* The role of nitric oxide (NO) and the relationship between NO, hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in abscisic acid (ABA)-induced antioxidant defense in leaves of maize (Zea mays) plants were investigated. * Both ABA and H(2)O(2) induced increases in the generation of NO in mesophyll cells of maize leaves, and H(2)O(2) was required for the ABA-induced generation of NO. Pretreatment with NO scavenger and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor substantially reduced the ABA-induced production of NO, and partly blocked the activation of a 46 kDa MAPK and the expression and the activities of several antioxidant enzymes induced by ABA. Treatment with the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) also induced the activation of the MAPK, and enhanced the antioxidant defense systems. * Conversely, SNP treatment did not induce the production of H(2)O(2), and pretreatments with NO scavenger and NOS inhibitor did not affect ABA-induced H(2)O(2) production. * Our results suggest that ABA-induced H(2)O(2) production mediates NO generation, which, in turn, activates MAPK and results in the upregulation in the expression and the activities of antioxidant enzymes in ABA signaling.


Abstract: Palliative medicine has developed as a specialized field of practice in recent decades but the focus has been very much on older adults with incurable malignancies. The needs of dying children have not been addressed adequately and the question of who is best placed to provide care to this group remains the subject of some contention. Although the principles of palliative care apply equally to children, a number of fundamental differences influence their application in the paediatric setting. These include a heterogeneous patient population, physiological factors, developmental issues, parental involvement in care giving and decision making and the desire of most paediatricians to maintain close involvement with their patients. Families generally prefer home care and even quite severe symptoms can be managed in this environment with appropriate planning, expertise and support. The delivery of effective palliative care in the paediatric setting is contingent upon overcoming barriers between hospital and community and sharing expertise between paediatricians and palliative care physicians. Research is also required to increase the evidence base for practice.


Selected radiographs from 40 patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm serve to illustrate most of the radiographic features of this disease. Surgical techniques are outlined and were used to modify the natural course of the disease in 14 patients, with three postoperative deaths. The remaining 26 patients were either moribund on admission and died shortly afterwards or declined operations and died later.


Transient stability of power systems has become even more critical due to increasing complexity created by large penetration of renewable energy sources and massive deployment of information and communication technology. Fortunately, the two-way real-time data exchange capacity of smart grids allows designing advanced digital control schemes to better address the power system stability. In this study, a non-linear model-free-based robust controller in conjunction with a state estimation architecture is designed to enhance transient stability margins. The designed controller addresses uncertainties arising from communication and control input delay, sensor errors, varying plant parameters, and unmodelled dynamics effects. A novel time-delay compensation technique is presented in the control development to mitigate the effect of delay and the robustness of the proposed controller is proven by conducting a Lyapunov stability analysis with respect to additive disturbance and time delay. Furthermore, the proposed control framework is validated on the IEEE 39 bus test system through MATLAB simulation. The results show that the proposed framework is capable of stabilising the power system after a fault, also showing robustness to noise, latency in communication, delay in control input, and malicious data injection.


Astronomers have found what may be the farthest and oldest galaxies ever seen. So distant that the expansion of the universe has stretched their ultraviolet light all the way into the infrared region of the spectrum, they may have formed just a few hundred million years after the universe itself. It took a 36-hour exposure with an infrared camera on the Hubble Space Telescope to see them.


The lining of five branchial cysts from patients aged from 17 to 51 was studied by histochemical methods for non‐specific acid esterase and acid phosphatase and by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The stratified squamous epithelium was shown to be a specialised structure, with a few microvillous cells on the surface and an intra‐epithelial network of channels containing lymphocytes, notably T cells, and mononuclear phagocytic cells. The appearance of the cyst lining was similar to that of the epithelium lining the crypts of palatine tonsils. The demonstration of a complex lympho‐epithelial lining of the cysts does not settle the controversial question of their origin, but it must be taken into account by hypotheses explaining the development of branchial cysts.


This research focused on the use of case based reasoning (CBR) for treatment and management of diabetes. CBR is a field of artificial intelligence where one uses past cases as resolution for similar problems. The concept is based on dynamic memory theory where human beings solve problems by recalling encountered cases [1]. This research has applied CBR in the field of medicine for treatment and management of diabetes. Diabetes is a family of metabolic disease condition where the patient has elevated blood glucose. There is a rise on the prevalence of diabetes in Kenya with over 2 Million Kenyans suffering from the condition [2]. Damage to nerves, heart failure, kidney failure blindness and amputations are among the diabetes associated complications. Some of key challenges encountered during the management of diabetes include lack of insulin, high cost of drugs, an overworked workforce and low awareness among others. A formative questionnaire was conducted to find out the viability of previous experience in problem resolution and later a summative questionnaire administered to medical experts to measure the outcome of the research. A prototype was developed using JCOLIBRI framework and trained with a total of 60 cases. 40 cases were type 1 and the remaining 20 cases type 2. A test data of 20 cases was used to measure the accuracy of the system. The key variables used in test were blood glucose, HBA1C (average blood glucose over 3 months), weight and height. The diagnosis predicted by the system was compared against the one obtained by the expert and the results were as follows. When tested with the 3 parameters (Blood Glucose, Height & Weight) the system had a mean accuracy of 28% before revision (3rd Cycle of CBR) and after the first revision (3rd Cycle of CBR) the system attained a mean accuracy of 70% with the 3 parameters. When tested with 1 parameter (Blood Sugar) after revision (3rd Cycle of CBR) the system returned a mean accuracy of 90% .The accuracy was based on the difference of solution applied between an expert judgment and the system judgment. The level of blood glucose is the key factor to consider during diabetes diagnosis. The research concluded that CBR is more accurate after the revision cycle and as the number of cases increase. General Terms Artificial Intelligent, Formative Evaluation, Summative Evaluation, Database, Drugs, Common Symptoms, Associated Complications, Infections, Investigations, Pathophysiology and Biodata.


We discuss nonclassical properties of single-photon subtracted squeezed vacuum states and study its decoherence under different models. We find that the state is especially robust under phase diffusion model though its phase properties are lost.


Thirty healthy Hong Kong Chinese patients between the ages of 15 and 31 years with bilaterally impacted lower third molar teeth, scheduled for surgical removal were studied. All the patients presented twice (for the right and left sides) and received, on separate occasions, patient or anaesthetist‐controlled midazolam sedation allocated using a randomised, crossover design. Both techniques provided reliable sedation with verbal contact maintained, minimal changes in respiratory and cardiovascular function, good operating conditions and a high degree of patient satisfaction. The majority of patients (67%) thought they could sedate themselves better on a subsequent visit and were confident that they could do this more satisfactorily than the anaesthetist. An almost equal number preferred patient (n = 12) or anaesthetist (n = 13) controlled sedation, with the remainder having no preference. The total dose of midazolam was very similar in the two groups, 5.3 (SD 2.4) mg and 5.0 (SD 1.1) mgfor patient and anaesthetist controlled sedation respectively.


We report on the mid-infrared laser operation of a cubic 15 at.% Er3+:KY3F10 crystal. In the quasi-continuous-wave regime, the peak power reaches 255 mW at 2.80 µm (the 4I11/2→4I13/2 transition) with a slope efficiency of 10.9% and a laser threshold of 58 mW. Two pumping schemes (to the 4I11/2 and 4I9/2 states) are compared. The emission properties of the Er3+ ions in KY3F10 are studied, indicating high stimulated-emission cross-section of 0.57×10-20cm2 at 2.80 µm, a large gain bandwidth of 40 nm, and a long 4I11/2 state lifetime of 4.64 ms.


In Indonesia regional autonomy, local government has to focus on high quality of public goods & service, so goverrunen~ employees are demanded to improve their service conununity through professional, competence, and honest bureaucracy. This research study reported to develops a modelfor the placement ofgraduates in Master ofLoral Government Administration, in line with competency expectations in government offices by taking an example such as sub district head placement. The competency variables are adopted from Spencer & Spencer (1993) and Referring to Government Regulation from BKN (National Civil Service Agency), accordingly these, government employees associated with hislher level or echelon has competence such as Integrity, Le(\dership, Planning & Organizing, Teamwork and Flexibility and also competence as well as competencies relevant to the position and function. The result of analysis of this model is expected to be useful 1) to assist the government in placing the graduates of STPDN in order to maintain the quality and competency demanded in carrying out their function properly. 2) to increase the quality of learning process in such goverrunent administration officer higher education in order to maintain their quality so that their competency is acceptable by the society as user. 3) To be the standard of competency for the social graduates especially in Local Government Administralion. From this study reponed that competency bast:d on Model for placement of graduates (government employee) assessment candidate with criteria toward: 1) Past orientation such as Performance Appraisal, Experience and etc. 2) Current Orientation: Competency assessment based on the fit or match between job competency requirements and person competencies 3) Future Orientation (having vision, mission, and candidate willingness to develop institution). From this model for placement as recommendation for STPDN institution for graduates of higher education have to be able to meet job requirement. This means that they are expected to relevant to the users


Krieger's embedding theorem for $\mathbb{Z}$ mixing shifts for finite type (SFTs) is extended to the $\mathbb{Z}^2$ case. We prove that if X is a non-periodic subshift ($\sigma^vx=x\Rightarrow v=0\in\mathbb{Z}^2$) and Y is a $\mathbb{Z}^2$ square-filling mixing SFT, then there exists a homomorphism $X\to Y$. The proof is a construction which begins by constructing Voronoi tilings using techniques from Part I (S. Lightwood. Morphisms from non-periodic $\mathbb{Z}^2$ subshifts I: constructing embeddings from homomorphisms. Ergod. Th. & Dynam. Sys.23 (2003), 587–609.). A tiling by Delaunay polygons is derived from Voronoi tiling. The union of the boundaries of the Delaunay polygons (referred to as the Delaunay graph) is itself tiled by trees. Words painted on the thickened trees combine to form words on the thickened infinite Delaunay graph. It is the point and sole purpose of square-filling that words on such thickened infinite graphs will correspond to points in the target space. Combined with the results from Part I, this gives us the $\mathbb{Z}^2$ extension of Krieger's Embedding Theorem: if X is a non-periodic subshift and Y is a $\mathbb{Z}^2$ square-filling mixing SFT, then there exists an embedding $X\hookrightarrow Y$ if and only if $h(X)<h(Y)$, where h denotes the $\mathbb{Z}^2$ entropy. The techniques developed here play a central role in the proof of an embedding theorem for general $\mathbb{Z}^2$ subshifts into square-filling mixing SFTs which will be carried out in a subsequent paper.


