Introduction Epidemiology demonstrates an association between obesity, hiatus hernia and acid reflux but mechanism is unclear. We have examined the structure and function of the gastro-oesophageal (GO) junction in healthy subjects with and without obesity and the effects of elevating intra-abdominal pressure with belt. Methods We recruited 8 subjects with normal ( < 94 cm males < 80 cm females) and 8 with increased ( > 102 cm males > 88 cm females) waist circumference, matched for age and gender. To allow accurate monitoring of location of the GO junction and its proximal movement during TLOSRs, a magnet (2x1 mm) was endoscopically clipped to the SCJ. Combined assembly of locator probe, high-resolution pH catheter and slimline manometer was passed nasally. After a standard meal, recording seated upright was continued for an hour. A waist belt was applied on a separate day throughout the entire recording. The effect of obesity was assessed by comparing obese vs. non-obese, both without belt. The effect of belt was assessed by comparing entire group with and without belt. The effect of belt in obesity was assessed by comparing belt-on vs. off in obese subjects. All results were in mean (SEM). Results Location of the SCJ (P = 0.006) and pH step-down (P = 0.01) were displaced proximally in obese vs. non-obese but the diaphragm was not displaced as reflected by peak LOS pressure (pLOS) and pressure inversion point (PIP) (Figure). With belt-on vs. off, there was similarly proximal displacement of SCJ and pH step-down and also of the diaphragm (P = 0.003) and LOS (upper and lower border, P = 0.01 and 0.03 respectively). In obese subjects with belt-on vs. off, there was proximal displacement of SCJ, pH step-down and diaphragm. There was marked proximal migration of SCJ during TLOSRs with its magnitude being less in obese vs. non-obese (4.2 vs. 6.8 cm, P = 0.04) and belt-on vs. off (3.9 vs. 5.5 cm, P = 0.01), consistent with its resting position being already proximally displaced. At traditional site (5 cm above LOS), the mean % time pH < 4 was minimal (0 – 0.5%) in all studied groups, however, acid exposure above the SCJ but below upper border LOS was increased in belt-on vs. off (6.2% vs. 1.6%, P = 0.01) and in obesity with belt-on vs. off (9.7% vs. 3.0%, P = 0.04) but not obese vs. non-obese (P = 0.2). Abstract PTU-138 Figure Conclusion Our findings indicate that in asymptomatic volunteers, central obesity and waist belt cause partial hiatus herniation and that waist belt also causes short segment reflux. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


A "spectral convex set" is a collection of symmetric matrices whose range of eigenvalues form a symmetric convex set. Spectral convex sets generalize the Schur-Horn orbitopes studied by Sanyal-Sottile-Sturmfels (2011). We study this class of convex bodies, which is closed under intersections, polarity, and Minkowski sums. We describe orbits of faces and give a formula for their Steiner polynomials. We then focus on spectral polyhedra. We prove that spectral polyhedra are spectrahedra and give small representations as spectrahedral shadows. We close with observations and questions regarding hyperbolicity cones, polar convex bodies, and spectral zonotopes.


Introduction Shared decision-making (SDM) is not yet widely used when making decisions in German hospitals. Making SDM a reality is a complex task. It involves training healthcare professionals in SDM communication and enabling patients to actively participate in communication, in addition to providing sound, easy to understand information on treatment alternatives in the form of evidence-based patient decision aids (EbPDAs). This project funded by the German Innovation Fund aims at designing, implementing and evaluating a multicomponent, large-scale and integrative SDM programme—called SHARE TO CARE (S2C)—at all clinical departments of a University Hospital Campus in Northern Germany within a 4-year time period. Methods and analysis S2C tackles the aforementioned components of SDM: (1) training physicians in SDM communication, (2) activating and empowering patients, (3) developing EbPDAs in the most common/relevant diseases and (4) training other healthcare professionals in SDM coaching. S2C is designed together with patients and providers. The physicians' training programme entails an online and an in situ training module. The decision coach training is based on a similar but less comprehensive approach. The development of online EbPDAs follows the International Patient Decision Aid Standards and includes written, graphical and video-based information. Validated outcomes of SDM implementation are measured in a preintervention and postintervention evaluation design. Process evaluation accompanies programme implementation. Health economic impact of the intervention is investigated using a propensity-score-matched approach based on potentially preference-sensitive hospital decisions. Ethics and dissemination Ethics committee review approval has been obtained from Medical Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty of the Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel. Project information and results will be disseminated at conferences, on project-hosted websites at University Hospital Medical Center Schleswig Holstein and by S2C as well as in peer-reviewed and professional journals.


Current situation of the economy for the insurance business is characterized not only by a high level of income, but also by a high level of competition in the industry. The article defines the feasibility of developing and implementing an internal control system for modern insurance companies. Internal control of the insurance company is related to internal audit and insurance management. These concepts at the current stage of development of ICS insurance companies are not clearly separated. The paper considers the features of the regulatory and legal regulation of the internal control system, analyzes the main provisions of the Concept of the internal control system of insurance companies. The author defines the algorithm of internal control system formation, features and requirements to the system in insurance companies. Particular attention should be paid to control actions that determine the specifics of business processes when creating insurance company ICS. Due to well-chosen control actions, it is possible to increase the efficiency of both the individual business process and the insurance company as a whole.


In 1941 a young Italian Jewish woman flees her country following the promulgation of Italy's so-called racial laws. She arrives in the neutral city of Lisbon and spends three days awaiting the certificate that will allow her to emigrate to the United States. During her stay she meets Juan Ruben, an anti-Fascist intellectual who co-ordinates a network of expatriates working to assist refugees. Although emotionally and intellectually displaced, the young woman comes to recognise her exile as a rite of passage, as an opportunity to acquire a new awareness of herself.Her experience of displacement becomes most intense during an outing to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in Europe, whose cliffs symbolise 'the last sign of earth, the end of Europe', yet also face outward toward the Atlantic and America. With a clear and spare style, Angela Bianchini explores the theme of exile from a variety of perspectives as she offers a glimpse into Italian culture at a major historical juncture. Bianchini lives in Rome, where she was born and raised.She is the author of six novels and a frequent contributor to major Italian newspapers. Angela M. Jeannet is Charles A. Dana Professor of Romance Languages (emerita) at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She is the author of "Under the Radiant Sun" and the "Crescent Moon: Italo Calvino's Storytelling" and other works. David Castronuovo is an assistant professor of Italian at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont.


Hoverflies are a conspicuous and popular family within the Diptera. The larvae as well as the adults are able to colonize a wide range of habitats, and many species play important roles as pollinators, in pest management and nowadays in applied nature conservation issues. Despite of this, the state of knowledge on the hoverflies of Austria is deficient: Available literature is outdated in systematics and the species inventory is obviously incomplete. These facts led us to study the Austrian hoverfly fauna in more detail. Syrphidae records from an extensive literature search, additional unpublished data from museum collections and data from own fieldwork were compiled to build a comprehensive checklist of Austrian hoverflies. The species distributions are given by federal state in order to retain a precise overview of this Diptera group. The framework of this research is based on 20520 records and in total, 271957 individuals. The checklist includes 430 confirmed species. An additional 25 hoverfly species are discussed but not included in the list. These are species for which it is unclear if the locality lies within the present borders of Austria, or whose voucher specimens were not available for re-examination. In total 17 hoverfly species are new to Austria: Anasimyia contracta Claussen Torp, 1980; Brachyopa grunewaldensis Kassebeer 2000; Brachyopa obscura Thompson Torp, 1982; Brachyopa silviae Doczkal Dziock, 2004; Cheilosia orthotricha Vuji Claussen, 1994; Eristalis picea (Falln, 1817); Melangyna ericarum (Collin, 1946); Melangyna lucifera Nielsen, 1980; Melangyna pavlovskyi Violovitsh, 1956; Melanogaster curvistylus Vuji Stuke, 1998; Merodon moenium (Wiedemann, 1822); Paragus absidatus Goeldlin, 1971; Paragus bradescui Stanescu, 1981; Platycheirus laskai (Nielsen, 1999); Sphegina verecunda Collin, 1937; Temnostoma angustistriatum Krivosheina, 2002 and Temnostoma meridionale Krivosheina Mamayev, 1962. In addition, 278 first records for several Austrian federal states are published. With 331 species, Styria currently hosts the largest number of documented species per federal state, followed by Lower Austria (307 spp.), Upper Austria (269 spp.), Carinthia (259 spp.), Vorarlberg (234 spp.), Burgenland (201 spp.), North Tyrol (172 spp.), Vienna (169 spp.), Salzburg (155 spp.) and Eastern Tyrol (154 spp.).


The immunosuppressive effect of adenosine in the microenvironment of a tumor is well established. Presently, researchers are developing approaches in immune therapy that target inhibition of adenosine or its signaling such as CD39 or CD73 inhibiting antibodies or adenosine A2A receptor antagonists. However, numerous enzymatic pathways that control ATP-adenosine balance, as well as understudied intracellular adenosine regulation, can prevent successful immunotherapy. This review contains the latest data on two adenosine-lowering enzymes: adenosine kinase (ADK) and adenosine deaminase (ADA). ADK deletes adenosine by its phosphorylation into 5′-adenosine monophosphate. Recent studies have revealed an association between a long nuclear ADK isoform and an increase in global DNA methylation, which explains epigenetic receptor-independent role of adenosine. ADA regulates the level of adenosine by converting it to inosine. The changes in the activity of ADA are detected in patients with various cancer types. The article focuses on the biological significance of these enzymes and their roles in the development of cancer. Perspectives of future studies on these enzymes in therapy for cancer are discussed.


