Although the role of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) as a viscous high-molecular polymer in biological wastewater treatment has been recognized, in-depth knowledge of how EPSs affect nitrogen removal remains limited in biofilm-based reactors. Herein, we explored EPS characteristics associated with nitrogen removal from high-ammonia (NH4+-N: 300 mg/L) and low carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C/N: 2–3) wastewater in a sequencing batch packed-bed biofilm reactor (SBPBBR) under four different operating scenarios for a total of 112 cycles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis revealed that the distinct physicochemical properties, interface microstructure, and chemical composition of the bio-carrier were conducive to biofilm formation and microbial immobilization and enrichment. Under the optimal conditions (C/N: 3, dissolved oxygen: 1.3 mg/L, and cycle time: 12 h), 88.9% ammonia removal efficiency (ARE) and 81.9% nitrogen removal efficiency (NRE) could be achieved in the SBPBBR. Based on visual and SEM observations of the bio-carriers, biofilm development, biomass concentration, and microbial morphology were closely linked with nitrogen removal performance. Moreover, FTIR and three-dimensional excitation–emission matrix (3D-EEM) spectroscopy demonstrated that tightly bound EPSs (TB-EPSs) play a more important role in maintaining the stability of the biofilm. Significant shifts in the number, intensity, and position of fluorescence peaks of EPSs determined different nitrogen removal. More importantly, the high presence of tryptophan proteins and humic acids might promote advanced nitrogen removal. These findings uncover intrinsic correlations between EPSs and nitrogen removal for better controlling and optimizing biofilm reactors.


Groundwater remediation projects generally involve extraction and treatment of contaminated groundwater. The current state of the practice does not include an emphasis on conservation and reuse of groundwater. Consequently treated groundwater is typically disposed in sanitary or storm sewers. Longstanding water conservation and reuse practices in the municipal wastewater industry provide a body of experience available to the remediation industry. Case studies of conservation and reuse options for groundwater at remediation sites have been found across a broad range of geographic settings and regulatory jurisdictions. The intent of this article is to stimulate a more holistic view of the groundwater associated with remediation projects and to promote conservation and beneficial reuse of a vital natural resource. c⃝ 2014 US Sustainable Remediation Forum


The dominant approaches in Canadian social history have focused, for the most
part, upon categories of region, class formation, and women's experience (more
recently informed by theories of gender). Because of the priorities placed upon these
"primary identities", religious experience, both in its social and personal aspects,
has tended to form a "neutral" backdrop to the more active dimensions of secular
political and social thought. We thus propose two interdependent analytical frameworks
through which to explore religious forms and practices as integral elements
of social formation: the ongoing function of religious institutions as an apparatus of
social regulation; and the concomitant search for cultural authority (and political
power) by which both groups and institutions sought to articulate a particular vision
of the social order.


In this work, we propose a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacon-based algorithm to enable remote measurement of the social behavior of the participants of an observational Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) clinical trial (NCT03611075). We have developed a mobile application for a smartphone and a smartwatch to collect beacon signals from BLE beacon sensors as well as to store information about the participants' household rooms. Our goal is to collect beacon information about the time the participants spent in different rooms of their household to infer sociability information. We applied the same technology and setup in an internal experiment with healthy volunteers to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed algorithm in 10 different home setups, and we observed an average accuracy of 97.2%. Moreover, we show that it is feasible for the clinical study participants/caregivers to set up the BLE beacon sensors in their homes without any technical help, with 96% of them setting up the technology on the first day of data collection. Next, we present results from one-week location data from study participants collected through the proposed technology. Finally, we provide a list of good practice guidelines for optimally applying beacon technology for indoor location monitoring. The proposed algorithm enables us to estimate time spent in different rooms of a household that can pave the development of objective sociability features and eventually support decisions regarding drug efficacy in ASD.


It has long been anticipated that dielectric constants of polar liquids are reduced in the interfacial layer. Recent experiments and computer simulations support these expectations. A strong reduction of the dielectric constant is found in the direction perpendicular to a planar substrate, while the parallel response is bulk-like. This Perspective highlights recent theoretical calculations and simulations with an eye on relating them to properties observable in the laboratory. The average interface dielectric constant computed from simulations connects to thin films experiments, but this cannot be extended to screening of charges. In contrast to dielectric theories where a single dielectric constant gauges both the polarization energy and screening, these two signatures of dielectric polarization diverge on the molecular scale. The reduction of the dielectric constant of water in thin films is currently viewed as a combined effect of geometric confinement imposed by the substrate and the reconstruction of water hydrogen bonds in the surface layer.


There are numerous patients suffering from chronic rhinitis. What kind of doctors do they consult? What are their symptoms? What kind of examinations do they do? What kind of medication do they use? Are they ever treated surgically? The objective of this study was to give answers to such questions. This is a study of 269 patients suffering from chronic rhinitis aged from 3 to 72 years. Of the 269 patients, 198 had already visited another physician before consulting us. The most common symptom was nasal obstruction. The most commonly used oral medication was antihistamines, whereas the most commonly used topical medication was sympathomimetic agents. Additionally, 2.2% of them had used natural herbs intranasally, herbs they had collected by themselves and not sold in drugstores. The operation most commonly performed was polypectomy. Sufferers from rhinitis most commonly consult general practitioners. The percentage of patients using alternative medication is limited in comparison with other studies.


The occurrence of asthma and allergic diseases is influenced by inherited and environmental factors, and symptoms of asthma and allergy usually begin in early childhood. The overall aim with this thesis was to study the role of genetic factors for the development of childhood asthma and allergy, and to evaluate potential interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Using the BAMSE birth cohort study, children with wheezing episodes up to the age of four were classified into the following groups: transient wheezing (n=266, 8%), persistent wheezing (n=319, 9%) and late-onset wheezing (n=195, 6%). Children with persistent and late onset wheezing had the highest occurrence of sensitisation to inhalant allergens (23% and 30%, respectively), whereas lower mean peak expiratory flow values were seen in children with transient and persistent wheezing (mean difference -8.9 and -8.5 l/min, respectively). Both maternal and paternal allergic disease were of importance for all wheezing outcomes in the children, but the influence of parental allergic disease on the risk of persistent wheezing seemed to be more pronounced in boys than in girls. For the genetic analyses, around 500 children with asthma symptoms up to four years and 500 controls were selected from the BAMSE study. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and their corresponding haplotypes, in six candidate genes for asthma and allergy were analysed and their associations with various phenotypes were evaluated. Variations in the IL9R gene seemed to influence the susceptibility to both wheezing and sensitisation, predominantly in boys. No overall effect of the IL4RA SNPs was observed and only weak associations to wheezing and sensitisation were indicated when haplotypes were considered. Variants in the ADRB2 gene showed no overall association to any of the outcomes, whereas the TNF-alpha-308 SNP seemed to affect the risk of sensitisation at the age of four. Ala 1 14Val was the only SNP in the GSTP1 gene that showed any association (particularly to asthma). For the GPRA association analyses, asthma and allergic sensitisation were used as major outcomes and the study was designed to evaluate the role of certain haplotypes on these study subjects both from BAMSE and a multinational European project (PARSIFAL). Both risk haplotypes (H5/H6) and non-risk haplotypes (H1/H3) could be identified, and these haplotypes seemed to predominantly influence the risk of sensitisation, but also asthma and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. Interaction analyses between the IL9R and IL4RA genes showed that the effect of IL4RA SNPs on wheezing up to the age of four was modified by SNPs in the IL9R gene. Combinations of the IL4RA Gln576Arg variant and an intron IL9R variant seemed to influence the risk of wheezing particularly, and both risk and non-risk combinations were observed. Air pollution from road traffic in the study area was evaluated as nitrogen oxides (traffic-NOx) and inhalable particulate matter (traffic- PM10) using emission databases and dispersion modelling. Individual exposure levels during the first year of life were estimated through geocoding of the children's home addresses. Significant geneenvironment interaction effects were suggested between SNPs in the GSTP1 gene and exposure to traffic-NO, during the first year of life with regard to allergic sensitisation at 4 years. Heterozygous GSTP1 carriers seemed to have the most pronounced risk of disease and this pattern was seen for all GSTP1 SNPs tested. Similar interaction was seen for exposure to traffic- PM10. In summary, we have shown that parental allergic disease is important for development of wheezing up to the age of four, but the hereditary influence seemed to be more pronounced in boys than in girls. Variants in several of the analyzed genes were associated with symptoms of asthma and allergic sensitisation. The association between these genetic variants and allergic diseases are likely to be influenced by other genetic variants, here exemplified by genegene interaction between IL4RA and IL9R variants, and environmental factors, here exemplified by geneenvironment interaction between GSTP1 variants and exposure to traffic-NOx.


PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to analyze and clarify the meaning of the concept, assertiveness.

METHOD
This study used Walker and Avant's process of concept analysis.

RESULTS
1. Attributes of assertiveness were defined as 1) Self-esteem 2) Comprehension to others 3) Clarification of the subject 4) Verbal communication 5) Non-verbal communication. 2. The antecedents of assertiveness consist of these facts 1) The occurrence of a conflict situation 2) The occurrence of will to stick to one's opinions. 3. There are consequences occurring as a result of assertiveness 1) Positive self-confidence 2) Increased comprehension or consideration to others 3) Expand of mutual respect 4) Maintenance of continuously cooperative relationship with each other 5) Output of acceptable results to each other.

