Predicting model quality is a fundamental component of any modeling procedure, and blind assessment of these methods constitutes a crucial aspect of the Critical Assessment of Protein Structure Prediction (CASP) experiment. Historically, the main focus was on assessing methods that predict global and per-residue accuracies in tertiary structure models. This focus shifted with the community's increased efforts in modeling complexes and assemblies. We asked the community to process the models from the CASP15 assembly category and provide estimates of the accuracy of the predicted quaternary structure, both globally and at the local interface level. Besides identifying remarkable accuracy of modeling groups in assessing their own predictions, we set up a benchmarking pipeline to highlight different aspects of quaternary structure models and introduced a simple consensus EMA method as baseline. While participating methods showed commendable performance, the baseline was difficult to surpass. It is important to point out that prediction performance varies for the individual CASP targets, highlighting potential areas of improvement and challenges ahead.


An enzymatic method proposed for the determination of oxalate in urine is adapted for the estimation of soluble oxalate content in beans, chickpeas and lentils. Oxalates were extracted in water by refluxing for 2 h. The method is based on the oxidation of oxalate by the oxidase and the determination of the resulting hydrogen peroxide, which in presence of peroxidase, 3-methyl-2 benzotiazinolone and 3-dimethylamino benzoic, gives an indamine compound with an absorption maximum at 590 nm. The linearity (from 0.015 to 0.6 mM) of the method is adequate to the analysis of oxalate contents in pulses, and the inter-day precision of the method expressed as relative standard deviation was good (3.01%), with an accuracy of (98.7±2.5%) estimated by recovery assays. This method is applied to estimate the losses of soluble oxalate as a consequence of cooking. All the cooking procedures reduce the soluble oxalate content, but microwave and industrial procedures are more effective than traditional domestic cooking.


Hairstyles and practices that frequently apply tension to the hair follicle can result in traction alopecia (TA). Many of the hairstyles and hair practices associated with a higher risk of TA begin at a young age, making early intervention and education advantageous in the pediatric population. Recognizing TA at its reversible stage in the pediatric population is critical as early interventions, and counseling will prevent permanent scarring alopecia. While TA can affect any pediatric patient, this review highlights the reported literature on specific populations with a higher reported prevalence of TA.


Introduction Foreward by Tudor Ratiu and Richard Cushman Preliminaries Differential Theory Calculus on Manifolds Analytical Dynamics Hamiltonian and Lagrangian Systems Hamiltonian Systems with Symmetry Hamiltonian-Jacobi Theory and Mathematical Physics An Outline of Qualitative Dynamics Topological Dynamics Differentiable Dynamics Hamiltonian Dynamics Celestial Mechanics The Two-Body Problem The Three-Body Problem.


The particlelike behaviour of the soliton solutions of nonlinear evolution equations, raises the question as to whether there exists a representation, in terms of classical particles, which gives quantitative as well as qualitative information about the dynamics of these interacting solitary waveforms. In this paper we establish such a representation for Kortewcg·dc Vries (KdV) solitons by locating the particles at the poles of the n-soliton solutions when the latter are considered as functions over a complex domain. The representation is shown to be faithful and a detailed analysis is presented for the one- and two-soliton solutions. In these cases the pole motions accurately reflect the behaviour of the solitons; giving, respec tively, a uniform motion and a repulsive interaction. Furthermore, in the case of the two soliton solutions, the phase shifts calculated from the particle trajectories are the same as those obtained from an asymptotic analysis of the waveforms. Since the KdV is not Galilean invariant, in the strict sense, the mass-spectrum of the pole-particles is obtained from the waveforms using a phenomenologically defined mass density rather than the Hamiltonian density. This mass-spectrum is then used to compute the forces and potentials acting between two solitons and an interpretation of the manner in which this interaction takes place is also given. Finally, a brief discussion of related work on other solutions of the KdV is presented.


Background: Untreated aural haematoma may result in deformity of the pinna.
Methods: Retrospective study of 55 cases of aural haematoma (AH) managed in 18 years.
Results: AH was categorized based on the severity of the condition and the management protocol employed. AH fluid aspiration, AH fluid aspiration and dexamethasone infusion, AH incision plus bandaging, AH incision plus ablation suturing and AH stab incision plus placement of measured indwelling polyethylene infusion tubes were employed in the management of this disorder.
Conclusion: AH stab incision plus placement of measured indwelling polyethylene infusion tubes proved to be the most successful of these protocols.
Keywords: Aural, Haematoma Dogs
Nig. J. of Surgical Research 4(1-2) 2002: 50-56


Abstract This article focuses on the issues of organized tourism, more specifically, on children's summer camps, in which Czech children spend free time during their holidays. T he purpose of this paper is to present results of a pilot study on children's participation in summer camps. On the basis of the research carried out in the form of a face-to-face survey conducted with a sample of 479 pupils – grades five and seven, selected criteria, which characterize these camps, were analysed in relation to the choice of the camps and children's participation in them. T he results show that the majority of school children participate in summer children's camps. T he most popular camps are overnight camps and sports camps run by the organizations which children attend during the school year.


The Cross-Car Beam (CCB), which is located below the Instrument Panel, supports the steering column, dashboard and the passenger air bag. Designing the CCB is crucial for architecture development and it is a part of the platform definition process. It plays a major role in meeting the NVH targets for the vehicle. Alternate materials have been tried out to reduce weight of the Cross-car beam assembly, but cost of the assembly goes up. Another option is to opt for material thickness reduction of the CCB or the steering column bracket which will reduce weight but that will have an impact on the structural mode and natural frequencies. The NVH performance mustn't drop below the program NVH targets after weight reduction. The goal of this paper is to define the geometry and the sections of the CCB & Steering assembly by reducing weight without compromising NVH performance and meeting architectural inputs in the concept stage of the project. While the preliminary architecture is being developed, the relevant inputs and NVH targets will be taken as inputs for the study. A concept simulation model is set-up which is capable of quick simulations. A design optimization will be performed based on the model and the optimized CCB concepts will be taken forward for detailed engineering later. The CCB assembly has been parameterized into 23 parameters which include the geometry, sections & architectural parameters. This complete assembly has been modelled as beam elements and the joints have been considered as rigid joints and the constrains were applied. Modal analysis was performed to obtain the natural frequencies. A Design of Experiments (DOE) was run on these parameters to identify the critical parameters with respect to the weight and natural frequencies. The DOE gives a mathematical model for optimization and the sensitivity and direction of goodness of all the parameters. The mathematical model generated is used to perform design optimization. Based on the optimization, 10% weight reduction was achieved in the CCB assembly with optimal geometry and sections. The results match closely with the CAE results obtained after detailed CAD is analysed. This simplified beam model of the assembly takes less than 5 minutes to run and the iterations can be automated within the software. This makes it possible to run multiple DOEs and study different solutions. It is even possible to analyse various alternatives proposed. The process of defining the architecture is fastened as the optimization of the CCB can be carried out within a few days.


Abstract We studied the relationship between the occurrence of extrapair fertilizations (EPFs) and mating status and nesting cycle of mates, respectively, in a population of Black-browed Reed Warblers (Acrocephalus bistrigiceps). Overall, 6.4% (9 of 140) of the chicks were sired by extrapair males, and 13.5% (5 of 37) of the broods contained at least one extrapair chick. Socially polygynous males were cuckolded more frequently than socially monogamous males (40.0% and 3.7%, respectively). In three of four cases where cuckolded males were polygynous, the fertile periods of their mates overlapped. Except for two floating males that obtained EPFs, five out of seven cuckolder males were paired. Males succeeded in EPFs when the fertile period of the extrapair females largely overlapped the incubation period of their own mates. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that there are trade-offs between extrapair copulation activity and both mate guarding and rearing of nestlings. Fertilisation Extraconjugale chez Acrocephalus bistrigiceps: Effets des Mâles Infidèles et Cocus sur le Statut de Couple et le Cycle de Nidification


Blood viscosity decreases with shear stress, a property essential for an efficient perfusion of the vascular tree. Shear-thinning is intimately related to the dynamics and mutual interactions of red blood cells (RBCs), the major constituents of blood. Our work explores RBCs dynamics under physiologically relevant conditions of flow strength, outer fluid viscosity and volume fraction. Our results contradict the current paradigm stating that RBCs should align and elongate in the flow direction thanks to their membrane circulation around their center of mass, reducing flow-lines disturbances. On the contrary, we observe both experimentally and with simulations, rich morphological transitions that relate to global blood rheology. For increasing shear stresses, RBCs successively tumble, roll, deform into rolling stomatocytes and finally adopt highly deformed and polylobed shapes even for semi-dilute volume fractions analogous to microcirculatory values. Our study suggests that any pathological change in plasma composition, RBCs cytosol viscosity or membrane mechanical properties will impact the onset of shape transitions and should play a central role in pathological blood rheology and flow behavior.