Purpose of reviewUniversity of Wisconsin solution is currently the most commonly used solution for abdominal organ transplantation and is the standard to which newer solutions are compared. In recent years, we have witnessed the introduction of two alternative preservation solutions, histidine–tryptophan–ketoglutarate (HTK) solution and Celsior solution, into the transplant clinical arena. In this article, these solutions will be introduced, compared to University of Wisconsin solution and studies comparing their clinical outcomes to those of University of Wisconsin solution will be reviewed. Recent findingsHTK solution has been scrutinized in the literature with two reports suggesting a possible increased incidence of allograft pancreatitis, but it has also been demonstrated in several single-center retrospective studies and in one randomized prospective study to be clinically similar to University of Wisconsin solution, at least with lower flush volumes and shorter ischemic times. Celsior solution has been compared in four studies (three of which were prospective randomized studies) to University of Wisconsin solution and found to be clinically similar, but all of these studies reported reasonably brief ischemia times. SummaryAll three preservation solutions seem to perform equally well with shorter ischemia times (<12 h). There remains controversy regarding both Celsior solution and HTK solution with longer ischemia times, whereas University of Wisconsin solution seems to perform well even for more than 24 h of preservation.


This paper argues that a new concept, summarized as 'CHESS', should be used in the chemical industry to further substantially advance safety (where we use the term in a broad sense, that is, safety and  physical security, amongst others). The different domains that need to be focused upon, and where innovative initiatives should be taken are Cluster-thinking and cooperation, High transparency and efficient inspections, Education and training, Security integration, and Safety innovation. Since society has fundamentally changed over the last two decades, and ever more hazardous materials are used in chemical sites which are ever more closely situated next to highly-populated areas, revolutionizing safety via the CHESS concept is truly needed in the very near future, both from a safety and a security point of view.


There have been several reports of non-detection and undertreatment of major depression during the past decades. In this study, we investigated how accurately major depression was assessed, diagnosed and treated according to gold standards, and whether any trend could be found from 1989 to 2001 in Finland. In total, documents of 4447 patients were retrospectively checked at most four times to find the patients fulfilling the study criteria. Finally, 531 patients were included in the study. The major finding of the study was the improved diagnostic assessment of patients with major depression seen in psychiatric settings. However, a systematic and comprehensive approach in asking about and recording subtyping, severity and comorbidity of depression was insufficient. Another major finding of the study was the improved pharmacotherapy of patients with major depression. It seems to be relevant that problems in the quality of care for depression in psychiatric settings are now more likely to be related to suboptimal intensity and monitoring of treatment than to mere lack of treatment.


Author(s): Eng, Clara Hoifung | Advisor(s): Keasling, Jay D | Abstract: Polyketides comprise a structurally diverse class of natural products that includes many highly effective pharmaceuticals. As such, the development of techniques to produce polyketide analogs with potentially improved pharmacokinetic or toxicological properties is a research area of great interest. The modular nature of PKSs has also motivated researchers to explore methods of employing engineered PKSs for the biological synthesis of industrially relevant small molecules, in addition to natural product drugs. We utilize in vitro enzyme studies to elucidate the biosynthetic potential of polyketide synthases (PKSs), the large, multisubunit enzymes responsible for polyketide production, and further leverage the insights gained from benchtop experiments to inform alterations to culture conditions that enable the production of non-natural natural product analogs. In addition, we report progress developing methods to harness our understanding of the modular structure of PKSs to reliably exchange ketoreductase (KR) domains between PKS systems. The importance of stereochemistry in determining biological activity makes an ability to understand and engineer KR domains, which dictate the stereochemistry at many of the stereocenters in polyketide products, essential to the objective of effectively exploiting PKSs for combinatorial biosynthesis. Our work to identify heuristics that facilitate reliable KR domain exchanges furnished a novel library of PKS variants harboring different KR domains, further enabling studies that provide insight into how KR domains function in the context of a PKS module. Finally, we build on the knowledge gleaned from KR domain exchange experiments to develop more general strategies for PKS engineering. A limited theoretical understanding of the determinants of PKS fold and function poses a substantial barrier to the design of active variants, and identifying strategies to reliably construct functional PKS chimeras remains an active area of research. We develop and formalize a paradigm for the design of PKS chimeras, and implement a computational platform to streamline and simplify the process of designing experiments to test strategies for PKS engineering. Finally, we discuss the implications of this system for enabling the effective use of PKSs in synthetic biology applications.


Lotteries are commonly used to allocate big game hunting privileges. In this study, lottery demand and consumer surplus are modeled before and after policy changes designed to increase participation. The application is to New Mexico elk hunt lotteries. Given the volume and variety of hunts, we adopt a disaggregated and flexible count modeling approach. Two welfare measures are estimated: Marshallian surplus and a proposed measure that incorporates consumer uncertainty. The Marshallian measure produces smaller and slightly less precise estimates. However, regardless of the surplus measure examined, welfare increased significantly with the policy changes, while revenues changed by less than 1%.


The Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol is the main element which determines the system throughput in Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) IEEE 802.11 standard. The MAC technique of the IEEE 802.11 protocol is called Distributed Coordination Function (DCF). In DCF, stations contend for the use of the channel in distributed manner via the use of the Carrier Sensing Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) protocol. In the CSMA/CA protocol, each station sets up a Backoff time according to a randomly selected interval from zero to the Contention Window (CW) for an additional deferral time before transmitting. The random Binary Exponential Backoff (BEB) algorithm is used to randomize moments at which stations try to access the wireless medium. However, in the random Backoff mechanism, packet collisions are not entirely eliminated, and the system throughput decreases when the number of stations is large, and there is no fairness between stations. The BEB algorithm has a number of disadvantages; one crucial disadvantage is the problem of fairness. In this paper, we analyze the behavior of the BEB algorithm used in IEEE 802.11 standard. We propose an Enhanced Binary Exponential Backoff (E-BEB) algorithm to improve the fairness of the channel access for BEB algorithm. Our E-BEB algorithm adjusts the way of increase or decrease of the contention window CW based on the number of the frame which is sent successfully. We propose several configurations, and we use NS2 simulator to analyze the network's fairness of the channel access of the E-BEB algorithm. The simulation results show that compared with other algorithms like BEB or Improved BEB (I- BEB), the E-BEB algorithm improves the fairness of the channel access and increases the network's throughput capacity; which is an valuable Quality of Service (QoS) parameter.


This paper reports results from an empirical study that explored the potential of interactive electricity Demand-Shifting – a particular form of behavior change where electricity consumption is shifted towards times of the day when production is at its highest – in the context of residential solar electricity generation. We conducted an in-the-wild user study with eighteen households over a period of six months, combining electricity data from smart meters and smart plugs with in-depth interviews to explore laundry routines and washing machine usage for each household. The study highlights that, although washing machines can be considered to be "shiftable appliances", the specific ways in which each household goes about shifting varies considerably. Furthermore, there is a clear need for ICTs to support people by analyzing current context and future plans to automate electricity demand-shifting and synchronization of both laundry and other appliances. Such support will help them maximize the self-consumption of micro-generated electricity while balancing this with environmental concerns, financial benefits and day-to-day issues relating to convenience.


Author(s): Kim, H; Choi, WC; Rhee, HJ; Suh, I; Lee, M; Blake, DR; Kim, S; Jung, J; Lee, G; Kim, DS; Park, SM; Ahn, J; Lee, SD | Abstract: © Taiwan Association for Aerosol Research. To understand the chemical mechanisms of controlling factors in ozone (O3) formation in early summer in Seoul, a comprehensive study encompassing measurement and modeling was conducted under the Megacity Air Pollution Study-Seoul (MAPS-Seoul) campaign. From May 18 to June 12, 2015, O3 and peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) were measured, along with their precursors, including NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, located in northeast Seoul. VOCs were sampled in a canister twice a day (at 09:30 and 15:00) and analyzed via gas chromatography. The meteorological conditions and chemical regimes of the air masses were clearly distinguished during the study period. In May, NOx concentrations were higher with more pronounced diurnal cycles of precursors and O3 under constant westerly winds. By contrast, stagnant conditions developed in June, which reduced the inflow of primary emissions from the downtown area but increased the influence from the neighboring forest under high temperatures. As a result, the ratio of O3 to odd oxygen was higher in June, indicating a less efficient removal of O3 by NOx. In the same context, the air mass was chemically more aged with a higher NO2/NOx ratio and enhanced OH reactivity of oxygenated and biogenic VOCs in June. The overall measurement results suggest that O3 formation is slightly more sensitive to VOCs than to NOx in Seoul during this season, when O3 concentrations are the highest of the year.


Threshold public-key encryption can control decryption abilities of an authorized user group in such a way that each user of the group can produce only a decryption share and at least t of them should collect decryption shares to recover a message. We present a new threshold public-key encryption that is secure against selectively chosen ciphertext attacks. Semantic security against chosen ciphertext adversaries is the de facto level of security for public-key encryption deployed in practice because many encryption systems are broken in a model of chosen ciphertext security. The security of the proposed system is formally proved without random oracles under a new assumption. We also provide proof of the intractability of our assumption in the generic group model. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In this monograph, Brown has contributed an excellent review of the literature on aphasia, apraxia, agnosia, and related subjects. He has attempted to pull together all available information and develop a workable concept of the various dysphasic syndromes in terms of a hierarchial system. Unfortunately, even the moderately well-informed reader will find himself overwhelmed by the cascade of unfamiliar or only partially familiar words utilized to present the subject matter. At times I had the unpleasant sensation that I must be suffering from the very perceptual difficulties being described; a page or paragraph would be read and reread without comprehension. With considerable effort, understanding the text was possible, but one must conclude that although the monograph is concise and tightly written it is doubtful that anyone other than the most vigorous students of aphasia and related disorders will find it useful. Brown's concepts of aphasia deserve earnest study and attention.


