosis (CF) remains controversial largely because its implementation is less a scientific decision than a resolution of different and often conflicting normative values that underlie the policy issues framing the debate. This article summarizes the literature published between May 2001 and April 2002 (and relevant earlier literature) regarding the screening and treatment goals, clinical benefits and harms, and programmatic and ethical issues. Finally, we will present an analysis to argue for one set of ethical considerations that point to very specific policy recommendations that would justify CF newborn screening in certain circumstances and make its implementation more ethically appropriate.


This paper shows the adoption of cloud computing (CC) as a tool to promote strategic alignment of Information Technology (IT) to business. Using elements from literature on CC as the benefits brought by its adoption and on strategic alignment of information technology to business, the article reveals how the emerging technology of CC has the ability both to influence and enable new business strategies, such as opening new market opportunities for organizations. Through a multiple case study were identified as the adoption of CC was able both to support and shape business strategies, but also to promote integration between infrastructure and processes business and IT infrastructure and processes. Opportunities for strategic alignment could be observed with the CC adoption to meet a specific need of one company and also as a result of a more general strategy of the organization adopting it as a model for services delivery.


We introduce the R-package 'birdring', which provides a collection of R-functions to help with the analysis of ring re-encounter data. At present, it contains functions to read EURING data into R, to draw maps for visualising recovery data, to re-code EURING code into interpretable names, and to calculate the loxodromic and orthodromic distances between two encounter locations. The package also allows spatially different re-encounter probabilities to be estimated using the division-coefficient method. A function to obtain the proportional overlap between prior and posterior distributions facilitates parameter estimability, which is often an issue in mark–recapture models. The package is a work-in-progress and we welcome additional contributions of functions for the analysis of ring re-encounter data.


We analyze the evolution of crop and livestock producer prices and wages of unskilled laborers in Ethiopia between January 2014 and January 2017 to evaluate the effect of El Nino triggered droughts – which started in 2015 – that massively impacted parts of the country. The analyses reveal no evidence of widespread adverse price effects of the drought in cereal and labor markets. Real prices of major cereals were lower in January 2017 compared to three years earlier, especially for maize, sorghum, and wheat – the crops that are the major source of calories in areas that were most hit by drought. The decline in the cost of cereals in the food basket in January 2017 compared to three years earlier was estimated at 13.3 percent at the national level. Moreover, this decline in cereal costs was highest in areas most affected by the drought, possibly indicating the effect of major cereal imports and food aid directed to these areas. Considering crop and livestock prices jointly, the analysis reveals that livestock-cereal terms of trade improved. This is mainly due to the fact that although livestock prices declined during this period, as is usually seen in droughts, this decline was less than the decline in prices of cereals in such areas. The fluctuating behavior of cereal prices since January 2015 strikingly contrasts with the El Nino triggered major drought during 1997/98 in Ethiopia. During that period, cereal production declined by 25 percent compared to the year before, with significant increases in the real price of cereals, ranging between 15 and 45 percent. In contrast, in 2016 real cereal prices declined, which appears consistent with the relatively larger cereal imports and lower impacts of the drought on national cereal production in 2015/16.


The main objective of this paper was to investigate the effect of horizontal force on the behavior of airfield pavement and new reinforced concrete slab during aircraft ground operation. In addition, the effects of various aircraft's wheel load configurations on the predicted airfield pavement life were discussed. To achieve these objectives, theoretical analysis, using the finite element (FE) programs SAP2000 and (ADINA) were performed. The maximum surface deflection, the maximum horizontal tensile strain (et) at the bottom of asphalt concrete (AC) layer and the maximum compressive strain (ec) at the top of subgrade are the most commonly used criteria for flexible pavement design and they are used in this study as the basis of measuring the flexible pavement response. The research plan includes studying different sections of airfield pavements, where different AC layer thickness and different AC module were used. Based on the work of this study, modulus of elasticity, E1 had a significant effect on the flexible pavement response and the predicted pavement life and there are three forces acting on the pavement through the tire: 1) longitudinal force (LGF), which is the tractive or breaking force, 2) lateral force (LTF) and 3) vertical wheel load (VL) which also affect the pavement response and predicted pavement life. It is shown in this study that the new reinforced concrete slab gives better results.


Ceria based electrolyte materials are very useful in intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell (IT-SOFC). The compositions Ce0.85Gd0.15 - xCaxO2 - δ (x = 0.0 - 0.075) were prepared through sol-gel method. Their structure was studied by X-ray diffraction. Dense ceramic Ce0.85Gd0.15 - xCaxO2 - δ samples were prepared by sintering the pellets at 1300°C. The lattice parameter was calculated by Rietveld refinement of XRD patterns. Four probe A.C. impedance spectroscopy was used to study the total ionic conductivity of doped and co-doped ceria ceramics in the temperature range 200°C - 700°C. The Ce0.85Gd0.15 -xCaxO2 -δ composition showed maximum ionic conductivity with less activation energy.


BACKGROUND
Although the Running Anaerobic Sprint Test (RAST) presents reliability when performed on firmer surfaces (i.e. athletic track), its application on less rigid surfaces can compromise the measure determinations. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the RAST reliability for soccer players performing on grass, and wearing soccer cleats.

METHODS
Fourteen soccer players (16±1 years, 72.3±10.3 kg, 177.2±8.4 cm, 14.5±5.3% of fat mass, and VO2MAX of 52.0±5.1 mL∙kg-1∙min-1) performed six maximal 35-meter effort interspersed by 10s of passive rest (RAST). After 48h the RAST was repeated to test the reliability. The main variables analyzed were the peak power (PP), mean power (MP), fatigue indexes (FI), and impulse (ImP). The reproducibility of test and re-test was tested through the Student's t Test to paired samples, intraclass correlation (ICC), typical error (TE), and coefficient of variation (CV%).

RESULTS
The PP (test=701.4±169.5 W; re-test 712.4±142.3 W), MP (test=538.6±111.4 W; re-test=551.9±101.1 W), and the ImP (test=2841.2±461.8 N∙s; re-test=2797.2±575.9 N∙s) were not different, presented significant correlation between the situations (ICC=0.88; 0.96 e 0.93; respectively), and low values of TE (71.9 W; 30.6 W e 191.1 N∙s, respectively) and CV% (10.2%; 5.9% e 6.8%, respectively). The FI (test=40.1±5.8; re-test=38.7±7.7%) were not significantly related between the test and re-test, and presented high TE (5.7%) and CV% (14.4%).

CONCLUSIONS
We can conclude that RAST presents high reliability when performed on grass with soccer cleats, just as rigid surfaces. Besides, the ImP is more robust than the.