CONCLUSION
Assertiveness is a core human behavior and is key to interpersonal relationships. Using the components of the concept of assertiveness, many conflicts in a nursing situation can be effectively prevented.


We set up the Maxwell's equations and subsequently the classical wave equations for the electromagnetic waves which together with their generating source, an oscillatory charge of zero rest mass in general travelling, make up a particle travelling similarly as the source at velocity ν in the field of an external scalar and vector potentials. The direct solutions in constant external field are Doppler-displaced plane waves propagating at the velocity of light c; at the de Broglie wavelength scale and expressed in terms of the dynamically equivalent and appropriate geometric mean wave variables, these render as functions identical to the space-time functions of a corresponding Dirac spinor, and in turn identical to de Broglie phase waves previously obtained from explicit superposition. For two spin-half particles of a common set of space-time functions constrained with antisymmetric spin functions as follows the Pauli principle for same charges and as separately indirectly induced based on experiment for opposite charges, the complete wave functions are identical to the Dirac spinor. The back-substitution of the so explicitly determined complete wave functions in the corresponding classical wave equations of the two particles, subjected further to reductions appropriate for the stationary-state particle motion and to rotation invariance when in three dimensions, give a Dirac equation set; the procedure and conclusion are directly extendible to arbitrarily varying potentials by use of the Furious theorem and to particle motions in three dimensions by virtue of the characteristics of de Broglie particle motion. Through the derivation of the Dirac equation, the study hopes to lend insight into the connections between the Dirac wave functions and the electrodynamic components of simple particles under the government by the well established basic laws of electrodynamics.


Objectives: The aim of this study is to explore the efficacy and safety of flexible ureteroscopy (fURS) with prestenting (PS) for patients and a newly starting department. Method: The data of patients who underwent fURS for calculi with nonprestenting (NPS) after a clinical practice change was compared with PS patients before. Result: In all, 199 patients met the inclusion criteria. There was no significant difference for both groups in basic demography except that the NPS group included more proximal ureteral stone. Subgroup analysis was then used by a different site. There was no significance in sheath success (4/100 vs. 1/99, p = 0.369). Stone free rate (SFR) and success rate between PS and NPS group showed significant difference in total (96.94 vs. 89.58%, p = 0.048, 96.97 vs. 85.00%, p = 0.005 respectively). Better SFR and success rate were found only for the renal stones in subgroup analysis (97.67 vs. 80.49%, p = 0.014, 97.67 vs. 74.42%, p = 0.003 respectively). Operative time was significantly longer based on stenting status (45.969 ± 19.4732 vs. 30.553 ± 8.9645 min, p = 0.01) and there was no difference in subgroup analysis. More complications were found in the NPS group, but no severe complications were encountered. Conclusion: Intentional PS is a feasible try for an amateur fURS surgeon or a newly started department in order to gain a better outcome and lower complications in the whole time. It improves the outcomes when additional small surgery is not the trouble.


Oceanic plateaus and swells are a major component of the seafloor topography, yet they remain among the most poorly understood features. This is especially true of the oceanic plateaus which show large variations in crustal thickness. To determine the depth and mode of compensation for 53 of the largest plateaus and swells, we analyzed the relationship between geoid height and topography in polygonal areas containing each feature. Both geoid height and topography were first band-pass filtered (400 km < I < 4000 km) to isolate the signal associated with local compensation from flexural and deep mantle signals. The ratio of geoid height to topography was then determined by fitting a straight line to the data. Except for nine of the smaller features there is a high correlation between geoid height and topography that is positive in accordance with Airy and thermal compensation models. Eighteen features have high geoid/topography ratios that cannot be explained by the Airy compensation model of crustal thickening. These features (thermal swells) are partially supported by thermal buoyancy forces in the lower half of the lithosphere. The ratios are highest for active hot spot swells and decay, with the thermal age of the swell, to values consistent with Airy compensation of the enduring volcanic edifice. The remaining features (plateaus) have lower geoid/topography ratios in agreement with the Airy compensation model. Those plateaus with average height greater than 4 km are thought to be continental fragments; the shorter plateaus tend to be volcanic features. Modified continental plateaus, presumably small fragments of extended and intruded continental margin crust, cluster around heights of N3 km, overlapping the range associated with oceanic plateaus. Since the origin of many plateaus is poorly understood, this global geoid/topography analysis provides a new technique for comparing the deep structure of oceanic plateaus and swells.


As a flagship and one of most endangered ungulates in the alpine desert of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the habitat conservation of Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) is vital to sustain its long-term population existence. In consideration of key habitat factors of the Tibetan antelope (i.e., food, topography and water source) as well as human interference factors like roads and settlements, the habitat suitability was modeled, and potential and valid suitable habitats were identified for Tibetan antelope in the alpine desert, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Furthermore, the conservation proportion index and conservation efficacy index were developed to facilitate the conservation assessment of three national reserves (i.e., Altun Mountain, Kekexili and Qiangtang) and their associated functional zones in the study area. The results showed that potential and valid area of suitable habitat across overall study area were 2.84 x 10(5) and 2.08 x 10(5) km2 respectively, with 16.1% of suitable habitat loss by human disturbance. At reserve level, the potential suitable habitats of Altun Mountain, Kekexili and Qiangtang were 2.01 x 10(4), 3.13 x 104 and 1.26 x 10(5) km2, which however decreased by 12.9%, 10.2% and 21.1% human disturbance respectively, indicating a prominent habitat fragmentation especially in Qiangtang National Nature Reserve (NNR). Although three NNRs had captured nearly 2/3 of the potential/valid suitable habitats with favorable conservation efficacy, there were still obvious conservation gaps outside the existing reserve network. At the functional zone level, buffer and experimental zones also showed significant conservation proportion and efficacy besides the core zone. Our research highlighted the necessity to optimize the existing re serve system by filling the conservation gaps, restructuring the functional zones and safeguarding the potential refuge habitats for those endangered ungulates in face of climate change.


The objective of this study is to investigate the characteristics of natural indigo dyeing of cotton fabric. Reduction and dyeing were carried out by one-step process using an infrared dyeing machine at the liquor ratio of 1:100, and subsequently oxidation and washing in water were followed. Dye uptake was increased with the increase of indigo concentration. Over the full range of dyeing tests, the dyeing condition was optimized to 40℃ for 40min. For most of dye concentrations, the cotton fabrics showed mainly PB color. Maximum K/S value was shown at 4g/L of sodium hydrosulfite concentration and the color strength increased with the increase of dye concentration. Value(lightness) decreased with the increase of dye uptake irrespective of mercerization or reduction method, while the mercerized cotton showed two times higher dye uptake than the untreated cotton. Whereas hue of the untreated cotton showed large decrease of P character(5.6~3.5 PB) with the increase of dye uptake, that of the mercerized cotton increased P character(4.7~5.5 PB). Irrespective of mercerization, value and chroma decreased with the increased of dye uptake. In addition, the untreated showed lower chroma than the mercerized cotton. In the case of traditional reduction, hue of the untreated cotton was changed very little with the increase of dye uptake. For hydrosulfite reduction, P character decreased with the increase of dye uptake. The difference of hue value was small with the change of reduction method(hydrosulfite reduction or traditional fermentation). Color character was not influenced by the changed maximum absorption wavelength. Washing fastness showed 4~4/5 shade change rating without any staining. And dry rubbing fastness was good at low color strength. The bacterial reduction ratios of dyed cotton fabric were also increased.


The microstructural behavior of AISI 1045 steel hardened by the plastic superficial deformation of a roller is discussed herein, as well as the hardening mechanism of steel through the slide of the grains in the space lattice, and the demonstration the phenomenon of asperity, which is a product of the grains' strain when the material is subject to the strain of its crystalline structure. The experimental procedure carried out became established after the test tubes were submitted to the process of deformation.


The development course of different time for the Chinese consulting industry is analyzed and different Chinese Consulting Organizations are introduced. Also the registered consulting professional system including registered survey and design professional system, registered investigation engineer system, registered cost control engineer system etc. are analyzed in this paper. The actuality and the existent problems of Chinese engineering consulting industry and registered consulting professionals system are analyzed and concluded in this paper in order to provide reference for the future development of Chinese consulting industry.


In the Alcator C-Mod tokamak, a high-resolution heterodyne ECE radiometer has been used to measure the electron temperature in plasma discharges with internal transport barriers (ITBs). ITBs are formed by the application of off-axis (r/a ∼0.5) ICRF power. Strong density peaking indicates the formation of the ITB. When the ITB is formed, the ECE radiometer detects a small amplitude mode localized near the magnetic axis. Surprisingly, as this mode amplitude grows a dip in the temperature profile is clearly observed at the same location. If sawteeth are present, the mode amplitude appears to be suppressed by the sawtooth crash and no dip in the temperate profiles is observed. TORAY, a ray-tracing code, has been used to investigate the possible refractive effects of the steep density gradients in the ITB and its effects on the ECE observations. The results show that refractive effects can explain the observed local changes in temperature. Ray-tracing also indicates that the observed modes are density fluctuations. Observations of broadband density fluctuations during 4.5 T ITBs are also described.


Disgraced surgeon Paolo Macchiarini, who faked research relating to dangerous and largely discredited tracheal transplants, has been handed a 16 month prison sentence in Italy for forging documents and abuse of office.

Macchiarini made headlines around the world after claiming a major breakthrough for patients with failing windpipes, by "seeding" an artificial scaffold with a patient's own stem cells, to generate a functioning trachea.