Conditioning with reduced intensity regimens have been proven problematic for the control of advanced hematologic diseases. Therefore we applied a new protocol (FBM) in a prospective, two-center, phase II trial in 133 patients (median age: 55.6 years, 23–73) undergoing allogeneic cell transplantation (HCT). FBM contains fludarabine (5×30mg/m2), BCNU (2×200mg/m2) and melphalan (140mg/m2). Patients >=55 years received dose reduction in BCNU (2×150mg/m2) and melphalan (110mg/m2). Diagnoses and patients included AML (58), MDS (23), CML (11), MPS (9), ALL (3), myeloma (9), lymphoma (13) and CLL (7). Most patients (n=106) had advanced disease (AD) defined as ≥ CR2/CP2, refractory, relapsed or untreated. Only 27 patients presented with early disease (ED): CR1, CP1 or MDS RA/RARS. The stem cell graft was BM in 15 and PBSCT in 116 patients. Related (SIB) donors were used in 68, unrelated (MUD) donors in 65 cases. GvHD prophylaxis was CsA+MTX (23pts) and CsA+MMF (110pts) with additional ATG in MUD HCT. Median time to leukocyte engraftment (WBC >1×10e9/L) was 12.7 (1–41) days. One primary graft failure occurred. Platelet count >= 20×10e9/L was reached median day 17.4 (5–113). Complete donor chimerism at day 30 was reported in 95.7% of patients. Grade 3 organ toxicity according to Bearman et al. was observed in 21 cases, three patients died due to toxic complications. After a median follow up of 58.5 months, non-relapse mortality (NRM) was 15.8% (95%CI 10.7–23.4) and 27.8% (95%CI 21.2–36.6) at day 100 and 2 years. The relapse rate was 14.3% (95%CI 9.4–21.7) at 2 years. Acute GvHD III-IV developed in 23.3%, extensive chronic GvHD in 32.3% of all evaluable patients. Overall survival (OS) after 3 years was 53.0% (95%CI 44.5–61.6) and 46.1% (95%CI 36.9–55.2) after 5 years. Cases with ED had an OS of 63.0% (95%CI 44.7–81.2) and patients with AD experienced a 50.4% (95%CI 40.8–60.1) OS after 3 years. Event free survival (EFS) after 3 years was 46.4% (95%CI 37.9–54.9) and 41.9% (95%CI 33.1–50.7) after 5 years. EFS for ED patients was 55.6% (95%CI 36.8–74.3), for patients with AD 44.0% (CI 34.5–53.5) after 3 years. Interestingly, patients allografted from female donors showed a significant reduction in EFS with increased incidence of chronic GvHD in uni- and multivariate analyses. No significant differences were observed between patients >= 55 years and < 55 years or MUD/SIB donors. The subgroup of AML/MDS patients (n=81) showed a 5-year OS/EFS of 52.9% (95%CI 29.2–76.7)/47.1% (95%CI 23.3–70.8) for ED and 42.4% (95%CI 29.9–54.9)/38.6% (95%CI 26.5–50.7) for AD patients. There were no relapses in ED patients after HCT. NRM after 100 days was 17.3% (95%CI 10.7–27.8). Patients age and donor choice did not show statistically significance for OS and EFS in AML/MDS cases. Among cases with advanced disease, patients (n=33) with circulating blasts (median 21,1%) at the time of HCT, showed an OS of 44.4% after 5 years. We conclude that FBM conditioning prior to allogeneic HCT is especially effective in cases of advanced myeloid disease and can be safely administered to older or comorbid patients.


Objective: To establish reference ranges for thyroid length, breadth, depth, and volume in healthy term Scottish infants. Design: Prospective observational study of 100 (49 male) neonates. Length, breadth, and depth were measured, and the volume of each lobe was calculated using the formula for a prolate ellipsoid (volume = length × breadth × depth × π/6). Results: All measurements showed gaussian distribution, with no significant differences between the right and the left lobes. Values (mean (SD) range) were: length (cm), 1.94 (0.24) 0.9–2.5; breadth (cm), 0.88 (0.16) 0.5–1.4; depth (cm), 0.96 (0.17) 0.6–2.0; volume (ml), 0.81 (0.24) 0.3–1.7; combined volume (ml), 1.62 (0.41) 0.7–3.3. Although there was no difference in mean volume between right and left lobes, there was considerable variation (−0.8 to + 0.7 ml) between the two lobes in individual babies. Conclusions: Both lobes should be measured to give a combined volume. Our findings provide a reference against which thyroid hypoplasia or goitre can be evaluated.


Within a subproject of the RAPHAEL-Program, which is part of the 6th EURATOM Framework Program supervised by the European Commission it was investigated whether the use of a Hybrid Magnetic Bearing Concept (HMBC) will be beneficial for a blower application. As in the RAPHAEL program the subproject "Component Development" deals with R&D on components of High Temperature Reactor Technology (HTR), a major focus is on safety- and reliability-related issues. That implies special requirements for the support of high speed rotating shafts in HTR-Applications that only can be satisfied by using Active Magnetic Bearings (AMB). Regarding safety and competitiveness, AMBs are considered key components for the support of rotating HTR-components due to their technical features. AMBs are characterized by an electromagnetic actuator that is generating the bearing force depending on the clearance between stator and rotor, in which the rotor is levitated. Therefore an active control of the coil current is necessary. Furthermore, Touch Down Bearings (TDB) are needed to avoid damages in case of an emergency shut down or in case of energy supply losses. This contribution provides an internal insight on the advantages of a Hybrid Magnetic Bearing Concept that is characterized by a completely Active Magnetic Bearing-supported vertical arranged rotor and an additional permanent magnetic Radial Bearing. One benefit of the HMBC is an additional radial guidance of the shaft that may reduce the loads while dropping into the Touch Down Bearings e.g. in case of energy supply losses of the AMBs. Reduced loads on the TDBs will increase their life cycle and the availability of the AMB supported component. The Scope of this R&D-Project, which will be described more detailed in this contribution, includes the analytical modeling and simulation of the dynamic behavior of the Hybrid Magnetic Bearing System, the modification of the completely AMB-supported test facility FLP500 with a radial PMB and the experimental tests and validation of the analytical models to provide recommendations for the investigated blower application as an HTR-component. Furthermore, the effects occurring during the modification of the test facility and the approach that was necessary to solve unexpected problems will be described.Copyright © 2008 by ASME


Brandon Huntley was granted asylum in Canada earlier this year based on the argument that whites are disproportionately affected by crime in South Africa. The decision was generally condemned, but it did receive support from various groups and individuals including Afriforum, the Freedom Front and James Myburgh (editor of Politicsweb). In this article we show the flaws in Huntley's argument by presenting evidence from several sources that demonstrate that black and poor people are disproportionately the victims of violent crime in South Africa. We are concerned that painting whites as the primary victims of South Africa's social ills is unproductive, ungenerous and potentially hampers the appropriate distribution of resources to alleviate crime. Furthermore, in order to move the debate on crime in South Africa into a more productive direction, we also describe the Social Justice Coalition (SJC) – a relatively new community based organisation that aims to mobilise communities around improving safety and security for all in South Africa, regardless of race or income. Campaigning for novel pragmatic and coordinated community and government responses to the broader lack of safety and security in the country, the SJC focuses on the introduction and development of basic infrastructure and services as a means of reducing crime.


The authors describe the multilayer MCM (multichip module) routing problem, and propose an approach for routing high-performance MCMs with the objective of minimizing interconnect delays and crosstalk. They first introduce an approach for rapidly estimating the time-domain response of lossy transmission line trees, and propose a realistic second-order delay model for MCM interconnects. The delay model is used to guide a performance-driven global routing algorithm. Given the 2-D global paths, the next stage is layer assignment. An effective algorithm for constrained layer assignment is developed. Based on the best-known maxcut approximation algorithm (which performs well in practice), a maximal k-color ordering is formulated for minimizing both interlayer and intralayer crosstalk as well as crossings in 3-D MCM substrates. The authors also propose a strategy that exhibits a good tradeoff between circuit performance and design cost, instead of concentrating exclusively on a single objective such as area minimization.<<ETX>>


Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Rev and Hepatitis B virus (HBV) e-antigen are both viral proteins that have key functions in their respective viral replication cycles. Both have evaded crystallization for decades due to their tendency to aggregate and/or form higher-order species. In this thesis the structure determination of HIV Rev and HBV e-antigen is presented—achieved via complexing with monoclonal antibody Fab fragments—and their structures are analysed. HIV Rev is a small regulatory protein that mediates the nuclear export of viral mRNAs, an essential step in the HIV replication cycle. In this process, Rev cooperatively oligomerises onto a highly structured RNA motif, the Rev response element. The structure of Rev (complexed with Fab), determined to 2.3 A resolution, reveals a molecular dimer where the ordered portion of each subunit (N-terminal domain; NTD; residues 9-65) contains two coplanar a-helices arranged in hairpin fashion. Rev subunits dimerise via interaction of identical hydrophobic patches that overlap to form a V-shaped assembly. Mating of hydrophobic patches on the outer surface of the dimer promotes higher order interactions. Cryo-electron microscopy and helical image reconstruction of in vitro assembled Rev filaments were performed to better understand higher-order Rev oligomerisation. Reconstructions of Rev filaments were determined to ~13 A resolution, permitting docking of the Rev NTD structure. Conformational variability of the Rev dimer subunits and use of a third ligomerisation interface engender filaments that can expand and contract. Both characteristics were also observed in the crystal structures of Rev. Surface features of the Rev filaments are altered in different expansion states, which may have implications for the assembled forms that Rev adopts during nuclear export of RNA and subsequent re-import into the nucleus. Various models for Rev oligomerisation onto the viral RNA are proposed. Chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection afflicts millions worldwide with cirrhosis and liver cancer. HBV e-antigen (HBeAg), a clinical marker for disease severity, is a soluble variant of the protein (core antigen, HBcAg) that forms the building-blocks of capsids. HBeAg is not required for virion production, but is implicated in establishing immune tolerance and chronic infection. The crystal structure of HBeAg clarifies how the short N-terminal propeptide of HBeAg induces a radically altered mode of dimerisation relative to HBcAg (~140 rotation), which is locked into place through formation of intramolecular disulfide bridges. This structural switch precludes capsid assembly and engenders a distinct antigenic repertoire, explaining why the two antigens are cross-reactive at the T-cell level (through sequence identity) but not at the B-cell level (through conformation). The structure offers insight into how HBeAg may establish immune tolerance for HBcAg while evading its robust immunogenicity.