Background: Indicators of malnourishment among children include stunting and underweight. Son preference may result in increases in stunting among girls. Socioeconomic variables, such as mother's education level and wealth status, may affect the likelihood of stunting and son preference. The purpose of this study is to explore the role of son preference, mother's education, and wealth status on boys' and girls' stunting in India.
Method and material: Data from the Third National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) of India are used in this study. Path analysis using OLS is conducted to examine the impact of son preference, mother's education, and wealth status on boys' and girls' stunting in India.
Results: Results indicate a significant difference in the mean levels of stunting among girls and boys. Mother's education and wealth status reduce son preference as well as stunting among both boy and girl children. However, gender preference for boys bears a net negative effect on the stunting level of girls. Preference for girls has no significant effect on girls' stunting scores.
Conclusion: The phenomenon of stunting in India is highly prevalent.. This study finds empirical support for the cultural explanation of malnutrition. The problem of stunting in India is much more than an issue of poverty. We conclude that malnutrition reduction policies should consider programs that address cultural factors that support son preference.


Two strategies have been developed to improve DNA recovery in terms of yield, purity and unbiased representation of the microbial diversity. However, amplification of DNA from soil is often inhibited by co-purified contaminants. Furthermore, DNA is also suitable for PCR amplification using various DNA targets. This review presents an overview of the available methods to achieve this challenging objective. DNA was extracted from 100 g of soil using direct lysis with glass beads and SDS followed by potassium acetate precipitation, polyethylene glycol precipitation, phenol extraction and isopropanol precipitation.


In vitro studies suggest that combined activation of hypoxia‐inducible factor (HIF) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) promotes the hypoxia response. However, their interrelationship in vivo remains poorly defined. The present study investigated the possible relationship between HIF‐1 upregulation and STAT3 activation in the rodent kidney in vivo. Activation of HIF‐1 and STAT3 was analysed by immunohistochemical staining and western blot analysis in: (i) models of hypoxia‐associated kidney injury induced by radiocontrast media or rhabdomyolysis; (ii) following activation of STAT3 by the interleukin (IL)‐6–soluble IL‐6 receptor complex; or (iii) following HIF‐1α stabilization using hypoxic and non‐hypoxic stimuli (mimosine, FG‐4497, CO, CoCl2) and in targeted von Hippel‐Lindau‐knockout mice. Western blot analysis and immunostaining revealed marked induction of both transcription factors under all conditions tested, suggesting that in vivo STAT3 can trigger HIF and vice versa. Colocalization of HIF‐1α and phosphorylated STAT3 was detected in some, but not all, renal cell types, suggesting that in some cells a paracrine mechanism may be responsible for the reciprocal activation of the two transcription factors. Nevertheless, in several cell types spatial concordance was observed under the majority of conditions tested, suggesting that HIF‐1 and STAT3 may act as cotranscription factors. These in vivo studies suggest that, in response to renal hypoxic‐stress, upregulation of HIF‐1 and activation of STAT3 may be both reciprocal and cell type dependent.


An important vision of Service-Oriented Computing is to dynamically discover and bind services at run-time. Nowadays, how to identify relevant services which satisfy the desired goal by considering business policies is still a challenge. Although multiple efforts have tried to address this issue, these efforts usually provide solutions based on private specifications and protocols, not based on open standards. It causes obstacles to achieve interoperability among services from different organizations. In this paper, we present an approach integrating SAWSDL and OWL to enable annotating Quality of Business Services (QoBS) for describing business rules and constraints. Besides, we provide a method to classify the QoBS annotations and to reason out the matching degree from the viewpoint of business rules satisfaction.


To mitigate the impacts associated with adverse weather conditions, meteorological services issue weather warnings to the general public. These warnings rely heavily on forecasts issued by underlying prediction systems. When deciding which prediction system(s) to utilise when constructing warnings, it is important to compare systems in their ability to forecast the occurrence and severity of high-impact weather events. However, evaluating forecasts for particular outcomes is known to be a challenging task. This is exacerbated further by the fact that high-impact weather often manifests as a result of several confounding features, a realisation that has led to considerable research on so-called compound weather events. Both univariate and multivariate methods are therefore required to evaluate forecasts for high-impact weather. In this paper, we discuss weighted verification tools, which allow particular outcomes to be emphasised during forecast evaluation. We review and compare different approaches to construct weighted scoring rules, both in a univariate and multivariate setting, and we leverage existing results on weighted scores to introduce conditional probability integral transform (PIT) histograms, allowing forecast calibration to be assessed conditionally on particular outcomes having occurred. To illustrate the practical benefit afforded by these weighted verification tools, they are employed in a case study to evaluate probabilistic forecasts for extreme heat events issued by the Swiss Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss).


SUMMARY

Open comedones from thirty-eight patients with acne vulgaris on the face or back were compared for microbial flora. A total of eighty-three comedones from the face and sixty-three from the upper back were individually processed for quantitative bacterial analysis.

The greatest difference between the flora of comedones at these two sites was that 44.6% of comedones from the back (compared to 9.6% from the face) harboured no aerobic cocci. The decreased prevalence of staphylococci in the lesions from the back reflects the relative absence of these organisms in isolated follicles from normal uninvolved skin of the back.

The geometric mean count of anaerobes in comedones from the back was in the same range as the count found in isolated follicles in normal uninvolved skin in a previous study.

This work supports the concept that the bacterial flora of comedones is an extension of the follicular flora and may be unrelated to the event of comedogenesis.


The present paper investigates the influence of elasticity on drop dynamics and detachment in a viscous outer liquid. Viscous and viscoelastic fluids are injected at constant flow rate through a capillary nozzle in mineral oil. The drop and thread formation are visualized until the drop attains constant velocity. The main goal was to measure the distance between the nozzle and the moving drop, prior and after detachment until the drop reaches constant velocity. Experiments are performed with polyacrylamide solutions in water and a fast camera of 400 fps was used to record the dynamics of the drop. A theoretical approach is also presented, aimed at describing the time dependence of velocity and acceleration of the drop.


We propose to extend the well-known three-cycle view for design science research (DSR) with a fourth cycle (change and impact cycle) that captures the dynamic nature of IS artifact design for volatile environments. The appropriation of innovative designs results in organizational changes that happen outside the new artifacts' immediate application contexts. The intention behind introducing the fourth cycle is to integrate recent advances in the DSR discourse conceptually within the DSR cycle model. We critically review such recent advances and integrate them into an extended model. We show how this change and impact (CI) cycle adds an important facet to DSR to cope with dynamic application contexts as well as artifact-induced organizational change and the resulting need for follow-up design efforts. Iterations of the CI cycle represent the continuous design evolution required to keep up with changing organizational environments.