But excitement at the prospect of a genuine medical advance turned to scandal when it emerged that Macchiarini had falsified results and misled hospital authorities regarding the health of those receiving the experimental procedures. The revelation prompted his research centre, the Karolinska Institute, to eventually disown his …


The purpose of this article is to compare sludge management trends between selected EU-15 and EU-12 countries on the basis of statistical data to determine trends and formulate conclusions for countries adopted after 2004. The analysis relied on the analysis of changes in legal regulations, international literature and the analysis of statistical data from EUROSTAT. Unfortunately, incomplete statistical data limited the number of analyzed countries, however, it was possible to draw conclusions. Sludge management is an extremely complex issue, affects not only water and sewage management and waste management, but also concerns the issues of agriculture (fertilizers) and energy. A very important part of the issues is technological progress, and therefore research and development. Improper management of sewage sludge will in the long run lead to increasing costs of wastewater treatment, while modern technologies allow for the recovery of both energy and raw materials. The law in principle ruled out the possibility of storage and limited the agricultural use of unprocessed sewage sludge, thus one should choose the optimal development directions of the sector. Possible areas of action are burning with recovery of energy and raw materials from ashes or organic recycling, i.e. composting with recovery of energy and heat and using the resulting fertilizer.


Background: A variety of curricula have been developed to teach a systematic approach to the initial hospital management of injured patients, but limited data exists on the impact on patient outcomes, particularly in low-income countries.
Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the PubMed database to identify peerreviewed articles from 1980 to 2012 that address the impact of focused trauma education in low-resource settings. Studies were limited to those conducted in a low or lower-middle income country, as defined by the World Bank. We also searched the table of contents for all available issues from 1996-2012 of the East and Central African Journal of Surgery (ECAJS) on Bioline International. Randomized controlled trials and studies describing educational initiatives with before-and-after studies were selected for detailed review.
Results: We conducted 19 PubMed searches, yielding 80 unique published articles. 14 articles met the criteria for full-text review after abstract review. One article from ECAJS met the criteria for full-text review. Four studies documented improved trauma knowledge following the educational intervention. Two studies re-evaluated knowledge retention at one-year and two-years. One study showed improvement in documentation of burn size and analgesic use. No studies were identified that evaluated the impact of a focused trauma education program on quantitative outcomes or resource utilization.
Conclusions: Very few studies evaluate quantitative outcomes following the implementation of focused hospital-based trauma education initiatives in resource-limited settings. More rigorous research design is necessary to evaluate patient mortality and resource utilization in low-income and lower middle-income countries.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source (including a link to the formal publication), provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.


Real-world emission factors for different vehicle types and their contributions to roadside air pollution are needed for air-quality management. Tunnel measurements have been used to estimate emission factors for several vehicle types using linear regression or receptor-based source apportionment. However, the accuracy and uncertainties of these methods have not been sufficiently discussed. This study applies four methods to derive emission factors for different vehicle types from tunnel measurements in Hong Kong, China: (1) simple linear regressions (SLR); (2) multiple linear regressions (MLR); (3) positive matrix factorization (PMF); and (4) EMission FACtors for Hong Kong (EMFAC-HK). Separable vehicle types include those fueled by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), gasoline, and diesel. PMF was the most useful, as it simultaneously seeks source profiles and source contributions. Diesel-, gasoline-, and LPG-fueled vehicle emissions accounted for 52%, 10%, and 5% of PM2.5 mass, respectively, while ammonium sulfate (~20%), ammonium nitrate (6%), and road dust (7%) were also large contributors. MLR exhibited the highest relative uncertainties, typically over twice those determined by SLR. EMFAC-HK has the lowest relative uncertainties due to its assumption of a single average emission factor for each pollutant and each vehicle category under specific conditions. The relative uncertainties of SLR and PMF are comparable.


This paper deals with the relationship between water, tourism and climate change in the touristy highland region of the Everest in Nepal. Tens of thousands of trekkers visit yearly this valley drained by the Dudh Koshi and its tributaries. We question water availability for tourism needs, assuming that the observed supply difficulties might be caused by the social management of the resource rather than the iffy effects of climate change. We show that the evolution regarding the way people trek brings new needs in water and electricity. It results in a new pressure on water resources since the touristy season and the hydrologic regime are misaligned. However, the pressure must be put into perspective with regard to the way inhabitants organize and plan the infrastructures for collecting and withdrawing water from the rivers. Our analyses show strong inequalities in the access of water at two distinct scales, between villages and within villages, as well as a high territorial fragmentation of water and electricity networks. They bear witness to a complex social management of water and a lack of coordination at the valley scale, which threatens the sustainability of the infrastructures as well as the tourist economy. Tourism, Social Management of Water and Climate Change in an Area of High Alt... Journal of Alpine Research | Revue de géographie alpine, 108-1 | 2020 15


The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of binahong leaf extract ointment topically in a new incision wound healing compared to povidone iodine ointment. An experimental study was in vivo and was carried out using pre- and post-test group design from March to April 2015. The subject of the study was 30 Sprague Dawley White Male Rats divided into 5 groups. Group 1 was given base ointment, group 2 was given povidone iodine ointment, group 3 was given binahong leaf extract ointment 10%, group 4 was given binahong leaf extract ointment 20%, group 5 was given binahong leaf extract ointment 40%. The ointment was given 4 hours after incisions. The study data were tested with Levene Test, paired sample t-test, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Post Hoc test using SPSS program version 20. The average concentrate of neutrophils before and after treatment with paired sample t-test showed a significant difference (p<0.05). Effectivity test between groups with independent t-test showed a significant difference except on a positive control group and binahong leaf extract 40%, Post Hoc test showed that there was a significant difference between applying binahong leaf extract ointment and povidone iodine ointment. In conclusion, binahong leaf extract ointment 40% has an anti-inflammatory effect in decreasing 81.25% of PMN neutrophil on incision wound but it less than povidone iodine ointment in decreasing 84.64% of PMN neutrophil.


Abstract The assumption that seeds imbibe most of the water required for germination as liquid through seed-to-soil contact has been a dominant theme in germination research and seeding technology. Under most conditions, seeds are also exposed to water vapour during imbibition, but the relative contributions of liquid and vapour are difficult to assess. In water uptake models that include vapour, procedures used to estimate potential vapour imbibition have underappreciated the effect of distance on diffusion rate. At the same time, the amount of seed-to-soil contact and the liquid bridge from soil water to the seed tend to be greatly overestimated, considering the soil water contents often found in the field. Most researchers have recorded an approximately equal time to germination at soil water contents ranging from field capacity to nearly permanent wilting point, and little response to bulk density, soil type or seed–soil contact. While hydraulic conductivity decreases by several orders of magnitude as soil water content, bulk density and seed-contact decrease, relative humidity remains near 100%. There are several experiments demonstrating timely germination in water vapour alone. The combined evidence contradicts the assumption that seed–soil contact is important for imbibition of water by seeds. Water vapour should be considered the primary source of water for seeds in unsaturated soils.


A comparative study of the microstructure characterization and mechanical properties was done in a HSLA low carbon (0.08%) bainitic steel containing boron, developed by industry as a bainitic steel grade APIX80. The steel was submitted to two different thermomechanical processes. In the first one, controlled rolling followed by accelerated cooling was applied in laboratory mill. In the second processing, specimens of the same steel were submitted to hot torsion testing. The influence of cooling conditions like start cooling temperature, cooling rates and finish cooling temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated. The final microstructure obtained was a complex mixture of polygonal ferrite, pearlite, bainite and martensite/retained austenite constituent. The use of multiple regression analysis allowed the establishment of quantitative relationships between the accelerated cooling variables and mechanical properties of the steel available from Vickers microhardness and tensile tests.


The required first-year clerkship in family and community medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School is a major curricular innovation which has implications for physician education. Students have lived in communities and worked in health service settings with field sponsors, under full-time faculty guidance, in all regions of Massachusetts. This has been one answer to the school's mandate to address the physician maldistribution problem. The goals and objectives and the teaching methods used to implement the program are described. These lessons were drawn from the program experience: community medicine clerkships belong in the first year of the curriculum; full-time medical school faculty working with the field sponsor promotes an optimal learning environment; long-term evaluation remains an important consideration. The first eight years of experience with the clerkship have demonstrated its value, and it should be considered for inclusion in the curriculum of other medical schools.


Skin rashes are commonly seen by the primary care physician. The chief cause of contact dermatitis is the plant genus Toxicodendron, but topical medications such as anesthetics, antibiotics, and preservatives also cause this condition. Commonly seen superficial fungal infections include candidiasis and several types of tinea. Microscopic identification of the organism on a potassium hydroxide (KOH) preparation establishes the definitive diagnosis. In addition to occurring in its usual sites, the herpes simplex virus can cause recurrent disease on glabrous skin areas. A positive Tzanck test establishes a diagnosis of herpesvirus infection. Mosquito, flea, and brown recluse spider bites produce diagnostic physical findings. Scabies infestation produces a distinctive eruption, and the diagnosis is made by isolating the mite or its products.