Detection of secondary D(t, n)4He neutrons produced when thin argon or krypton gas shells implode on a deuterium gas target is a very challenging task because the secondary neutron yield is a small fraction of the primary neutron yield and because the implosion is often accompanied by an intense hard X-ray burst. We built a large volume neutron time of flight (nTOF) detector using liquid scintillator (xylene solvent with small quantities of wavelength shifting PPO + bis-MSB fluors) in an attempt to increase the detection probability for secondary neutrons in our staged Z-pinch experiments at the 1 MA Zebra pulsed-power generator. Two fast, gated microchannel plate photomultiplier tubes detect the light created in 21 liters of liquid. The hard X-rays were successfully suppressed in the recorded nTOF traces, but we found no evidence of secondary neutrons. The signal quality from the primary D(d, n)3He neutrons was higher compared to the signal quality from a plastic scintillator nTOF, thus providing a more reliable estimate of the deuterium ion temperature at the pinch stagnation time. Cross-calibration with a silver activation detector enables standalone neutron yield measurement.


Y ou may have noticed in the April issue of the Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal (CONJ) that there has been a change in our approach to translation within the issue. We have embarked on a pilot initiative for one year regarding translation and the April issue marked the beginning. Let me share the rationale for this pilot approach and describe what it is.


Due to the boom in the web industry and growing trends in online shopping, there is an increase in the demand for skilled work force to develop and manage the usable interactive web sites and web content for several companies across the world. Many students want to equip themselves with required web development knowledge by participating in courses from distance. Information and communication technologies (ICT) based on internet have opened up new potentials in higher education. To keep up with the influx of students several universities offer some coursework online and some have converted complete programs of study in order to make them entirely available online to campus as well as distance students (including professionals) at the same time. Distance education always have unique requirements. In this article, I reported the design of a course and an online lab for web development and management based on initial design principles derived from kernel theories such as Conversational Framework, Constructive Alignment and Personalized System of Instruction. The overall research was conducted using the action design research approach. The iterative cycles and critical reflections during the building, intervention and evaluation process helped to refine the initial design principles. The study contributes to the researchers and practitioners community by providing design principles and an online Lab model that utilizes state-of-the art technology for mixed classrooms.


An extremely simple, modified polanret phase‐contrast system has been developed. It uses only a single polarizing ring, instead of three zonal polarizers as required in Osterberg's original polanret system (manufactured by the American Optical Corporation). The modified system is much more easily manufactured and its economy of light is twice as good. However, it does require an easily accessible microscope objective exit pupil, where the polarizing ring must be located.


Gestures have become an important tool for natural interaction with computers and thus several wearables have been developed to detect hand gestures. However, many existing solutions are unsuitable for practical use due to low accuracy, high cost or poor ergonomics. We present SensIR, a bracelet that uses near-infrared sensing to infer hand gestures. The bracelet is composed of pairs of infrared emitters and receivers that are used to measure both the transmission and reflection of light through/off the wrist. SensIR improves the accuracy of existing infrared gesture sensing systems through the key idea of taking measurements with all possible combinations of emitters and receivers. Our study shows that SensIR is capable of detecting 12 discrete gestures with 93.3% accuracy. SensIR has several advantages compared to other systems such as high accuracy, low cost, robustness against bad skin coupling and thin form-factor.


Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic illness with prevalence of 171 million worldwide; as a result, most of body organs and particularly the eye sensitive tissues are affected. Recently, diabetes was termed as one of the main causes of blindness. There are about 126 million people worldwide affected by diabetic retinopathy (DR) with 37 million patients suffering vision-threatening DR. However, most of the people are unaware of ocular complication due to long-term DM. Research Methodology: This was a cross-sectional hospital-based study included 309 participants' ages 15 years and above who attended Makkah Eye Complex. A standardized pretested and precoded questionnaire was used for collecting the required data. The study was ethically approved from the Institutional Review Board of Al-Neelain University and Khartoum State Ministry of Health, with the permission of Makkah Research Center. Results: Regarding awareness about which part of the eye affected by DR, 46.6% of the participants stated the retina while 40.1% (124) mentioned that they did not know. Regarding awareness about the treatment of DR, 39.91% of the participants mentioned medication, 25.82% of them mentioned surgery, while 23.47% said by laser. The source of knowledge among participants was found to be as follows: 36.2% from media, 18.1% from friends and relatives, while 17.8% from physicians, general practitioners, and ophthalmologists. Conclusion: The number of DM patients who received advice (at the point of disease detection) from doctors or medical personnel to see an ophthalmologist was a minority although it is a very valuable advice since delayed detection of retinopathy leads to serious outcomes and complicates the management. Awareness program and counseling for diabetic patients toward the fact that DR is a manageable disorder if intervention took place in time.


The theory of mixed constitution in Rome concerns the position of the senatorial aristocracy in the State. During the Late republican period, Cicero considers a mixed constitution the perfect basis to achieve a balance between senatorial auctoritas and popular libertas. According to Cicero, a mixed Constitution will preserve the State against decay. During the principate, a mixed constitution is based on the agreement between the princeps and the aristocracy against the popular masses. Aristocracy will take part in the government and act as an intermediary between the emperor and the masses. Even on the eve of Justinian's autocracy, this theory is still discussed in constantinopolitan bureaucracy.


The electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) plays a fundamental role in several energy technologies, which performance and cost-effectiveness are in large part related to the used OER electrocatalyst. Herein, we detail the synthesis of cobalt-iron oxide nanosheets containing controlled amounts of well-anchored SO42- anionic groups (CoFexOy-SO4). We use a cobalt-based zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67) as the structural template and a cobalt source and Mohr's salt ((NH4)2Fe(SO4)2·6H2O) as the source of iron and sulfate. When combining the ZIF-67 with ammonium iron sulfate, the protons produced by the ammonium ion hydrolysis (NH4+ + H2O = NH3·H2O + H+) etch the ZIF-67, dissociating its polyhedron structure, and form porous assemblies of two-dimensional nanostructures through a diffusion-controlled process. At the same time, iron ions partially replace cobalt within the structure, and SO42- ions are anchored on the material surface by exchange with organic ligands. As a result, ultrathin CoFexOy-SO4 nanosheets are obtained. The proposed synthetic procedure enables controlling the amount of Fe and SO4 ions and analyzing the effect of each element on the electrocatalytic activity. The optimized CoFexOy-SO4 material displays outstanding OER activity with a 10 mA cm-2 overpotential of 268 mV, a Tafel slope of 46.5 mV dec-1, and excellent stability during 62 h. This excellent performance is correlated to the material's structural and chemical parameters. The assembled nanosheet structure is characterized by a large electrochemically active surface area, a high density of reaction sites, and fast electron transportation. Meanwhile, the introduction of iron increases the electrical conductivity of the catalysts and provides fast reaction sites with optimum bond energy and spin state for the adsorption of OER intermediates. The presence of sulfate ions at the catalyst surface modifies the electronic energy level of active sites, regulates the adsorption of intermediates to reduce the OER overpotential, and promotes the surface charge transfer, which accelerates the formation of oxygenated intermediates. Overall, the present work details the synthesis of a high-efficiency OER electrocatalyst and demonstrates the introduction of nonmetallic anionic groups as an excellent strategy to promote electrocatalytic activity in energy conversion technologies.


Abstract : This report covers final schedules, Expenses and billings, monthly reports, testing, and deliveries for this contract. The goal of the detector development program for the Solar and Heliospheric Spacecraft (SOHO) EUV Imaging Telescope (EIT) is an Extreme UltraViolet (EUV) CCD (Change Collecting Device) camera. As a part of the CCD screening effort, the quantum efficiency (QE) of a prototype CCD has been measured in the NRL EUV laboratory over the wavelength range of 256 to 735 Angstroms. A simplified model has been applied to these QE measurements to illustrate the relevant physical processes that determine the performance of the detector. The charge transfer efficiency (CTE) characteristics of the Tektronix 1024 X 1024 CCD being developed for STIS/SOHO space imaging applications have been characterized at different signal levels, operating conditions, and temperatures using a variety of test methods. A number of CCD's have been manufacture using processing techniques developed to improve CTE, and test results on these devices will be used in determining the final chip design. In this paper, we discuss the CTE test methods used and present the results and conclusions of these tests.