To explore the differences of rhizo-bacterial diversity among different habits and the relationship between the quality of Fritillaria thunbergii and microbial diversity, the soil bacterial diversity was analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the content of peimine and peiminine in F. thunbergii was detected by high performance liquid chromatographic method with evaporative light scattering detection (HPLC-ELSD). For the DGGE analysis, the genetic diversity based on Shannon index of rhizo-bacterial community was the highest in Nantong (NT), followed by Chunan (CA), Panan (PA) and Ningbo (NB). Furthermore, it was significantly higher in rhizosphere soil than in non-rhizosphere soil, which indicated that some kinds of bacteria related to the growth of F. thunbergii were accumulated in rhizoshpere. Bacterial diversity based on principal component analysis (PCA) showed significant differences among all samples obtained from different habits and are divided into three major taxa: NB, CA and PA. It was found that the highest content of peimine (0.1364%) and peiminine (0.0518%) in NT, while the lowest peimine in NB (0.0646%) and the lowest peiminine (0.0316%) in PA. Moreover, the rhizo-bacterial diversity was relatively high related to the alkaloid concentration of F. thunbergii.

 Key words: Traditional Chinese medicine, Fritillaria thunbergii, 16S r DNA, PCR-DGGE, microbial diversity, HPLC-ELSD, alkaloid.


CONTEXT
The exact mechanisms responsible for increased plasma triglyceride (TG) concentration in obese people are unclear, and it is not known whether excess energy intake per se is involved in the pathophysiology of this abnormality.

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of our study was to examine how excess energy intake from a balanced diet for 1 day affects very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)-TG kinetics and its putative regulators hepatic insulin sensitivity and plasma free fatty acid availability.

SUBJECTS AND DESIGN
We used stable isotope-labeled tracer methods to evaluate glucose and lipid kinetics in 8 overweight and obese men (age, 38 ± 3 years; body mass index, 33.7 ± 1.7 kg/m(2); means ± SEM) on 2 occasions (randomized crossover design): once, the day after they consumed a balanced diet that provided an amount of energy that matched their energy expenditure, and another time, the day after they consumed a balanced diet that provided 30% excess calories. Eight healthy, lean men (34 ± 1 years; 22.5 ± 0.6 kg/m(2)) were studied under isocaloric conditions only to provide a reference for normal lipid kinetics.

RESULTS
VLDL-TG and VLDL-apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB-100) concentrations and secretion rates were significantly greater (P < .01) in overweight/obese compared with lean men. Hypercaloric, compared with isocaloric, feeding in overweight/obese men increased glucose rate of appearance in plasma (904 ± 21 vs 873 ± 26 μmol/min), the hepatic insulin resistance index (10.9 ± 2.2 vs 8.3 ± 1.8), and VLDL-apoB-100 concentration and secretion rate (1.91 ± 0.24 vs. 1.53 ± 0.13 nmol/min), whereas VLDL-apoB-100 plasma clearance rate, VLDL-TG secretion and plasma clearance rates, and free fatty acid rate of appearance in plasma were not affected by overfeeding.

CONCLUSION
One day of moderate overfeeding (30% excess energy intake) stimulates hepatic glucose and VLDL-apo B-100 secretion rates but has no effect on hepatic and adipose tissue fatty acid metabolism in overweight/obese men.


Among the parameters of an induction motor, the dynamics are largely characterised by Inertia (H) and torque-damping factor (B). It is now simple to get substation bus bar data (current and voltage) by using phasor measurement device. This paper uses that data to identify an induction motor model in frequency domain and from the model of the induction motor one can estimate B and H. In this paper estimation of parameter B and H from the frequency domain model of an induction motor is shown for a fan load by using simulation model and also a 1.5kW real motor in a Queensland University of Technology (QUT) laboratory.


Accessibility analysis can have important implications for understanding social equity in transit planning. The emergence and the increasingly broad acceptance of the general transit feed specification (GTFS) format for transit route, stop, and schedule data have revolutionized transit accessibility research by providing researchers with a convenient, publicly available source of data interoperable with common geographic information system (GIS) software. Existing approaches to GTFS-based transit analysis, however, focus on currently operating transit systems. With major transit expansions across the nation and around the world increasing in number and ambition, understanding the accessibility impacts of proposed projects in their early planning stages is crucial to achieving the greatest possible social benefit from these massive public investments. This paper describes the development of a hypothetical transit network based on current GTFS data and proposed 2040 transit improvements for the Twin Cities region of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota, as well as its use as a sketch planning tool in exploring the proposed system's impacts on access to job vacancies from historically disadvantaged areas. This research demonstrates the importance of accessibility analysis in planning a transit system that increases opportunity for marginalized workers and concludes by calling for broader, easier access to accessibility analysis for practitioners and community groups to refine the early stages of the transit planning process and democratize an increasingly crucial transit planning tool.


: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the leading cause of hospitalization in the Brazilian Unified Health System, with a mortality rate of 18% in children under 5 years of age. There-fore, there is a need for an effective treatment, including antibiotic therapy, based on the main causative agents of the infection. However, there is a risk of the development of bacterial resistance, making it necessary to monitor this use in order to reduce the speed of emergence of multidrug-resistant strains. Thus, this study aims to verify the profile of antibiotic use in children and adolescents treated at a brazilian university hospital. The research consists of a cross-sectional retrospective and descriptive study based on data obtained from medical records provided by the institution, after approval by the ethics committee, and organized in Excel spreadsheets, covering the period from September 2017 to December 2020. It was observed that the profile of this group of patients consists of: a female prevalence in 2017 and 2020 (59% and 57% respectively); while in the years 2018 and 2019, males were higher, 52% and 59%. Regarding age, the age group from 3 months to 4 years was predominant (59.64%). Regarding the use of antibiotics by age group, the following data were found: up to 3 months, the most used were ampicillin (44%) and azithromycin (24.25%); from 4 months to 4 years, ampicillin (32.9%), ceftriaxone (31.7%) and azithromycin (25.9%); and over 5 years, ceftriaxone (33.8%), ampicillin (29.95%) and azithromycin (22.22%). Thus, when comparing the profile found with that recommended by the protocol adopted by the hospital, we can conclude, with the data analyzed, that there is a negligence in the prescription of antimicrobials in the treatment of pediatric CAP, which may corroborate the growth of bacterial resistance, longer hospital stay and, as a result, greater expenditure on care and reduced favorable clinical outcome.