Beta-1,3/1,6 glucans (BGs) are a diverse class of PAMPs. Structurally, BGs can vary on the basis of chain length, types of linkages, branching, and tertiary structure. BGs have been reported to activate various types of innate immune cells; most studies demonstrate the use of particulate BGs activating murine immune cells. Unlike particulate BGs, most soluble BGs demonstrated minimal activities typically associated with innate immune cell activation, such as induction of cytokines. Hence, little is known regarding the types of human immune cells or receptors that engage soluble BGs, and if structurally distinct BGs differ in their cell selectivity or receptor requirements. The objective of this study was to determine the types of human immune cells that soluble BGs bind to, and to determine the receptors required for binding. Since BGs have been implicated in interacting with Dectin-1 and CR3 expressing cells, we hypothesize that human innate immune cells that express these receptors will bind soluble BGs. Specific binding of BGs was evaluated by flow cytometry on primary human immune cells and cell lines using BG specific antibody and DTAF-labeled BGs. In addition, these studies were conducted using three structurally distinct, purified, and chemically characterized BGs. Key findings demonstrate that on cells that express both CR3 and Dectin-1, CR3 is a critical receptor for binding soluble BGs and not all BGs bind equivalently to human innate immune cells.


Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is the most common canine autoimmune skin disease. In contrast to human PF (hPF), desmoglein-1 is a minor autoantigen in the canine disease. The major autoantigen(s) of canine PF (cPF) remain(s) unknown, which limits the ability to perform mechanistic studies of lesion formation and the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for this disease. The immunofluorescence patterns of selected desmosomal (desmoglein-1, desmoglein-3, desmocollin-1, desmocollin-3, desmoplakin-1/2, plakoglobin and plakophilin-1) and nondesmosomal adhesion proteins (E-cadherin, claudin-1, zona occludens-1 and occludin) in healthy canine footpad, haired skin and buccal mucosal epithelia were determined using hPF and pemphigus vulgaris sera and specific antibodies. The immunostaining patterns were then compared with that of indirect immunofluorescence staining with 66 cPF sera. Most cPF sera (58 of 66; 88%) exhibited positive staining along keratinocyte margins in the stratum spinosum and stratum granulosum of canine footpad. One serum contained autoantibodies binding solely to stratum granulosum keratinocytes. Concurrent intercellular fluorescence in the stratum basale was limited to seven of 66 cPF sera (11%). Only 12 of 66 cPF sera (18%) also exhibited positive IF staining of the buccal mucosa. This study confirms the immunological heterogeneity of cPF immunoglobulin G autoantibodies. Moreover, the major indirect immunofluorescence staining pattern and the inability of most cPF sera to label the buccal mucosa closely matched that of desmocollin-1. These observations warrant further investigation of desmocollin-1 as a potential major cPF autoantigen.


In this paper a three phase induction motor controller for a photovoltaic powered water pump without the use of chemical storage element is presented. The use of a three-phase induction motor is a better solution to the dc motor water pumping system. This system is use to achieve a more efficient, reliable, maintenance-free, and cheaper solution than that use dc motors or low-voltage synchronous motors. The developed system is based on a Single-Ended Primary Inductor converter (SEPIC) and a full-bridge three-phase voltage source inverter (VSI).Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm has been developed and implemented to maximize the use of solar power generated at any given instant. By using MATLAB/ Simulink model is implemented. The system is expected to have a high lifetime due to the inexistence of storage element. As a result, the system is a economical solution to deliver water to household, industrial and agricultural activities which require water supply.


The European Language Portfolio (ELP) has been one of the biggest language education projects of the last decade in Europe. Lithuania has invested considerable finances and effort to exploit the benefits of the ELP. There have been a number of Portfolios designed for the Lithuanian system of education followed by piloting projects and seminars for language teachers run on a large scale at all levels of education. However, the implementation of the ELP in Lithuania seems to be very slow. The article looks into the reasons for the reluctance of language teachers to employ the ELP in the classroom practice and the possible ways of promoting the ELP implementation. The role of school authorities is emphasized and some possible solutions for stimulating stake holders' interest in the ELP suggested.


The aim is to assess the commonalities and interdependence referred to body-image avoidance among 118 couples newly introduced to first-level assisted reproductive techniques. Results showed non-clinical functioning levels, and partners showed a correlated, yet low, dyadic adjustment. The couple-effect was modeled through an Actor Partner Interdependence Model. For both partners, dyadic adjustment's actor-effect associates with body-image avoidance. Moreover, psychological symptoms' actor-effect associate to body-image avoidance, resulting significantly more influential than the partner-effect. Only for males, alexithymia's actor-effect was significant. To conclude, partners' functioning is quite specular yet not interdependent, as they do not show a couple-as-a-unit modality of functioning. Clinical implications are discussed.


BACKGROUND
Concentrations of certain substances in follicular fluid (FF) are related to fertilization outcome and early post-fertilization development. The study aim was to identify FF markers with which to predict embryo implantation potential.

METHODS
Concentrations of selected hormones, cytokines and growth factors in individual FF samples obtained during assisted reproduction treatment were related with treatment outcomes.

RESULTS
Mean concentrations of LH, growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL), 17beta-estradiol (E2) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I were higher, and that of interleukin-1 (IL-1) was lower, in treatment attempts leading to a clinical pregnancy as compared with those in which no pregnancy was established. Concentrations of FSH, progesterone, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and IGF-II were similar in successful and unsuccessful attempts. In successful attempts, LH and GH levels were higher in those follicles from which oocytes giving rise to transferred embryos (i.e. embryos with best morphology and fastest cleavage rate) originated, as compared with other follicles from which a mature oocyte was recovered but was cryopreserved for later use.

CONCLUSIONS
FF levels of LH, GH, PRL, E2, IGF-I and IL-1 may serve to analyse cases of repeated assisted reproduction failures and to assess effects of modifications of the ovarian stimulation protocol.


Article History: Received January 28, 2021 Accepted March 8, 2021 Available March 15, 2021 This study aims to examine the influence of company size, managerial ownership, and conflict of interest to accounting conservatism with leverage as the moderating variable. The population was mining companies and infrastructure, utilities, and transportation companies which were listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) from 2015 to 2018, which are 118 companies. The sample was determined by purposive sampling which resulted in 12 companies with 36 units of analysis. The data were collected by using documentaries. The analysis techniques used descriptive and inferential with the help of IBM SPSS version 21. The results showed that managerial ownership had a negative influence and conflicts of interest had a positive influence to accounting conservatism, company size had not influenced to accounting conservatism, and leverage moderated the relationship of managerial ownership to accounting conservatism, but it was unable to moderate the relationship of company size and conflict of interest to accounting conservatism. The conclusion of this study is the low managerial ownership presses the existence of expropriation; therefore, it can increase the accounting conservatism. The high conflict of interest increases the application of accounting conservatism to reduce conflicts that occur. Meanwhile, leverage influences the company's financial risk, therefore it is able to moderate the influence of managerial ownership to accounting conservatism.


Abstract The histology of the major organ systems (digestive, reproductive, nervous, circulatory, excretory and respiratory, as wdl as epidermis) of the nudibranch Dendrodoris nigra (Stimpson, 1855) arc described for the first time and the results are compared with those derived from other members of the Doridoidea. It is shown that some characters which have been used to differentiate the genus Dendrodoris Ehrenberg, 1831 from other doridoideans (i.e., retractability of gills, lack of hard structures in the anterior digestive system, presence of pericardial glands) are problematic when used for phylogenetic ,analysis. This is especially true when taking into consideration that little is known about details of these structures in the Doridoide, as a whole.


The mouse AtT-20/D16-16 anterior pituitary tumour cell line was employed as a model system for the study of the mechanisms mediating calcium ion-stimulated adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) secretion. The present study indicates that calcium ion-stimulated ACTH secretion from AtT-20 cells is mediated by a GTP-binding protein which is present in a variety of other cell types and has been dubbed Ge (for reviews see Gomperts, 1990; Lindau & Gomperts, 1991). In AtT-20 cells the nature of Ge remains elusive with the selective heterotrimeric GTP-binding protein activator AIF(3-5) proving not to be a useful pharmacological tool under the conditions employed in the present study. Ge present in this cell line does however display characteristics consistent with it being a heterotrimeric GTP-binding protein. The results of this study would also suggest that in AtT-20 cells Ge is insensitive to both pertussis toxin and cholera toxin. Both cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) (Guild, 1991) and protein kinase C (PKC) (Guild & Reisine, 1987; Reisine, 1989) have been implicated in the regulation of calcium ion-stimulated ACTH secretion from AtT-20 cells. Results from the present study suggest that calcium ion/Ge-stimulated ACTH secretion from AtT-20 cells is not mediated by PKA, PKC or any other kinase but is in fact mediated by a phosphatase. PKC appears to provide a direct stimulus to secretion, which is independent of calcium ion/Ge-stimulated secretion, in contrast to PKA which is unable to stimulate secretion by itself but seems to play a modulatory role with regard to both calcium ion/Ge- and PKC-stimulated secretion.


We develop and examine a framework for the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship in alliances. Our framework regards entrepreneurial opportunity as endogenous, and entrepreneurial firms as heterogeneous. The empirical findings show that partners' knowledge protection, which is regarded as a knowledge filter, can increase knowledge spillovers in an alliance. Moreover, this relationship is contingent on the strength of a focal firm's entrepreneurial orientation and on alliance type (equity joint venture versus nonequity joint venture). Results also reveal that knowledge spillovers in an alliance enhance alliance performance more significantly than they enhance firm performance.