This study examined the effect(s) of malaria parasitemia and coartem/vitamin E co-administration on serum Testosterone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) levels in male mice. Twenty-eight (28) adult male mice were procured, acclimatized for two (2) weeks and randomly selected into four (4) groups of seven (7) mice per group. Group 1 (Control) received standard mice diet and water ad libitum, while group 2 mice were infected with malaria (Plasmodium berghei) and left untreated. Groups 3 and 4 were inoculated with malaria (Plasmodium berghei); then treated with coartem and coartem+vitamin E respectively. After three (3) weeks of administration of test substance, the mice blood samples were obtained from mice (for each group) and assayed for serum FSH and Testosterone levels. Statistical comparison was then conducted (using the student t-test) against those of the control group to ascertain the effects of the changes due to coartem and/or antioxidant vitamin E co-administration to Plasmodium berghei infected mice. The study found a statistically significant decrease in serum testosterone levels of male mice after inoculation with Plasmodium berghei. This decrease was noticed more even with coartem administration but showed non-significant amelioration with coartem/vitamin E co-administration, implicative of a possible effect in fecundity levels of male mice. Levels of FSH was significantly increased in infected and untreated male mice, but following treatment with coartem and/or antioxidant vitamin E, there was a reversal to about the same levels as control. Comparative results on the body weights of mice also revealed a drastic fall due to infection with Plasmodium berghei. Further studies aimed at corroborating and extrapolating the results of this work are also recommended


Liquid crystal (LCs) is the state of matter that exhibits properties between a conventional liquid and solid crystals. Liquid crystals mainly can be classified into two types: thermotropic and lyotropic liquid crystals. A thermotropic liquid crystal shows properties that are dependent on temperature conditions. On the other hand in lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs), the amphiphiles are dissolved in a solvent and exhibit liquid crystalline properties in certain concentration ranges. In the literature, lot of reviews have been presented on thermotropic and lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs). But nowadays, swollen liquid crystals (SLCs) have become a much more important area of research because of their easily tunable properties, their stability and versatility of the system. Swollen liquid crystals (SLCs) consist of infinite liquid crystalline non polar cylinders organized on a hexagonal lattice in a polar medium and are prepared with the proper ratios of salted water and non polar solvents with cationic or anionic or non ionic surfactants and co surfactants i.e. water : oil : surfactant : cosurfactant. In this review article, we will briefly discuss the synthesis of swollen liquid crystals (SLCs), factors affecting their stability, different kinds of nanomaterials such as metallic, bimetallic, polymeric nanostructures synthesized inside swollen liquid crystals (SLCs) using different methods and the effect of swollen liquid crystal (SLC) confinement on the final morphology of nanomaterials with their potential applications.


With the globalization and advancement of the frontiers of capitalism, several ventures direct their efforts only to increase profitability and several other aspects are left aside, at the same time that this movement is growing, emerges the other side of the scale, companies that not only are aimed at profit, but are also attentive to the demands of society and the environment that are embedded. Based on the second movement reported, this research aims to explain the concepts in the literature on Social Responsibility, Private Social Investment and Social Marketing in order to separate their definitions from the confusion created by the inadequate use of large masses, mainly from repercussions generated by common sense, bringing to the fore the readers the clarification that can be generated from these new terms that are still in increasing evolution. For this, it is used as a research method the narrative revision, more flexible because it includes the approach of more general themes, and thus has a qualitative comparative nature, mainly for evidencing the differentiation between three themes that have near and unknown meanings of the general public, and can serve as a base text for exploratory and introductory readings. In summary, it is expected that the article can contribute to the expansion of the debate on the subject in the academic environment, in the society and in the development of new researches that will contribute to the conceptual delineation of the areas. It is noticed that although the three concepts are very similar in common sense, when looking for their characteristics and practices in the literature, the distinction between them is clearly observed. A fact of great relevance for managers, academics, students and professionals in the area of organizational management that even though they do not have such areas encompassing their final activity, are surrounded by several aspects described in the paper.


A new design of a simple and inexpensive optical cell of variable thickness for absorption coefficient measurements in highly absorbing liquids is presented. The cell, which can be also used with highly corrosive samples and up to temperatures of 300 degrees C, is suitable for measurements from the near infrared up to near ultraviolet. As an example, the absorption spectrum of liquid iodine measured over six decades is reported.


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Studies optimal tracking performance issues pertaining to finite dimensional, linear, time invariant feedback control systems. The problem under consideration amounts to determining the minimal tracking error between the output and input signals of a system, attainable by all possible stabilizing compensators. An integral square error criterion is used as a measure for the tracking error, and explicit expressions are derived for this measure with respect to step signals. It is shown that plant nonminimum phase zeros have a negative effect upon a system's ability in reducing the tracking error, and that in a multivariable system this effect results in a way depending upon not only the zero locations, but also the zero directions. It is also shown that plant nonminimum phase zeros and unstable poles can together play a particularly detrimental role to tracking performance, especially when the zeros and poles are nearby and their directions are closely aligned. These results lead to new insights into the optimal tracking problem, and more generally, insights into certain fundamental issues concerning limitations on performance achievable via feedback control.


Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler fouling has become a significant issue for compliance with NOx emissions standards. In order to better understand fouling mechanisms, eleven field-aged EGR coolers provided by seven different engine manufacturers were characterized using a suite of techniques. Microstructures were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy following mounting the samples in epoxy and polishing. Optical microscopy was able to discern the location of hydrocarbons in the polished cross-sections. Chemical compositions were measured using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Mass per unit area along the length of the coolers was also measured. Despite coming from different sources and applications, many common features were observed in the cooler deposits including mud-cracking, hydrocarbon condensation near the metal surface, and erosion of the deposit. Differences and commonalities between the coolers will be discussed in the context of better understanding cooler fouling and ways to prevent it.


Although persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in bottom-feeding fish have been monitored for decades in Kansas, no information regarding long term trends has been published. Therefore, in this study we examined fish tissue data collected from six long-term, large-river, fish tissue monitoring stations in Kansas for trends in POP concentrations. Based on the findings we also forecasted future persistence and discussed the practical implications of our findings. The data we examined consisted of whole-body composited multi-fish samples collected over periods spanning 21–33 years. Common carp was the target species, but occasionally other bottom-feeding species were substituted when necessary. The sample constituents examined were dieldrin, technical chlordane, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Constituent data were normalized by lipid content prior to analysis, however, because lipid content was not measured during certain time periods, multiple imputation (MI) and analyses techniques (SAS 2014) were employed to overcome the data gaps. The lipidnormalized data were analyzed for time trends using robust non-parametric techniques, which were capable of handling both censored and uncensored data. Because of expected high sample variability, correlations between time and constituent concentrations were considered statistically probable (significant) at p-values < 0.1. Where correlations were significant, the trend line equations were extrapolated to current method reporting limit (RLs) concentrations and 90% prediction intervals (PIs) were constructed around the forecasted RL/year intercepts. Fifteen of the 24 analyses resulted in statistical significance, but no monitoring station experienced significantly declining trends among all four constituents, nor did any constituent significantly decrease across all six stations. The average forecasted RL/year intercept was 2050 (PI = +/- 23 years), however some upper PIs suggested some POPS could remain detectable in fish for at least another century.


Osler‐Weber‐Rendu disease is a genetic disease characterized by mucocutaneous and visceral telangiectasias. Pulmonary arteriovenous malformation is one of the main visceral complications revealing Osler‐Weber‐Rendu disease. The present case was a 34‐year‐old woman with exertional dyspnea and severe hypoxemia revealing pulmonary arteriovenous malformations on chest CT scan.


A new fluorinated derivative of N-propylnormetazocine, N-(3-fluoropropyl)-N-normetazocine (1) was synthesized. 1 was similar to the unfluorinated analog 3 in its ability to compete with (3H)-naltrexone for binding sites in rat brain membranes and its potency in antagonizing morphine analgesia in rats. Competition of both compounds against (3H)-naltrexone was little affected by the presence of sodium chloride, a characteristic frequently exhibited by opiate antagonists. Morphine analgesia in rats was measured by suppression of locomotion and vocalization responses to footshock. The ability of 1 to antagonize morphine analgesia in rats was similar to that of 3. Neither 1 nor 3 showed any evidence of agonist activity in rats at doses as high as 1.0 mg/kg (the highest dose tested). These results suggest that 1, labeled with 18F, may be useful for in vivo studies of the opiate receptor using positron emission tomography (PET).


In multibit Sigma-Delta Modulator, DWA(Data Weighted Averaging) among the DEM(Dynamic Element Matching) techniques was widely used to get rid of non-linearity that caused by mismatching of unit capacitor in feedback DAC path. this paper proposed the improved DWA architecture by adjusting clock timing of the existing DWA architecture. 2n Register block used for output was replaced with 2n S-R latch block. As a result of this, MOS Tr. can be reduced and extra clock can also be removed. Moreover, two n-bit Register block used to delay n-bit data code is decreased to one n-bit Register. In order to confirm characteristics, DWA for the 3-bit output with the proposed DWA architecture was designed on 0.18um process under 1.8V supply. Compared with the existing architecture, .It was able to reduce the number of 222 MOS Tr.