While B+trees are the most popular index structure for disk databases, the T-tree has been widely accepted as a promising index structure for main memory databases. For over two decades the speed of CPUs has increased faster than the speed of the main memory. Therefore, the speed gap of the CPU and memory has rapidly become steeper, and memory access has become the new bottleneck in databases. In this paper we explore concurrency control and recovery in a new index structure Tlink-tree which enhances the cache usage, reduces the number of rotate operations and the overhead required for balancing the tree by delayed split and deletion.


can be found at: International Journal of Cross Cultural Management Additional services and information for http://ccm.sagepub.com/cgi/alerts  Email Alerts: http://ccm.sagepub.com/subscriptions  Subscriptions: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.nav Reprints: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav Permissions: http://ccm.sagepub.com/cgi/content/refs/4/1/39 SAGE Journals Online and HighWire Press platforms): (this article cites 32 articles hosted on the Citations


The sodium-selenium (Na-Se) battery is a competitive candidate as the practical next-generation energy storage device. A Na16Se8 cluster confined within a (10, 10) single-walled carbon nanotube is constructed to reveal the nanoconfinement effect on the reaction mechanism of the Na-Se battery cathode. It is found that the nanoconfinement can enhance the electronic conductivity of Na x≥12Se8 nanostructures because itinerant electrons appear under this condition. During desodiation, polyselenide chains grow longer and the intermediate products become insulators for transferring electrons. However, hole polarons have the potential to act as charge carriers in Na x≤10Se8 nanostructures. The open-circuit voltage profile is plotted, and the voltage window is 1.67 ≤ U ≤ 1 V. After the first charge cycle, the cathode cannot discharge to Na16Se8, but the reversible specific capacity can still arrive at 302 mA h/g of the cathode composite.


This study examines the fluid dynamic models of stirring water continuously in the tank. The model is derived by using a Navier-Stokes equation. It is considered the energy balance and linearization. Simulation is built by using the Navier-Stokes euation.  In the results and discussion has been developed two simulation cases, i.e. in the speed of 10rpm and 20 rpm. From the results and discussion it can be concluded that the velocity magnitude distributions in the case of speed variation are different. In the speed of 10rpm the velocity distribution more irregular which compared with the speed of 20rpm.


The present study was designed to evaluate the association of lipid profile in pre- eclampsia and eclampsia. This case-control study was carried out in the department of biochemistry, M.A.G. Osmani Medical College, Sylhet, during July 2005 to June 2006. Total 100 study subjects were evaluated, 40 normotensive pregnant women (mean age 24.90 ± 4.04) as normal and 60 already diagnosed preeclamptic & eclamptic women (mean age 24.17 ± 4.90) as study group. Age range was 15-45 years, gestational age 24 weeks to term were included. Patients with pre-existing hypertension were excluded. Serum lipid profile (total lipids, cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and LDLcholesterol) of hundred women with Pre-eclampsia and Eclampsia (n=60), normotensive women (n=40) were monitored. The preeclampsia was associated with a significant rise in triglyceride (225.6 ± 28.93 vs 165.6 ± 17.22) and fall in HDL cholesterol concentration (42.4 ± 9.29 vs 55.7 ± 7.11), while eclamptic women showed significant fall in HDL cholesterol (41.8 ± 8.79 vs 55.7 ± 7.11) and rise in LDL cholesterol (133.4 ± 11.75 vs 115.2 ± 10.72) as compared to normal pregnant women. Lipid metabolism plays a key role in the pathophysiology of Pre-eclampsia and Eclampsia. Increased triglycerides levels along with decreased HDL-cholesterol levels and delayed triglycerides clearance and high blood pressure are associated with development of preeclampsia and eclampsia. This association may be significant in understanding the pathologic processes of preeclampsia and may help in developing strategies for prevention or early diagnosis of the disorder. Key Words: Preeclampsia; High Density Lipoproteins; Triglycerides; Low Density Lipoprotein. DOI: 10.3329/fmcj.v5i2.6823 Faridpur Med. Coll. J. 2010;5(2):56-59


The offer of tourism products online has  increased considerably  in recent years. The degree of acceptance of  this new  form of purchasing  tourism products and services on  the  demand  side  is  influenced  by  variables  of  different  nature. While  today's tourists  routinely  use  online  consultation  for  any  particular  destination,  online booking  is  not  as  common  as might  have  been  expected,  and  actually  purchasing online is decidedly uncommon. The aim of this study was to determine which aspects most affect the readiness to buy tourism products online. To this end, the data from a survey were used as  input to different  latent models with errors of measurement to segment demand  in terms of attitude towards online purchases of tourism products and services. ____________________________________________________________


SPOROTRICHUM 8CHENKII, the cause of sporotrichosis, is a fungus that grows commonly in soil and humus, though there is no evidence that it is pathogenic for any plant. "It grows as a closely adherent moist mat on plants and wood which can furnish thorns and splinters capable of inflicting wounds and leaving therein fragments containing fungal spores:" In its usual form, sporotrichosis consists of a cutaneous ulcer and nodules along the course of the superficial lymph drainage. Dissemination beyond the cutaneous lymphatics is rare and occurred in only five of some 3,000 cases included in a report by Lurie." Even in the well-known e.pidemic in the gold mines of Witwatersrand," disseminated disease and respiratory infections were not found. Sporotrichosis appears to be rare in Australia; Durie et alii' found that only six cases had been reported in the Australian literature up till 1961' a seventh was reported by O'Donnell" in 1962. All wer~ of the superficial type. However, the diagnosis should be borne in mind in obscure lesions of the deeper tissues as a recent article by S. Riggs· and his colleagues shows 'very well. These workers describe a patient with sporotrichosis confined to the knee. Although joint involvement is occasionally mentioned in discussions of the disease spectrum and of disseminated sporotrichosis, there are very few well documented cases of sporotrichotic arthritis in the English medical literature.


This paper compares the theological profiles of John Calvin and Jerome Zanchi, especially in their doctrines of predestination, on the basis of Calvin's De aeterna Dei praedestinatione and Zanchi's De natura Dei. It turns out that Calvin and Zanchi show substantial agreement in their understanding of predestination, both as election and as reprobation. At the same time, significant differences in presentation and argumentation can be detected. Placing both in their historical, ecclesiastical, and academic contexts, it is argued that Calvin's insights, based on key biblical texts, require further conceptual exploration and clarification as provided by Zanchi.


Mythical figures have been part of human cultural tradition for centuries, worldwide. Some of them were totally imaginary, others were likely inspired by individuals with malformation syndromes, while others are composites of parts of different species. Various artists have created works of art based on these mythical or hybrid beings, such as cyclops and chimeras. The plethora of representations of artworks in ancient, but also contemporary art (statues, paintings, illustrations, photographs, installations) is proof that they still continue to be a source of inspiration, although their rendering and interpretation have changed over time. Contemporary medical genetic knowledge has revealed the underlying pathogenesis and causative molecular basis of malformation syndromes and delineates the corresponding phenotypes. Today, many figures once viewed as mythical are reflected in living humans with medical diagnoses. Ancient terms that arose in mythology—cyclopia, chimera/ism, and others—live on in the medical literature.