Selective synthesis of primary amines via reductive amination becomes an important research topic due to their wide applications. Various metal-based catalysts (Ru, Ir, Pt, Rh, etc. ) have been developed; however, most systems suffer from low efficiency and poor stability. Here, we revealed that the hydride-like NH 2 δ - species, generated by the dissociation of NH 3 over a core-shell structured Co@CoO catalyst is capable of accelerating the ammonolysis of Schiff bases, the reaction intermediates. This catalyst can handle various reductive aminations of aldehydes and ketones under mild conditions and run 21 times without deactivation. The combination of various spectroscopic measurements and computational modelling illustrated that this catalyst not only drives the dissociation of H 2 to active H δ - species, it also enables the homolytic and heterolytic cleavages of NH 3 to NH 2 δ - species. D 2 isotopic tracing experiment provided further evidence of the direct participation of hydride-like NH 2 δ - species in the ammonolysis of the Schiff bases. Theoretical calculations also verified the stable co-adsorption state of the H δ - and NH 2 δ - species which allows the Schiff base to move freely on the surface of the CoO shell, resulting in the exceptional catalytic activity. This study demonstrates, for the first time, the potential of metal-oxide catalysts for the production of primary amines through reductive amination.


Experiments on mechanical deformable vocal folds replicas are important in physical studies of human voice production to understand the underlying fluid–structure interaction. At current date, most experiments are performed for constant initial conditions with respect to structural as well as geometrical features. Varying those conditions requires manual intervention, which might affect reproducibility and hence the quality of experimental results. In this work, a setup is described which allows setting elastic and geometrical initial conditions in an automated way for a deformable vocal fold replica. High-speed imaging is integrated in the setup in order to decorrelate elastic and geometrical features. This way, reproducible, accurate and systematic measurements can be performed for prescribed initial conditions of glottal area, mean upstream pressure and vocal fold elasticity. Moreover, quantification of geometrical features during auto-oscillation is shown to contribute to the experimental characterization and understanding.


The study focuses on scientometric studies on 'Indian Journals of Traditional Knowledge' has been carried out, journal containing 938 articles from 2002-2012 have been taken into consideration for the present study. The analysis covers and discusses in terms of year-wise distribution of articles; year-wise authorship pattern; single vs multiple authored papers; month-wise distribution of articles; authorship pattern of cited references; geographical distribution of articles; country-wise distribution of articles; state-wise (India) contribution of articles; length of article; author-wise distribution of articles; etc. it registered annual growth 10 articles in 2002 to 139 articles in 2012. The highest number of articles, 139 (14.81%) were published in 2010 and lowest number i.e. 10 (1.06%) in 2003. A total of 938 articles were published during the period distributed over 39 issues of the journals. On an average 24 articles were published per issue.


Single-Image Super Resolution (SISR) is a classical computer vision problem and it has been studied for over decades. With the recent success of deep learning methods, recent work on SISR focuses solutions with deep learning methodologies and achieves state-of-the-art results. However most of the state-of-the-art SISR methods contain millions of parameters and layers, which limits their practical applications. In this paper, we propose a hardware (Synaptics Dolphin NPU) limitation aware, extremely lightweight quantization robust real-time super resolution network (XLSR). The proposed model's building block is inspired from root modules introduced in [15] for Image classification. We successfully applied root modules to SISR problem, further more to make the model uint8 quantization robust we used Clipped ReLU at the last layer of the network and achieved great balance between reconstruction quality and runtime. Furthermore, although the proposed network contains 30x fewer parameters than VDSR [16] its performance surpasses it on Div2K validation set. The network proved itself by winning Mobile AI 2021 Real-Time Single Image Super Resolution Challenge.


OBJECTIVE
Investigates parenting practices and the reported sexual and delinquent behaviors among Thai adolescents, by focusing on the difference between sons and daughters.

MATERIAL AND METHOD
Data were derived from 420 families whose adolescents aged 13-14 were randomly selected from seven districts in Bangkok using the probability proportional to size (PPS) method. Interviews were conducted with one parent and one adolescent.

RESULTS
Female adolescents reported higher levels of parental monitoring, parental rules, communication about sex, and parental disapproval of sex, as compared to males. There were no gender differences in the reported sexual and delinquent behaviors among the adolescents. For males, high levels of parental monitoring, greater perception of parent disapproval of sex, and being raised by authoritative parents were associated with less delinquent behaviors. Among females, parental monitoring and parental closeness served as protective factors against sexual and delinquent behaviors.

CONCLUSION
The findings from the present study point to the importance of promoting family institution and parents' childrearing. These findings should be useful for developing a body of knowledge and understanding on adolescent rearing among Thai parents.


In this paper, a complete system of quad rotor stability mechanism was designed and implemented. Starting with a Single-axis Implementation of a Quad rotor, SISO approach is implemented for control structure to achieve desired objectives. The tradition PID, modified PID controllers and Adaptive Neural fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) were executed on simulation model of Quadrotor. The performance of the designed control structure is evaluated through processor in loop experiment and through the time domain factors such as overshoot, settling time. The evaluation results reveal that the designed modified PID controller has the best performance, more robust, higher stability and less control effort compared to the original and designed ANFIS controller. Three axis test and implementation of the algorithm has been performed and the results are discussed.


This paper examines the relationship between occupational stress and job satisfaction among secondary-school-heads in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A sample of only 402 secondary-school-heads (Male n = 260, Female n = 142) was selected with the help of multistage sampling technique. A descriptive and correlative design was employed. Two standardized tools were employed i.e., "Occupational Stress Index (OSI)" and Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) for seeking the responses. Pearson's correlation and linear regression were employed to analyze data statistically. The findings exposed a strong inverse relation between occupational stress and job satisfaction. Furthermore, a substantial negative correlation between all the subscales of occupational stress and overall job satisfaction is also present. Eight subscales of occupational stress, i.e., role ambiguity, responsibility for persons, under participation, unreasonable group and political pressure, low status, strenuous working conditions, peer group relations, and unprofitability were found significant predictors and have negative effect on job satisfaction. So, the researchers recommend focusing reduction in the level of occupational stress among secondary-school-heads. Elementary and Secondary Education Department should have collaboration with policy makers to formulate rewarding and effective strategies for stress reduction for secondary school heads to have high spirit for yielding good outcomes.


Three oxidized lipid/amino acid reaction products (OLAARPs): 1-methyl-4-pentyl-1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarbaldehyde, 1-(5-amino-1-carboxypentyl)pyrrole, and N-(carbobenzyloxy)-1(3)-[1-(formylmethyl)hexyl]-l-histidine dihydrate, were prepared and tested for antioxidative activity in a microsomal system in order to investigate the effect that OLAARP formation may be playing in the oxidative stress process. The microsomal system consisted of freshly prepared trout muscle microsomes, which were oxidized in the presence of 5 microM Cu2+, 1 mM Fe3+/5 mM ascorbate, or 1 mM Cu2+/10 mM H2O2, and the compound to be tested as antioxidant added at 50 microM. At different periods of time, samples were tested for lipid peroxidation, assessed by the formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and protein damage, which was evaluated by the formation of protein carbonyls and amino acid analysis. The three OLAARPs and butylated hydroxytoluene significantly (p < 0.05) protected against lipid peroxidation and protein damage for the three systems assayed. On the contrary, neither the amino acids used in the preparation of OLAARPs nor alpha-tocopherol, mannitol, aminoguanidine, or 4, 5-dihydroxy-1,3-benzenedisulfonic acid exhibited this constant protection. Because OLAARPs were produced at inhibitory levels during microsomal lipid peroxidation, these results suggest that OLAARP formation may be an antioxidative defense mechanism by which oxidative stress is feed-back-inhibited, delaying the damage caused by reactive oxygen species.


Minoxidil-induced sequential changes in plasma renin activity, urinary aldosterone and norepinephrine excretion were assessed in 11 patients with severe hypertension receiving propranolol or oxprenolol, chlorthalidone and spironolactone. Blood pressure with this treatment alone averaged 175 +/- 7/114+/-4 mm Hg (mean +/- SEM). Addition of minoxidil in a dose of 5 to 35 mg/day (mean 16 mg/day) reduced blood pressure within one week to 125+/-5/87+/-3 mm Hg. Plasma renin, urinary aldosterone and norepinephrine increased two- to threefold initially, but returned to baseline within two weeks and remained unchanged during a mean follow-up of 6.8 months. In 6 patients beta-blocking drugs were then progressively reduced and withdrawn without adverse effects, though blood pressure and heart rate increased slightly in 5 patients who required readministration of minimal doses of beta-blockers. Neither renin nor urinary aldosterone or norepinephrine excretion changed significantly after discontinuation of beta-blockade. Thus, the stimulating effect of minoxidil on renin, aldosterone and norepinephrine secretion lasts less than 3 weeks. With long-term minoxidil treatment the need for beta-blockade is markedly reduced, and these drugs may even become unnecessary in some patients.


Folate deficiency is very common in Germany. In the average 15% of different groups of people (children, adolescents, adults, the elderly) show biochemical resp. haematological alterations corresponding to folate deficiency. In pregnancy there is a much higher risk to develop folate deficiency because of a drastic increase in folate requirement. This is mainly due to the fetoplacentar folate transfer and even an ideal diet can't prevent folate deprivation during pregnancy. An inadequate supply situation before and during pregnancy might be a high risk for developing deficiency symptoms not only for the mother but especially for the foetus. Though the consequences of folate deficiency are very well known, nothing has happened in the past concerning the estimation of folate status in pregnant women. Information about an ideal diet in pregnancy and perhaps folate supplementation are therefore desirable.


Use of three‐dimensional ultrasonograms in daily clinical medicine requires the development of data accumulation techniques and image reconstruction techniques. We describe an image position and orientation detection technique using small piezoelectric vibratory gyroscopes. Such gyroscopes, of the same type that is used in an automobile navigation system, produce angular velocity by Coriolis force. After attaching three gyroscopes to an ordinary transvaginal probe, we attempted to detect image orientation to assist transvaginal scanning and to reconstruct three‐dimensional projection images. Three‐dimensional images were reconstructed by simple white and black inversion thresholding technique. Using free hand transvaginal scanning, the direction of the transvaginal ultrasound beam was displayed with B‐mode ultrasonography. Using a personal computer, three‐dimensional images of follicles and fetuses were successfully reconstructed within a few minutes. Our system provides easy understanding of transvaginal sonographic images and potentially might allow ordinary ultrasound machines to handle three‐dimensional images in a day‐to‐day clinical practice.