In Brazil, the Solanaceae family has 31 genus and about 500 native species. The genus Solanum is the largest and most complex of his family. It is estimated that the genus consists about 1500 species and 5000 epithets that are located in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, South America being the center of greatest diversity of his kind. The class of secondary metabolites found in most species of the genus Solanum are flavonoids and alkaloids on which the flavonoids are involved in a variety of biological processes and can be used as taxonomic markers because in some species specificity. With purpose to contribute as a tool to the genus chemosystematics, this paper is a flavonoid review described in the literature, with a register of 88 substances since 2002. DOI: 10.5935/1984-6835.20160021


NHS Careers has launched a new kind of website, writes Steven Black. Styled as a 'microsite', Bright Futures is the latest tool in the Department of Health's recruitment arsenal.


this paper discusses the existence of family law in the UK which began to be looked at by the government since 2018, with a legal case experienced by one of the immigrants, the British government for the first time recognized the existence of Islamic law. Although the majority of Islamic law in force is still subject to the existing positive legal rules, but this is a special thanksgiving for the Muslim minority in Britain, because since 1970 they want to apply Islamic law to themselves in the country but have always been rejected by the British government, along with increasing their population, it is not impossible to see Britain as a moderate country in this regard. appeal case filed in February 2020 by one of the immigrants related to the problem of his family made Britain begin to pay attention to Muslim minorities, there are even researchers who concluded specifically the English marriage law it is time for reform to cover all the needs of its people


Abstract The complete sequence of the Neotropic cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) mitochondrial DNA was obtained by the shotgun sequencing approach. The mitogenome is 19 042 bp in length and includes 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal subunit genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, a control region and a duplicated region of 2418 bp. The base composition is 32.1% for C, 31.8% for A, 22.6% for T and 13.4% for G, with an overall GC content of 45.5%. This is the first mitogenome of the P. brasilianus described and will be a useful tool for further phylogenetic and population genetic studies.


OBJECTIVE
To report on the diagnosis of ectopic corticotropin (adrenocorticotropic hormone [ACTH])-producing bronchial carcinoid tumor by indium-111 pentetreotide (octreotide scan) scintigraphy.

METHODS
We present a case of ectopic ACTH syndrome caused by an occult bronchial carcinoid tumor arising in a lymph node and review the pertinent literature.

RESULTS
Biochemical diagnosis of ACTH syndrome can be difficult, and conventional imaging modalities often do not demonstrate these small carcinoid tumors. After biochemical proof of the presence of ectopic ACTH syndrome in our patient, conventional radiographic studies did not demonstrate any lesions. An octreotide scan showed a lesion in the lung, which was confirmed surgically. ACTH values returned to normal after resection of the lesion, and octreotide scans confirmed the completeness of surgical resection. The carcinoid tumor originated in a lymph node outside the bronchus. The differential diagnosis of ACTH syndrome, the localization of ectopic ACTH-producing tumors, the bronchial carcinoids, and the uniqueness of the carcinoid tumor arising in a lymph node are briefly discussed.

CONCLUSION
Octreotide scintigraphy is useful in localizing occult carcinoid tumors and can be used in the follow-up of patients after successful removal of these tumors.


As sprawl and an increase of new residents in many rural areas in Western North Carolina (WNC) lead to increased land values, the owners of many mobile home communities (MHCs) are selling the land for development, resulting in the displacement of tenants. In some areas of the U.S. residents of MHCs have formed models of social ownership of the land on which their homes are located to prevent such displacement. This case study traces the events leading up to and surrounding the establishment of the Burnsville Land Community (BLC), the result of the first such effort in North Carolina. Initiated in 2007 by a group of predominantly Mexican families, residents were assisted by a number of non-profit organizations from outside the community. In describing the events leading up to and surrounding the establishment of the BLC the authors seek to meet three research objectives:

a) Shed light on the emerging and under-researched phenomenon of predominantly Latino mobile home communities in the mountains of Southern/Central Appalachia;

b) Consider the efficacy of social models of home ownership in preventing displacement of mobile home residents in this region; and

c) Explore similarities between development of Latino MHCs in Appalachia and colonia housing developments along the U.S./Mexico border region. We do so for the purpose of determining whether lessons learned from the colonia experience could have been, or might still be, useful to those concerned with displacement of residents in predominantly Latino MHCs in Southern/Central Appalachia or elsewhere.


Despite extensive studies on the physiology of temperature regulation, the sequence of events leading to the elevation of body temperature in both clinical and experimental fevers is still unknown. I t has been postulated that some product of tissue injury, liberated at sites of inflammation, may act upon the thermoregulatory centers to cause fever (1, 2). However, no such endogenous pyrogen has ever been identified in the circulation. Although serum factors have recently been shown to be involved in the production of pyrogen-induced fever (3-8), the question remains unanswered as to whether the injected pyrogen, combined with one or more serum factors, acts directly upon the hypothalamus, or whether it produces fever indirectly through tissue injury. The demonstration of an extractable pyrogen in polymorphonuclear leucocytes (9, 10) and the observed effects of bacterial pyrogens upon white blood cells, both in vivo (11-15) and in vitro (16, 17), add support to the thesis that an endogenous pyrogenic substance may be released from injured cells. A rapidly acting pyrogen, which appears in the blood of previously "sensitized" animals after clearance of injected typhoid vaccine has recently been reported (18). This newly identified factor appears to be the postulated endogenous pyrogen. Its biological activity, as further characterized in the present study, clearly differentiates it from the injected vaccine and suggests that it is either similar or identical to the pyrogen extractable from leucocytes.


This paper describes an effective method of teaching a communications laboratory course that supports classical as well as new base technology experiments to undergraduate electrical engineering students. Primarily, experiments dealing with the design of the basic building blocks of analog and digital communications systems are targeted, which provides an opportunity for the student to become familiar with various signal processing techniques applied in modern communications systems, to learn how to operate the communication laboratory test equipment, and to obtain exposure to some hardware/software design and implementation of these subsystems. The second level of experimentation involves a small system in which discrete or integrated devices are used to build small systems. Level three involves experimentation with a complete communications system, such as a fiber optics communications system or a simulated satellite link. Four sample experiments are described in some detail. >


Abstract Drugs are critical elements in health care. They must be manufactured to the highest quality levels. End-product testing by itself does not guarantee the quality of the product. Quality assurance techniques must be used. In the pharmaceutical industry, process validation performs this task, ensuring that the process does what it purports to do. It is also a regulatory requirement. This paper presents an introduction and general overview of this process, with special reference to the requirements stipulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).


Lipid nanocapsules (LNC) based on a core-shell structure consisting of an oil-filled core with a surrounding polymer layer are known to be promising vehicles for the delivery of hydrophobic drugs in the new therapeutic strategies in anti-cancer treatments. The present work has been designed as basic research about different LNC systems. We have synthesized—and physico-chemically characterized—three different LNC systems in which the core was constituted by olive oil and the shell by different phospholipids (phosphatidyl-serine or lecithin) and other biocompatible molecules such as Pluronic® F68 or chitosan. It is notable that the olive-oil-phosphatidyl-serine LCN is a novel formulation presented in this work and was designed to generate an enriched carboxylic surface. This carboxylic layer is meant to link specific antibodies, which could facilitate the specific nanocapsule uptake by cancer cells. This is why nanoparticles with phosphatidyl-serine in their shell have also been used in this work to form immuno-nanocapsules containing a polyclonal IgG against a model antigen (C-reactive protein) covalently bounded by means of a simple and reproducible carbodiimide method. An immunological study was made to verify that these IgG-LNC complexes showed the expected specific immune response. Finally, a preliminary in vitro study was performed by culturing a breast-carcinoma cell line (MCF-7) with Nile-Red-loaded LNC. We found that these cancer cells take up the fluorescent Nile- Red molecule in a process dependent on the surface properties of the nanocarriers.


There is a well-established methodology for measuring the effects of economic policy in a model that is `causal' or backward-looking. In this paper a complementary methodology is described for the case in which the model is `non-causal' or forward-looking. The methodology is then applied to an econometric model of the British economy, the National Institute model version 11; in this version expectational variables appear in several key equations (both for quantities and for prices) and the model may be solved in forward-looking or in backward-looking mode. The policy period for which the exercise is conducted is 1974-9, the term of office of the last Labour administrations (under the premierships of Wilson and Callaghan), and a period of considerable economic stress. The results obtained for the effects of policy when the model is solved in forward-looking mode are compared with those obtained when expectations are assumed to be formed adaptively.


Introduction: Functional electrical stimulation (FES) has been shown to be an effective approach to upperlimb stroke rehabilitation, where it assists patients' arm and shoulder movement. Model-based FES controllers have recently confirmed significant potential to improve accuracy of functional reaching tasks, but they typically require a reference trajectory to track. No upper limb FES control scheme has yet embedded a computational model of the task, however this is critical to ensure the controller reinforces the intended movement with high accuracy. This paper derives a computational motor control model of the task which can be embedded in FES control schemes, removing the need for a predefined reference trajectory. Methods: Kinematic data were collected using a Vicon motion capture system from unimpaired (N = 14) participants while they performed two functional reaching tasks in which they: 1) pushed a light switch, and 2) closed a drawer. In each case they starting and finished the movement with their hand on their knee. Dynamic models of each patient's arm were derived using estimated mass, inertial and stiffness parameters. Each task was posed as an optimization problem with position and velocity boundary constraints, and these were solved using iterative algorithms to yield computational models of movement. Results: For the case of unimpaired participants, the experimentally recorded joint angles were compared with those derived in simulation using the model, and were found to fit closely (mean fitting > 85%). Conclusion: Functional movements have been accurately modelled as constrained optimization problems involving dynamic models of unimpaired participants' arms. This extends previous computational models of human movement, and shows that they can be solved using iterative methods. Moreover, these methods are suitable to be employed experimentally in future stroke rehabilitation trials using FES to assist task completion in a manner corresponding to unimpaired movement. This hence ensures that assistance is aligned with voluntary intention, and in-so-doing maximizes the potential effectiveness of treatment.