The article is the study of some aspects of the methodology of scientific knowledge that F. Bacon addressed in his treatise «New Organon» (1620) and in other works in one way or another related to his work on the project of the «Instauratio Magna Scientiarum». The article focuses on the following three questions: Bacon's attitude to Aristotle's legacy, the context of Bacon's doctrine of idols and the reasons for the English philosopher to choose a fragmented (aphoristic) form of presentation of his ideas in the «New Organon» and in some other works. Based on an analysis of Bacon's works related to the above project, it was shown that his statements about Aristotle and his philosophy were differentiated depending on whether the corresponding text was intended for printing or served as a working draft. In the latter case, the estimates of Aristotle by Bacon were more stringent. Baconian criticism of Aristotelianism was formed in the context of the development by the English philosopher of the doctrine of the idols of knowledge. The article shows that developing this doctrine, Bacon proceeded from the idea of mass insanity of the human race (insania publica), which has ancient roots and was shared by a number of contemporaries of F. Bacon. At the same time, the latter considered Aristotle as the creator of «a kind of art of insanity (artemque quondam insaniae componere).» As a cure for «insania universalis,» Bacon proposed a new method (the «new organon») of cognition, and the presentation of his ideas in the form of separate, but conceptually related aphorisms, as a way of activating the reader's thought process.


BACKGROUND
Previous studies of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) have reported high sensitivities and specificities for retinal detachment (RD). Our primary objective was to assess the test characteristics of POCUS performed by a large heterogeneous group of emergency physicians (EPs) for the diagnosis of RD.

METHODS
This was a prospective diagnostic test assessment of POCUS performed by EPs with varying ultrasound experience on a convenience sample of emergency department (ED) patients presenting with flashes or floaters in one or both eyes. After standard ED assessment, EPs performed an ocular POCUS scan targeted to detect the presence or absence of RD. After completing their ED visit, all patients were assessed by a retina specialist who was blinded to the results of the POCUS scan. We calculated sensitivity and specificity with associated exact binomial confidence intervals (CIs) using the retina specialist's final diagnosis as the reference standard.

RESULTS
A total of 30 EPs enrolled 115 patients, with median age of 60 years and 64% female. The retina specialist diagnosed RD in 16 (14%) cases. The sensitivity and specificity of POCUS for detecting RD were 75% (95% CI = 48%-93%) and 94% (95% CI = 87%-98%), respectively. The positive likelihood ratio was 12.4 (95% CI = 5.4-28.3), and negative likelihood ratio was 0.27 (95% CI = 0.11-0.62).

CONCLUSIONS
A large heterogeneous group of EPs can perform POCUS with high specificity but only intermediate sensitivity for RD. A negative POCUS scan in the ED performed by a heterogeneous group of providers after a 1-hour POCUS didactic is not sufficiently sensitive to rule out RD in a patient with new-onset flashes or floaters.


We describe octonionic inclined curves and harmonic curvatures for the octonionic curves. We give characterizations for an octonionic curve to be an octonionic inclined curve. And finally, we obtain some characterisations for the octonionic inclined curves in terms of the harmonic curvatures.


The purpose of this study was to test the effects of a multistimulant home-based program on cognitive function among older adults. This study was conducted in northeastern Turkey between March and June 2010. It was planned as an experimental versus control two-group design and carried out on 96 (intervention group = 48, control group = 48) participants. The intervention and control groups were similar regarding sex, education, partner status, and continuous drug use. Data were collected with a Standardized Mini Mental Test, the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and the Beck Anxiety Scale. Each senior received a total of 10 home visits on a once-per-week basis. Results for the intervention group showed that the Mini Mental State Test scores of the participants had statistically increased, and the Beck Anxiety and the GDS scores showed a decrease. The study found an association between the multistimulant home-based intervention program and cognitive function.


Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease involving multiple organ systems. Musculoskeletal involvement is one of the most frequent presentations of the disease, affecting bones, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments, either as a primary manifestation or secondary to the treatment of the disease. In the present article, the authors review and illustrate the joint disorders and the most common musculoskeletal abnormalities seen in this disorder.


During the differentiation of a mouse chondroprogenitor cell line, ATDC5, an analysis of the transcription cartilage-related genes was carried out using real-time RT-PCR in a semiquantitative fashion. A total number of 104 genes both previously linked to chondrogenesis and hitherto not associated with the development of cartilage were analyzed. Parametric statistics, and unsupervised hierarchical and K-medians clustering approaches were used to analyze the gene expression during the sequential processes of proliferation, condensation, differentiation, maturation, and hypertrophic conversion of ATDC5 cells. The obtained data provided a robust determination of expression patterns that make possible an accurate assessment of the molecular events along the chondrogenic differentiation pathway. In addition, time-course expression profiles were described for eight highly regulated genes that have not been associated with chondrogenesis as yet. These included Cryab, Rcor2, Hig1, Bnip3, Mst4, Calml4, Gng2, and Islr.


We present computationally efficient models and approaches to simulate the response of microstructures under mechanical shock. These approaches include a Galerkin-based reduced-order model and a hybrid approach utilizing the response of structures to static loads combined with the dynamic shock spectrum of a spring-mass-damper system. To demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of these approaches, we apply them on cantilever and clamped-clamped microbeams, and compare their predictions with analytical and finite-element (FE) results. We conclude that the hybrid approach is computationally efficient and accurate for microstructures behaving linearly in both quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions. The hybrid approach enables using simple analytical expressions that can be easily utilized by microelectromechanical system designers to judge the reliability of their devices. We show that reduced-order models are capable of capturing accurately the dynamic behavior of microstructures under shock pulses of various amplitudes (low-g and high-g), damping conditions, structural boundaries, and can capture linear and nonlinear behavior. Our results indicate that modeling the shock force as a quasi-static force for microstructures with low-natural frequencies may lead to erroneous results. High-g loading cases are investigated. Significant increase in the computational cost of simulations is reported when using traditional FE models because of the activation of higher order modes. The developed reduced-order model employing at least six modes is shown to be efficient in such cases. Design parameters are investigated to determine their effect on the shock resistance of microstructures. It is concluded that increasing air damping and tensile residual stresses improves the shock resistance of microstructures. A case study for the response of an optical fiber switch to shock is presented.


Cotton was cross-linked with formaldehyde by various methods (Form D, W, and V processes). The cellulose formals containing 1-4% formaldehyde were permeth ylated by a series of dimethylsulfate/dimethylsulfoxide treatments followed by exchange methylations of sodium cellulosate with methyl iodide in n-butanol. The permethylated cellulose formals were hydrolyzed in sulfuric acid and the methyl glucoses thus formed were reduced to the respective sorbitols. The mixture of these sorbitols, after suitable blocking of the free hydroxyl groups, was separated and quantitatively analyzed by gas-liquid phase chromatography. The results indicate a decreasing reactivity of the hydroxyl groups in the sequence C(6)>C(2)>C(3), the occurrence of 2,3-methylene linkages, and an average length of the oxymethylene cross links of between 1,3 and 2,0. The constitution of these cellulose formals is influenced by the type of formaldehyde application. Discrepancies between our results and those of other investigators are explained by their incomplete methylation, substitution of methylene cross links by methyl groups in permethylations, and incomplete separation of the degradation products.