The Computer-Science Student-Centered Instructional Continuum (CS-SCIC) is a new framework to support PreK-12 instructors in their lesson design. Educators are faced with choices when building lessons; there is a tension between direct instruction, constructivism and constructionism and difficulty in providing differentiated instruction. Theoretically aligned to Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, CS-SCIC places research-based instructional strategies on a simple learning continuum. Teachers use the continuum to discuss, review and design learning events. Used internationally, initial qualitative feedback from teachers who attended pilot CS-SIC workshops was emphatically positive. Future work includes more feedback from academia and formal research, including pre and post-professional development workshop surveys.


Background: Adult asthma is caused by interaction effects of genetic and environmental factors. Previous studies have indicated that obesity may increase the risk asthma. Therefore, our study objectives were to investigate the association between asthma and the polymorphisms of SOD or CAT, especially in central obesity.

Materials and methods: A case-control study was performed to recruit 250 asthmatic adults from a hospital and 250 age and sex-matched controls who were free from symptoms of asthma, COPD, TB, and chronic bronchitis by self-report. All subjects completed a questionnaire, waist and hip circumference measurement and lung function test were performed. Central obesity was defined as waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) >0.95 for males and >0.85 for females. We also analyzed genotyping of SOD gene Ala16Val and CAT gene C-262T.

Result: In our study, we did not find any significant association between the SOD Ala16Val and CAT C-262T and asthma. The WHR of asthmatic patients was significantly higher than the controls. The activities of SOD and CAT in new onset asthma patients were significantly different from control subjects (p<0.01). Compared with non-obesity and SOD AG/GG genotype, we found that the AOR value for obesity and SOD GG genotype is 2.68 (95%CI, 1.30-5.55).

Conclusion: The activities of SOD and CAT are significantly related to adult asthma but not for central obesity. This would enable us to further investigate the mechanism of defective antioxidant enzymes for asthma pathogenesis.


Are you confident that you could show evidence of innovative practice, excellence in professional practice or further learning and compile a personal professional profile good enough to keep you on the nursing register?


Background: Cholecystosonography is the Ultrasound examination of the gall bladder and ducts. It has the advantage of not using ionising radiation, but may be operator dependent. Thus misinterpretation of the images may sometimes occur
especially in the untrained hands.
Case Report: A 24 year old male student was admitted into the medical ward of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) with symptoms of weakness, fever, nausea, pruritus, passage of yellowish urine, jaundice of about 4 weeks. Initial
ultrasound examination done by a private practitioner interpreted the image findings as gall bladder tumor.
Subsequently, the patient was referred to the UBTH, Nigeria.
There the repeat scan done revealed the diagnosis of biliary sludge. Patient was treated appropriately.
Conclusion: By this report, the possibility of misinterpretation of
ultrasound images is documented, especially by untrained personnel is highlighted.

 KEY WORDS: Cholecystosonography, biliary sludge, Interpretation, Misdiagnosis.


Sheep breeding is one of the most important branches of rural industry in Russia, which has deep historical roots, satisfies the needs of the population in wool, mutton, sheepskins and other products. The industry provides employment and incomes for considerable part of the rural population, allows preserving the traditional way of life in many rural regions. The branch of sheep breeding has been in depressive state for the last twenty years because of its unprofitability. The industry still lags behind in technological, technical, organizational and economic indicators. The nature of reproduction of sheep is based on the extensive type of development; and the field has been narrowed down compared to previously years. The negative consequences of this are manifested in economic and social aspects that lead to incomplete use of rangelands. As a result, situation does not meet the national interests, and regional governmental authorities and research community are especially focused on the sheep breeding industry.


The structure of mono-modal spherical particle sols was controlled by changing the rotation rate of the spin coating. The number of cluster formed in the spin coated layer was counted. The apparent viscosity of particle (13 μm dia.) sols was measured, and the cluster size and number of primary particles contained in the cluster were predicted by the Usui's suspension model, which makes assumption that multi-breakup of inter-particle bonding occurs when a cluster breaks into two parts under a simple shear flow by spin coating. It was certified that the maximum packing volume fraction for particles can be successfully used to predict the slurry viscosity, and this means indirectly the maximum packing volume fraction determined in this study may be reasonable. Good agreement of the number of cluster between experimental data and the prediction was obtained. This means that the Usui's model can be used to predict the controlled structure of particles in spin coating technology.


The General Court of the European Union recently held, in Goldman Sachs v. Commission, that purely financial investors such as investment funds may be held jointly and severally liable for…


Learning management systems have become almost ubiquitous as a technical solution to elearning within universities. Extant literature illustrates that LMS system logs, along with other IT systems data, can be used to inform decision-making. It also suggests that very few institutions are using this data to inform their decisions. The indicators project aims to build on and extend previous work in this area to provide services that can inform the decisionmaking of teaching staff, management, support staff and students. Through an initial set of three questions the paper offers support for some existing critical success factors, identifies potential limitations of others, generates some new insights from a longitudinal comparison of feature adoption of two different LMS within the one institution, and identifies a number of insights and ideas for future work.


Nitric oxide (NO) is released into nasal air, but its function is unknown. We hypothesized that nasal vascular tone and/or flow influences temperature conditioning of nasal air and that NO participates in this process. We measured nasal air temperature (via a thermocouple) and exhaled nasal NO release (by chemiluminescence) in five humans and examined the effects of an aerosolized vasoconstrictor (oxymetazoline), a vasodilator (papaverine), N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, an inhibitor of NO synthase, or saline (control). Compared with saline (which caused no changes in nasal air temperature or exhaled NO release), oxymetazoline (0.05%) reduced nasal air temperature and NO release (130.8 +/- 15.1 to 81.3 +/- 12.8 nl. min(-1). m(-2); P < 0.01). Papaverine (0.01 M) increased nasal air temperature and NO release (131.8 +/- 13.1 to 157.2 +/- 17.4 nl. min(-1). m(-2); P < 0.03). N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester reduced nasal air temperature and NO release (123.7 +/- 14.2 to 44.2 +/- 23.7 nl. min(-1). m(-2); P < 0.01). The results suggest that vascular tone and/or flow modulates temperature conditioning and that NO may participate in that function.


The small size telescopes (SSTs), spread over an area of several square km, dominate the CTA sensitivity in the photon energy range from a few TeV to over 100 TeV, enabling for the detailed exploration of the very high energy gamma-ray sky. The proposed telescopes are innovative designs providing a wide field of view. Two of them, the ASTRI (Astrophysics con Specchi a Tecnologia Replicante Italiana) and the GCT (Gamma-ray Cherenkov Telescope) telescopes, are based on dual mirror Schwarzschild-Couder optics, with primary mirror diameters of 4 m. The third, SST-1M, is a Davies-Cotton design with a 4 m diameter mirror. Progress with the construction and testing of prototypes of these telescopes is presented. The SST cameras use silicon photomultipliers, with preamplifier and readout/trigger electronics designed to optimize the performance of these sensors for (atmospheric) Cherenkov light. The status of the camera developments is discussed. The SST sub-array will consist of about 70 telescopes at the CTA southern site. Current plans for the implementation of the array are presented.


Development of a custom data-logger for wired and wireless collection of prosthetic socket data and its uses in volume management strategies David Lee Swartzendruber Jr. Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor of Bioengineering Joan E. Sanders Department of Bioengineering Transtibial amputee residual limbs shrink and swell throughout the day for a variety of reasons. If an amputee does not properly regulate their limb fit due to volume changes, then ulcers, irritation and other maladies can result. Stump socks are by far the cheapest way to manage volume. However evidence suggests that improper use of socks is one of the top reasons for socket discomfort and injury. In order to determine what constitutes proper usage of socks, the current use patterns of amputees need to be understood. This requires tracking the use of the amputee sock habits as well as their physical activity. However there is currently no way to objectively observe or track the sock usage of an amputee. A low power monitoring device capable of measuring sock usage and physical activity was developed and tested on human subjects. Between two subjects, 54% of donnings and 12% of doffings of socks were successfully detected. The future of this device should include additional development of the hardware and firmware to improve battery life and antenna effectiveness. Clinical intervention through sock recommendation should be explored after a thorough understanding of how amputees use their socks is established. This device has the potential to improve the comfort and fit of a transtibial prosthetic socket and to reduce the incidence of residual limb soft tissue injury.


Dissociation of O2 into atomic oxygen is a significant route for O2 activation in metal-catalyzed oxidation reactions. In this study, we systematically investigated the mechanisms of O2 dissociation and the promoting role of water on nine transition metal (Co, Rh, Ir, Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, and Au) surfaces. It was found that on clean metal surfaces, the dissociation of O2 was most favorable on Co(0001) and most difficult on Au(111), according to the free energy barriers of Co (0.03 eV) < Rh (0.20 eV) < Ni (0.26 eV) < Cu (0.45 eV) < Ir (0.62 eV) < Pd (0.65 eV) < Pt (0.92 eV) < Ag (1.07 eV) < Au (2.50 eV). With the involvement of water, O2 and H2O formed an O2H2O complex via hydrogen bonding interactions, being accompanied by an increased co-adsorption free energy of 0.17-0.52 eV and a more activated O-O bond. More importantly, the introduction of water reduced the barriers of O2 dissociation on all the nine metal surfaces, with the reduction of the free energy barrier ranging from 0.03 eV on Co(0001) to 1.05 eV on Au(111). The intrinsic reasons for the promotional role of water are attributed to the hydrogen bonding effect between O2 and H2O and the electronic modification effect induced by the water-surface interaction. These results provide a fundamental understanding of the catalytic role of water in O2 dissociation on the transition metal surfaces and may be helpful in the rational design of new efficient catalysts for the oxidation reactions using molecular oxygen or air.