We contribute a method to jointly use CPU and GPU in order to execute a balanced parallel code, automatically generated using polyhedral tools. To evenly distribute the load, the system is guided by predictions of loop nest execution times. Static and dynamic performance factors are modelled by two automatic and portable frameworks targeting CPUs and CUDA GPUs. The prediction methods comprise three parts: static code generation, offline profiling and online prediction. There are multiple versions of the loop nests, so that our scheduler balances the load of multiple combinations of code versions and selects the fastest before execution. This proposal is validated on the polyhedral benchmark suite, showing that CPU+GPU load balance is maintained and overhead is minimal.


Abstract Objective We assessed associations of maternal common mental disorders (CMD) with undernutrition and two common illnesses in children aged 0–5 years. Design Cross-sectional survey. Maternal CMD was measured using the WHO Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20. Child undernutrition was defined as stunting, underweight or wasting. Child illnesses included diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections (ARI). Multivariate logistic regression was used to test these associations adjusting for confounders at child, maternal and household levels. Setting Bangladesh, Vietnam and Ethiopia. Subjects Mothers with children aged 0–5 years from 4400 households in Bangladesh, 4029 households in Vietnam and 3000 households in Ethiopia. Results The prevalence of maternal CMD was high, ranging from 31 % in Vietnam to 49 % in Bangladesh. Child undernutrition was more prevalent in Bangladesh and Ethiopia than in Vietnam. Symptoms of ARI and diarrhoea were also prevalent. In multivariate analysis, maternal CMD was associated with child stunting in Bangladesh (OR = 1·21; 95 % CI 1·03, 1·41) and with child underweight in Vietnam (OR = 1·27; 95 % CI 1·01, 1·61); no association was found with wasting. Maternal CMD was strongly associated with diarrhoea and ARI in all three countries. Conclusions Maternal CMD, which affected nearly half of women in Bangladesh and one-third in Vietnam, was an important determinant of child stunting and underweight, respectively. No such association was found in Ethiopia, although CMD affected 39 % of women. Maternal CMD was strongly associated with childhood illnesses in all three countries. Interventions to support maternal mental health are important for women's own well-being and could make important contributions to improving child health and nutrition.


Background & Aim: Cardiac rehabilitation is one of the most effective
ways of secondary prevention in patients with myocardial infarction
manifestations. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of cardiac
rehabilitation on clinical manifestations of myocardial infarction in post-MI
patients.
Methods & Materials: In this interventional study, 66 patients (58 males
and eight females) with myocardial infarction who were hospitalized in
public hospitals of Ahwaz were selected using purposeful sampling. The
participants were randomly allocated into intervention and control groups.
Data was collected using a self-structured valid and reliable instrument. The
intervention group participated in an 8-week cardiac rehabilitation program.
Data on the clinical manifestations were collected eight weeks later. Data
were analyzed in SPSS.
Results: The results showed that there was significant differences between
two groups in hypertension crisis (P=0.03), chest pain, dyspnea, fatigue and
palpitation after the cardiac rehabilitation (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Cardiac rehabilitation program decreased the clinical
manifestations of myocardial infarction in post-MI patients. It is
recommended to perform this procedure in the post-MI patients.


Primary commodities still account for the bulk of exports in many developing countries. However, real commodity prices have been declining almost continuously since the early 1980s. The appropriate policy response to a terms of trade shock depends importantly on whether the shock is perceived to be temporary or permanent. Our results indicate that the recent weakness in commodity prices is mostly secular, stressing the need for commodity exporting countries to concentrate on export diversification and other structural policies. There is, however, scope for stabilization funds and the use of hedging strategies, since the evidence also suggests commodity prices have become more volatile.


In this work, we introduce an asymmetric membrane as a simple and robust nanofluidic platform for digital detection of single pathogenic bacteria directly in 10 mL of unprocessed environmental water samples. The asymmetric membrane, consisting of uniform micropores on one side and a high density of vertically aligned nanochannels on the other side, was prepared within 1 min by a facile method. The single membrane covers all the processing steps from sample concentration, purification, and partition to final digital loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). By simple filtration, bacteria were enriched and partitioned inside the micropores, while inhibitors typically found in the environmental samples (i.e., proteins, heavy metals, and organics) were washed away through the nanochannels. Meanwhile, large particles, indigenous plankton, and positively charged pollutants in the samples were excluded by using a sacrificial membrane stacked on top. After initial filtration, modified LAMP reagents, including NaF and lysozyme, were loaded onto the membrane. Each pore in the asymmetric membrane functioned as an individual nanoreactor for selective, rapid, and efficient isothermal amplification of single bacteria, generating a bright fluorescence for direct counting. Even though high levels of inhibitors were present, absolute quantification of Escherichia coli and Salmonella directly in an unprocessed environmental sample (seawater and pond water) was achieved within 1 h, with sensitivity down to single cell and a dynamic range of 0.3–10000 cells/mL. The simple and low-cost analysis platform described herein has an enormous potential for the detection of pathogens, exosomes, stem cells, and viruses as well as single-cell heterogeneity analysis in environmental, food, and clinical research.


Cancer is among the most common causes of death for dogs (and cats) and humans in the developed world, even though it is uncommon in wildlife and other domestic animals. We provide a rationale for this observation based on recent advances in our understanding of the evolutionary basis of cancer. Over the course of evolutionary time, species have acquired and fine‐tuned adaptive cancer‐protective mechanisms that are intrinsically related to their energy demands, reproductive strategies, and expected lifespan. These cancer‐protective mechanisms are general across species and/or specific to each species and their niche, and they do not seem to be limited in diversity. The evolutionarily acquired cancer‐free longevity that defines a species' life history can explain why the relative cancer risk, rate, and incidence are largely similar across most species in the animal kingdom despite differences in body size and life expectancy. The molecular, cellular, and metabolic events that promote malignant transformation and cancerous growth can overcome these adaptive, species‐specific protective mechanisms in a small proportion of individuals, while independently, some individuals in the population might achieve exceptional longevity. In dogs and humans, recent dramatic alterations in healthcare and social structures have allowed increasing numbers of individuals in both species to far exceed their species‐adapted longevities (by two to four times) without allowing the time necessary for compensatory natural selection. In other words, the cancer‐protective mechanisms that restrain risk at comparable levels to other species for their adapted lifespan are incapable of providing cancer protection over this recent, drastic, and widespread increase in longevity.


Urbanisation affects indigenous fauna in many ways; some species persist and even increase in urban areas, whereas others are lost. The causative mechanisms determining changes in distributions and community structure remain elusive. We investigated three hypothesized mechanisms, which influence success or failure of the insectivorous bat assemblage across the urban landscape of Sydney, Australia; landscape heterogeneity (diversity of land uses), productivity (as indexed by landscape geology) and trait diversity. We present data on species richness and activity (bat passes per night) collected systematically using ultrasonic bat detectors from randomly selected landscapes (each 25 km2). Landscapes were categorized into classes including 'urban', 'suburban' and 'vegetated', where suburban sites were additionally stratified based on geology, as a proxy for productivity. Four landscape elements were sampled within each landscape, including remnant bushland (>2 ha), riparian areas, open space/parkland and residential/built space. We found that there was significantly greater bat activity and more species of bat in areas on fertile shale geologies (p<0.05), supporting the productivity, rather than the heterogeneity hypothesis. Within landscapes, there was no significant effect of the landscape element sampled, although bushland and riparian sites recorded greater bat activity than open space or backyard sites. Using general linear mixed models we found bat activity and species richness were sensitive to landscape geology and increasing housing density at a landscape scale. Using an RLQ analysis a significant relationship was found between these variables and species traits in structuring the community present (p<0.01). Specifically, open-adapted bats were associated with areas of greater housing density, while clutter-adapted bats were uncommon in urban areas and more associated with greater amounts of bushland in the landscape. Overall we found greater support for the productivity and traits hypotheses, rather than the heterogeneity hypothesis. The degree of urbanisation and amount of bushland remaining, in combination with landscape geology, influenced bat activity and mediated the trait response. Our findings reflect global trends of species diversity and abundance in urban landscapes, suggesting that processes affecting bat species distribution in urban ecosystems may be predictable at a landscape scale.


The aim of this work was to examine endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and their potential role as a cell based autologous therapy to revascularise the ischaemic tissue of the diabetic retina. Our group have isolated and characterised a distinctive human blood derived EPC with high proliferative capacity known as outgrowth endothelial cells (OECs). To mimic low O2 concentrations in the ischaemic retina, we have exposed OECs to 1% O2 for varying times. Hypoxia induces reduced cell proliferation, cell senescence and increased cell size in OECs. Changes in Akt activity, a key regulator of cell proliferation were noted after 30 min exposure to hypoxia which then returned to basal levels by 1 h. Hypoxia also induced considerable alterations in the phosphorylation status of several proteins involved in mTOR signalling, a crucial regulator of cell size. Acute exposure (30 min) to 1% O2 triggered p70S6 K phosphorylation in OECs. In contrast chronic exposure to hypoxia resulted in a considerable decrease in p70S6 K which correlated closely with an increase in both AMPK and Raptor phosphorylation. We have also identified that BMP pathway activation is a feature of OEC responses to hypoxia, with rapid induction of Smad1/5/8 phosphorylation observed in these cells within 60 min of hypoxia. The effect of recombinant BMPs on OEC tube formation and other angiogenic markers is currently being examined. These data provide novel insights into OEC responses in the hypoxic/ischaemic milieu, and have important implications for micro and macrovascular damage seen in diabetes.