The term 'personal health record' (PHR) refers to a family of systems that empower patients to manage their own individual health information. Recently introduced into the marketplace, PHR systems have significant implications for health care delivery in Canada. This paper contains a rigorous introduction to the online PHR, including the issues, benefits and risks inherent in the use of these systems. The main contribution of the paper is an analysis of the status of private sector PHR systems under Canada's current regulatory environment. Our claim is that these increasingly popular applications are subject to a regulatory regime that fails to address several key issues.


The effect of dl-sotalol (intrarenal perfusion of 19 mg/kg during 30 min) on urinary concentration was studied under pentobarbital anaesthesia in dehydrated dogs. Sotalol infusion decreased urinary osmolality and increased natriuresis and urine flow. This diuretic action was accompanied by the reduction of the renin hypersecretion elicited by water deprivation.


Molecular communication is a new paradigm for communication between biological nanomachines over a short-range (a nano- and micro-scale range). Biological nanomachines are nano- and micro-scale devices that either exist in the biological world or are artificially created from biological materials and that perform simple functions such as sensing, logic, and actuation. Molecular communication provides a mechanism for biological nanomachines to communicate information by propagating molecules that represent the information. Molecular communication is based on observations of existing biological systems which use molecules as communication carriers. With the advancement of current research in areas such as synthetic biology and bio-nanotechnologies, it may become relatively easy in the near future to develop systems of biological nanomachines communicating through molecules. In this paper, we present a framework for describing molecular communication systems.


Comparative features of the chemisorption of reactive gases on the three principal low index clean single crystal faces of nickel and interpretations based on several typical atom-surface interaction models are presented and discussed. The conclusions based on measurements of microscopic parameters are reviewed in terms of data correlated from LEED patterns, computational analysis of LEED spectra, fine structure of Auger peak shapes and variations in work function changes as a function of coverage, exposure and heat treatment. The observed adsorption features are used to distinguish chemisorption phenomena in terms of differences in chemical binding, surface structure and charge transfer. Chemical overlayer systems involving well ordered single surface phases formed on unperturbed substrates most easily lend themselves to quantitative crystallographic analysis. Some comparisons of the results of this study to other experimental and theoretical studies on clean and chemisorbed nickel surfaces are considered.


The performance of the finite element method (FEM) may be improved in three ways. The first is by the h-version to refine the finite element mesh and the second is by the p-version to increase the order of polynomial shape functions for a fixed mesh. The third is simultaneously to refine the mesh and increase the degrees of elements uniformly or selectively, called the h-p version, which is a combination of the first two methods. The advantages of the p-version elements over the h-version are: (i) they have better conditioned matrices; (ii) they do not require a change in the mesh and can be easily used in the adaptive analysis; (iii) just one element can predict accurate solutions for a simple structure; (iv) they tend to give the same accurate results with far fewer degrees of freedom (DOF); and (v) they can overcome some locking problems. The main objectives of present study are to give a wide range of application of the Fourier p-elements and polynomial p-elements to investigate the vibration problems, buckling problems and dynamic stability problems of various conservative linear structures including beam-columns, straight Timoshenko beams, pre-twisted straight beams, Mindlin plates and open thin shell panels. The natural frequencies, buckling loads and the relation of frequencies and various buckling loads are considered. Good agreement is achieved with the available results. The main work can be divided into five parts. Firstly, the numerical examples of uniform or tapered beam-columns with or without end mass are considered and compared with results of dynamic stiffness method. New results of straight beamcolumns subjected to uniformly distributed follower tension are originally


New variants of SARS-CoV-2 are being reported worldwide. More specifically, the variants reported in South Africa (501Y.V2) and United Kingdom (B.1.1.7) were found to be more contagious than the wild type. There are also speculations that the variants might evade the host immune responses induced by currently available vaccines and develop resistance to drugs under consideration. The first step of viral infection in COVID-19, occurs through the interaction of receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein with peptidase domain of the human ACE-2 (hACE-2) receptor. So, possibly the mutations in the RBD domain of spike protein in the new variants could modulate the protein-protein interaction with hACE-2 receptor leading to the increased virulence. In this study, we aim to get molecular level understanding into the mechanism behind the increased infection rate due to such mutations in these variants. We have computationally studied the interaction of the spike protein in both wild-type and B.1.1.7 variant with hACE-2 receptor using combined molecular dynamics and binding free energy calculations using molecular mechanics-Generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) approach. The binding free energies computed using configurations from minimization run and low temperature simulation show that mutant variant of spike protein has increased binding affinity for hACE-2 receptor (i.e. ΔΔG(N501Y,A570D) is in the range −20.4 to −21.4 kcal/mol)The residue-wise decomposition analysis and intermolecular hydrogen bond analysis evidenced that the N501Y mutation has increased interaction between RBD of spike protein with ACE-2 receptor. We have also carried out calculations using density functional theory and the results evidenced the increased interaction between three pairs of residues (TYR449 (spike)-ASP38 (ACE-2), TYR453-HIE34 and TYR501-LYS353) in the variant that could be attributed to its increased virulence. The free energies of wild-type and mutant variants of the spike protein computed from MM-GBSA approach suggests that latter variant is stable by about −10.4 kcal/mol when compared to wild type suggesting that it will be retained in the evolution due to increased stability. We demonstrate that with the use of the state-of-the art of computational approaches, we can in advance predict the more virulent nature of variants of SARS-CoV-2 and alert the world health-care system.


The purpose of the current research is to investigate the relationships between country personality dimensions and consumer behavioural intentions, and to examine in detail the perceived personality of a stimulus-country. A convenience sample of 130 individuals from Brazil was surveyed and 115 usable questionnaires were analyzed. Portugal was chosen as the country for scrutiny and the questionnaire was delivered in Portuguese. Country personality was measured using the 24 items of personality traits six dimensions scale of d'Astous & Boujbel (2007). The research findings suggest that consumers ascribe personality characteristics to countries. All the items show high factorial weights, and in the proposed model the percentage of the variance of the intention to recommend explained by the perceived country personality dimensions equals around 23%. Assiduousness showed a positive significant influence on intention to recommend, whereas wickedness showed a significant negative influence. The findings suggest differences from the comparable earlier studies. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed. Complementarily, and as suggested by the personality traits frequency analysis, Portugal is seen as a traditionalist country.


This paper examines how unemployment can be measured in normative fashion - taking into account the mean and inequality of spell lengths - and how the extent of unemployment can be estimated from cross section data of the type found in labour force surveys. The issue is not straightforward since in these surveys completed durations of unemployed individuals are not observed yet they constitute the basis for calculating the kind of index that has been proposed to measure the extent of unemployment in a way that goes beyond the unemployment rate. The index proposed by Shorrocks has robust normative foundations and has an equivalent representation in terms of average complete duration and the density of completed durations. Building upon earlier work applied in the United States for estimating the first of these, we present a method that enables the index to be calculated based on an estimate of the density of completed durations. The approach is illustrated in the context of comparing male-female unemployment differences in France, where historically female unemployment has been higher than that of males.