In mountainous headwater catchments, with their high variability of hydrological processes and catchment properties together with the limited spatial and long-term data, it remains unclear how the different spatiotemporal controls affect runoff generation during base and stormflow. In this doctoral thesis environmental tracers are used to identify sources contributing to baseflow, observe linkages between different landscape units and discern how rainfall becomes stormflow in a Swiss pre-alpine headwater catchment, the Zwackentobel (4.25 km2), with high precipitation amounts (P>2000 mm y−1) and heterogeneous catchment properties. The spatially collected rainfall and its isotopic composition are used to test whether it is reasonable to assume that in small headwater catchments, there is spatially homogenous rainfall and isotopic composition, implying that one sampling location is sufficient. Important tracers in this thesis are the stable isotopes 2H and 18O. The collected water samples were analysed with a laser spectroscope. For this analysis it was tested how many measurements are needed to reduce the memory effect and obtain a desired accuracy. For the Zwackentobel water samples it was sufficient to measure each sample six times while for highly depleted samples the memory effect was reduced only after seven to eight injections. The water samples collected during three snapshot sampling campaigns were analysed for their isotopic (δ2H) and hydrochemical components (Ca, DOC, AT, pH, SO4, Mg and H4SiO4)andcontainedusefulinformationonthedifferentsourcesandhelpedtoidentifythe flowpath of the water during baseflow. Although the six subcatchments had different landscape units, the inter- and intra catchment variability of the isotopic and hydrochemical components was generally small and statistically not significant. Streamwater samples at the subcatchment outlets were more similar to springs near the water divide than to groundwater from observation wells and wetlands. The wetlands, with 30-60% of the subcatchment area and large storage capacity, were less connected and acted as passive features with negligible contribution to baseflow runoff. In five subcatchments of the Zwackentobel headwater catchment, rainfall and streamwater of 13 different rainstorms were sampled to perform a two-component isotope hydrograph separation. Pre-event water contributions based on δ18O or δ2H computations were similar. The pre-event water contributions of headwaters depended largely on rainfall (amount and intensity) and varied more between events than between catchments, despite clear differences in land cover between the catchments. With increasing rainfall amount, the proportion of rainfall in runoff increased and changed from pre-event to event water dominated. Antecedent wetness was not found to control the pre-event water contribution. The fact that catchment properties and antecedent conditions were only secondary factors in runoff processes, was mainly due to the dominant and frequent rainfall, which obscured a potential signal indicating differences in catchment properties. At the eight locations sequentially sampled rainfall revealed a spatial variability in total rainfall, rainfall intensity and its isotopic composition. The spatial variability in the isotopic composition varied from event to event. No clear relation between the isotopic composition and rainfall or altitude was observed. The isotope hydrograph separation results varied considerably depending on which temporal weighing technique or rain sampler was used. These results demonstrated that even in small catchments the spatial variability in the isotope composition of event rainwater has to be considered in hydrograph separation studies. When data from only one rain gauge are available, the location of the gauge might largely affect results and this source of uncertainty must be considered. The combination of long-term and spatially short-term hydrometeorological measurements, together with three baseflow sampling campaigns and event water sampling in different neighboring streams and multiple events, complemented each other and helped to overcome individual limitations. The results show the necessity and benefits of this spatially distributed dataset to derive and better understand controlling factors in runoff generation in a headwater catchment with high precipitation amounts and heterogeneous catchment properties.


Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) with estrogenic activity are ubiquitous in the environment. Studies of select EDCs have suggested that human exposure alters the immune system leading to increases in infection and autoimmune disease frequency. How these alterations occur is unclear. Exogenous and pregnancy-related increases in estrogen have been shown to induce atrophy and alterations in thymocyte development, suggesting a potential mechanism for EDC alteration of the immune system. Diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic estrogen once prescribed to pregnant women, and HPTE, the metabolite of the once widely applied pesticide Methoxychlor (a replacement for DDT) are EDCs of interest. Using an in vitro assay, our research probed whether HPTE and DES alter thymocyte development in embryonic C57Bl/6 mice and at what concentrations. We also examined the mechanism by which DES and HPTE affect thymocyte differentiation. Our preliminary data show a dose-dependent decrease in thymocyte viability and alterations in thymocyte population distribution. Over the range of doses tested, increasing DES and HPTE concentration led to significant decreases in CD4+ intermediate and DP T-cells. Furthermore, we designed a time course experiment to probe the cell death mechanism induced by DES and HPTE using Annexin V and PI staining. Our work suggests that one mechanism of action of DES and HPTE on embryonic thymocytes is induction of cell death through apoptosis.


Aspect-based sentiment classification is vital in helping manufacturers identify the pros and cons of their products and features. In the latest days, there has been a tremendous surge of interest in aspect-based sentiment classification (ABSC). Since it predicts an aspect term sentiment polarity in a sentence rather than the whole sentence. Most of the existing methods have used recurrent neural networks and attention mechanisms which fail to capture global dependencies of the input sequence and it leads to some information loss and some of the existing methods used sequence models for this task, but training these models is a bit tedious. Here, we propose the multi-head attention transformation (MHAT) network the MHAT utilizes a transformer encoder in order to minimize training time for ABSC tasks. First, we used a pre-trained Global vectors for word representation (GloVe) for word and aspect term embeddings. Second, part-of-speech (POS) features are fused with MHAT to extract grammatical aspects of an input sentence. Whereas most of the existing methods have neglected this. Using the SemEval 2014 dataset, the proposed model consistently outperforms the state-of-the-art methods on aspect-based sentiment classification tasks.


This study was aimed to provide seed germination and seedling growth of sorghum x sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) hybrids at low temperature by using gamma radiation and magnetic field strength. Seeds of two hybrids ("Aneto" and "Sugar Graze") were treated with different gamma doses (0-control, 100 Gy) and magnetic field strengths (0-control and 75 mT) for 72 hours while some were applied with both gamma radiation + magnetic field. Germination trials were carried out for 10 days in an incubator at 15°C temperature. Germinated seeds from each treatment were transferred to pots (5 pots with 4 seeds each) and cultured for 28 days in growth chamber at 15°C temperature. In this study, germination percentage, seedling growth percentage, seedling height, root length, seedling fresh and dry weights, and water content of seedling were determined. Lowest results in all parameters in both hybrids were observed in the control treatment without gamma radiation and magnetic field strength application. The highest values in all parameters studied were recorded in seeds treated both by gamma radiation+magnetic field strength applied together in "Aneto", and in seeds treated with magnetic field strength in "Sugar Graze". As a result of the research, gamma radiation and magnetic field strength applied to seed increased seed germination and seedling growth at a low temperature of 15°C. Gamma and magnetic field effect on the growth of sorghum x sudangrass hybrids


Objective: Our objective is to observe and detect the facture healing, the change of Bone Mineral Density (BMD), and the expressions of Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), Osteocalcin (OC), Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP)-2, Insulin Growth Factor (IGF)-1 and collagen type 1 in local fracture site and serum, and explore the factors that affect the fracture healing in diabetic rats.
Methods: 60 male rats aged 3 months were randomly divided into 2 groups. Group A was the experimental group (diabetic rats with fracture) and group B was the control group (non-diabetic rats with fracture). In group A, Streptozotocin (STZ) was used to damage islet B cells. If there was rat dead or establishment failure during the model establishment then more rats were used for model establishment to make sure there were 5 rats available for detection in each group every time. After that the fracture model was established. At 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 weeks after the model establishment, the BMD values of lumbar vertebra, hip joint, local fracture site and callus were detected; the blood glucose, calcium, phosphorus and ALP in the serum were detected; OC was detected by radioimmunoassay; serum BMP-1 and IGF-1 were detected by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA); the expressions of BMP-2, IGF-I and OC in callus tissue were detected by immunohistochemistry.
Results: Compared with the group B, the blood glucose in the group A was significantly increased after 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 weeks, which were all higher than 13.8 mmol/l; the BMD values of lumbar vertebra, hip joint, local fracture site and callus were decreased, which was most significant after 4 weeks and the difference from group B was most significant after 8 weeks; the blood calcium and phosphorus were decreased, and the difference from group B was most significant after 6 weeks; blood BMP-2, IGF-I, ALP and OC were significantly decreased, and the peak was delayed for a week; immunohistochemistry results showed that BMP-2, IGF-I and OC were decreased in callus tissue; real-time PCR showed that BMP-2, IGF-1 and collagen type 1 in callus tissue were all significantly decreased in the first 3 weeks, the difference was most significant after 2 weeks, BMP-2 and IGF-1 were not significantly different after 4 weeks, the peaks were delayed for 1 week, collagen type 1 was decreased after 4 and 6 weeks with significant differences, however there was no difference after 8 weeks.
Conclusion: The fracture healing is poor in diabetic rats with delayed healing or non-union. The early BMP-2 and IGF-I in blood and local callus tissue were decreased during the fracture healing. During the fracture healing, the number and function of local bone and callus tissue were decreased, and the expression of collagen type 1 was decreased. There was significant loss of calcium and phosphorus. During the fracture healing the BMD of local bone and callus tissue were decreased and there was memorization dysfunction. The decrease of BMP-2 and IGF-1 in serum and local callus tissue can cause the decrease of osteoblast amount and function, decrease collagen type 1, dysfunction of mineralization of callus at late stage, which are the important factors of the poor fracture healing in diabetic rats.