The French Ambassador to Namibia has made USD 30,120 available under the Social Development Fund (SDF) to Judea Harvest Namibia (JHN) in partnership with Urban and Peri-Urban Horticulture Namibia (UPH), during June 2011. This partnership proposed a project to improve food security and nutrition for vulnerable people living in the urban and peri-urban areas of Windhoek, Rehoboth and Okahandja, Namibia. This project also aims to contribute to food security and income generating activities. Furthermore, it builds the capacity of the local communities on urban horticulture, to promote entrepreneurship. The beneficiaries of the project are orphans, HIV/AIDS orphans and poor people as part of a feeding program by JHN's members and in particular, the Hope Village HIV/AIDS hospice. Hope village was used as pilot site to tailor and adjust hydroponic techniques for vegetable cropping. This paper reports on the preliminary outcomes from this pilot study. Vegetables were grown in 8-L plastic bags as growing bags, filled with river sand as a substrate in netted enclosures called 'veggie tunnels'. A nutrient hydroponic solution was used to feed the plants. Five communities were involved in this project since the date of implementation. The HIV/AIDS hospice's 'veggie tunnels' provided vegetables to 250 to 300 children per year. The average production for a 9×4 m veggie tunnel was 216 kg beetroot and 288 kg carrot per 3-month cycle and 21.5 kg Swiss chard per week. The garden produced Swiss chard, carrot, beetroot, lettuce, onion and parsley. Children with HIV/AIDS had their immune systems boosted by consuming fresh vegetables on a regular basis. They even started to attend school after regular medication with a good meal. All the SDF projects have been completed by the end of November 2011. The perspectives to sustain and scale up such a pilot project are discussed. (Resume d'auteur)


We demonstrated a nanoscaled artificial phononic crystal composed of three-dimensionally ordered quantum dots (QDs) with functional acoustic properties. Femtosecond ultrasonic technique is used to investigate the lattice dynamics of this phononic nanocrystal. The measurement results indicate that three-dimensional ordering and uniformity of the QDs are important factors influencing the observed acoustic resonance at the forbidden bands. For well-arranged QDs, noticeable features of the phononic band gap and the associated phonon cavity mode can be found, while this nanocrystal also serves as an effective acoustic medium, or acoustic meta material, for low-frequency acoustic phonons.


Many proteins are internalized by live cells following a pathway that differs from classical endocytosis. Thus, they gain direct access to the cell cytoplasm and nucleus. The same proteins, very often, are secreted even though they lack a signal peptide. This very original mechanism of signal transduction opens the way to the reinterpretations of several developmental phenomenons and physiological observations. In addition, the discovery of this type of intercellular signalling has opened the way to the development of widely used peptidic vectors.


Background: Electromagnetic pollution is a general health concern worldwide, as cell phone towers are ubiquitous and are located adjacent to or on the roof of schools, and hospitals. However, the health risks are still inconclusive. This cross-sectional study evaluated the potential effect of electromagnetic radiation generated from various resources including cell phone towers on blood glutathione S transferase activity (e-GST) and total antioxidant activity of the Jordanian population. Methods: The power density of three districts in the city of Irbid, Jordan was mapped to generate "outside the houses" and "inside the houses" maps. The effect of categorical variables (gender, using a cell phone, presence of Wi-Fi modem, previous exposure to medical imaging) and continuous variables (distance from the base station, the elevation of the house, the duration of stay in the house, power density outside houses, power density inside houses) on e-GST and total antioxidant activity were investigated. Results: The EMR generated outside the houses—including cell phone towers—did not reach inside the houses at the same power and had no significant influence on e-GST activity. The EMR inside the house, which primarily came from internal resources, has a significant effect on e-GST activity. The duration of stay inside the house, the use of cell phones, and the presence of a Wi-Fi modem had a proportional effect on e-GST activity. The total antioxidant activity was statistically equal between the tested and control groups. Conclusions: Several factors such as building materials restricted the penetration of EMR reaching inside the houses. EMR generated inside rather than outside the houses had a proportional effect on e-GST. The differences in e-GST were compensated successfully by other antioxidant mechanisms. Further research is needed to identify other possible sources of antioxidants, and to evaluate long-term effects and genetic polymorphism.


We show that the Rashba spin-orbit interaction in d electron solids, which originates from the broken inversion symmetry at surfaces or interfaces, is strongly dependent on the orbital characters of the bands involved. This is studied by developing a tight-binding model in the presence of a uniform perpendicular electric field and spin-orbit coupling. We argue that for valence electrons, the spin-orbit coupling strength scales only as the square of the atomic number. The electric field distorts the d orbitals through the admixture of p and f states and also introduces intersite overlap parameters. Expressions for Rashba coefficients for the bands are obtained in both weak and strong spin-orbit interaction limits and are shown to be orbital dependent. The results are compared with first-principles calculations for model systems, showing good agreement. Our study demonstrates the orbital-dependent gate control of the Rashba effect for the purposes of oxide electronics.


In this paper 133 patients on long-term high doses of corticosteroids have been divided into four age groups, and data have been presented relating to development of acne, hypertrichosis, and facial oiliness in each of these groups. It has been shown that prepubertal children apparently do not develop acneiform lesions or oiliness of facial skin as a result of corticosteroid therapy, but that hypertrichosis often occurs in these patients. It has also been shown that there is no significant sexual or racial difference in the development of these steroid complications. It is suggested that the production of hypertrichosis and acneiform lesions by corticosteroids is not dependent on the androgenic activity of the steroids.


Stainless steel components in the UK's Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors can undergo microstructural changes near the surface due to the reactor carbon dioxide environment. Carburisation tends to increase the material's elastic modulus, yield strength and creep resistance. However, the ductility of the material tends to be reduced. This paper assesses the effect on the component response of the changes in local elastic, plastic and creep material properties resulting from carburisation. A pressurised carburised cylinder is modelled analytically as a set of concentric, creeping homogeneous cylinders. The results show a reduced overall deformation rate in the steady state as expected. For completeness, it is shown quite generally that steady-state deformation in a creeping component is reduced by locally increased creep resistance. The cylinder model, however, shows that the locally increased creep and plastic resistance leads to higher stresses in the carburised region than in a homogeneous cylinder, particularly during the transition before steady-state conditions are established. The transient period before steady state creep is then examined in more detail numerically by allowing the material properties to change due to carburisation during the transient phase. This leads to reduced stresses in the carburised region. The influence of the results on deformation, triaxial stress fields and associated creep damage distributions are examined and used to provide guidance on both component assessment and on evaluation of carburised material properties from deformation measurements on test specimens.


The opening of a sea route between Europe and the East and the subsequent establishment of regular maritime contacts in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were events of no small significance in the history of science. Coinciding as they did with the beginnings of its modern expansion in the West, these contacts led eventually to the rejuvenation of science in the East and provided new facts and new stimuli to investigators in Europe. Although it was the Portuguese who pioneered the new sea route, in the course of which they made important advances in navigation science and cartography, and were the first Europeans to establish settlements in the East, at that time they played only a minor part in either the advance or the dissemination of Western science (1). Individual Portuguese workers made their contribution, the most notable being the physician and botanist Garcia de Orta (1479- 1570) who produced an important work on Indian plants and their medicinal properties and who gave the first description of the treatment of cholera (2), but their discoveries evoked little interest in Portugal. Other European nations played a more important role. To some extent unwittingly, and certainly not because primarily motivated by scientific zeal, three commerical enterprises, the English, French and Dutch East India Companies, played a part in these processes. In their overseas settlements these companies employed men versed in such skills as medicine and engineering who were interested in the natural phenomena which they observed and the products to be found in the countries in which they resided. To them is due in no small measure the introduction of western science to India (3), while their observations and collections made in the East furthered the advancement of science in Europe.


Summary Angiotensin II receptors from rat adrenal cortex and myometrium were studied with the use of tritiated angiotensin under conditions where the sensitivity of the target organs for angiotensin II is modified. Sodium status was found to modulate the number of angiotensin receptors both in adrenal gland and uterus. In both target tissues low Na+ diet increases the number of receptors, while a high Na+ diet results in an increase in uterine receptors without modifying adrenal cortical receptors. However, a more markedly positive sodium balance, such as that observed in deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) hypertension and in one-kidney Goldblatt hypertension, resulted in a reduction of the adrenocortical angiotensin II binding capacity. The endogenous angiotensin II level may also regulate the number of receptor sites as demonstrated by an increased number of receptors after suppression of circulating angiotensin II. It is proposed that the number of angiotensin II receptors is determined by the combined influences of sodium status and angiotensin II concentration. Some changes in the sensitivity of the target organ can be secondary to variations in the number of angiotensin receptors. However, others cannot be so explained and stem, therefore, from events occurring beyond the hormone-receptor interaction.


Understanding urban growth spatiotemporally is important for landscape and urban development planning. In this study, we examined the spatiotemporal pattern of urban growth of the Colombo Metropolitan Area (CMA)—Sri Lanka's only metropolitan area—from 1992 to 2014 using remote sensing data and GIS techniques. First, we classified three land-use/cover maps of the CMA (i.e., for 1992, 2001, and 2014) using Landsat data. Second, we examined the temporal pattern of urban land changes (ULCs; i.e., land changes from non-built-up to built-up) across two time intervals (1992–2001 and 2001–2014). Third, we examined the spatial pattern of ULCs along the gradients of various driver variables (e.g., distance to roads) and by using spatial metrics. Finally, we predicted the future urban growth of the CMA (2014–2050). Our results revealed that the CMA's built-up land has increased by 24,711 ha (221%) over the past 22 years (11,165 ha in 1992 to 35,876 ha in 2014), at a rate of 1123 ha per year. The analysis revealed that ULC was more intense or faster during the 2000s (1268 ha per year) than in the 1990s (914 ha per year), coinciding with the trends of population and economic growth. The results also revealed that most of the ULCs in both time intervals occurred in close proximity to roads and schools, while also showing some indications of landscape fragmentation and infill urban development patterns. The ULC modeling revealed that by 2030 and 2050, the CMA's built-up land will increase to 42,500 ha and 56,000 ha, respectively. Most of these projected gains of built-up land will be along the transport corridors and in proximity to the growth nodes. These findings are important in the context of landscape and urban development planning for the CMA. Overall, this study provides valuable information on the landscape transformation of the CMA, also highlighting some important challenges facing its future sustainable urban development.