Description of a new species of Apostolepis based on three specimens labelled A. borellii from Bolivia in The Museum of Natural History of London. The new species belongs to the borellii Group which is at present only represented by the species A. borellii. This new species differs from A borelii by the following characters: (a) snout with median stripe (vs. immaculate); (b) supralabial blotch long (vs. short); (c) stripes evident on brown background (vs. having a blackish brown background with almost indistinct stripes) (d) ratio subcaudal by ventral scales low (vs. high) (e) lower sides cream (vs. darkish and dotted). The species area is Mato Grosso Plateau neighbouring the highlands of Bolivia in Cerrado Domain. The species is similar to A. striata and A. serrana from which it differs mainly by having nucho-cervical collars which is absent in the latter species. These species are placed in a specialized group (borellii group) while the phillipsae group is represented by A. phillipsae.


Watermelon is a satiating fruit supplemented with health promoting components like sugars, antioxidants mainly lycopene, minerals etc. The biochemical composition, including antioxidants, and the specific activities of enzymes of watermelon fruit of four icebox cultivars were compared at their sequential stages of development and ripening and also an attempt has been made to determine their nutritional quality. The accumulation of sugars was found to be concomitant with the fruit development and ripening of all the presently studied icebox cultivars, but maximum accumulation of sugars occurred in 'Beauty' cultivar compared to that of other three cultivars. This phenomenon of sugar accumulation coincided with the increased activity of sucrose phosphate synthase in pre-ripened stage and decreased activities of invertases (acid, neutral) in the course of ripening of 'Beauty', but with their maximum activities in young fruit of 'Karina King'. Antioxidants such as lycopene, ascorbic acid, phenols, polyphenols, anthocyanin and flavanols were found in more quantity in the fruit of 'Beauty' followed by 'Suman 235' at their ripened stage than that of other cultivars of watermelon. Antioxidant enzymes, POD and SOD, displayed their significant activities during early stages of ripening in all the icebox cultivars. However, a strong positive correlation was observed between total polyphenols and lycopene with total antioxidant activity. The rate of mineral accumulation was higher in the early stages of fruit development in all the cultivars. Based on the patterns of accumulation of sugars, lycopene and other antioxidants and increased activities of enzymes in the fruit of Beauty', it may be concluded that the fruit of 'Beauty' has better nutritional quality when compared to all the other three cultivars of watermelon fruit.


Biosourced materials such as vegetal wools offer major thermal insulation advantages in the green buildings field. Experimental characterisations of vegetal wools thermal conductivity as a function of their density show the existence of an optimum conduction-radiation coupled value. This specific point, as well as the properties of vegetal wools are related to the large variability of shapes and sizes of their fibres. In order to take this specificity into account, it seems particularly relevant to use micro-macro modelling methods to predict the thermal conductivities related to both conduction and radiation heat transfer phenomena. In a first time, a self-consistent method based on a cylindrical geometry (SCMcyl) is used as a modelling approach for conduction transfers. Then, a modelling approach developed by Bankvall and based on an equivalent fibre radius value is used for radiation transfers. So, by coupling these two approaches, it is possible to obtain an equivalent thermal conductivity of fibrous materials as a function of density. Finally, this method is validated by comparison with experimental data.


The analytical models which are used to predict the performance of gas-flow and chemical lasers are enumerated and compared. These analytical models include the currently accepted theory of Lorentz-Gauss line shape factor, the present theory of rectangular line shape factor and the theory presented in ref. [5]. For the idealized configuration of the mixing layer of diffusion chemical lasers, the specific results corresponding to the theories mentioned above are developed in brief. Analysis shows that for the general case in which the transition is simultaneously inhomogeneous broadened and collisionally broadened, particularly for the case in which the inhomogeneous broadening is dominant, the difference among the results of the two theories of line shape factor and the theory of article [5] are quite significant. The results of the theory of rectangular line shape factor are more precise than those of Lorentz-Gauss line shape factor. And the computing-time required by the theory of rectangular line shape factor is less than that of Lorentz-Gauss line shape factor.


In 15 Sports Myths and Why They're Wrong, authors Rodney Fort and Jason Winfree apply sharp economic analysis to bust some of the most widespread urban legends about college and professional athletics. Each chapter takes apart a common misconception, showing how the assumptions behind it fail to add up. Fort and Winfree reveal how these myths perpetuate themselves and, ultimately, how they serve a handful of powerful parties-such as franchise owners, reporters, and players-at the expense of the larger community of sports fans. From the idea that team owners and managers are inept to the notion that revenue-generating college sports pay for athletics that don't attract fans (and their cash), 15 Sports Myths and Why They're Wrong strips down pervasive accounts of how our favorite games function, allowing us to look at them in a new, more informed way. Fort and Winfree argue that substituting the intuitive appeal of emotionally charged myths with rigorous, informed explanations weakens the power of these tall tales and their tight hold on the sports we love. Readers will emerge with a clearer picture of the forces at work within the sports world and a better understanding of why these myths matter-and are worthy of a takedown.


Sir Two studies on the prevention of postoperative deep vein thrombosis (DVT) with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) fractions have been published recently in The British Journal ofsurgery . They deserve a few comments. Although both trials claim superiority of the LMWH compound over standard heuarin, 'intention to treat' ana!ysis of the data reveals that this superiority is not statistically significant at the conventional P level of 0.05. In the Scandinavian study using Fragmin" (Kabi Vitrum, Stockholm, Sweden) (Br J Sury 1988; 75: 888-91), 28 isotopic DVTs (5.5 per cent) were detected in the LMWH group compared with 41 (8.3 per cent) in the standard heparin group (P=O.OS, two-sided test). The corresponding figures in the European Fraxiparin study (Sanofi Choay, France; Br J Sury 1988; 7 5 : 1058-63) are 29 isotopic DVTs (3.0 per cent) in the LMWH group and 41 (4.4 per cent) in the standard heparin group (P=014. two-sided Fischer exact test). The analysis presented in the European Fraxiparin Study paper with correction of the isotopic DVT rate by integrating phlebographic data obtained in only 39 per cent of the cases with abnormal fibrinogen uptake test is not acceptable, especially because the study was not double-blind. Moreover, using a two-sided test, which is obviously more appropriate than the one-sided one when comparing two active treatments, reveals no significant difference between the two groups (P =0.065), even with the corrected data. Thus, the two trials confirm and extend previous work showing that injection of a LMWH fraction once daily is at least as efficient as injection of standard heparin twice a day (Scandinavian study) or three times a day (European Fraxiparin Study) in general surgery. Bleeding complications also seem to be at least as frequent with LMWHs. In the era of AIDS, these trials raise also the question of the safety of the fibrinogen uptake test as regards risk of virus transmission. In my opinion, injecting a blood derivative in asymptomatic patients for screening purposes should be seriously questioned. Possibly liquid crystal contact thermography which has a similar sensitivity and specificity in postoperative subjects' might represent an attractive alternative to the fibrinogen uptake test. H. Bounameaux


Recent gravitational-wave observations from the LIGO and Virgo observatories have brought a sense of great excitement to scientists and citizens the world over. Since September 2015,10 binary black hole coalescences and one binary neutron star coalescence have been observed. They have provided remarkable, revolutionary insight into the "gravitational Universe" and have greatly extended the field of multi-messenger astronomy. At present, Advanced LIGO can see binary black hole coalescences out to redshift 0.6 and binary neutron star coalescences to redshift 0.05. This probes only a very small fraction of the volume of the observable Universe. However, current technologies can be extended to construct "$3^\mathrm{rd}$ Generation" (3G) gravitational-wave observatories that would extend our reach to the very edge of the observable Universe. The event rates over such a large volume would be in the hundreds of thousands per year (i.e.tens per hour). Such 3G detectors would have a 10-fold improvement in strain sensitivity over the current generation of instruments, yielding signal-to-noise ratios of 1000 for events like those already seen. Several concepts are being studied for which engineering studies and reliable cost estimates will be developed in the next 5 years.


Kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) is a significant plantation crop belonging to family Actinidiaceae, having deciduous, dioecious, and scrambling vines with chromosome number 2n=58. Dioecy in kiwifruit forms the basis for several breeding programs. The present study was carried out for diversity analysis in kiwifruit genotypes using RAPD markers. 7 kiwifruit genotypes (2 males viz. Allision & Tomuri and 5 females viz. Hayward, Bruno, Allision, Monty & Abbott) were analysed for molecular polymorphism using 94 RAPD primers, out of which 23 primers amplified the genomic DNA in all the genotypes. RAPD data was analysed using NTSYS-pc software and dendrogram construction was done using UPGMA method. Two separate clusters of male and female genotypes were formed. Similarity matrix indices showed maximum similarity between Tomuri (M) and Allision (M) with a similarity coefficient of 0.719 while Abbott (F) and Allision (M) were found to have least similarity having a similarity coefficient of 0.521. Four RAPD primers amplified unique amplicons in Monty, Hayward, Bruno, Allision (M) and Abbott and two primers amplified unique amplicons in Allision (M) & Tomuri (M) along with the male and female plants of Allision genotype respectively. Therefore, these primers can help in distinguishing the genotypes of kiwifruit and can also be validated as putative markers for the sex identification in kiwifruit.