On behalf of the guest editors of this special issue, leading scholars and practitioners in the therapeutic jurisprudence ('TJ') field in Australia, Europe, and the US, we congratulate QUT and the authors for a valuable contribution to the increasingly influential presence of TJ on the international stage. TJ had its genesis in the early 1990s as a new interdisciplinary approach to mental health law in the US, but has expanded remarkably in scope, reach and influence since then. TJ sees law as a social force which inevitably gives rise to unintended consequences, which may be either beneficial or harmful (what we have come to identify as therapeutic or anti-therapeutic consequences). These consequences flow from the operation of substantive rules, legal procedures, or from the behaviour of legal actors (such as lawyers and judges). It is in this sense that we conceive of the role of the law as a 'therapeutic agent'. TJ researchers and practitioners typically make use of social science methods and data to study the extent to which a legal rule or practice affects the psychological well-being of the people it affects, and then explore ways in which anti-therapeutic consequences can be reduced, and therapeutic consequences enhanced, without breaching due process requirements. The jurisdiction with which TJ was most often associated in its earlier days tended to the that of the drug courts (in which the drug court team assists drug addicted offenders to break out of their cycle of offending by facilitating and supervising treatment programs as part of the court process itself) and the other so-called problem solving courts (more commonly referred to as 'solution focussed courts' in Australia).


A great deal of research exists in the use of multimedia communications in online classrooms as a means of furthering student engagement. However, little research exists that examines the perceptions of students when such technologies are used. Additionally, it is unclear that students are likely to engage in the use of such technologies when available. This research explores the perceptions of 69 students taking both online and hybrid undergraduate project management courses. Specifically, the study seeks to explore how students experienced the use of multimedia by their instructor and classmates in both online announcements and discussions, as well as whether these same students used or would be likely to use multimedia for similar communications. Finally, student perceptions of social presence, the degree to which one is perceived as a real person in computer-mediated communication (Gunawardena, 1995), are examined. The results of the study indicate that while students overwhelming enjoy the instructor's use of multimedia communication, they are unlikely to engage in using these technologies themselves. A discussion of these results and recommendations for further research complete this paper.


You have been good enough to offer to communicate to the Geological Society of London the observations which I have for some time past made upon fossil bones exhibiting evident impressions of human agency. The specimens of them which I showed to you yesterday were those only whose origin is authentic, and which were obtained from deposits well defined in regard to geological relations. Thus the fragments of the Aurochs exhibiting very deep incisions, apparently made by an instrument having a waved edge, and the portion of the skull of the Megaceros Hibernicus, in which I thought I recognized significant marks of the mutilation and flaying of a recently slain animal, were obtained from the lowest layer in the cutting of the Canal de l'Oureq, near Paris. These very specimens are figured or mentioned by Cuvier (Oss. Fossiles, 4to. 1823, torn. iv. pi. 6. fig. 9, M. Hibernicus); and Alex. Brongniart (Descr.des Environs de Paris, 4to. 1822, p. 562, pl. 1 a. fig. 10) has given a detailed description of the deposit, consisting of distinct layers, which he considers to be of higher antiquity than those of the valleys. The bones of the Aurochs and the Megaceros were found in the same layer as the remains of the Elephant (Elephas primigenius) of which Cuvier has given figures of two molars, which, according to that author, had not been rolled, and were found under circumstances which showed that they were in an original and not in a remanié deposit. I have


The US-Mexico borderlands used to host a wide range of natural and social environments, many of which have become irreversibly altered by the structures built to reinforce geopolitical boundaries. To rethink the form and purpose of these borderlands is a political objective of utmost importance, yet most future thinking about the border has remained restricted to imagining new versions of border walls euphemistically rebranded as "sustainable" alternatives. This essay analyzes the limitations of popular design projects that effectively greenwash the securitization imperative of the nation-state. It then turns to a lesser-known speculative project that reimagines the borderlands from the perspective of underground tunnels through a multimedia model. The essay draws on the insights of critical environmental media studies to illustrate the affordances of specific media forms for articulating future worlds with a greater focus on care. This analysis proposes ruinous speculation as an affirmative form of future thinking that orients toward infrastructures that enable human and nonhuman worlds to thrive and away from infrastructures that reinforce the violent hierarchies of the geopolitical divide.


BACKGROUND
Women with lower extremity amputations (LEAs) tend to have poorer prosthesis-related outcomes than men, though the literature is sparse. There are no prior studies examining prosthesis-related outcomes of women Veterans with LEAs.

OBJECTIVE
We examined gender differences (overall and by type of amputation) among Veterans who underwent LEAs between 2005- 2018, received care at the Veteran Health Administration (VHA) prior to undergoing amputation, and were prescribed a prosthesis. We hypothesized that compared to men, women would report lower satisfaction with prosthetic services, poorer prosthesis fit, lower prosthesis satisfaction, less prosthesis use, and worse self-reported mobility. Furthermore, we hypothesized that gender differences in outcomes would be more pronounced among individuals with transfemoral than among those with transtibial amputations.

DESIGN
Cross-sectional survey. We used linear regressions to assess overall gender differences in outcomes, and gender differences based on type of amputation in a national sample of Veterans.

SETTING
VHA medical centers This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Good thermal control of the built environment is necessary to ensure comfort for occupants without excessive energy use. This is a particular concern in hospital environments where comfort needs may be more stringent and system design and control options are constrained by the need to consider infection control and clinical needs. In this study a building thermal optimisation methodology with the two contrasting objectives of optimizing thermal comfort and minimizing energy use is developed and applied to a generic "small room" model, representative of a typical single-bed hospital room. This model incorporates both a mechanical HVAC system and radiator heating, with selected design and operation parameters of both systems taken as design variables. The simulation is undertaken at a high level of detail, utilizing conflated dynamic thermal modelling (DTM) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to evaluate spatial variation in thermal conditions throughout the room. A moving least squares regression (MLSR) meta-model is applied to the problem and shown to model the problem to a very high degree of accuracy with a smaller sample set than required for complex methods such as neural networks and support vector regression. A parametric study shows how the room optimum changes when considering spatial variation of thermal comfort within the room, and variation in the time period of each optimization. As well as their own conclusions these analyses demonstrate the value of the "one sample many optimizations" approach, as they are all performed using only very few sample sets.


Ameloblastic carcinoma is a locally aggressive odontogenic tumor that most commonly affects young and middle-aged adults. Metastatic disease may develop insidiously and manifest months or years after the initial diagnosis. Herein, we describe the clinical, imaging, and pathologic findings of a 31-year-old male who presented to the emergency department with headache and vision loss of 3 months duration and was subsequently found to have ameloblastic carcinoma with hepatic metastases. Initial computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a multilocular cystic mass with avidly-enhancing nodular soft-tissue components associated with the right temporal fossa. Histologic examination of a tissue sample showed findings consistent with ameloblastic carcinoma. An initial staging CT scan showed several small hepatic cystic lesions. Follow-up surveillance imaging showed interval growth. A subsequent biopsy of a hepatic lesion showed findings compatible with metastatic ameloblastic carcinoma. The patient was started on systemic chemotherapy with evidence of disease progression at 1-year follow-up.


Complex networks of regulatory relationships between protein kinases comprise a major component of intracellular signaling. Although many kinase-kinase regulatory relationships have been described in detail, these are biased towards well-studied kinases while the majority of possible relationships remains unexplored. Here, we implement data-driven, unbiased methods to predict human kinase-kinase regulatory relationships and whether they have activating or inhibiting effects. We incorporate high-throughput data, kinase specificity profiles, and structural information to produce our predictions. The results successfully recapitulate previously annotated regulatory relationships and can reconstruct known signaling pathways from the ground up. The full network of predictions is relatively sparse, with the vast majority of relationships assigned low probabilities. However, it nevertheless suggests denser modes of inter-kinase regulation than normally considered in intracellular signaling research.


Prior literature shows that how creditors monitor borrowers and exercise control rights affect borrowers' investment and financial policies, but little is known about their impact on borrowers' operating decisions. The availability of a credit default swap (CDS) reduces creditors' monitoring incentives ex ante but increases their liquidation incentives in the events of default ex post. After the inception of CDS trading, reference firms exhibit an increase in the elasticity of cost structure. Results are consistent in instrumental variable analyses and are robust with alternative matching samples. The increase in cost structure elasticity is more pronounced for firms with greater credit risk and more restrictive covenants, financially constrained firms, and those face greater product market competition and provide higher convexity in managers' compensation. We provide the first evidence showing that managers choose a more elastic cost structure when creditors become less forgiving.


ABSTRACT Mitochondria play essential roles in cellular energy processes, including ATP production, control of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptosis. While mitochondrial function is regulated by the dynamics of fusion and fission, mitochondrial homeostasis remains incompletely understood. Recent studies implicate dynamin-2 and dynamin-related protein-1 (Drp1, also known as DNM1L), as GTPases involved in mitochondrial fission. Here, we identify the ATPase and endocytic protein EHD1 as a novel regulator of mitochondrial fission. EHD1 depletion induces a static and elongated network of mitochondria in the cell. However, unlike dynamin-2 and Drp1, whose depletion protects cells from staurosporine-induced mitochondrial fragmentation, EHD1-depleted cells remain sensitive to staurosporine, suggesting a different mechanism for EHD1 function. Recent studies have demonstrated that VPS35 and the retromer complex influence mitochondrial homeostasis either by Mul1-mediated ubiquitylation and degradation of the fusion protein Mfn2, or by removal of inactive Drp1 from the mitochondrial membrane. We demonstrate that EHD1 and its interaction partner rabankyrin-5 interact with the retromer complex to influence mitochondrial dynamics, likely by inducing VPS35-mediated removal of inactive Drp1 from mitochondrial membranes. Our study sheds light on mitochondrial dynamics, expanding a new paradigm of endocytic protein regulation of mitochondrial homeostasis. Highlighted Article: Mitochondrial homeostasis is maintained by fusion and fission, and is essential for healthy cells. We identify a novel endocytic protein, EHD1, that, together with its interaction partner rabankyrin-5, indirectly regulates mitochondrial fission.


This article identifies the alternative employment modes of older workers in the European Union. Against a background of changing levels of labour force participation and declining employment opportunities the paper describes and discusses the relative significance for older workers of alternative employment modes. Two atypical modes, part-time and self-employment, are discussed in detail. The paper concludes that atypical employment modes offer ageing employees the opportunity to gradually retire by providing a bridge between full-time employment and final retirement.