The development of prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers, such as those from gene expression studies, requires independent validation in clinical specimens. Immunohistochemical analysis on tissue microarrays (TMAs) of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue is often used to increase the statistical power, and it is used more often than in situ hybridization, which can be technically limiting. Herein, we introduce a method for performing quantitative gene expression analysis across a TMA using an adaptation of 2D-RT-qPCR, a recently developed technology for measuring transcript levels in a histologic section while maintaining 2-dimensional positional information of the tissue sample. As a demonstration of utility, a TMA with tumor and normal human prostate samples was used to validate expression profiles from previous array-based gene discovery studies of prostate cancer. The results show that 2D-RT-qPCR expands the utility of TMAs to include sensitive and accurate gene expression measurements.


The hypothalamic nonapeptide vasopressin is a known player in the pathogenesis of chronic heart failure. According to the large body of clinical evidence, vasopressin has an impact on salt and water imbalance, hyponatremia, and subsequent renal insufficiency - the most common and destructive co-morbidity of patients afflicted with chronic heart failure. Despite the well-documented elevated levels of vasopressin in the blood of such patients, its expression in the magnocellular hypothalamic nuclei and transport to the posterior pituitary has not yet been investigated. In addition, the literature almost lacks the information on the contribution of another member of nonapeptide family, oxytocin, in the pathogenesis of this disease. Here we present a postmortem analysis of vasopressin and oxytocin-immunoreactive neurons and their terminals in the posterior pituitary of 8 male patients (53.8+/-9.3 years) who had died from CHF and 9 male controls (54.6+/-11.8 years). In line with previous clinical reports, our study on hypothalami of chronic heart failure patients revealed a significant increase in the relative profile density (+29%) of vasopressin-positive neurons in the hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus. Consistently we found a significant increase in the relative optic density of vasopressin-immunoreactivity in the posterior pituitary (+33%) of these patients. In contrast, the similar analysis applied for oxytocin neurons revealed no statistically significant differences to controls. In conclusion, our study provides the morphological evidence for activation of vasopressin (but not oxytocin) expression and vasopressin transport to the posterior pituitary in patients with chronic heart failure.


KINEMATIC OBJECT TRACK STITCHER FOR POST TRACKING FRAGMENTATION DETECTION AND CORRECTION Name: Beigh, Alex Wunderlin University of Dayton Advisor: Dr. Eric Balster A common goal of tracking objects over multiple image frames is to ensure that the object tracks are as accurate and error free as possible. One of the biggest impediments to accurate object tracking is an event called track fragmentation. Track fragmentation occurs when an object's trajectory or track is reported by the tracker as two or more separate track instances. Fragmentation occurs because of features present in the imagery and the method at which the imagery is processed. Some causes of track fragmentation include: occlusions, object trajectory or velocity changes, proximity of objects to one another, parallax, image stitching, lighting changes, and image artifacts. Track fragmentation is tackled in multiple ways. The GATER tracker uses projected points to make predictions where tracks will be in future frames to compensate for events that cause fragmentation. Another solution is to use a process known as track stitching. A post-tracking kinematic track stitcher is proposed that is able to detect and correct track fragmentation, improving fragmentation from GATER's projected points. The proposed track stitcher requires only a track's centroid and frame, information any tracker can provide. The track stitcher will improve the accuracy iii of the tracks by reducing track fragmentation. The track stitcher consists of a series of filters, including a temporal filter and multiple kinematic filters, designed to determine the likelihood and feasibility of a track being fragmented. The filters are designed to be easily enabled, disabled, and integrated depending on the needs of a given data set. These filters include sets of parameters that can be manually altered by the user for different tracking scenarios. A selection algorithm, in this case Munkres, is used to evaluate the track scores and make stitches accordingly. The track stitcher is run on multiple track sets acquired from a Wide Area Motion Imagery image set. For the first experiment, one of the image sets is selected for tuning, and then the track stitcher is run with varying parameters for the kinematic filter and scoring filter. The best performing parameters for the first image set are then used to test the track stitcher on the remaining image sets in order to prove that the same parameters can be universally applied to similar imagery. In every test case the track stitcher reduces the amount of track fragmentation and error (spuriousness) present in the tracks. In a majority of the tests, the purity of the tracks also increases.When compared to the point projected tracks GATER produces, the proposed track stitcher improves spuriousness by 26.67% and fragmentation by 17.67% on average.


We propose analysis of the data network node, which is using for transmission unreliable channel with constant bit transmission rate. For queuing system with finite buffer capacity and data packet losses the inter arrival time of high and low priority data packets flow and the transmission times of each priority data packet are exponentially distributed. The system buffer threshold control mechanism in data network node is applied. Research is in progress to develop analytical models for such network data packets transmission node which is using reliable channel without failures in one case and unreliable channel in other case. Using our proposed analytical models we can easily evaluate system performance measures such as data packet losses, mean value of waiting time in buffer, mean number of data packets in queue, mean number of data packets in the system. The results from analytical model of some performance measures are taken in figures. The processes in an unreliable channel data network queuing node are based on the Markov chains. The proposed analytical system models are suitable for analysis network node with finite data packets buffer. When the system buffer capacity is high analytical model for such queuing system node becomes very complicated. Simulation methods are applied for analysis the systems with infinite buffer. lll. 11, bibl. 8 (in English; summaries in English, Russian and Lithuanian).


Obesity is a chronic disease characterized by excess body fat, which can lead to other health problems, including insulin resistance, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, polycystic ovary syndrome, hypertension, dyslipidemia, sleep apnea, asthma, heart attack, stroke, atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome. Currently, obesity and dental caries are major public health concerns and dietary habits are a very important common component of their etiological factors, showing some correlation with the sociodemographic characteristics of individuals presenting these diseases. In relation to caries experience, the literature suggests a correlation between obesity and dental caries in children and adolescents, in primary and/or permanent dentition, though divergent results exist regarding assessment based on the method recommended by the WHO (1997), i.e., restricted to carious lesions with cavitation. Some studies indicate greater prevalence of proximal carious lesions in obese adolescents compared with those with normal weight. Salivary changes, such as the concentrations of phosphate, sialic acid, proteins and immunoglobulins and in peroxidase activity could explain the increased probability of obese children presenting greater risk of dental caries. Thus, it is important to consider the contribution of salivary parameters in caries experience of overweight children and adolescents and the implementation of preventive measures in this population.


The measurement of food literacy has recently gained momentum globally. The aim of this paper is to review the literature in order to describe and analyse the measurement of adult food literacy. The objectives are to i) identify tools that explicitly measure food literacy in adults; ii) summarise their psychometric properties; and iii) critique tool items against the four domains and 11 components of food literacy, as conceptualised by Vidgen and Gallegos. Using the PRISMA guidelines, a search of seven databases (PubMed, Embase, ScienceDirect, Scopus, EBSCOhost, A+ Education, and ProQuest) was undertaken. 12 studies met the inclusion criteria. Papers reported on either the development of a tool to explicitly measure food literacy or a part thereof (n = 5); food literacy strategy indicators (n = 1); tools developed to evaluate a food literacy intervention (n = 3); or tools to measure food literacy as a characteristic within a broader study (n = 3). Six tools captured all four domains. None measured all components. Items measuring the same component varied considerably. Most tools referenced a theoretical framework, were validated and reliable. This review will assist practitioners select and develop tools for the measurement of food literacy in their context.


We investigate the non-classical states of light that emerge in a microwave resonator coupled to a periodically-driven electron in a nanowire double quantum dot (DQD). Under certain drive configurations, we find that the resonator approaches a thermal state at the temperature of the surrounding substrate with a chemical potential given by a harmonic of the drive frequency. Away from these thermal regions we find regions of gain and loss, where the system can lase, or regions where the DQD acts as a single-photon source. These effects are observable in current devices and have broad utility for quantum optics with microwave photons.


BACKGROUND
Increased plasma levels of circulating cell-free DNA (c-f DNA) have been recently described in diseases related to ischemia and/or hypoxia. Preeclampsia (PCL) is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, of unknown origin, where a defective placentation resulting in placental ischemia plays an important role. HELLP syndrome (haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count) is the most serious form of PCL. The origin of the disease is unknown, and there are no markers to help us to make an early diagnosis of disease or to predict patients who are at risk of suffering serious complications.

METHODS
We measured circulating c-f DNA levels in a group of control pregnant women (n = 20), patients with mild PCL (n = 9), patients with severe PCL (n = 24), and patients with HELLP syndrome (n = 8).

RESULTS
Values of circulating c-f DNA were 333.59 ± 64.3 ng/ml in control subjects; 635.11 ± 111.7 ng/ml in patients with mild PCL; 1,264.63 ± 127.1 ng/ml in patients with severe PCL, and 1,595.95 ± 269.8 ng/ml in patients with HELPP syndrome. (P < 0.0001). Values of c-f DNA >950 ng/ml had a sensitivity and specificity for detecting severe PCL and/or HELLLP syndrome of 0.71 and 0.93, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
As far as we know, this is the first report of increased c-f DNA levels in HELLP syndrome. In this preliminary report, we have observed a gradual and strong relation between c-f DNA levels and range of severity of PCL, with it the highest in patients with HELLP syndrome. Further studies are needed for evaluating the utility of this technique in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and, particularly, in HELLP syndrome.


Describes a simple formulation for computing forward projections directly from 3D data that is independent of any special geometries. Two-dimensional interpolation functions are used to weight the contribution of voxels in the 3D reconstruction to pixels in the 2D projection. The authors present a modified bicubic spline interpolation function, which gives better forward projections at all angles than the simpler nearest neighbour and bilinear interpolation schemes. In the authors' application, electron microscopy, a 3D image of a macromolecule or macromolecular complex can be reconstructed from a set of 2D projected images of different, individual macromolecules lying in different orientations with respect to one another. In particular, the 3D orientation of an individual nucleoprotein complex with respect to a set of reference axes can be determined by selective imaging of the nucleic acid component.