Conditional entropies as over-segmentation and under-segmentation metrics for multi-part image segmentation" (2011). Abstract In this paper, we define two conditional entropy measures for performance evaluation of general image segmentation. Given a segmentation label map and a ground truth label map, our measures describe their compatibility in two ways. The first one is the conditional entropy of the segmentation given the ground truth, which indicates the oversegmentation rate. The second one is that of the ground truth given the segmentation, which indicates the under-segmentation rate. The two conditional entropies indicate the trade-off between smaller and larger granularities like false positive rate and false negative rate in ROC, and precision and recall in PR curve. Our measures are easy to implement, and involve no threshold or other parameter, have very intuitive explanation and many good theoretical properties, e.g., good bounds, monotonicity, continuity. Experiments show that our measures work well on Berkeley Image Segmentation Benchmark using three segmentation algorithms, Efficient Graph-Based segmentation, Mean Shift and Normalized Cut. We also give an asymmetric similarity measure based on the two entropies and compared it with Variation of Information. The comparison revealled that our method has advantages in many situations.We also checked the coarse-to-fine compatibility of segmentation results with changing parameters and ground truths from different annotators. Abstract In this paper, we define two conditional entropy measures for performance evaluation of general image seg-mentation. Given a segmentation label map and a ground truth label map, our measures describe their compatibility in two ways. The first one is the conditional entropy of the seg-mentation given the ground truth, which indicates the over-segmentation rate. The second one is that of the ground truth given the segmentation, which indicates the under-segmentation rate. The two conditional entropies indicate the trade-off between smaller and larger granularities like false positive rate and false negative rate in ROC, and precision and recall in PR curve. Our measures are easy to implement, and involve no threshold or other parameter, have very intuitive explanation and many good theoretical properties, e.g., good bounds, monotonicity, continuity. Experiments show that our measures work well on Berkeley Image Segmentation Benchmark using three segmentation algorithms, Efficient Graph-Based segmentation, Mean Shift and Normalized Cut. We also give an asymmetric similarity measure based on the two entropies and compared it with Variation of Information. The comparison revealled that our method has advantages in many situations. We also checked the coarse-to-fine compatibility of …


In this study a cELISA for the diagnosis of brucellosis due to B. melitensis in sheep and goats was evaluated and its capability of discriminating vaccinated from infected animals was assessed. Information is provided indicating that the cELISA has a diagnostic sensitivity (99.4%) and specificity (98.9%) in sheep and goats comparable to that of many standard indirect ELISA methods. In addition, the test proved able to distinguish between vaccinated and infected animals with an accuracy of up to 90% and results reproducibility of 93%. It was concluded that the cELISA could be useful for differentiation of Rev.1 vaccinated and naturally infected sheep and goats.


For the effective promotion of software process improvement (SPI) activities in a large organization, it is necessary to establish an organizational structure and a deployment method for promotion and to develop training courses, support tools, and other materials. Even if an organizational promotion system is established, the SPI activities of each development department cannot be promoted effectively without an SPI community. To promote SPI activities throughout Toshiba Group, we organized a Corporate Software Engineering Process Group in April 2000. We also proposed an SPI framework. This framework extracts the features of organizations in which improvement activities were successful in the 1990s and combines them systematically. For over 10 years, we have been constructing Toshiba's SPI framework based on the SPI framework that we proposed and promoting process improvement activities using it. As a result, maturity levels were improved in many development departments, and the applicability of the SPI framework has been confirmed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In this paper, we present an efficient neural network for end-to-end general purpose audio source separation. Specifically, the backbone structure of this convolutional network is the SUccessive DOwnsampling and Resampling of Multi-Resolution Features (SuDoRM-RF) as well as their aggregation which is performed through simple one-dimensional convolutions. In this way, we are able to obtain high quality audio source separation with limited number of floating point operations, memory requirements, number of parameters and latency. Our experiments on both speech and environmental sound separation datasets show that SuDoRM - RF performs comparably and even surpasses various state-of-the-art approaches with significantly higher computational resource requirements.


This study was conducted to assess the role of women headed households in the Local Seed Businesses and to analyze the determinant factors that influence women headed households benefit in the local seed business. The research method of this study was quantitative research method and descriptive research design was employed as a research design. Women in the local seed business were most frequently participated in seed production activities such as weeding, harvesting and storage of seeds, chemical fertilizer application and sowing of seeds. On the other hand, their participation in leadership, applying pesticides, trainings, organic fertilizer use, and active participation in meetings were limited. The Binary Logistic Regression analysis indicated different variables that determine women headed households benefit status in seed producer cooperatives, that factors such as land plot size, land used for local seed business, soil fertility, oxen ownership, access to market, access to credit services and access to extension services had significant effects on benefits gained by women headed households from the local seed business. To enhance the involvement of women headed households in the local seed business and to enable them benefit from their efforts it seems imperative that government and non government institutions should develop a solid package on seed production and carry out capacity buildings that could empower women.


We develop a superficial diffusing probe with a 3 mm source-detector separation that can be used in combination with diffuse optical spectroscopic (DOS) methods to noninvasively determine full-spectrum optical properties of superficial in vivo skin in the wavelength range from 650 to 1000 nm. This new probe uses a highly scattering layer to diffuse photons emitted from a collimated light source and relies on a two-layer diffusion model to determine tissue absorption coefficient mu a and reduced scattering coefficient mu's. By employing the probe to measure two-layer phantoms that mimic the optical properties of skin, we demonstrate that the probe has an interrogation depth of 1 to 2 mm. We carry out SSFDPM (steady state frequency-domain photon migration) measurements using this new probe on the volar forearm and palm of 15 subjects, including five subjects of African descent, five Asians, and five Caucasians. The optical properties of in vivo skin determined using the superficial diffusing probe show considerable similarity to published optical properties of carefully prepared ex vivo epidermis+dermis.


The influence of ball milling and subsequent calcination of a 2.5:1 molar mixture of alpha-Fe2O3 and Li2CO3 on the formation of lithium ferrites has been investigated. Premilling was found to considerably lower the temperature at which the lithium ferrites LiFeO2 and LiFe5O8 are formed. A beta-to-alpha-phase transition in LiFe5O8 was found to take place on cooling from ca. 1000degreesC depending on the milling history and cooling regime. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).


The SEB1/SBH1 and the SSO genes encode components of the protein secretory machinery functioning at the opposite ends, ER translocation and exocytosis, respectively, of the secretory pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Overexpression of these genes can rescue temperature‐sensitive (ts) growth defect of many sec mutants impaired in protein secretion. Furthermore, their overexpression in wild‐type yeast enhances production of secreted proteins in S. cerevisiae, which suggests that they may be rate‐limiting factors in this process. Here we report isolation of Kluyveromyces lactis homologues of these genes. KlSSO1 and KlSEB1 were isolated as clones capable of rescuing growth of ts sso2‐1 and seb1Δ seb2Δ sem1Δ strains, respectively, at the restrictive temperature. The encoded Kluyveromyces proteins are up to 70% identical with the S. cerevisiae homologues at the amino acid level and can functionally replace them. Interestingly, KlSSO1 and KlSEB1 show similar enhancing effect on production of a secreted protein as the SSO and SEB1 genes of S. cerevisiae when overexpressed. In accordance with the high homology level of the secretory pathway proteins in different yeast species, the polyclonal antibodies raised against S. cerevisiae Seb1p, Sso2p and Sec4p can detect homologous proteins in cell lysates of K. lactis and Pichia pastoris, the latter also in Candida utilis. The GenBank Accession Nos are AF307983 (K. lactis SSO1) and AF318314 (K. lactis SEB1). Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Background: Hemoglobin E disease are the most common structural haemoglobinopathies, reaching its highest frequency in South East Asia and also prevalent in Bangladesh. There are very few data for effective screening of HB E trait. The aim of the study was to analyze hematological profile and RBC indices as a marker of screening for Hb E trait. Methodology: A cross sectional observational study was conducted among 150 subjects at Dhaka Shishu (Children) Hospital from December 2008 to November 2009. On the basis of Hb electrophoresis, all subjects were divided into three groups. Group I comprised of 50 subjects with Hb E trait, group II comprised 51 subjects with s thalassemia trait and Group III comprised of 49 normal subjects. Result of RBC indices and blood count were compared between Hb E trait and normal study population. Results: In group I the mean age was 29.53 years and the age range was 2-47 years. In group II the mean age was 30.31 years and the range was 1-55 years. In group III the mean age was 21.81 years and the range was 1-52 years. The present study revealed the mean±SD haemoglobin level (g/dl) in group I (E trait) and group III (normal subjects) were 11.76±1.91 and 10.77±1.4 respectively. Statistically no significant difference was found between these 2 groups (P>.05). The mean corpuscular volume (MCV) in mean±SD in group I and group III were 72.89±12.24 fl and 77.35±10.27 fl respectively. No statistical significance was found as P>0.05. The mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) in group I were 24.84±2.71pg & 32.97±2.27 g/dl and in group III were 28.28±2.71 pg & 32.97±2.38 g/dl respectively. There were no significant difference between group I and III regarding MCH and MCHC.The mean RBC count in E trait and normal subject group were 5.01±71 million/cmm and 4.61±0.65 million/cmm respectively. There was no significant difference was found P>0.05. Mean red cell distribution width (RDW) in group I and III were 14.32 ±2.34 and 14.83±1.28 without any statistical difference (P>0.05) Conclusion: In our study there were no diagnostic significance of Blood count and RBC Indices for detection of Hb E trait. More study should be conducted to find out reliable marker of screening for Hb E carrier. Anwer Khan Modern Medical College Journal Vol. 8, No. 2: Jul 2017, P 94-99


The current researches on the foreign language vocabulary attrition mainly focuses on the nature, time and order of the attrition of foreign language vocabulary, but there are few experimental researches using new technological means. In this paper, students who are native Chinese speakers are taken as the subjects to conduct two behavioral experiments and event-related potential (ERP) experiments. The results show that subjects have the attrition of foreign language vocabulary. N1 and N400 effect are found in the results of the two experiments, in which both concrete nouns and abstract nouns show the weakening of N1 component and enhancing of the N400 component. In the trend of brain evoked potential, the amplitude of N1 becomes smaller while the amplitude of N400 becomes larger. These results indicate that foreign language vocabulary leave traces in the brain when it is extracted again, and English nouns appears attrition. As the most common word class in English, the attrition time of Chinese learners to this word class is short and the attrition even occurs within three months.