Purpose : To investigate the ameliorative effects of parecoxib combined with ultrasound-guided paravertebral block (UGPB) on stress and inflammatory responses after thoracoscopic surgery. Methods : Forty thoracoscopic surgery patients were randomized into placebo (control) and parecoxib groups. Parecoxib was administered pre-operation, 24 h and 48 h after operation. Arterial blood was collected, and endotoxin (ET), thromboxane A2 (TXA2), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels were measured. Opioid dosage, infusion volume, blood loss, operation time, visual analogue scale (VAS) score at 24 h and 48 h, and hospitalization period were recorded. Results : No significant differences were observed in age, sex, height, body weight, opioid dosage, surgery time, blood loss, or infusion volume between groups. VAS scores in the parecoxib group were significantly lower than the control group after 24 and 48 h. The hospitalization period of the parecoxib group was significantly shorter than the control group. Plasma levels of ET, TXA2, IL-6 and TNF-α in the parecoxib group were lower than the control group after 24 h; however, there was no significant difference after 48 h. Conclusion : Parecoxib, combined with UGPB, effectively relieves thoracoscopic pain, stress, and inflammatory responses of patients after thoracoscopic surgery. This treatment would improve the postoperative quality of life of lung cancer patients. Keywords : Parecoxib, Paravertebral block, Stress response, Inflammatory response


The high incidence of deaths during transport for slaughter is associated with poor welfare and represents a considerable loss to the poultry industry. In the period from 2009 to 2014, all shipments of broiler chickens to poultry processing plants were monitored in the Czech Republic and the numbers of chickens transported and those dying as a result of their transport were recorded and analysed. Overall transport-related mortality of broiler chickens transported for slaughter in the Czech Republic was 0.37%. It ranged from 0.31% to 0.72%, the increase approximately corresponding to the increasing transport distance. Statistically highly significant (p<0.001) differences were found when comparing transport-related mortality rates in individual seasons of the year. The greatest mortality (0.55%) was associated with transports carried out in winter months whereas the lowest death losses (0.30%) were found in chickens transported for slaughter in summer months. Our study revealed greater transport-related mortality rates in broiler chickens transported for slaughter in the Czech Republic than expected when considering earlier studies. The most pronounced increases were found in transports for shorter distances and in winter months. However, an increase was found at all transport distances monitored except for distances exceeding 300 km and all seasons except for summer. Furthermore, a general increasing tendency in chicken losses during the monitored period was found. The particularly alarming finding is that the mortality of broiler chickens being transported to processing plants has been showing a long-term increasing tendency over the last two decades. Further research should focus on the identification of specific factors leading to such high and growing mortality rates and developing practical guidelines to improve the welfare of the birds in transit accordingly.


The modified alamouti algorithm is one of the diversity techniques applied to MIMO systems having two transmit antennas at the transmitter and any number of receive antennas at the receiver. The multiple copies of same signal can be sent via two different antennas. The proposed algorithm is implemented for 2*1 antennas and 2*2 antennas and the modified alamouti algorithm using Zero Forcing receiver in Rayleigh channel provides better performance for different modulation schemes and it is compared with the existing systems.


A novel method is proposed to automatically segment water extent using optical data. The key features of this approach are (i) the development of a simple physically based model that utilises only RGB data for water extent segmentation; (ii) the achievement of high accuracy in the results, particularly in the estimation of water surface area and perimeter; (iii) the avoidance of any data training process; (iv) the requirement of minimal computational resources; and (v) the release of an open-source software package that provides both command-line codes and a user-friendly graphical interface, making it accessible for various applications, research, and educational purposes. The physically based model integrates reflectance of the water surface with spectral and quantum interpretation of light. The algorithm was tested on 27 rivers and compared to manually-based delimitation, with a resulting robust segmentation procedure. Quantified errors were RMSE = 11.91 (m2) for surface area, RMSE = 12.25 (m) for perimeter, and RMSE in x: 52 (px), RMSE in y: 93 (px) for centroid location. Processing time was faster for automatic segmentation than manual delimitation, with a time reduction of 40% (case-by-case analysis) and 65% (using all case studies together in one run). Shadows, light spots, and natural and non-natural elements in the field of view may affect the accuracy of results.


The purpose of this research is to identify the condition of MSMEs and the actions taken to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. The subjects in this study were MSMEs in three provinces, namely East Java (Surabaya and Gresik), Central Java (Pekalongan and Cilacap), and Riau (Pekanbaru). The method used in this research is a literature review with a descriptive research type. This means that the data in this study are secondary data from the research results of other researchers. The literature sources in this thesis are five journals of research results on MSMEs in East Java (Surabaya and Gresik), Central Java (Pekalongan and Cilacap), and Riau (Pekanbaru) during the COVID-19 pandemic. To carry out the analysis, the researcher used the concept of J. Scott's (1981) moral economic behavior theory which has two basic assumptions. It is a subsistence economy and safety-first behavior to avoid risk. The results, first, the researchers looked at the conditions of MSMEs in East Java, Central Java, and Riau which was in a subsistence condition or was in minimal conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic such as decreased sales turnover, difficulty in raw materials, reduced consumers due to social restrictions and regulations. the distribution system was also obstructed because of the social restrictions imposed by the government. Second, the researchers also looked at the moral economic behavior & safety first of MSME actors in two categories. The first category is the one that has a positive impact on the behavior such as improving the quality of production, keeping product prices affordable, and maintaining good relations with consumers to form consumer loyalty to MSMEs. Then, for the second category, those that have a negative impact on the sustainability of MSMEs in the midst of a pandemic can be seen in the use of conventional marketing methods, lack of innovation in products and some even implement a "loss-sold" as long as it can be sold; strategy because of lack of product quality and to minimize losses.


The aim of this study is to show the subtype, risk factors and predictors of poor outcomes in young ischemic stroke patients.
Materials and Methods: It is a prospective study where only young onset ischemic stroke patients are analyzed.
8% of total ischemic stroke sufferers were young adults; more prevalent in female (57.1%), with risk factors of smoking (47.6%) subtype cardio embolic (42.9%) was common. High NIHSS score was related to new event and correlation to mortality. Three month follow up showed MRS 2.86 ± 1.02. 57.1% of cases had significant disability (defined as MRS ≥ 3). There was a positive correlation of the cardio embolic subtype and the unclassified subtype to all three forms of poor outcomes, along with a positive correlation of the large artery atherothrombotic subtype to new events Recurrence of events (new stroke, sudden increase in symptoms and new TIAs) was observed in 14.3 %. Death was reported in 9.5% of cases.
Etiological diagnosis can be reached in majority of cases if an aggressive approach is maintained. This small scale study has provided an overview of the distribution of subtypes, risk factors and poor outcomes and their predictors. Cardiac diseases (esp. valvular disease) need to be taken more seriously to prevent cardio embolic strokes, while addressing other traditional risk factors to prevent the atherothrombotic subtypes.


This paper considers the information interaction bionics expert on biological objects candidates for bionic prototypes. The paper formed idealized representation of the subject-object (bionic expert) and biological bionic prototype. The paper discusses the interaction of the idealized image information between bionic expert and biological bionic prototype. The paper describes the mechanisms of comparison of these images, and the decision to commit the results in an information image for a biological bionic prototype.


This paper presents a new approach to solving the Economic Dispatch (ED) Problem for a large number of generators using a decomposition/aggregation method. A program has been developed to demonstrate the algorithm using the MATLAB programming language. A 5-bus test system and the IEEE 26-bus test system are used as demonstration systems. Each test system is decomposed into small areas and each area has been solved for Economic Dispatch (locally) using an Evolutionary Programming (EP) technique. It was ensured that each area contains at least one generating unit and one supplied load. The EP will minimise the objective funtion for each area, minimising the local operating cost including the effects of real power losses in each area. The optimisation problem for each area can be regarded as a sub-problem of the decomposition scheme. Subsequently, the solutions from the areas are combined (aggregated) to solve the overall system problem. The results obtained using the decomposition/aggregation method are compared with the results found when the ED Problem was solved using a centralised EP approach and the base-case results found from solving a (non-optimal) load flow. It was found that applying the aggregation method is a prospective approach for solving economic dispatch problems with a large numbers of generators in a power system.


Purpose To evaluate whether the use of Biotrue multipurpose solution (MPS) could significantly reduce the likelihood with which patients drop out of using daily wear contact lenses (CLs) amongst 18–44-year-old frequent replacement CL wearers. Methods Daily wear CL subjects habitually using MPSs (other than Biotrue MPS) who reported an intent to imminently drop out of CL wear because of comfort and dryness complaints were recruited to participate in this investigation. Subjects were switched to Biotrue MPS and continued to use habitual CL types with the new MPS for 2 weeks. Subjects completed an online satisfaction questionnaire at baseline and after 2 weeks to assess the change in symptoms and the intent to drop out of CL wear. Six months after completion of the initial study, a follow-up survey was administered to a subset of the initial participants. Results A total of 153 daily wear (silicone hydrogel and hydrogel) subjects completed this 2-week study with Biotrue MPS. When measuring those with the highest propensity to drop out of lens wear (n=93) after switching to Biotrue MPS, 90% of subjects significantly reduced their likelihood of dropping out of CL wear (P<0.0001). Online interviews were conducted with 73 of the study participants 6 months after completion of the initial study. A total of 93% of participants responded that they were still wearing CLs at least once per week. Of the 7% of respondents who were not currently wearing lenses 6 months after the initial study, two had dropped out of lens wear completely, and three still wore lenses less than once per week. Conclusion Patients intending to drop out of CL wear due to discomfort and dryness significantly reduced their propensity of discontinuing lens wear following use of Biotrue MPS. Six months after completion of the study, 93% of patients were still wearing CLs at least once per week.