The field of 'plasmonics' has gained a lot of attention recently. This is because plasmonic phenomena can be used in a wide variety of modern devices, including biosensors, intracellular probes, spectrallyselective coatings, hyperthermal medical treatments, new kinds of photonic devices, nano-optics, scanning microscopy and optical cloaking. One issue with plasmonics, however, is that the metallic materials currently used cause high losses due to conversion of light to heat. The aim of my project was to discover ways to minimize optical losses in materials and nanostructures used for plasmonics. My search for better materials extended over the pure elements, intermetallic alloys and conventional alloys systems. The most promising example from each of these material types was selected for further examination on the basis of their having a low optical loss over some region of the visible spectrum. The representatives were Ag for the pure elements, PtAl2 for the intermetallic compounds, and (Cu,Al) for the metallic alloys. Silver is considered as one of the most desirable materials for plasmonic devices as it has low loss (low 2) across the visible spectrum. Unfortunately, silver nanostructures oxidize or corrode in air. My project started with a study of silver nanotriangles which I synthesized using 'wet chemical' techniques. The aim of this part of the project was to discover how fast the silver nanoparticles oxidized and whether some means of preventing the oxidation could be found. I used scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and UV-visible spectroscopy to characterize my samples. Unfortunately, while the silver nanotriangles colloids were stable in a sealed bottle for several months, they oxidized within a few days once removed. I did not find a way to prevent this. I did find that silver nanotriangles are able to self-assemble into complex structures that include tip-to-tip or base-to-base, or doubleand triple-decker sandwich configurations. The optical properties of these interesting arrangements were explored through computer simulations based on the discrete dipole approximation (DDA). The effect of aspect ratio, gap size and substrate were considered. It has been predicted in the recent literature that the brassy-yellow PtAl2 intermetallic compound should be capable of exhibiting reasonably strong localized surface plasmon resonances. In this part of my project I investigated ways to fabricate PtAl2 nanoparticles to test this claim. Ordered arrays of PtAl2 semi-shells were created using magnetron sputtering by co-depositing Al and Pt onto a template of Synthesis of Novel Plasmonic Materials and Their Optical Properties monodisperse spherical polystyrene particles of 300 nm diameter. Deposition was carried out at an acute angle to the substrate so that the resulting semi-shells could be subsequently separated. I examined the resulting material using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope microscopy and the optical properties were probed by measurement of reflection and transmission spectra. I also performed optical simulations based on the DDA. The results showed that the measured properties were consistent with the occurrence of a localized surface plasmon resonance, which proved that PtAl2 could be used in plasmonic applications. Finally, I considered the example of a metallic alloy, in this case between Cu and Al. The high electron density of Al (three electrons per atom) was expected to be beneficial because addition of Al to Cu would increase the electron-to-atom ratio of the alloy. This would influence the electronic structure and subsequently the dielectric function and Fermi level. Techniques used included ellipsometry, spectrometry, XRD and SEM. Very good results were obtained for an alloy of Cu with 15 at% Al. I also looked at the effect of crystal structure by comparing γ Cu-Al phase in the metastable and stable states. Samples were deposited at room temperature by magnetron sputtering onto a glass substrate (metastable) then annealed at 500°C for 20 minutes (stable). There was a surprisingly big change in optical properties on going from the metastable to stable states, and a region of very low loss was identified in the spectrum. Overall, the work has proved very successful. While a means to suppress oxidation of Ag was not found, three promising new materials (PtAl2, Cu-15 at.% Al, and Cu-Al -phase) were identified for future plasmonic applications.


Background : Increasing physical activity plays an important role in the promotion of the quality of life of women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). This study examined the impact of a theory- informed behavior change techniques intervention in conjunction with a pedometer-based intervention on physical activity and weight of women with PCOS. Method : This research is an unmasked controlled trial study. 88 women with PCOS referred to Mahdieh hospital Tehran, Iran and met the inclusion criteria were assigned by random assignment method to the intervention (12-week pedometer-based intervention plus a theory- informed behavior change intervention) and the comparison (12-week pedometer-based intervention) group. The primary outcome was physical activity that was measured in two ways. Step-counts were measured using pedometer, and self-reported physical activity was measured via the international physical activity questionnaire. The secondary outcomes were predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors that were measured through a psychometric self-administered questionnaire. Weight was also measured as a secondary outcome. All outcomes were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks. Data were analyzed using STATA software version 13. Data analysis was performed on an intention to treat basis using Independent T-Test, ANOVA ANCOVA test, Repeated Measure ANOVA, and post-hoc analysis. Results : After adjusted mean, significant increases with a strong and moderate effect size were found in the intervention group relative to the comparison group for step-counts (P= 0.000, d = 2.01), walking (P=0.000, d=0.92), predisposing factors (P=0.000, d=1.05), enabling and reinforcing factors (P <0.05, d= 0.54 - 0.60). Significant decrease was found in the intervention group compared to the comparison group for weight (P=0.005) with a moderate effect size (d = 0.66). Conclusion : This pedometer-based intervention that applied behavior change techniques on the basis of predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors of the PRECEDE framework was affective to enhance physical activity and diminish the weight of women with PCOS. Therefore, it is suggested to incorporate theory- informed behavior change techniques into pedometer-based interventions for promoting physical activity. Trial registration : Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT20161116030923N3. Keywords: Physical activity, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Theoretical framework, Behavior change techniques, Pedometer


Perioperative anemia is a common complication of major surgery that may lead to prolonged and debilitating fatigue and reduction in health-related quality of life (QOL). Treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO, epoetin alfa) has been shown to increase perioperative hemoglobin (Hb) and hematocrit (HCT) levels, thereby facilitating postoperative recovery in orthopedic surgery patients. Treatment with epoetin alfa has also been shown to increase Hb and HCT levels and improve QOL in anemic cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The clinical and QOL benefit of using epoetin alfa in these patient populations provides the rationale for its use in patients undergoing gynecologic surgery. Because persistent fatigue is the most common complaint of patients following hysterectomy, the use of epoetin alfa should be considered to preoperatively correct anemia in this patient population. Research has been initiated to increase our understanding of the role of epoetin alfa in treating anemic patients (Hb levels < or = 13 g/dL) undergoing surgery for benign gynecologic disease, especially as it relates to postoperative QOL. Future studies should investigate the use of epoetin alfa in patients with gynecologic cancers. These studies should confirm the role of epoetin alfa in combination with iron supplementation to improve perioperative Hb/HCT levels and overall QOL in patients undergoing gynecologic surgery.


"The incidence of diabetes and rate of obesity is on the rise , along with the use of organophosphorus insecticides in the United States. Organophosphates (OP) , a specific class of pesticide that is biodegradable and readily available for purchase , represent 50% of all insecticides used worldwide. OPs are toxic and can cause numerous acute effects , but the health effects from low dose chronic exposure have not been thoroughly investigated. Interestingly , there have been few studies showing a correlation between the rise in organophosphate pesticide use and the elevated rates of diabetes and obesity. These correlations should be more thoroughly investigated however the current methods of detection for OPs in human plasma use a time- and cost-consuming sample preparation method , which do not always yield accurate results. Thus , the need to develop and validate a sensitive , selective , and high-throughput analytical method for the accurate and precise determination of organophosphate levels in human plasma. A simple ""dilute and shoot"" sample preparation has been developed along with an ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) method for detection and quantification of OPs in blood plasma. The method was validated and standard curves have been generated revealing the limits of detection and quantification to range from 0.0660 ng/mL to 19.1 ng/mL and 0.200 ng/mL to 58.0 ng/mL respectively. The percent accuracies ranged from 0 to 262% for all organophosphates. Several patients showed detectable levels of diazinon , malathion , and terbufos. Interestingly , these patients were either obese or obese/diabetic. One obese and diabetic patient displayed both a detectable and quantifiable levels of diazinon (0.237 ng/mL) , which had a limit of detection and quantification of 0.0660 and 0.200 ng/mL respectively. These results suggest that more intensive studies should be conducted on larger population of patients."


Two assumptions provide the basis for a new generalized reconstruction of California and Baja California prior to the major Tertiary strike-slip faulting of the San Andreas system. (1) The contrasting Franciscan and batholith basement types originally formed two parallel belts such as are found elsewhere around the Pacific margin; and (2) rhombochasms or zones of extension must be found to account quantitatively for any major displacement of crustal blocks along these strike-slip faults, and conversely, zones of Tertiary extension must be closed in any Mesozoic reconstruction. The Gulf of California rhombochasm of Carey (1958) and Hamilton (1961) is large enough to account for all of the apparent offset in southern California but only half of that in central and northern California. It is here proposed that this additional offset may be accounted for in the deep-water region of the continental borderland of northern Baja California. This region is thus considered to be analogous to the Gulf of California rhombochasm. This implies a two-stage movement history of the San Andreas system with an intervening change in direction of block movement by about 25° and related left-lateral faulting in the Transverse Ranges. Salinia would have moved twice for a total of approximately 600 km and would once have lain off southern California and northern Baja California, while southern and Baja California would have moved only once for approximately 300 km.


The perceived need to network office computers is often overstated. Evaluation of needs and device characteristics often leads to a simpler, lower cost solution. Frequently, needs are satisfied by the low-cost networks or even manual processes. The reasons for networking are discussed and analyzed in terms of some practical constraints. The characteristics and capabilities of the low-cost networks are described and a decision guide is presented.


Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is transmitted primarily through the oral–oral route and fecal–oral route. The oral cavity had therefore been hypothesized as an extragastric reservoir of H. pylori, owing to the presence of H. pylori DNA and particular antigens in distinct niches of the oral cavity. This bacterium in the oral cavity may contribute to the progression of periodontitis and is associated with a variety of oral diseases, gastric eradication failure, and reinfection. However, the conditions in the oral cavity do not appear to be ideal for H. pylori survival, and little is known about its biological function in the oral cavity. It is critical to clarify the survival strategies of H. pylori to better comprehend the role and function of this bacterium in the oral cavity. In this review, we attempt to analyze the evidence indicating the existence of living oral H. pylori, as well as potential survival strategies, including the formation of a favorable microenvironment, the interaction between H. pylori and oral microorganisms, and the transition to a non-growing state. Further research on oral H. pylori is necessary to develop improved therapies for the prevention and treatment of H. pylori infection.


This study provides a comprehensive microbiological survey of three drinking water networks applying different water treatment processes. Variability of microbial communities was assessed by cultivation-based [nitrifying, denitrifying most probable number (MPN) heterotrophic plate count] and sequence-aided terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis. The effect of microbial community composition on nitrifying MPN values was revealed. The non-treated well water samples showed remarkable differences to their corresponding distribution systems regarding low plate count, nitrifying MPN, and the composition of microbial communities, which increased and changed, respectively, in distribution systems. Environmental factors, such as pH, total inorganic nitrogen content (ammonium and nitrite concentration), and chlorine dioxide treatment had effect on microbial community compositions. The revealed heterogeneous nitrifying population achieved remarkable nitrification, which occurred at low ammonium concentration (14-51 μM) and slightly alkaline pH 7.7-7.9 in chlorine dioxide disinfected water networks. No change was observed in nitrification-generated nitrate concentration, although nitrate-reducing (and denitrifying) bacteria were present with low MPN and characterized by sequence-aided T-RFLP. The community structures of water samples partially changed in nitrifying enrichments and had influence on the generated nitrifying, especially nitrite-oxidizing MPN regarding the facilitated growth of nitrate-reducing bacteria and even methanogenic archaea beside ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria.


Abstract : This study investigates the American Civil War role and contributions of Major General John Buford. Buford, a 1848 graduate of the United States Military Academy, began his Army career on America's frontier with the First United States Dragoons. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Buford was selected to command a cavalry brigade in John Pope's Army of Virginia, and participated in the Second Manassas Campaign. Buford went on to make significant contributions to the Union efforts in the Eastern Theater; however, history has generally portrayed Buford as a one-dimensional character based on his stand along McPherson and Seminary Ridges on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Several historians have presumed that the dismounted cavalry (or Dragoon) tactics used by Buford at Gettysburg were the culmination of a method of fighting which he helped develop and propagate within the Union cavalry. However, this thesis shows that contrary to this Dragoon image, Buford was in fact a remarkable cavalry officer. His battlefield tactics were fairly traditional, but it was not in pitched battles that Buford excelled. His significant contributions were in the established roles of cavalry; performing reconnaissance and providing security for the army he was supporting.


This study aimed to assess agreement between antenatal estimates of gestational age by ultrasound and clinical records at birth in the Brazilian Amazon. Ultrasound examinations were scheduled during the second trimester for 578 pregnant women prospectively screened at primary health care units, following a standardized protocol for image quality control. A multistage algorithm was used to assess the best estimate of gestational age during the antenatal period, considering reliability of last menstrual period (LMP) and acceptable differences in relation to ultrasound estimates derived from fetal biparietal diameter and femur length. Agreement of antenatal estimates of gestational age confirmed by ultrasound and clinical records at birth was analyzed with Bland-Altman plots and kappa coefficients (preterm and postterm births). Overall, ultrasound examinations presented high quality (>90% of satisfactory images), and were adopted as the best estimate of gestational age among 83.4% of pregnant women, confirming reliable LMP in the remaining proportion. On average, difference in gestational age between antenatal estimates and clinical records was 0.43 week (95% CI: 0.32, 0.53). Classification of preterm births had a good agreement (kappa: 0.82, p<0.001), but a poor performance was observed for postterm births (kappa: -0.06, p = 0.92). Higher differences in gestational age were noted for participants with >11 years of education and cases of caesarean deliveries. In conclusion, high-quality ultrasound images from the second trimester of pregnancy based the assessment of gestational age, while reliability of LMP was limited. Information from clinical records at birth presented an acceptable agreement on average and for classification of preterm births, which is relevant for properly interpreting perinatal outcomes. Discrepancies in caesarean deliveries may warrant further investigation.


The assertion that people are more likely to help identified as opposed to unidentified victims has not been investigated among secondary victims. This experimental study examined a) whether identifiability predicted changes in observers' sympathy for a secondary victim; b) whether sympathy for a single primary victim is transferred as helping behaviour to a secondary victim and c) whether sympathy mediated the relationship between identifiability and helping behaviour. The sample comprised 130 undergraduate students at a university in Kenya. Their age ranged from 20 to 24 years (M = 22.09). Data were collected using a questionnaire and analysed using SPSS 25. Significant gender differences in helping, significant differences in sympathy and helping by identifiability were found. Sympathy significantly mediated the influence of identifiability on helping. Findings provide support for the role of identifiability and affective reactions in decision making concerning helping indirect victims. Future directions are discussed.
Keywords: Helping; identifiable victims; secondary victims; sympathy; vividness.


Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer in the world and the leading cause (possibly third) of cancer mortality. In a present scenario, HCC displays a challenging clinical problem worldwide. Good-quality ultra sound with careful evaluation of the hepatobiliary system can be a screening examination for HCC in patients at risk. The aim of the study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the Doppler sonography for differentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from other focal liver lesions. It was a cross-sectional survey, conducted in the Department of Radiology& Imaging, Mymensingh Medical College, Mymensingh, Bangladesh from January 2017 to December 2018. A total of 70 patients with space occupying lesions on ultrasound were included in this study while pregnant women were excluded. All patients were examined by gray scale ultrasonography, color Doppler and FNAC. To visualize the blood flow, standard color Doppler sonography was used for each lesion. Within the lesions, pulsed Doppler samples were assessed whenever possible on the basis of pulsatile flow & finally resistive index (RI) of intra-tumoral and peritumoral arterial flow was studied. After evaluating by Doppler sonography (CDFI and Spectral analysis), FNAC was done and the specimen was sent to the Department of Pathology for Cytopathological examination. Cytopathology were assessed for confirmation of positive and negative cases of HCC. The detection rate of arterial flow in malignant tumors was 85.1% and in benign lesions were 30.4%. Doppler spectrum analysis showed that the resistive index in primary malignant tumors were 0.76±0.12 and in metastatic tumors were 0.80±0.12 and below 0.6 in benign lesions. The difference was significant (p<0.001). This difference was related with its Cytopathological report. The arterial flow identified by CDFI within the liver lesion with RI >0.6 can be regarded as a criterion of malignant tumors and RI<0.6 can be regarded as benign lesions. This study concluded that the combination of color Doppler flow imaging and RI are more useful in differential diagnosis of liver neoplasms.


This study proposes a new approach on the suitability of including the SCI in the sphere of SRI. We compare these two investment styles both qualitatively and quantitatively in order to understand whether and how the SCI differs from the SRI. The results show that SCI financially outperforms SRI and conventional investment during economic downturn and it is characterized by social under-performance. We conclude that even if SCI may be considered as a particular concept of SRI, the non-inclusion of ESG considerations may lead the academic and professional communities to deal with SCI as a full investment style.


This bulletin presents key findings on polydrug use (the use of more than one substance within a specific time period). Analysis was carried out on the data collected for last month use which reflects current use. The focus is on the combinations of both legal and illegal drugs based on information obtained from the first drug prevalence survey of households to be carried out in both Ireland and Northern Ireland. The survey sampled a representative number of people aged between 15 and 64 during late 2002 and early 2003.


Abstract : The ability to perform non-mechanical optical beam steering is of critical importance in laser communication and remote sensing; it is as vital as a phased-array antenna is for RADAR. Directed energy transmission and direction-selective reception increase performance and produce tactical advantage in DoD applications. However, specific geometric features of non-mechanical beam steering devices must be designed in proportion to the wavelength of the monochromatic light to be steered. Also, the ability to handle higher energies by reducing the energy per unit requires large areas of uniform properties on the micrometer scale. These challenges have been addressed in the past using liquid crystals (LC) to produce a peak steering angle of 4 degrees, albeit limited by problems due to the fringing field effect. Recent advances in micro-fabrication techniques, including the synthesis and manipulation of certain electro- and thermo-optic materials, hold new opportunities for efficient beam steering solutions. The objective of this thesis research is to demonstrate thermally controllable beam steering, and enable further investigation of efficiency and response time and their dependence on geometry. The design, fabrication and performance of such a thermally-activated, nonmechanical beam steering device is demonstrated for the first time herein. The elastomeric media, polydimethlyoxane (PDMS), was used as the active, phase-controlling agent. Its temperature-dependent index of refraction was employed in a reflection-mode device by depositing it on a stair-step-approximated, blazed grating. The periodic nature of the device contains the reflected beam within discrete, angular orders. The proofof- concept device is modeled, tested and analyzed to explain its observed performance. Angular control of up to 1.2 degrees has been experimentally demonstrated. This approach promises simplicity of design and fabrication without thelarger,