Background and objective of study: Following stroke hemiplegic or hemiparetic patients presented with more postural sway, asymmetric weight distribution, impaired weight-shifting ability and decreased stability capability. There are many balance exercises and strategies to improve balance in stroke population to improve trunk control. There are limited evidences of giving manual perturbation based balance training in stroke patients to improve Balance, function and Mobility. Therefore, this study has been taken up to examine whether the manual perturbation balance training is effective in improving balance, function and mobility in stroke patients.
Material and Method: Thirty patients were randomly allocated into two groups, Group (Conventional PT), Group B (Manual Perturbation Exercises and Conventional PT)- with 15 patients in each group. All the patients were evaluated with Berg Balance Scale; Functional Independence Measures and Time up and Go test on pre- treatment level. At the end of 4th week, effects of intervention were assessed by Berg Balance Scale, Time up and Go Test, and Functional Independence Measures.
Results: When analysis was done between Group A and Group B, no significant difference found between BBS, TUG and FIM score in both Experimental and Control Group at pre interventional level. When comparison was done between both the groups from pre to post intervention level, the values of BBS, TUG, and FIM scores were improved at post interventional level (p=0.0001) in both groups. In the inter group comparison at post intervention level, values of BBS and TUG in the experimental Group were improved (p=0.0001), but not in FIM (p=0.240).
Conclusion: Manual Perturbation exercises combined with Conventional Physiotherapy and Conventional Physiotherapy alone are beneficial in improving Balance, Function and Mobility in stroke patients. However, the subjects treated with manual perturbation along with conventional physiotherapy showed an additional benefit in Balance, and Mobility.


We investigate the effect of employment protection legislation (EPL) on the propensity to hire workers from unemployment and active labor market programs (ALMPs), utilizing a reform that decreased dismissal costs for small firms only. Using administrative data from Sweden, we find that less stringent EPL increased the share of workers hired from unemployment and some ALMPs. Our results suggest that there was less screening of new hires after the reform, and that liberalization of EPL mitigates the stigma associated with unemployment and participation in ALMPs.


A simplified control system is described which uses only three point calibration to maintain the wavelength of the ITU channels of an uncooled DS-DBR laser, spaced at 50GHz, over the full C-band. Wavelength is controlled mode-hop free over a temperature range of 15°C to 40°C.


The World Bank conducts investment climate assessments (ICAs) across the globe to analyze private sector performance and to determine principal constraints affecting the private sector in respective countries. The 2016 Malawi ICA focuses on supporting dialogue on investment climate by analyzing the challenges reported by private enterprises in the country. It is the second in a series, following the first one that was published in 2006. The 2016 Malawi ICA is based on the analysis of results from the World Bank enterprise survey conducted in 2014. Regression analysis on productivity levels of firms was conducted to present some insights into the competitiveness of manufacturing firms. The productivity analysis reveals that firms in Malawi have higher levels of labor productivity and capital intensity, but lower levels of capital productivity than their counterparts in neighboring countries. Unit labor costs are lower than in most comparator countries. The results are predominantly with respect to large firms, with medium firms in Malawi facing lower levels of labor productivity and capital intensity, but higher levels of labor costs than small and large firms. Apart from the foregoing measures of partial productivity, total factor productivity is lower than in most comparator countries.


We construct two U-empirical tests for the logistic location family which are based on appropriate characterization of this family using independent exponential shifts. We study the limiting distributions and local Bahadur efficiency of corresponding test statistics under close alternatives. It turns out that the present tests are considerably more efficient than the recently proposed similar tests based on another characterization. The efficiency calculations are accompanied by the simulation of power for new tests together with the previous ones.Both efficiency and power turn out to be very high. Finally we consider the application of our tests to real data example.


This study was designed to develop an effective microwave assisted extraction (MAE) method for extraction of caffeine and catechins from green tea samples. A series of solvents (water, ethanol:water mixture or citric acid:water mixture) were used for extraction of green tea samples (fresh, frozen or dried) collected in three collection periods (first, second and third collection periods). Tea samples were extracted using water in a close microwave system under the certain extraction conditions. Extraction was carried out under a controlled 600 W microwave power at 80 oC temperature for 4 min irradiation time. Alternative to water, an ethanol-water mixture (1:1) or a citric acid-water (1:1) mixture was used as extracting solvent under the same conditions. After MAE crude aqueous extract was partitioned first with chloroform to separate caffeine then ethyl acetate for catechins. Both caffeine and catechin extraction was quite successful with microwave assisted system employing only 4 minutes treatment. The highest caffeine yield was obtained in the second collection period using frozen green tea samples and ethanol-water as extracting solvent. The yield of catechin extracts was between 0.84-3.96% depending on the solvent system used for extraction. Ethanol-water mixture seems to be appropriate for effective extraction in the basis of extract yields. However, HPLC results showed that individual catechin content of each extraction is more important criteria for the evaluation of most effective extraction medium rather than the mass of the extract. Using citric acid as extracting solvent in MAE seem to be more fruitful providing 100% catechin mixture with the highest EGCG content.


THE insulin treatment of diabetes requires an accurate estimation of the glucose in the blood, and an easy method by which this could be accomplished would be welcomed by general practitioners. I have made determinations of the amount of glucose in solution by measuriing the index of refraction of the solution. The instrument I have used is described in Schuster and Lee's Exer cisesin Practical Physics, and depends on the measurement of. the critical angle. The instrument is simple, and only .one or two drops of the liquid are required. It would have to be assumed that any alteration in the index of refraction of the blood was due to the amount of glucose contained in the blood, and in a diabetic patient I tllink that this assumption is warranted. Starting with a 10 per cent. solution of glucose the index of refraction was measured, and weaker solutions were taken with the followinig results:


The predictions of recent theoretical studies on the effect of inert, rigid inclusions on the sintering of ceramic powder matrices are examined and compared with experimental data. The densification of glass matrix composites with inclusion volume fractions of less than or equal to0.15 can be adequately explained by Scherer's theory for viscous sintering with rigid inclusions. Inclusions cause a vast reduction in the densification rates of polycrystalline matrix composites even at low inclusion volume fractions. Models put forward to explain the sintering of polycrystalline matrix composites are discussed. 28 refs., 7 figs.


Interpolation and inverse modeling problems are ubiquitous in environmental sciences. In many applications, the parameters being estimated or mapped have physical constraints, such as nonnegativity (e.g. concentration, hydraulic conductivity), solubility limits, censored data (e.g. due to dry wells or detection limits), and other physical boundaries or missing data. Geostatistical interpolation and inverse modeling techniques have often been applied for estimating such parameters, but these methods typically cannot enforce physical constraints. This paper describes a statistically rigorous and computationally efficient Gibbs sampler, a Markov chain Monte Carlo technique, based on an a priori truncated Gaussian distribution model, which allows for multiple and variable physical constraints to be enforced within a geostatistical framework. Sample interpolation and inverse modeling applications confirm that estimates, uncertainty bounds and conditional simulations reflect the specified constraints, leading to conclusions that are more consistent with the underlying conceptual model, and provide a more accurate measure of the posterior uncertainty of the parameters being estimated. In addition, especially in inverse modeling applications, a posteriori confidence bounds are narrower even in areas where constraints are not imposed. The method is applicable in multiple dimensions, for data with or without measurement error, and with any variogram model.


Micro finance is a powerful tool to alleviate poverty and promote financial sustainability of SMEs. The link between microcredit and financial sustainability of SMEs, though repeatedly emphasized by donors and practitioners in conferences and summits, is a controversial area o f empirical research. Previous studies find that for the majority of borrowers income increases aie small, and in some cases negative. The purpose of the study was to find out the effect of microfinance on financial sustainability o f SMEs in Nairobi East District. This research problem was studied through the use of a causal research design. The researcher studied 1327 SMEs in Nairobi East District. This research study used purposive sampling technique and specifically the judgmental sampling method to select 132 SMEs which is 10% of the target. Primary data was gathered through structured questionnaires. The data was then analyzed using descriptive statistics. A multivariate regression model was applied to detennine the relative importance of each of the variables with respect to financial self sustainability. The study found that the integrating gender awareness policies (gender equality and SME's human rights), creating ways for non-financial support and services (complementary services) to pay explicit attention to gender. The study further concludes that the SMEs do not have a long history of saving culture. The study also concludes that the enterprises benefit from loans from microfinance institutions, the SMEs seek financial assistance from the MFIs due to interest rate, easy loan repayment and amount offered. The study finally concludes that financial and management counseling influence financial sustainability in the enterprises as well as workshops and seminars. The regression results imply that credit contribute more to the financial sustainability of SMEs followed by savings, while entrepreneurial development contributes the least to financial sustainability of SMEs. The study therefore recommends that the MFIs should be quick to measure the success rate of SMEs by considering factors like high repayment, outreach and financial sustainability, but these may not be success if their activities do not reflect in the growth of SMEs. The financial institutions need to put more effort in financing SMEs, their role need to be felt by the SMEs in terms of growth and development. TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION......................................................................................................................ii DEDICATION......................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...................................................................................................iv ABSTRACT...............................................................................................................................v TABLE OF CONTENTS.......................................................................................................vi LIST OF TABLES...................................................................................................................ix LIST OF FIGURES..................................................................................................................x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS................................................................................................xi CHAPTER ONE.......................................................................................................................


In this paper, we propose a class of monitoring statistics for a mean shift in a sequence of high-dimensional observations. Inspired by the recent U-statistic based retrospective tests developed by Wang et al.(2019) and Zhang et al.(2020), we advance the U-statistic based approach to the sequential monitoring problem by developing a new adaptive monitoring procedure that can detect both dense and sparse changes in real-time. Unlike Wang et al.(2019) and Zhang et al.(2020), where self-normalization was used in their tests, we instead introduce a class of estimators for $q$-norm of the covariance matrix and prove their ratio consistency. To facilitate fast computation, we further develop recursive algorithms to improve the computational efficiency of the monitoring procedure. The advantage of the proposed methodology is demonstrated via simulation studies and real data illustrations.