Background and Objectives: The main objective of the present study was to determine the role of oxidative markers (glutathione (GSH), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), advanced glycation end products (AGEs), and malondialdehyde (MDA)) and inflammatory biomarkers (interleukin-6 IL-6, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), myeloperoxide (MPO)) in the development of diabetic nephropathy along with routinely used biochemical parameters. Materials and Method: This was a case control study. All the selected patients were screened and enrolled by convenient non-probability sampling technique at the Jinnah hospital in Lahore. Informed consent was obtained before enrollment of the study subjects. A total of 450 patients enrolled in the study, and they were divided into three groups, 150 subjects with type 2 diabetes and 150 diagnosed diabetic nephropathy (DN) vs. 150 healthy individuals as a control group. Five mL of venous blood sample was taken from the antecubital vein of each participant. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS. The results of all variables were evaluated by using one way ANOVA. Results: The mean value of biochemical parameters (WBCs, platelets, prothrombin time, HbA1c, glucose, urinary albumin-to creatinine ratio (UACR), triglycerides, LDL, HDL, serum creatinine, urinary albumin (creatinine)) were increased and Hb (g/dL), red blood cells (RBCs), hematocrit (Hct), free serum insulin levels, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were decreased in the nephropathy group compared to the control and type 2 diabetes groups. The mean values of MDA, AGE, and AOPPs in type 2 diabetes and diabetic nephropathy were significantly increased compared to the control group. GSH level was decreased in type 2 diabetics and DN patients as compared to the control group. In addition, IL-6, TNFα, and MPO levels were also increased in case of diabetes nephropathy compared to controls. Conclusions: ROS mediated injuries can be prevented by the restoration of an antioxidant defense system, through the administration of antioxidant agents. Moreover, increased levels of inflammatory mediators are responsible for enhancing inflammation in patients with diabetic nephropathy.


The NICLAS Summer School was built upon the International Constitutional Law Approach (ICL), which unifies the debates on the constitutionalization of International Law and the Internationalization of Constitutional Law with Comparative Constitutional Law. A broad understanding of constitutional law beyond the nation state open up the comparison of constitutional topics on the international, European and national level.
 The summer school already initiated numerous publications, the book that is presented here is a final conclusion to this summer school project. It is a tour d'horizon through the different years and topics of the summer school. The contributions are written by summer school participants at various levels (teachers, students). The articles reflect the various topics and methodologies of the summer school as mentioned above and can also serve as examples for teaching materials for other summer schools, which deal with international constitutional law.


Diseases of the liver and biliary tree have been described with significant frequency among patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and its advanced state, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Through a variety of mechanisms, HIV/AIDS has been shown to affect the hepatic parenchyma and biliary tree, leading to liver inflammation and biliary strictures. One of the potential hepatobiliary complications of this viral infection is AIDS cholangiopathy, a syndrome of biliary obstruction and liver damage due to infection-related strictures of the biliary tract. AIDS cholangiopathy is highly associated with opportunistic infections and advanced immunosuppression in AIDS patients, and due to the increased availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy, is now primarily seen in instances of poor access to anti-retroviral therapy and medication non-compliance. While current published literature describes well the clinical, biochemical, and endoscopic management of AIDS-related cholangiopathy, information on its epidemiology, natural history, and pathology are not as well defined. The objective of this review is to summarize the available literature on AIDS cholangiopathy, emphasizing its epidemiology, course of disease, and determinants, while also revealing an updated approach for its evaluation and management.


In October of 1986, representatives of the VIA Metropolitan Transit System contacted the Center for Archaeological Research prior to construction on their bus parking lot that occupies the area above a section of the historic San Pedro Acequia. It was decided at that time that limited testing to define and locate the extent of the acequia remaining and determine if monitoring of further operations should be conducted. The excavations were accomplished in December of 1986 and a profile of the acequia recorded. At that time monitoring was delayed until the anticipated relocation of a fuel storage tank was to be accomplished; subsequent problem with the location of the tank because of environmental considerations delayed the project for a period of time, eventually requiring placement of the storage tank well away from the path of the acequia.


Objective Vascular Dementia (VaD), is associated with metabolic conditions. Diabetes is a major risk factor for the development of VaD. This study investigates the efficacy of ulinastatin (UTI) and sulforaphane (SUL) in streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetes induced vascular endothelium dysfunction and related dementia. Methods Single dose STZ (50 mg/kg i.p.) was administered to Albino Wistar rats (male, 200−250 g). Morris water maze and attentional set shifting tests were used to assess the spatial learning, memory, reversal learning, and executive functioning in animals. Body weight, serum glucose, serum nitrite/nitrate, vascular endothelial function, aortic superoxide anion, brains' oxidative markers (thiobarbituric acid reactive species-TBARS, reduced glutathione-GSH, superoxide dismutase-SOD, and catalase-CAT), inflammatory markers (IL-6, IL-10, TNF-a, and myeloperoxidase-MPO), acetylcholinesterase activity-AChE, blood brain barrier (BBB) permeability and histopathological changes were also assessed. UTI (10,000 U/kg) and SUL (25 mg/kg) were used alone as well as in combination, as the treatment drugs. Donepezil (0.5 mg/kg) was used as a positive control. Results STZ-administered rats showed reduction in body weight, learning, memory, reversal learning, executive functioning, impairment in endothelial function, BBB permeability, increase in serum glucose, brains' oxidative stress, inflammation, AChE-activity, BBB permeability and histopathological changes. Administration of UTI and SUL alone as well as in combination, significantly and dose dependently attenuated the STZ-diabetes-induced impairments in the behavioral, endothelial, and biochemical parameters. Conclusion STZ administration caused diabetes and VaD which was attenuated by the administration of UTI and SUL. Therefore, these agents may be studied further for the assessment of their full potential in diabetes induced VaD.


When caregivers address the positive aspects of illness or disability, there is a risk of patronising the sufferer. It is equally problematic when secondary gain is judged in a negative light and impedes an effective doctor-patient relationship. Changing attitudes, and particularly the negative perception of a patient's gain from illness, are reflected in biographies of artists, philosophers and other creative individuals. In contrast, some memoirs about illness feature a retrospective discussion of the positive features of the experience - from one who is now free from the ordeal. The experience of continual sufferers may be more instructive. We examine contemporary examples of unanticipated advantage or gain arising from ongoing disability or illness. The contribution of disability/illness to remarkable achievement promotes enhanced self-appreciation for patients and may foster in others a better understanding of what it means to suffer and live with disability.


The dynamic equations are obtained for the moments of the Wigner function (density matrix) in the phase space of a nucleon. The rules of closure of the set of equations for these moments are formulated. The negative-parity vibrational states (octupole, magnetic quadrupole and isoscalar dipole toroidal) are analysed. The theory gives an adequate description for all these excitations using as an input the values of the nuclear radius (R=r0A13/, r0=1.2 fm) and the surface tension (T=17/4 pi r02 MeV fm-2).


Reducing the response time of Emergency Vehicles (EVs) has an undoubted advantage in saving life and property. Implementing pre-emption can aid in achieving it. EVs get unobstructed movement via pre-emption, usually by altering traffic signals and giving a green wave throughout the route. This approach of absolute pre-emption effects adversely on regular traffic by imposing unnecessary waiting. In this paper, we propose a novel emergency vehicle pre-emption (EVP) algorithm implemented in the Vehicular Ad-hoc Network (VANET) that can reduce the imposed undesirable waiting time, but still ascertains EVs meet target response time. We introduce mixed-criticality real-time system scheduling concept where different level of emergencies is mapped with different criticality levels and assign certain success assurance level to respective criticality. We implemented the EVP algorithm for an arterial traffic network and leveraged the use of valuable information that gets transmitted via VANET to make critical decisions. The proposed algorithm can significantly reduce the average waiting time of regular traffic. It also ascertains all EVs with different level of criticality meet target response time respective to their assurance level.


Karl Marx died in 1883, when Freud was 27. At age 43, only 16 years later, Sigmund finished nothing less than "The Interpretation of Dreams", a work that launched his discovery of the unconscious. Therefore, it is possible that they had exchanged a couple of letters and that Marx mentioned the exchange in a letter to Engels. Some believe that this is unlikely and that there is no sufficient evidence to establish it as a historical fact. Others defend that these letters did exist and that a copy of at least one of them still remains, in addition to a theory on how they were lost and later found. Using one of these letters from Marx to Freud and taking advantage of the uncertainty, a number of insights are proposed herein based on the work of these two giants of human intelligence, by the means of a fictitious dialogue. This letter is taken literally, whether truth or fiction, and its content is used to multiply and stretch its meanings. This literary game allows for the discussion of epistemological matters such as fetishism and alienation, critical meta-psychology and its materialistic foundation, as well as the unconscious, topic that brings both works together just as much as it separates them. As it is well known, the relationship between them has continued to be both tense and intense; it has not been put off and it surely deserves adding more wood to the fire…


Dimensional compliance assessment of prefabricated assemblies is a critical part of mitigating rework on heavy industrial construction projects. As assemblies become more complex, manual direct contact metrology becomes ineffective at detecting fabrication error and so automated alternatives that offer objective, fast, and continuous data collection must be explored. Nahangi and Haas (2014) developed an automated method for assessing pipe spools through an algorithm that compares as-built laser scans to 3D design files. The tool is capable of automatic and continual monitoring of prefabricated assemblies throughout their lifecycle and enables timely detection and quantification of dimensional noncompliance. In the original publication, the tool was validated using ideal input data. In this paper, the tool is tested for robustness when processing incomplete point cloud input data. Non-ideal input data is a risk associated with unfavorable conditions in the fabrication environment such as random assembly occlusions causing blind spots in sensing setup, budgetary constraints limiting the purchase of sensing equipment/viewpoints, and random hardware or software failures resulting in corrupt data. The tool was found to reliably detect dimensional non-compliance so long as the non-compliance indicator (pipe spool feature distinguishing the non-compliant state from the design state) was not fully occluded. Accuracy of non-compliance quantification was predominantly high, however, loosely proportional to the input point cloud's coverage of the assembly's surface area.