OBJECTIVE
Converging research suggests that individuals with schizophrenia show a marked impairment in reinforcement learning, particularly in tasks requiring flexibility and adaptation. The problem has been associated with dopamine reward systems. This study explores, for the first time, the characteristics of this impairment and how it is affected by a behavioral intervention-cognitive remediation.

METHOD
Using computational modelling, 3 reinforcement learning parameters based on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) trial-by-trial performance were estimated: R (reward sensitivity), P (punishment sensitivity), and D (choice consistency). In Study 1 the parameters were compared between a group of individuals with schizophrenia (n = 100) and a healthy control group (n = 50). In Study 2 the effect of cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) on these parameters was assessed in 2 groups of individuals with schizophrenia, one receiving CRT (n = 37) and the other receiving treatment as usual (TAU, n = 34).

RESULTS
In Study 1 individuals with schizophrenia showed impairment in the R and P parameters compared with healthy controls. Study 2 demonstrated that sensitivity to negative feedback (P) and reward (R) improved in the CRT group after therapy compared with the TAU group. R and P parameter change correlated with WCST outputs. Improvements in R and P after CRT were associated with working memory gains and reduction of negative symptoms, respectively.

CONCLUSION
Schizophrenia reinforcement learning difficulties negatively influence performance in shift learning tasks. CRT can improve sensitivity to reward and punishment. Identifying parameters that show change may be useful in experimental medicine studies to identify cognitive domains susceptible to improvement.


Henry Eyring Turley was born on 7 June 1902 in Colonia Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Be-cause of a logging accident he attended a chiropractor for his injuries and became interested in chiropractic as a career. He moved to San Antonio and graduated from Texas Chiropractic College (TCC) in December 1924. After practicing in Mexico for a few years, he moved back to the United States and joined the faculty of his alma mater 10 March 1927. Turley had interests in neurology and radiology and authored texts on both subjects. Known for sitting for graduation photos holding an x-ray tube and, ever popular with students, he continued on the faculty for thirty-eight years, finishing when the school moved to Pasadena from San Antonio in 1965. During this time, he gave many postgraduate lectures, participated in extra-curricular activities such as singing with a quartet and playing on a basket-ball team at the TCC. He also found time to earn a Bachelor of Science degree from Trinity University in San Antonio in 1947. He continued in private practice until 1990 and died 19 July 1997 in Boerne, Texas. He is very well-remembered at TCC; in 1979 the Turley Anatomical Building was dedicated and the 2006-2008 school prospectus features his photo.


The aim of the study was to investigate the methods of tobacco harm reduction products used by smokers in Malawi, in an attempt to reduce tobacco harm. The study employed a cross-sectional survey, with both quantitative and qualitative data collection, in 3 districts, one from each region across Malawi. Participants were recruited using the technique of snowball sampling. 1,258 current and ex-smokers were recruited, age range 15–55 years. The sample size for each district was calculated using the standard formula with a 95% confidence interval or significance of p = 0.05. Tobacco harm reduction products, also known as safer nicotine products, are not widely available in Malawi; as such their use is not statistically significant at 5%. However, the following resources were used to reduce tobacco harm: fruits like Malambe (Baobab), Banana, Masau (Jujube), Mtera (local herbs), sweets, chewing gum, fried maize and milk. Solutions: cigarette filters mixed with water, a mixture of pig milk, tobacco and drinking water. In addition, ngirimbo and chingambwe were used in a smokeless way to reduce tobacco harm. Across Malawi, smokers use local tobacco harm reduction products compared to safer nicotine products. This is compounded by the absence of information on safer nicotine products, a lack of service providers, poverty and use of local smokeless tobacco.


The current model of press regulation in the UK has failed. Journalism ethics in future needs to be enforced by a more robust organisation with support from a wider group of stakeholders. Where the old system had strengths they must be built upon and lessons learned from the experience of the PCC and European counterparts. In the long term, it is likely that ethical codes will be applied to journalism rather than a particular mode of delivery. Current reforms should establish incentives for the development of a cross media ethics body to which journalists on all platforms are able to opt- in, supported by legal and fiscal incentives. There is a role for the state in press self-regulation, in providing incentives to join, setting criteria for the formation of a self-regulatory body, and/or part funding the body. There is a range of options between light state support for self-regulation and co-regulation, but other press and journalism councils have state involvement without state capture. The PCC's replacement should be a genuinely multi-stakeholder body designed to balance interests of the public, journalists and owners. The body should therefore be established by both media owners and journalists, with prominent public representation, and cover all media. Lay members of the public should be involved in decisions.


A UTORADIOGRAPHY HAS BEEN USED EXTENSIVELY for the localization of labeled substances in microscopic structures. Its applicability has been restricted mainly to compounds which are firmly bound and are not leached or translocated by histologic and histochemical processing, e.g., thymidine incorporation into DNA. The inapplicability of autoradiography to the study of substances which remain diffusible after conventional fixation of tissue sections and smears has taxed the ingenuity of many investigators and the first conference devoted to this problem was recently published.' The technical difficulties and the importance of being able to prepare useful autoradiograms of diffusible substances in erythrocytes are not immediately apparent even to those who are expert with the well-established and relatively simple techniques used for autoradiography of compounds which are readily immobilized.2 With soluble, diffusible metabolites it is necessary to prevent diffusion until the final step of photographic development of the nuclear emulsions has been reached. Autoradiographic studies of nonnucleated erythrocytes have therefore been limited to the incorporation of labeled amino acids into proteins by reticulocytes, " the distribution of 14C-cholesterol7 in the membrane lipoproteins and the attachment of antibodies.8'9 The ability to identify differences in the utilization of substrates by single


Background & Aim: Discharge planning for patients, is seen as a key concept in the delivery of nursing care. Despite the advantages of discharge planning for patients, family and society, the definition and performance of this planning in hospital is ambiguous, and practically it is not performed in hospital. Therefore the objective of this study was to assess the reasons of lack of discharge planning performance by nurses. Material & Method: The design was a descriptive study with problem solving method, that carried out to determine the reasons of lack of discharge planning performance by nurses and introduce proper solutions to solve or reduce this problem. So a questionnaire was developed, then validated by 10 academic members. The sample of this study was 115 subgects in 3 groups: nurses, headnurses and supervisors of teaching hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Results: The three groups mentioned 5 reasons as the main barriers of lack of discharge planning performance, that divided into 2 parts nurses' high working load with inappropriate situation of their working environment, and the lack of acquaintance of nurses, patients and their families about discharge planning, related to lack of sufficient information and in service education. Also, the structural reasons with the higest mean score (M=2.04) from the three domains were determined as the main reason of the lack of discharge planning performance. For data analysis, SPSS software was used. Conclusion: According to study result the importance of discharge planning to increase the quality and quantity of nursing care, the best solution determined as: formation of specialized groups with participating of education supervisors, one of clinical experienced nurses and lecturers in order to write and develop proper educational packages with students cooperation in nursing office and departments is recommended.