The Eph receptors comprise the largest group of receptor tyrosine kinases and are found in a wide variety of cell types in developing and mature tissues. Their ligands are the ephrins, a family of membrane-bound proteins found in lipid rafts. In the past decade, Eph receptors and ephrins have been implicated in a vast array of cellular processes. Unlike other receptor tyrosine kinases, however, the Eph receptors seem to be geared towards regulating cell shape and movement rather than proliferation. Studies have uncovered intricate signaling networks that center around the ligand-receptor complex, and this may account for the broad repertoire of functions of Eph proteins. Deciphering the bi-directional pathways emanating from an Eph receptor-ephrin complex will not only help us to understand basic biological processes, but may also provide important insight into disease.


The physiological significance of serotonin released into the intestinal lumen for the regulation of motility is unknown in humans. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of serotonin infused into the lumen of the gastric antrum, duodenum or the jejunum, on antro-duodeno-jejunal contractility in healthy human volunteers. Manometric recordings were obtained and the effects of either a standard meal, continuous intravenous infusion of serotonin (20 nmol/kg/min) or intraluminal bolus infusions of graded doses of serotonin (2.5, 25 or 250 nmol) were compared. In addition, platelet-depleted plasma levels of serotonin, blood pressure, heart rate and electrocardiogram were evaluated. All subjects showed similar results. Intravenous serotonin increased migrating motor complex phase III frequency 3-fold and migrating velocity 2-fold. Intraluminal infusion of serotonin did not change contractile activity. Platelet-depleted-plasma levels of serotonin increased 2-fold following both intravenous and high doses of intraluminal infusions of serotonin. All subjects reported minor short-lived adverse effects following intravenous serotonin stimulation, while only half of the subjects reported minor short-lived adverse effects following intraluminal serotonin stimulations. We conclude that exogenous serotonin in the lumen of the upper part of the small intestine does not seem to change antro-duodeno-jejunal contractility significantly in healthy adult volunteers.


: The age-hardening behaviour and microstructure development of high strength Ni-based superalloys ABD-D2, D4, and D6 with varying Nb/Ti ratios have been studied. The studied alloys have large volume fractions and multimodal size distributions of the γ (cid:48) precipitates, making them sensitive to cooling conditions following solution heat treatment. Differential scanning calorimetry was conducted with a thermal cycle that replicated a processing heat treatment. The hardness of these alloys was subsequently evaluated by nanoindentation. The Nb/Ti ratio was not observed to influence the size and distribution of primary and secondary γ (cid:48) precipitates; however, the difference in those of tertiary γ (cid:48) and precipitate morphology were observed. The nanoindentation hardness for all alloys reduces once they have been solution-heat-treated. The alloys exhibited specific peak hardness. The alloy with the greatest Nb content was found to have the best increase in hardness among the alloys studied due to its large tertiary γ (cid:48) precipitate.


To evaluate the relationship between the Human Development Index (HDI) and its components with oral cancer (OC) in Latin America. Ecological study in 20 Latin American countries in 2010 and 2017, which evaluated the relationship between the Age-Standardized Rates (ASRs) of incidence and mortality from oral cancer and the following indicators: HDI, with its components (income, education, and health indexes); and the Gini and Theil-L indexes. Among the countries with the highest HDI, men from Brazil and Cuba had the highest incidence and mortality ASRs per 100,000 inhabitants (ASR incidence >7.5 and mortality >4.5). Among those with the lowest HDI, Haiti was the most affected country (ASR incidence >4.1 and mortality >3.0). The highest male:female ratio was in Paraguay in both years (incidence >3.5 and mortality >4.0). Mortality from oral cancer is negatively related to the global HDI in both years, with regression coefficients (95% confidence interval) being −5.78 (−11.77, 0.20) in 2010 and −5.97 (−11.38, −0.56) in 2017; and separate (independent) from the income [−4.57 (−9.92, 0.77) in 2010 and −4.84 (−9.52, −0.17) in 2017] and health indexes [−5.81 (−11.10, −0.52) and −6.52 (−11.32, −1.72) in 2017] (p < 0.05) in the countries with lower HDI. Oral cancer incidence and mortality rates vary both among and within Latin American countries according to sex, with a greater burden on men. The HDI is negatively related to mortality from oral cancer in the countries of medium and low HDI.


Hooded rats were trained on a series of four visual discrimination tasks in a Y-maze, and subjected to a variety of posterior cortical lesions. In 17 animals this consisted of an extensive aspiration


Photons have been a flagship system for studying quantum mechanics, advancing quantum information science, and developing quantum technologies. Quantum entanglement, teleportation, quantum key distribution and early quantum computing demonstrations were pioneered in this technology because photons represent a naturally mobile and low-noise system with quantum-limited detection readily available. The quantum states of individual photons can be manipulated with very high precision using interferometry, an experimental staple that has been under continuous development since the 19th century. The complexity of photonic quantum computing device and protocol realizations has raced ahead as both underlying technologies and theoretical schemes have continued to develop. Today, photonic quantum computing represents an exciting path to medium- and large-scale processing. It promises to out aside its reputation for requiring excessive resource overheads due to inefficient two-qubit gates. Instead, the ability to generate large numbers of photons---and the development of integrated platforms, improved sources and detectors, novel noise-tolerant theoretical approaches, and more---have solidified it as a leading contender for both quantum information processing and quantum networking. Our concise review provides a flyover of some key aspects of the field, with a focus on experiment. Apart from being a short and accessible introduction, its many references to in-depth articles and longer specialist reviews serve as a launching point for deeper study of the field.


This paper reflects on the development of a student voice project that researched into the positive learning experiences of high achieving art and design students from a wide variety of backgrounds. We wanted to build up a bank of positive case studies of student learning experiences and explore the institutional and personal factors that contributed to their academic success. The students chose to respond in varying ways often using the visual medium through sketchbooks, DVDs, books and board games. These have been shared with staff and students through exhibitions and workshops where, they can interact with the artefacts and discuss diversity and achievement. This project has captured the imagination and interest of the wider HE sector as it relates both to student voice and diversity. It has also been transformational in our own CETL developments around co-creating solutions with students.


AIM
To develop non-invasive methods of measuring the quality of data recorded in general practice.

METHODS
Laboratory and pharmaceutical claims data from fourteen practices (44 doctors) from the FirstHealth network of general practices were examined to determine the extent to which valid minimum bounds on expected rates of diagnosis coding could be established. These were compared with recorded rates in patient notes to measure completeness of diagnosis recording. Data completeness was measured for demographic data and a marker for the accuracy of gender coding was developed from diagnosis data.

RESULTS
Minimum rates of diagnosis could be established for asthma, diabetes (NIDDM and IDDM), ischaemic heart disease, hypothyroidism, bipolar affective disorder and Parkinson's disease. Minimum bounds for the number of patients requiring monitoring of warfarin and digoxin levels were also established. These expected minimum rates were combined with measures of completeness of age, gender, ethnicity and smoking data, and a gender coding accuracy measure, to produce a set of fourteen data quality indicators. Pass/fail thresholds on each indicator were set and each of the fourteen practices was scored on the number of passes they achieved. The scores ranged from three to nine out of fourteen passses.

CONCLUSIONS
Non-invasive data quality measures may be useful in providing feedback to general practitioners as part of a data quality improvement cycle. The sensitivity of this method will decline as data quality improves.


Feeding fat supplements to lactating dairy cows is an effective strategy to increase energy density of rations and increase milk yield. However, it is not clear whether supplementing a specific fat supplement for the entire lactating herd provides better results than others in commercial dairy herds. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of fat supplementation with two commercial products on changes in body condition score (BCS) and cowand herd-level milk production and composition in a large commercial dairy herd. The study was conducted in a herd milking approximately 1,500 Holstein cows. One of two treatments was assigned to the herd in a singlesubject crossover design with 4 periods. Treatments were inclusion of 0.24 lb/cow per day of a supplement rich in saturated fats (Propel; Propel Energy Plus) or 0.22 lb/cow per day of a supplement containing calcium salts of long-chain fatty acids (Control). Treatments were applied to all lactating cows during four consecutive weeks. Milk yield recorded during the last week of each period was used for statistical analyses. In addition, milk samples were collected in the last week of each period to determine test-day milk protein, fat, somatic cell count, and urea nitrogen concentrations. At the beginning and at the end of each experimental period, BCS was assessed from a subset of cows to evaluate BCS change. Herd-level milk fat, protein, and somatic cell count were recorded daily by the milk cooperative. Bulk tank milk fat and protein contents on the fourth week of fat supplementation were similar between Control and Propel treatments. Average milk yield during the fourth week of fat supplementation (yield recorded daily in the last week of the experimental period) was greater for Control than Propel supplementation (83.4 vs. 82.1 ± 1.7 lb/day). In the analyses that used test-day data, milk yield did not differ between Control and Propel treatments. Supplementation with Propel resulted in greater milk fat (4.50 vs. 4.29 ± 0.12%) and reduced milk protein content (3.12 vs. 3.14 ± 0.03%) compared with Control. In addition, milk urea nitrogen was reduced for Control vs. Propel cows (12.5 vs. 13.1 ± 0.04 mg/dL). Supplementation with Propel increased energy-corrected milk (93.9 vs. 91.7 ± 3.1 lb/ day) and fat-corrected milk (96.3 vs. 93.5 ± 3.3 lb/day) yields compared with Control supplementation. Proportion of cows that lost BCS during the fat supplementation periods did not differ between treatments; however, BCS change tended to be more pronounced during supplementation with Propel than Control treatment (-0.03 vs. 0.02 ± 0.04). In conclusion, fat supplementation using the Propel treatment resulted in greater milk fat content, energy-corrected milk, and fat-corrected milk compared with fat supplementation with Control. Our findings suggest that the type of market to which milk is sold should be considered in the choice of fat supplements.