Every day in Germany an area of approximately 90 football fields (around 75 hectares) is sealed due to urbanisation. The environmental consequences of this are significant as the whole water balance can be disrupted because stormwater can no longer naturally infiltrate into the ground. One of the major consequences of reduced natural infiltration is an increase in local flooding. The increased volumes of stormwater from urban developments are often simply diverted into existing stormwater and sewer systems and this frequently exceeds their capacities leading to local flooding. A lack of water for evaporation can also result in a hotter, drier climate in urban areas. This is known as Urban Heat Island Effect. In addition, pollutants from traffic and other anthropogenic activities in urban areas can compromise the quality of groundwater and receiving waters. This situation is expected to become even more problematic in future due to expected climate change. Research indicates that the intensity of the summer rainfall in Germany will increase substantially. Sustainable solutions for handling stormwater that more closely represent the natural water cycle are urgently required. Legislators have also recognized this situation. While the capacity of existing sewers in Germany can generally manage runoff from rainfall events of up to approximately 50 mm/h satisfactorily, permeable pavers can easily infiltrate more than 500 mm/h. However, permeable pavements are not utilised as often as they could be. One potential reason for the low utilisation rate of permeable paving systems is the stark industrial look that many of the traditional paving systems have. Traditional permeable paving systems often do not meet the design demands of landscape architects. Many also have important disadvantages like wide infiltration joints that can cause structural damage to the surface and are not practical for high heels or trolleys. The paper describes the development of a new permeable interlocking concrete paving system that has a maximum joint width of between 5 and 6 mm, which is in-line with German building regulations. The new pavers are very flexible and are not limited by shape, colours or surface finish. An innovative joint filling material was developed which has very high strength and pollutant removal capacity. The new system exceeds all stormwater treatment and infiltration requirements for general German technical approval. In addition, the new system has been field tested over a period of three years at three different sites in Germany and the Netherland. The cleaning process to renew the hydraulic permeability was also tested and optimized in the field studies. The paper presents results from the laboratory and field tests performed as part of the German approval process. It also gives recommendations for construction and maintenance of the new system.


We argue that in order to maintain the biological function of DNA confined inside the cell nucleus, its spatial structure has to be unknotted, of the so-called "crumpled globule" type. The fixation of a particular realization of this non-equilibrium structure by attractive interactions between specific units imposes a connection between the spatial structure of DNA and the statistical distribution of these units along the chain contour. This suggests that both primary sequence and spatial structure of native DNA were formed simultaneously by a self-similar evolution process. The predictions of our model are compared with recent observations of long-range correlations in intron-containing genes and non-transcribed regulatory elements and further experimental tests are proposed.


Improper disposal and storage of waste tires poses a serious threat to the environment and human health. In light of the drawbacks of the current disposal methods for waste tires, the transformation of waste material into valuable membranes has received significant attention from industries and the academic field. This study proposes an efficient and sustainable method to utilize reclaimed rubber from waste tires after devulcanization, as a precursor for thermally rearranged (TR) membranes. The reclaimed rubber collected from local markets was characterized by thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis. The results revealed that the useable rubber in the as-received sample amounted to 57% and was classified as styrene–butadiene rubber, a type of synthetic rubber. Moreover, the gas separation measurements showed that the C7-P2.8-T250 membrane with the highest H2/CO2 selectivity of 4.0 and sufficient hydrogen permeance of 1124.61 GPU exhibited the Knudsen diffusion mechanism and crossed the Robeson trade-off limit. These findings demonstrate that reclaimed rubber is an appealing, cost effective, and sustainable alternative, as a precursor for TR membranes, for application in gas separation. The present approach is useful in the selection of a suitable reclaimed rubber precursor and related membrane preparation parameters, leading to the advancement in the recycling value of waste tires.


We develop a new method for the determination of the absolute value of the magnetic field strength in coronal closed magnetic structures, based on the analysis of flare-generated oscillations of coronal loops. Interpretation of the oscillations observed in terms of global standing kink waves allows to connect the period of the oscillations and the loops length with the magnetic field strength in the loops. For loop oscillations observed with TRACE on 14th July 1998 and 4th July 1999, we estimate the magnetic field strength as 4-30 G. Using TRACE 171 A and 195 A images of the loop, taken on 4th July 1999 to determine the plasma density, we estimate the magnetic field in the loop as 13 +- 9 G. Improved diagnostic of the loop length, the oscillation period, and the plasma density in the loop will significantly improve the method's precision.


In this article we propose a case‐base maintenance methodology based on the idea of transferring knowledge between knowledge containers in a case‐based reasoning (CBR) system. A machine‐learning technique, fuzzy decision‐tree induction, is used to transform the case knowledge to adaptation knowledge. By learning the more sophisticated fuzzy adaptation knowledge, many of the redundant cases can be removed. This approach is particularly useful when the case base consists of a large number of redundant cases and the retrieval efficiency becomes a real concern of the user. The method of maintaining a case base from scratch, as proposed in this article, consists of four steps. First, an approach to learning feature weights automatically is used to evaluate the importance of different features in a given case base. Second, clustering of cases is carried out to identify different concepts in the case base using the acquired feature‐weights knowledge. Third, adaptation rules are mined for each concept using fuzzy decision trees. Fourth, a selection strategy based on the concepts of case coverage and reachability is used to select representative cases. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach as well as to examine the relationship between compactness and performance of a CBR system, experimental testing is carried out using the Traveling and the Rice Taste data sets. The results show that the testing case bases can be reduced by 36 and 39 percent, respectively, if we complement the remaining cases by the adaptation rules discovered using our approach. The overall accuracies of the two smaller case bases are 94 and 90 percent, respectively, of the originals.


Well-established analysis techniques, including secondary ions mass-spectrometry (SIMS) (Benninghoven et al., 1987; Brundle et al., 1992; Alford et al., 2007), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) (Hirsch et al., 1977; Horiuchi, 1994; Williams & Carter, 2009) allow direct observation of the effect of ion implantation, although they suffer from being destructive, time consuming and unusable for real-time in-line monitoring of ion implantation process or to measure uniformity. Some of the more common methods, like sheet resistance measurements (four-point probe, FPP) (Keenan et al., 1985; Johnson, 2001; Schroder, 2006) and thermal-wave technology (TW) (Smith et al., 1985; Guidotti & van Driel, 1985; Smith et al., 1986), are fast and relatively inexpensive, but require special efforts in order to get reliable information and exclude measurement errors. Ideally, the technique should be non-destructive to the sample, fast, accurate and precise to be used for routine process monitoring and control.


This thesis investigated interference between SCADA radio transmissions and RTK radio transmissions. The research primarily focused on the SCADA network controlled
by State Water Corporation. Previous research conducted by USQ students has indicated the validity of interference
to GNSS from outside RF (radio frequencies).
Anecdotally, it has been observed that SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) has detrimentally affected RTK surveying when in the vicinity of such transmitters
The objective of the study was to quantify the extent and severity of any such interference, and from this information, produce a map specific to State Water's
SCADA network showing all potential areas where RTK Surveying might be compromised by the SCADA network.
The field survey examined 4 State Water operated SCADA sites at two different locations. A third site, minimally affected by RFI was used as a reference site. At each site a series of coordinated points was measured using conventional traversing techniques and static GNSS, thereby eliminating RF interference.
Leica 500 and 1200 RTK receivers were used to measure the test points with the result being compared to the control coordinates. It was found that accuracy and precision of the RTK results was negatively affected when operated in the vicinity of SCADA and other RF interference. This dissertation will show the extent of the effect and comment upon potential 'zone of influence' that surrounds the SCADA sites tested


Future changes in seasonal mean temperature and precipitation over East Asia under anthropogenic global warming are investigated by comparing the historical run for 1979~2005 and the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 run for 2006~2100 with 20 coupled models which participated in the phase five of Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project (CMIP5). Although an increase in future temperature over the East Asian monsoon region has been commonly accepted, the prediction of future precipitation under global warming still has considerable uncertainties with a large inter-model spread. Thus, we select best five models, based on the evaluation of models' performance in present climate for boreal summer and winter seasons, to reduce uncertainties in future projection. Overall, the CMIP5 models better simulate climatological temperature and precipitation over East Asia than the phase 3 of CMIP and the five best models' multi-model ensemble (B5MME) has better performance than all 20 models' multi-model ensemble (MME). Under anthropogenic global warming, significant increases are expected in both temperature and land-ocean thermal contrast over the entire East Asia region during both seasons for near and long term future. The contrast of future precipitation in winter between land and ocean will decrease over East Asia whereas that in summer particularly over the Korean Peninsula, associated with the Changma, will increase. Taking into account model validation and uncertainty estimation, this study has made an effort on providing a more reliable range of future change for temperature and precipitation particularly over the Korean Peninsula than previous studies.