The magnetic force on a moving charge is one of the most fundamental known. Magnetic force is as important as the electrostatic or Coulomb force. Yet the magnetic force is more complex, in both the number of factors that affects it and in its direction, than the relatively simple Coulomb force. The magnitude of the magnetic force F on a charge q moving at a speed v in a magnetic field of strength B is given by


Kamal ( Nelumbo nucifera ) the National flower of India is a well-known traditional medicinal plant which is also known as sacred lotus. Each and every part of Kamala is reported to have therapeutic uses. Kamala is mentioned in various diseases in various forms and formulations. Kamal traditionally used to treat diarrhoea, cholera, fever, hepatopathy, hyperdipsia,promoting conception,improving the skin condition,urinary problems,hypertion and many bleeding disorder. In Ayurveda,Charakacharya described use of Kamala in Raktapitta chikitsa. Charakacharya says observations,handling, contact of Kamala flower is useful in Rakatpitta also visiting lakes and ponds of Kamala will be helpful in Raktapitta 1 . If just observation or contact of Kamala is said to be helpful in the management of raktajvikara then there is need to study Kamala with reference to bleeding disorder i.e.Raktapitta. Classically mentioned Raktapitta resembles nearly with bleeding phathologies. Aggravated Pitta, due to its ushnata and dravata further affect Rakta and vitiate Rakta. This vitiated and increased Rakta along with Pitta cause Raktapitta. 2 It further shows symptoms like epistaxis,peptic ulcers, esophageal varices, bleeding in small intestine or colon etc. Kamala by its attributes works on Raktapitta. It balances the vitiated Pitta and Rakta which in turn helps in avoiding further etiology. 3 Hence review of literature of Kamala with reference to Raktapitta is mentioned in this article.


A technique to compute a solution for a given update and a given knowledge base is presented. The salient features of this approach are: the problem is tackled in a general way and presents a technique for repairing inconsistency; the user can interact with the system, actively influence the solution to be generated, and is not forced to generate all possible minimal solutions from which the user finally draws the most preferred one; solutions are obtained by set-oriented fact processing rather than by single fact accesses to the old knowledge base; and, in contrast to the other proposed techniques, the consistency of the old knowledge base is exploited when generating a solution.<<ETX>>


Abstract Högbomite, a complex oxide of A1, Fe, Mg, and Ti, is an important constitutent of some iron ores and emery deposits as well as an infrequent accessory in aluminous high-grade rocks (e.g. Grew et al., 1987). The recent increase in reports of new localities (e.g. Rammlmair et al.,1988) suggests that högbomite may be more widespread than is generally perceived. We report here högbomite from the Aldan Shield, Eastern Siberia. This högbomite is remarkable for the wide variation in composition measured in a single thin section. Our report is only the second from the USSR of högbomite for which chemical data are given.


function is established in the classical setting of the change-point estimation problem. This bound is attained by the maximum likelihood estimator in the situation when the two probability distributions before and after the change point are completely known. The nature of this bound is related to the multiple decision problem and a variety of inequalities relating it to the information-type measures is deduced. Minimaxity of the maximum likelihood procedure is proved for normal observations with unknown means.


During an Illinoisan lowstand, a major channel became entrenched on the shelf and deposited deltaic sediment of the shelf-slope break in the South Timbalier and Ewing Bank areas. This shelf-edge delta overloaded the margin, creating a major slope failure. This 'channel,' or slump canyon, which was originally deep and narrow, evolved through retrogradational wasting of the shelf into a broader feature during back-filling and abandonment. Mapping with integrated seismic and well data indicates a feature that is 6 mi wide and has 2300 ft of relief, from the base of the channel to the highest margin. Gravel lag fills the deepest portion of the scour and constitutes an excellent, though restricted, gas reservoir. The limits of the reservoir are defined by mapping of a seismic amplitude anomaly. The balance of the back-fill is comprised of thinly bedded silstone and sandstone sequences that generally thin and fine upward; each is capped by marine shales. The fill geometry is primarily nested or stacked channels. Positive topographic features on the outer shelf tower above the channel floor, either as uneroded remnants or as part of channel margin slump mounds. Sand-prone sediment onlapped these highs, thereby creating numerous stratigraphic traps. As sea level rose,more » the locus of deposition within the channel shifted progressively shoreward, and the fill was capped by a clean, transgressive shale. Further work is necessary to ascertain the location of the submarine fan far down-dip of this shelf-edge channel. Laterally extensive reservoirs can be expected in more distal depositional environments.« less


Recently, the use of a new family of electroluminescent copper(I) complexes—i.e., the archetypal [Cu(IPr)(3‐Medpa)][PF6] complex; IPr: 1,3‐bis‐(2,6‐di‐iso‐propylphenyl)imidazole‐2‐ylidene; 3‐Medpa: 2,2′‐bis‐(3‐methylpyridyl)amine—has led to blue light‐emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) featuring luminances of 20 cd m−2, stabilities of 4 mJ, and efficiencies of 0.17 cd A−1. Herein, this study rationalizes how to enhance these figures‐of‐merit optimizing both device fabrication and design. On one hand, a comprehensive spectroscopic and electrochemical study reveals the degradation of this novel emitter in common solvents used for LEC fabrication, as well as the impact on the photoluminescence features of thin‐films. On the other hand, spectro‐electrochemical and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy assays suggest that the device performance is strongly limited by the irreversible formation of oxidized species that mainly act as carrier trappers and luminance quenchers. Based on all of the aforementioned, device optimization was realized using ionic additives and a hole transporter either as a host–guest or as a multilayered architecture approach to decouple hole/electron injection. The latter significantly enhances the LEC performance, reaching luminances of 160 cd m−2, stabilities of 32.7 mJ, and efficiencies of 1.2 cd A−1. Overall, this work highlights the need of optimizing both device fabrication and design toward highly efficient and stable LECs based on cationic copper(I) complexes.


We introduce and study birational invariants for foliations on projective surfaces built from the adjoint linear series of positive powers of the canonical bundle of the foliation. We apply the results in order to investigate the effective algebraic integration of foliations on the projective plane. In particular, we describe the Zariski closure of the set of foliations on the projective plane of degree d admitting rational first integrals with fibers having geometric genus bounded by g.


Graphics is being used as an effective tool in visual communication, e.g. Second Life, Google city scene and Microsoft scene reconstruction. It is already changing social, cultural, commercial and educational environments. 3D representations complement text and 2D images because they provide a depth perspective, enhancing user experience for understanding abstract and complex concepts, as well as inducing the feeling of immersion. These benefits have led to the adoption of 3D content in a game-like environment for educational and other applications. While main stream multimedia technology has started to revolutionize the way content is captured and delivered to households (e.g., multimedia Television, 3DTV, for entertainment), mobile multimedia content is anticipated to emerge in parallel and be more and more pervasive in day-to-day life. Streamlined and cutting edge graphical content with increasingly rich semantics will soon be widely available on mobile devices. Keeping these emerging and fast growing technologies in mind, this paper focuses on investigating the constraints and benefits of handheld graphics in education, in particular on supporting curriculum designers and teachers to deliver high quality learning environment to users. We have implemented a handheld edutainment prototype system, which has been used as a test-bed by a group of teachers. From our evaluation we observe that while the education community can benefit from mobile graphics on handheld in a number of aspects, there are obvious constraints that prevent extension and immediate adoption of the technology in adaptive edutainment. We anticipate that developers will be able to design more effective student centric graphics edutainment learning systems on handheld devices by utilizing our findings.


A micro light-emitting diode (μLED) is a key device for the future of advanced information. Owing to expand its application widely, the concept of the emission-color conversion using layered semiconductors as a color converter is proposed. In addition, it is demonstrated that layered semiconductors were transferred directly onto μLED chips, and the emission-color conversion is realized. The layered GaS1−xSex alloy, whose energy bandgap can be controlled by tuning the S and Se compositions, was selected as a color converter. The photoluminescence (PL) measurements using a blue LED as an excitation source revealed that GaS0.65Se0.35 and GaSe can show green and red luminescence with center energies of 2.34 and 1.94 eV, respectively. The emission color of gallium nitride (GaN)-based blue μLEDs covered with GaS0.65Se0.35 and GaSe thin films were clearly converted to green and red, respectively. Furthermore, the emission color could be controlled by changing the film thickness. Thus, these results suggest the possibility of emission-color conversion of blue μLED chips utilizing layered materials.


Programme management has rapidly gained acceptance as a vehicle for achieving organisational strategic objectives and as a means of aligning projects with the overall strategy of the organisation. Managing programme risk poses challenges which are different from those in project management. Attempts to modify and apply project risk management techniques to programme risk management have experienced difficulties. The implications of the challenges of programme risk management extend beyond the tools and techniques. Recent research shows that that programme management is neither an extension, nor a scaled up version of project management. Philosophically, a paradigm shift from the predominantly mechanistic and reductionist mindset to a more appropriate paradigm based on complexity science and the theory of complex adaptive systems is required. This leads to the conclusion that the classic event based view of risk is inappropriate in modelling and analysing programme risk which need to be treated as holistic and dynamic.


When doping the antiferromagnetically (AF) ordered high-Tc cuprates with holes magnetic polarons (spin-polarized clusters) are formed. At higher hole concentrations and due to cluster diffusion a phase separation is formed by establishing large fractal or percolate clusters. This percolation picture allows us to understand experimentally obtained resulted for phase separation as well as magnetic and conductive phase diagrams.