Background/Aims Few studies have differentiated immunoglobulin G (IgG) 4-related sclerosing cholangitis (IgG4-SC) from hilar cholangiocarcinoma (CC). Thus, we sought to investigate useful features for differentiating IgG4-SC from hilar CC. Methods We retrospectively compared clinical, serological, imaging, and histological features of six patients with IgG4-SC and 42 patients with hilar CC. Results In patients with hilar CC, obstructive jaundice was more frequent (p<0.01), serum total bilirubin levels were significantly higher (p<0.05), serum CA19-9 levels were significantly higher (p<0.01), and serum duke pancreatic monoclonal antigen type 2 levels were frequently elevated (p<0.05). However, in patients with IgG4-SC, the serum IgG (p<0.05) and IgG4 (p<0.01) levels were significantly higher and frequently elevated. The pancreas was enlarged in all IgG4-SC patients but only in 17% of hilar CC patients (p<0.01). Salivary and/or lacrimal gland swelling was detected in only 50% of IgG4-SC patients (p<0.01). Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography revealed that the hilar or hepatic duct was completely obstructed in 83% of hilar CC patients (p<0.01). Lower bile duct stenosis, apart from hilar bile duct stenosis, was more frequent in IgG4-SC patients (p<0.01). Bile duct wall thickening in areas without stenosis was more frequent in IgG4-SC patients (p<0.01). Conclusions An integrated diagnostic approach based on clinical, serological, imaging, and histological findings is necessary to differentiate IgG4-SC from hilar CC.


A significant role in providing access to medicines is rightfully played by legal norms regulating intellectual property protection. The pharmaceutical sector stands out among other industries in terms of implementation of various mechanisms of intellectual property rights protection, which guarantee the possibility to recover economic losses due to tremendous investments in R&D. However, intellectual property protection mechanisms trigger the rise of medication costs, which significantly influence state expenditures and limit patient's access to treatment. At the time of scientific achievements access to medicines is directly linked with the right "to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications". It means that initiatives implemented by international organizations and national healthcare policies should contain balanced approach between the interests of the society and pharmaceutical producers in order to protect public and private interests.


Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common chronic disorders. Traditionally, asthma has been associated with an eosinophilic inflammation and COPD with neutrophilic inflammation. In this review we will highlight the maturation, recruitment, activation, action and apoptosis of these cells. In addition we will focus on the evidence for their presence in disease and suggest potential new therapeutic interventions.


In 2015, Government of India launched the concept of Smart Cities where we talk about cities which will be having future technologies like Internet of Things (IoT), about waste management, information systems, intelligent communications and Intelligent Transportations Systems (ITS) etc. And for that, the government has already started working in this direction. Out of these future technologies, let us take traffic and transportation systems for smart cities. It is expected that in a smart city, traffic accidents and injuries should decrease or should be very less atleast. But as per the accidents data released by the government, accidents are no doubt have decreased but their fatalities and their severity has unfortunately increased. There are many reason for the increase of severity of accidents like overspeeding, drunken driving, carelessness etc. But one such reason which we are not focusing upon is Driver Fatigue. Some of the developed countries has identified this factor as one of the increasing cause of accidents. But in India, this factor ends up coming in "Unknown" causes of accidents. As we are talking about Smart Cities, no city can be smart if its transportation system is not safe. We cannot compromise on any individual's safety. So, in this paper, it is shown that how this factor affects the safety of roads. In this paper, studies, literature and work of various people is presented and a review is done on the basis of these studies on how to make our roads safer without compromising on any individual's safety.


In incident management, response and recovery actions are designed to effectively mitigate ongoing or future cyberattacks. A security playbook consists of a pipeline of instructions to document necessary response and recovery actions to deal with a specific type of incident. Since many organisations lack the resources, expertise and know-how to handle incidents, sharing playbooks across organisations could significantly improve their response capabilities against cyberattacks. However, playbooks are often organisation specific and usually not machine-readable, sharable and interoperable. In this work, we propose a semantic web-based approach to capture the knowledge of incident response and recovery steps to support sharing of playbooks based on a standardised and common vocabulary. To further demonstrate our approach, we introduce SASP, a proof-of-concept tool based on Semantic MediaWiki for playbook management. In this paper, we describe the key requirements from incident handlers to share playbooks, SASP architecture design, and its core components and functionalities. We then discuss the results of our user-centric evaluation conducted on members of different Security Operation Centres and the further potential of the solution.


The adulteration of milk with melamine in China in 2008 caused worldwide alarm over the use of unwanted chemicals in food. The melamine waste polluted the soil and this further resulted in health hazards. This study investigated the hazards of melamine wastes which are used as fertilizers. A cultivation experiment was designed to determine the contents of melamine in the plants and soil where melamine had been used as a fertilizer. The results showed that melamine detected in the first round of the harvested plants was 22.3 ± 4.8 ppm and that in the second round of the harvested plants it was 41.1 ± 16.7 ppm. In both of these situations the U.S.A.'s Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) limit was exceeded. The soil residue contained a very high concentration of melamine, reaching a level of 235.1 ± 91.3 ppm. Melamine functions as a good fertilizer, comparable to urea. However, the plants absorbed the melamine, and the melamine content was higher than the level which is recommended as acceptable by the FDA. Our study supported the legitimate concern about melamine contamination in crops where melamine wastes have been used as a fertilizer. The toxic material remaining in the soil was a major concern.


Software radio, one cornerstone technique for the third-generation mobile communications, will provide inexpensive regional and global communications. We develop a general-purpose software radio architecture for the development and evaluation of software components such as software structures, algorithms and protocols. The system incorporates the state-of-the art chipset, and can provide a most powerful computation capability. We also provide a comprehensive software library for this platform, and demonstrate the methodology of implementation in two examples.


The main focus of this study is on the sorting method of graded plywood in the
grading line. The plywood grading line is the final process in the production line.
Due to the inefficiency of the sorting method, this line has low productivity, high
labor usage and defectives due to improper sorting of the plywood by the operator.
The collected statistics were analyzed and the output analysis deals with drawing the
comparison between the existing grading line and the built model. This study has
eight aspects measured in order to achieve the objectives. They are; time study,
production rate, labor cost, labor productivity, capacity utilization, defective rate,
investment cost and downtime. Overall comparison for sorting graded plywood
between existing system and proposed systems (pneumatic and hydraulic systems),
shows that, the sorting time was reduced to 20.3% using pneumatic sorting system
whereas 10.9 % using hydraulic sorting system. Hence increasing the production
rate by 38.9% and 32.5% accordingly.