Aim We aimed to assess the role of 21-gene recurrence score (RS) in the decision-making for surgical treatment in early stage breast cancer and compared the outcomes between breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and mastectomy (MAST) among various 21-gene RS groups. Methods We included patients with stage T1-2M0M0 and estrogen receptor-positive breast invasive ductal carcinoma who underwent BCS + radiotherapy or MAST between 2004 and 2012 as part of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. Data were analyzed using binomial logistic regression, multivariate Cox proportional hazards models, and propensity score matching (PSM). Results We enrolled 34,447 patients including 22,681 (65.8%) and 11,766 (34.2%) who underwent BCS and MAST, respectively. Patients with high-risk RS were more likely to receive MAST. Multivariate analysis indicated that patients with intermediate-risk (P<0.001) and high-risk (P<0.001) RS had poor breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS), as compared to those with low-risk RS. Moreover, patients who underwent MAST also exhibited poor BCSS (P<0.001), as compared to those who underwent BCS. In low-risk (P<0.001) and intermediate-risk (P=0.020) RS groups, patients who underwent MAST had poor BCSS, as compared to those treated with BCS. However, BCSS was comparable between patients who underwent MAST and BCS (P=0.952); similar trends were also observed after PSM. Conclusion The 21-gene RS may impact the decision-making for surgery in early stage breast cancer. Our study provides additional support for a shared decision-making process for BCS when both local management options are appropriate choices regardless of the 21-gene RS.


With a market capitalisation of over USD 205 billion in just under ten years, public distributed ledgers have experienced significant adoption. Apart from novel consensus mechanisms, their success is also accountable to smart contracts. These programs allow distrusting parties to enter agreements that are executed autonomously. However, implementation issues in smart contracts caused severe losses to the users of such contracts. Significant efforts are taken to improve their security by introducing new programming languages and advance verification methods. We provide a survey of those efforts in two parts. First, we introduce several smart contract languages focussing on security features. To that end, we present an overview concerning paradigm, type, instruction set, semantics, and metering. Second, we examine verification tools and methods for smart contract and distributed ledgers. Accordingly, we introduce their verification approach, level of automation, coverage, and supported languages. Last, we present future research directions including formal semantics, verified compilers, and automated verification.


Background IFN-g-producing Th1 or Th0 cells predominate in the synovium of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is now known that the accumulation of Th1 cells is mediated by Th1 cell expression of the chemokine receptors CCR5 and CXCR3 and the local expression of their agonistic chemokines. Accordingly, T cell infiltrates in RA synoivum have been shown to mostly express CCR5 and CXCR3. Objectives Since synovial fibroblasts are known as an active participant in joint destruction and chronic inflammation, we investigated the expression of CXCR3 agonists such as IP-10, Mig, and I-TAC in synovial fibroblasts, as well as synovial tissues from RA patients. In addition, the importance of these fibroblast-derived chemokines in the chemotactic response of RA blood CD4+ T cells was determined. Methods Synovial fibroblast cell lines, prepared from RA synovial tissues, were incubated with or without IFN-g, IL-1, TNF-a, IL-17, or various combinations. Levels of protein and mRNA for IP-10, Mig, and I-TAC were measured by ELISA and RT-PCR, respectively. The distribution of chemokine-producing cells in RA synovial tissue was determined by immunohitochemistry. Fibroblasts were cultured overnight on chamber slides and their chemokine synthesis was detected by intracellular staining and a confocal laser scanning microscopy. The chemotactic response of RA blood CD4+ T cells to fibroblast culture supernatants with or without antibodies against IP-10, Mig, and I-TAC was determined by an in vitro chemotaxis microchamber technique. Results Concentrations of CXCR3 agonistic chemokines in RA synovial fluid were much higher than those in RA peripheral blood or osteoarthritis (OA) synovial fluid. Immunohistochemical analysis of RA synovial tissue showed that these chemokines were expressed mostly on large cells and vascular endothelial cells in the sublining layer, as well as in the lining layer. The staining was prominent around the lymphocyte aggregate. Synovial tissues form RA more strongly expressed mRNA for all three CXCR3 agonists than OA tissues, and spontaneously released large amounts of their proteins. Synovial fibroblast cell lines isolated from RA, when stimulated with IFN-g, were able to produce these chemokines at the mRNA and protein levels, and this chemokine production was significantly augmented by IL-1, TNF-a, and IL-17. Culture supernatants of activated fibroblasts contained the chemotactic activity for blood CD4+ T cells from RA, and this activity was partially but significantly inhibited by antibodies against these CXCR3 agonists. Conclusion These results indicate that synovial fibroblasts may contribute to the continued Th1 response in RA in part by secreting CXCR3 agonists. In addition, inflammatory cytokines derived from Th1 cells and macrophages, IFN-g, IL-17, IL-1, and TNF-a, are important inducers of these chemokines in the joint.


Trauma and Memory: Brain and Body in a Search for the Living Past by Peter Levine, PhD, 2015, Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, ISBN: 978-1-58394-994-8Finally, the published resources on working with trauma are catching up with the prenatal and perinatal somatic psychology (PPN) world. I relished reading Trauma and Memory by Peter Levine, PhD. When I started teaching about PPN in 2000, implicit memory as related to prenatal and birth experience was not widely known nor discussed. Those of us in the PPN field had to work hard to support our claim that the early lived human experience - from preconception through the first year of life - had implications across the life span. We were marginalized. Now, books like this one nourish our paradigm like a puzzle piece we knew was there but could not find. How wonderful to feel the satisfaction of fitting that piece into place.In his usual clear, concise manner, Levine lays out the patterns for explicit and implicit memory. Chapter two, The Fabric of Memory, details each of these kinds of memory, with their subcategories: explicit memory splits into declarative and episodic, implicit memory into emotional and procedural. These categories fit into a diagram of basic memory systems on a continuum, with explicit patterns being more conscious, and implicit, less conscious. The neat, orderly, declarative memory calls on "just the facts ma'am." The episodic memory is warmer and textured, a "dynamic interface between rational and irrational" (p. 16). These two systems function to help with coherent narrative. As we descend into the less conscious memory, the implicit memories are "hot" and powerfully compelling. ...They arise as a collage of sensations, emotions, and behaviors" (p. 21). Further details of implicit memory show how it is coupled with procedural memory:Implicit memories appear and disappear surreptitiously, usually far outside the bounds of our conscious awareness. They are primarily organized around emotions and/or skills, or "procedures" - things that the body does automatically (sometimes called "action patterns"). ...While emotional memories most certainly have a powerful effect on our behaviors, procedural memories frequently have an even deeper influence - for better or worse - in shaping the trajectory of our lives. (p. 21-22)A procedural memory is an "impulse, movement, or internal body sensation that guides us through the how to of various actions, skills, attractions, and repulsions," (p. 25). Certainly, being born fits into this category.Levine devotes a whole chapter to procedural memory (chapter three). In a short subsection called "Emotional Rudders," Levine succinctly lays out the importance of how this implicit/procedural memory plays a role in PPN because it is linked with survival states, and how present day experience can trigger these memories if they are similar in type and intensity. He delivers three case studies that illustrate the power of these implicit/procedural places, one of which is a birth sequence with a mother-baby pair. I paused to savor Levine's case study about a birth sequence, unpacking it with his definitions of memory, and the baby's story, defending and completing sequences in the birth and right afterwards, ending with a re-patterning of bonding with his mother. It is done with precision, flow and clarity.For the longtime PPN enthusiast, this book is a delicious experience. Levine lays out a road map to memory of how the various types of memory interplay and interweave: procedural memory interrelates with emotional memory to form the implicit, which impacts the explicit memory where declarative and episodic weave together coherent memory. If something implicit lurks in the background, it affects the explicit. This is how early trauma affects the present time.Levine continues to refine memory in the remaining two-thirds of the book. I so enjoyed his exact descriptions and the thoroughness of the model. …


The aim of this research was to explore how examiners achieve and maintain high quality assessment during marking and moderation of the BGCSE (Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education) Home Economics coursework in Botswana. In 2000, localization of the Cambridge Overseas School Certificate (COSC) to the Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) took place as per the recommendations of the Revised National Policy on Education (RNPE) document. This new certificate system, marked locally, allows for varied modes of assessment, with more emphasis being placed on continuous assessment. In addition the assessment is school-based, with teachers centrally involved. However, implementation of this new assessment approach exposed, among other challenges, challenges in establishing dependability of teachers' assessment, possible increase in teacher workload, teachers' lack of expertise and confidence in undertaking the assessment scheme. This book should provide useful knowledge for examiners and all those involved in assessment as well as being a handy reference material for the practising educationist in any adminstrative capacity.


In many countries of the industrialised world second generation ("atypical") antipsychotics have become the first line drug treatment for people with schizophrenia. The question as to whether, and if so how much, the effects of the various second generation antipsychotics differ is a matter of debate. In this review we examined how the efficacy and tolerability of olanzapine differs from that of other second generation antipsychotics.