Abstract. The existing multi-baseline methods have some problems of low accuracy and intensive calculation. In order to solve the problems, a new multi-baseline InSAR elevation inversion method based on a rigorous geometric model instead of a simplified model is proposed in the letter. This method introduces the three-dimensional reconstruction model based on rigorous geometric model and the unknown full cycles of interferometric phase as a parameter to iteratively solve the 3-D coordinates of the target. With adopting the 3-D coordinate information of targets to connect different interferometric data, the new method obviously weakens the effects of system errors on solving the integer cycle and is more reliable than conventional multi-baseline InSAR methods. The experimental results show that the speed and accuracy of the new method are better than the existing methods.


Administration of a diet containing 0.2% N-ethyl-N-hydroxyethylnitrosamine (EHEN) for 2 weeks induced hepatocellular carcinoma in 3 and renal tubular cell tumors in 7 of 9 Wistar rats. Diet containing 0.1% EHEN induced renal tubular cell tumors in 6 of 10 rats, but no hepatocellular carcinomas. Both diets induced atypical cell population of tubules in the kidney, but no nephroblastoma.


In New Zealand, obese Māori and Pasifika adolescents are at risk of numerous cardio-metabolic conditions with raising physical activity levels being proposed as a useful intervention. The present study used a mixed method design to explore the effects of a non-contact boxing-oriented training programme designed in terms of improvements to cardio-metabolic variables. Traditional recruitment strategies (media, referrals) were employed, with limited success leading to 3 adolescent boys (14-15 y) participating in the pilot intervention. Exercise sessions included 30 minutes of non-contact boxing training, followed by 30 minutes of progressive resistance training. Participants attended three 1h training sessions each week, for a total of 12 weeks. Physiological variables included anthropometric indices, visceral fat thickness, central blood pressures, central arterial stiffness (augmentation index: AIx), and carotid arterial stiffness (β). Results revealed that there was no trend for change in body weight (125.5 ± 12.1 kg vs. 126.5 ± 11.0 kg) or BMI (39.3 ± 4.1 kg·m(-2) vs. 39.0 ± 4.6 kg·m(-2)). However, there was a moderate decrease in visceral fat thickness (4.34 ± 2.51 cm vs 3.65 ± 1.11 cm, d = 0.36). There was no change in central pulse pressure (38.7 ± 7.3 mmHg vs. 38.3 ± 5.0 mmHg), however, there was a small improvement in β (3.01 ± 0.73 vs. 2.87 ± 0.84, d = 0.18). Focus group interview data with participants and their parents were used to explore issues related to motivation to participation. Results revealed participants commented on how the programme has led to new friendships, changes to their physical appearance, and increased physical fitness. Parents commented on increased self-confidence, better performance in school, and a willingness to take part in new activities. In conclusion, it appears participating in the boxing oriented training programme was motivating to participants who engaged and had some physiological benefits in obese adolescent boys of Māori and Pasifika descent. However, despite these positive attributes, poor recruitment rates suggest that future work should focus on identifying the barriers to engagement. Key pointsA boxing-oriented intervention was developed for use with Māori and Pasifika adolescents to improve cardiometabolic risk factors.While results indicate positive benefits of participation in the 60-minute boxing-orientated programme, only three participants were recruited despite intense promotion.Future research should investigate the efficacy of strategies designed to raise intentions to exercise.


At present multiband wireless devices are able to select their working frequency only to a limited extent because of the strict, current spectrum regulation. Dynamic spectrum access is a promising approach that might solve this inefficiency. The authors focus on spectrum sensing, one of the main tasks involved. First, three strategies are compared to efficiently sense the current spectrum based on the spectrum occupancy information statistics. In contrast to the simulation-based studies, the authors evaluate the performance of those strategies on real spectrum occupancy data gathered during an extensive measurement campaign. The authors show that the usage of historical information considerably improves the spectrum sensing process and also that the modelling of the periodic behaviour of the licensed signals leads to negligible performance enhancements because only very few periods shorter than several minutes can be found within 20 MHz–6 GHz. Secondly, the authors unveil the fundamental tradeoff between the required bandwidth for the transmission and the total bandwidth that has to be sensed in order to guarantee that the required bandwidth is available. All the results are provided in terms of outage probability that can be viewed as an approximation of the packet loss rate.


Soft-tissue calcification refers to a broad category of lesions. Calcifications are frequently identified by radiologists in daily practice. Using a simple algorithm based on the distribution pattern of the lesions and detailed clinical information, these calcified lesions can be systematically evaluated. The distribution pattern of the calcific deposits enables initial division into calcinosis circumscripta and calcinosis universalis. Using laboratory test results (serum calcium and phosphate levels) and clinical history, calcinosis circumscripta can be further categorized into four subtypes: dystrophic, iatrogenic, metastatic, and idiopathic calcification. This pictorial essay presents a systematic approach to the imaging features of soft-tissue calcifications and related diseases.


Cosmic γ-ray bursts are one of the great frontiers of astrophysics today. They are a playground of relativists and observers alike. They may teach us about the death of stars and the birth of black holes, the physics in extreme conditions, and help us probe star formation in the distant and obscured universe. In this review we summarise some of the remarkable progress in this field over the past few years. While the nature of the GRB progenitors is still unsettled, it now appears likely that at least some bursts originate in explosions of very massive stars, or at least occur in or near the regions of massive star formation. The physics of the burst afterglows is reasonably well understood, and has been tested and confirmed very well by the observations. Bursts are found to be beamed, but with a broad range of jet opening angles; the mean γ-ray energies after the beaming corrections are ∼ 10 erg. Bursts are associated with faint (〈R〉 ∼ 25 mag) galaxies at cosmological redshifts, with 〈z〉 ∼ 1. The host galaxies span a range of luminosities and morphologies, but appear to be broadly typical for the normal, actively star-forming galaxy populations at comparable redshifts and magnitudes. Some of the challenges for the future include: the nature of the short bursts and possibly other types of bursts and transients; use of GRBs to probe the obscured star formation in the universe, and possibly as probes of the very early universe; and their detection as sources of high-energy particles and gravitational waves.


Deposited calsium makes of the eggshell is influnce of the light. The objective of the study was evaluate exposed of monochromatic light to obtain basic information of the physiology aspect of calcium satus in the quail which direct relation with quality of the eggshell. Two hundred and seventy quails were divided into nine treatments of light, with ten replications and three quails in each replication. The treatments were without light, controls with 15 and 25 W, red, green, and blue lights with intensities of 15 and 25 lux. Control treatment used incandescent bulb. The red, green, and blue lights were provided by light emitting diodes (LED). All lights treatment were given for 14 h daily, started from 17.00 to 07.00. Parameters measured were serum calcium concentrations, calcium contents in bone and the eggshell, weights and thichness of the eggshell. The data obtained were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the differences between treatments groups were subjected for Duncan's Multiple Range Test (DMRT). All of the data analyzed were done GLM (general linear model) procedure in the SAS program. Quails exposed to monochromatic light had higher serum calcium concentrations and calcium contents in bone (P<0,05). Blue light could be used to increase quality of the eggshell.


High power single mode quantum cascade lasers with a narrow far field are important for several applications including surgery or military countermeasure. Existing technologies suffer from drawbacks such as operation temperature and scalability. In this paper we introduce a fabrication approach that potentially solves simultaneously these remaining limitations. We demonstrate and characterize deep etched, buried photonic crystal quantum cascade lasers emitting around a wavelength of 8.5 {\mu}m. The active region was dry etched before being regrown with semi-insulating Fe:InP. This fabrication strategy results in a refractive index contrast of 10% allowing good photonic mode control, and simultaneously provides good thermal extraction during operation. Single mode emission with narrow far field pattern and peak powers up to 0.88 W at 263 K were recorded from the facet of the photonic crystal laser, and lasing operation was maintained up to room temperature. The lasing modes emitted from square photonic crystal mesas with a side length of 550{\mu}m, were identified as slow Bloch photonic crystal modes by means of three-dimensional photonic simulations and measurements.


Inverter performance is typically measured against its ability to produce a high fidelity output waveform with narrow band switching frequency and fast transient response. The implementation of a new and improved algorithm that belongs to the family of zero average current error (ZACE) methods is reported in this paper. Advantages include microprocessor implementation, efficient computation with decreased computational intensity and software control of operational parameters (such as switching frequency, output frequency and output amplitude). The effectiveness of the new current control algorithm is demonstrated using an experimental concept prototype.


Communication plays a vital role to ensure the safe and effective use of medicines. Nevertheless, movement restriction measures and social distancing policies amid the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have introduced a significant communication barrier between pharmacists and patients. As such, there is an urgent need for alternative approaches to continue pharmacist-patient communication for pharmaceutical care activities. This narrative review summarized the use of five alternative approaches to replace traditional face-to-face counselling by pharmacists:  telephone counselling, videoconference, multimedia-mediated counselling, provision of reading materials, and drug reminder packaging. These five approaches may be used interchangeably on their own or as a model of care where different aspects of each approach may be combined to deliver coherent pharmaceutical care.


Oriented immobilization of antibodies on a sensor surface is critical for enhancing both the antigen‐binding capacity and the sensitivity of immunosensors. In this study, we describe a strategy to adsorb immunoglobulin G (IgG) anti‐Brucella antibodies onto a silicon surface, oriented by protein A obtained from Staphylococcus aureus (SpA). X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy were used to characterize topographically, morphologically, and chemical changes of the sensor functionalization. The activity of the biosensor was assessed by confocal microscopy, scanning electronic microscopy, and bacteria capture assays (BCA). According to the BCA, the efficiency of Brucella abortus detection with the SpA‐IgG anti Brucella biosensor was three‐fold higher than that of the random orientated IgG anti Brucella biosensor. The limit of detection was 1 × 106 CFU/ml. These data show that the orientation of antibodies immobilization is crucial to developing immunosensors for bacterial antigen detection as Brucella spp and improve its sensibility level. Functionalization with protein A increases Brucella detection by an antibody‐coated surface. Functionalized silicon surface for Brucella detection was characterized by atomic force microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and confocal microscopy.


Several years ago a new drug was introduced by Young, White and Swartz 1 for use as a germicide in the genito-urinary tract. Since its introduction this drug, mercurochrome-220 soluble, has found wide fields for employment, both in medicine and in surgery. Mercurochrome is the sodium salt of dibromoxymercury-fluorescein, made by combining one atom of mercury with one molecule of dibromfluorescein and contains about 26 per cent, mercury. It has been shown that in dilutions of 1: 5,000 it kills Staphylococcus aureus in five minutes and B. coli in fifteen minutes. When given intravenously in doses of 0.005 gm. per kilogram of body weight, the resulting dilution with the blood is approximately 1: 13,000. Dissolved in defibrinated blood in strengths of 1: 8,000 the Streptococcus hemolyticus is killed in forty minutes, and when the dilution is made 1: 16,000 (well above that occurring with ordinary doses used intravenously) it kills


It is well established that the benefits of R&D spending accrue over several years and that more cumulative R&D spending benefits the firm more. Here we study how a given amount of R&D spending is best allocated over time to optimize R&D performance. Under a persistent policy, allocations remain nearly constant irrespective of circumstances; under a dynamic policy, R&D spending increases (resp., declines) when opportunities arise (resp., fail to materialize). We use a sample of 3,746 publicly listed companies, observed for an average of seven years between 1982 and 2003, to assess which of these two R&D allocation policies is preferable. We find that a dynamic allocation strategy is associated with worse R&D performance—in terms of patent quantity and quality—and demonstrate that momentum is not the cause. We find that it is particularly the unpredictable part of any dynamic spending pattern that hurts R&D performance; the predictable part has no or even positive effects. Finally, our results are more pronounced for firms in higher quantiles of the performance distribution: rather than coping with the negative effects of dynamic allocation, such companies are especially affected by them.


During her academic stay in Texas University at Austin, the author performed an exhaustive review of several Texan publications from the Nettie-Lee Benson collection, regarding several facts of Mexican revolutionary politics and post-revolutionary politics (Madero´s brief government, Huerta´s encroachment and the triumph and murder of Venustiano Carranza). When the revolution succeeded, a great number of Mexicans fled the country and established on Texan territory, mainly in El Paso and San Antonio, where they formed political groups, letting their opinions be known through publications —almost all edited in Spanish— as El Semanario, El Regidor (1888-1916) and the newspapers La Republica (1918-1929) and La Patria (1919-1924).


Visual perception and language understanding are - fundamental components of human intelligence, enabling them to understand and reason about objects and their interactions. It is crucial for machines to have this capacity to reason using these two modalities to invent new robot-human collaborative systems. Recent advances in deep learning have built separate sophisticated representations of both visual scenes and languages. However, understanding the associations between the two modalities in a shared context for multimodal reasoning remains a challenge. Focusing on language and vision modalities, this thesis advances the understanding of how to exploit and use pivotal aspects of vision-and-language tasks with neural networks to support reasoning. We derive these understandings from a series of works, making a two-fold contribution: (i) effective mechanisms for content selection and construction of temporal relations from dynamic visual scenes in response to a linguistic query and preparing adequate knowledge for the reasoning process (ii) new frameworks to perform reasoning with neural networks by exploiting visual-linguistic associations, deduced either directly from data or guided by external priors.


Public markets were once a very important place to a city. However with the growth of the city and heavy usage of traffic, big-box supermarkets start to find its way into the city. The supermarket revolution had overtaken the public markets identity in most urban cities. However, due to recent events known as the supermarket bully-boy tactics, brought an awareness to the public. In result, the public starting to turn away from these chain supermarkets and start to support the local produce. However, even with the support from the public, public markets still find hard to grow within the urban city.
This thesis investigates how a hybrid building could be the solution for the public markets in the city from being evicted due to urban land development. This is investigated by incorporating the public market as part of the building's design development. Besides incorporating the market into the building, the nature of the market as a public place needed to be retained.
As the chosen site for this project is situated in an area between two high activity neighborhoods, the project's design seeks to channel the vibrancy from the surrounding area through the building. The research had identified several public programs other than the market to be integrated into the project's design. The aim is to design a vibrant urban public place, engaging with the people and building a sense of community within the inner city area.
This design-led research thesis breaks-down the project's complexity into three separate faces to be investigated. The first design phase introduces the overall design scheme and describes the programs relativity to the project. This phase carried on with the investigation and documentation of the form finding process through a series of physical modelling and images.
This then led to the second phase of the research involving the market. This phase investigates the physical realms in public market design from a socio-spatial perspective and design principles for making farmer's markets a public space. The investigation considers the circulation route defined by the promenade and the layout of the stalls. Diagrammatic analysis was conducted throughout these investigations. The outcome of these investigations will reflect on the latter decision for the overall design outcome.
The research carried on to phase three where the final design outcome of the design is documented. The design process is generated through the combination of investigation outcomes gathered in phase one and two.


In this paper, we will present the implementation of a deconvolution algorithm for brain perfusion quantification on GPGPU (General Purpose Graphics Processor Units) using the CUDA programming model. GPUs originated as graphics generation dedicated co-processors, but the modern GPUs have evolved to become a more general processor capable of executing scientific computations. It provides a highly parallel computing environment due to its huge number of computing cores and constitutes an affordable high performance computing method. The objective of brain perfusion quantification is to generate parametric maps of relevant haemodynamic quantities such as Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF), Cerebral Blood Volume (CBV) and Mean Transit Time (MTT) that can be used in diagnosis of conditions such as stroke or brain tumors. These calculations involve deconvolution operations that in the case of using local Arterial Input Functions (AIF) can be very expensive computationally. We present the serial and parallel implementations of such algorithm and the evaluation of the performance gains using GPUs.


California Bearing Ratio is a kind of method for testing the bearing capacity of the material. Aeolian sand is wildly distributed in north-west of China, such as Qinghai, Ningxia, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia. Different sedimentary history and condition makes the sand have different characteristics. This paper aim to testing different moisture content, mud content and gradation affect the Aeolian sand strength and bearing capacity through California Bearing Ratio method. The result of this experience shows that moisture content and mud content have a significant influence of the Aeolian sand strength and bearing capacity. Before the optimal moisture content, the CBR is increased, after the optimal moisture content, the CBR is decreased. Before the optimal mud content, the CBR is increased, after the optimal mud content, the CBR is also decreased. With the increase of compaction, the result of CBR is increasing. Under the same gradation condition, the CBR becomes smaller and smaller with the increase of mud content. Increasing compaction work, the CBR value also increased.


We examined 6 male and 10 female patients with senile tremor which started at 60 years of age or older. The patients' age on examination ranged from 66 to 82 years (mean: 73.4; SD: 5.4 years). The surface electromyogram (EMG) was recorded from the bilateral biceps brachii, triceps brachii, forearm flexor and forearm extensor muscles. The frequency of the tremor was counted and patterns of grouping discharges were analysed. The effect of mechanical perturbation to the affected muscle on tremor rhythm was also examined. The same investigations were performed in 15 male and 7 female patients with essential tremor with onset age before 60 years as control patients. The mean frequency was 6.2 Hz (SD: 1.3 Hz) in senile tremor and 7.3 Hz (SD: 1.5 Hz) in essential tremor. There was a significant difference between the two groups. The mean frequency in control patients whose age on examination was 60 years or over was, however, 6.0 Hz (SD: 0.8 Hz), and there was no difference from the mean frequency in senile tremor. The frequency in both groups was inversely correlated to the patient's age on examination. The antagonist muscles were reciprocally discharged in 15 patients in the senile tremor group and in 7 in the controls. Mechanical perturbation of the affected muscle re-set the tremor rhythm in all patients examined. Thus, senile tremor had characteristics resembling tremor in the control patients, suggesting that senile tremor may be a subtype of essential tremor.


Background The utility of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET) to identify higher risk surgical patients remains controversial. There is limited research investigating the value of preoperative CPET to plan perioperative pathways for patients undergoing major pancreatic surgery. Methods Retrospective cohort study, comprising two groups before and after a change in referral policy for High Risk preoperative anaesthetic clinic with CPET. Period 1 discretionary referral and Period 2: universal referral. The primary aim was to investigate the impact of this policy change on critical care use (planned vs unplanned) on the day of surgery and on delayed critical care admission. Secondary end points included a comparison of the total number of critical care bed days, days in hospital, complication rates and mortality data between the two cohorts. Results 177 patients were included; 114 in Period 1 and 63 in Period 2. There was a reduction in unplanned day of surgery postoperative admissions to critical care (28.1% vs. 11.1%, p = 0.008). Seven (6.1%) of patients in Period 1 and 1 (1.6%) patient in Period 2 had delayed admission, though no p value was calculated due to the small numbers involved. Complication rates were similar in each group. The median critical care bed days was 1 (range 0–21) days in Period 1 and 1 (0–13) days in Period 2. Conclusions A universal referral policy for preoperative CPET demonstrated a decrease in unplanned day of surgery critical care admissions and a trend towards reducing delayed (>24 h postop) critical care admission which could be investigated in a larger study. No measurable impact was seen on clinical outcomes.