Objective: To estimate the incidence of severe maternal sepsis due to group B Streptococcus (GBS) in the UK, and to investigate the associated outcomes for mother and infant. Design: National case – control study. Setting: All UK consultant-led maternity units. Participants: 30 women with confirmed or suspected severe GBS sepsis, and 757 control women. Main outcome measures: Disease incidence, additional maternal morbidity, critical care admission, length of stay, infant infection, mortality. Results: The incidences of confirmed and presumed severe maternal GBS sepsis were 1.00 and 2.75 per 100 000 maternities, respectively, giving an overall incidence of 3.75 per 100 000. Compared with controls, severe GBS sepsis was associated with higher odds of additional maternal morbidity (OR 12.35, 95% CI 3.96 to 35.0), requiring level 2 (OR 39.3, 95% CI 16.0 to 99.3) or level 3 (OR 182, 95% CI 21.0 to 8701) care and longer hospital stay (median stay in cases and controls was 7 days (range 3 – 29 days) and 2 days (range 0 – 16 days), respectively, p<0.001). None of the women died. Severe maternal GBS sepsis was associated with higher odds of infant sepsis (OR 32.7, 95% CI 8.99 to 119.0); 79% of infants, however, did not develop sepsis. There were no associated stillbirths or neonatal deaths. Conclusions: Severe maternal GBS sepsis is a rare occurrence in the UK. It is associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.


The synthesis of complexional ultrafine zinc oxide powders by controlled-release precipitation method, which is a precipitation process of precursor by controlling ammonia distillation rate in ammonia solution under the combination effect of microwave heating and ultrasonic cavitating, and followed by subsequent heat treatment was investigated. The characteristic of precursor and zinc oxide powders were studied using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, TG-DTA-DTG, FT-IR, and ultraviolet-visible pectrophotometer. The coloring mechanism of complexional zinc oxide is discussed. This has shown that a tentative composition of the precursor is likely Zn3CO3(OH)4·H2O. Complexional zinc oxide particles of an average particle size of 200 nm with narrow size distribution, good dispersibility and hexagonal appearance could be obtained after annealing at 350°C for 1.5 hour. ZnO particles are complexional, probably due to nitrogen atom or N-H bond entering into crystal lattice of zinc oxide. Complexional zinc oxide has fine capacity of shielding UV and absorbing wide range of wavelength.


Recent trends in robot learning are to use trajectory-based optimal control techniques and reinforcement learning to scale complex robotic systems. On the one hand, increased computational power and multiprocessing, and on the other hand, probabilistic reinforcement learning methods and function approximation, have contributed to a steadily increasing interest in robot learning. Imitation learning has helped significantly to start learning with reasonable initial behavior. However, many applications are still restricted to rather lowdimensional domains and toy applications. Future work will have to demonstrate the continual and autonomous learning abilities, which were alluded to in the introduction.


DKI Jakarta has been the most prospective destination for Indonesian low-income urban migrants to find jobs. The need for affordable housing for low-income people increase along with the rise of low-income urban migrants' number. Providing houses for Indonesian low-income people has become the Indonesian government's concern as the housing providers for many years. There were unmatched between the housing government-supplied and the demands of the low-income people. Low-income people have unique preferences in choosing their residences. Moreover, the previous studies show one's preferences on housing develop over one's lifecycle, namely housing career. The preferences for living space is one of the house attribute importance that considered in choosing a residence. This paper will discuss the low-income people preferences on the living spaces and the changes of these preferences over their lifecycle, especially in their early housing career. The research method used distribution of living space preference changes by selected independent variables and bivariate statistical analysis with Pearson Contingency Coefficient. The study took five of the most populated districts in DKI Jakarta and used snowball sampling on 420 respondents. The paper discussion only focuses on 369 of 420 respondents who have at least 2-residence-career, while the other respondents have never moved out from their first residence. This study found that the majority of respondents consider living space when choosing their residence, and almost half of the preferences change along with the changes in the lifecycle. The results of this study are expected to be a consideration for the Indonesian government in providing affordable housing for Indonesian low-income people.


The reduction of graphene oxide during the processing of fly ash-based geopolymers offers a completely new way of developing low-cost multifunctional materials with significantly improved mechanical and electrical properties for civil engineering applications such as bridges, buildings and roads. In this paper, we present for the first time the self-sensing capabilities of fly ash-based geopolymeric composites containing in situ reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Geopolymeric composites with rGO concentrations of 0.0, 0.1 and 0.35% by weight were prepared and their morphology and conductivity were determined. The piezoresistive effect of the rGO-geopolymeric composites was also determined under tension and compression. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results indicate that the rGO sheets can easily be reduced during synthesis of geopolymers due to the effect of the alkaline solution on the functional groups of GO. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed that the majority of pores and voids within the geopolymers were significantly reduced due to the addition of rGO. The rGO increased the electrical conductivity of the fly ash-based rGO-geopolymeric composites from 0.77 S m−1 at 0.0 wt% to 2.38 S m−1 at 0.35 wt%. The rGO also increased the gauge factor by as much as 112% and 103% for samples subjected to tension and compression, respectively.


Computation of optimum schedules for dynamic scheduling of tasks introduces an overhead delay in the processing time of the programs executed in an automated system. This is particularly so if serial scheduling algorithms are used. It is proposed that tasks be dynamically scheduled with the Lawler scheduling algorithm and that, to minimise the additional delay due to the computation of optimum schedules, a neural network be used for retrieving optimal solutions. A neural network architecture that can recognise binary vector representations of scheduling problems and retrieve optimal schedules in negligible time is described.<<ETX>>


OBJECTIVE
To analyze the outcome and risk factors for 217 elderly patients who have undergone surgery for head and neck cancer, with or without radiation therapy.

DESIGN
The risk factors that were reviewed included the primary tumor size, TNM staging, disease stage, preoperative health status, and type of surgical procedure.

SETTING
Head and neck oncology clinic at North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem.

RESULTS
The disease stage was directly related to prognosis, while advanced age and concomitant medical conditions were not. Complications were more prevalent with increased patient age, and the 57 patients who were older than 81 years had a slightly lower 3- and 5-year survival than those who were 65 to 80 years old. Sixty-six percent of all patients were discharged at 2 weeks, and 5% remained hospitalized for longer than 1 month. At the latest follow-up, 46% of the patients were alive without recurrence or had died of other causes.

CONCLUSIONS
Appropriate surgical therapy of head and neck cancer can be as effective in elderly patients as in younger patients without a significant increase in complications.


Within the domain of breast reconstruction, abject fat has become a form of biovalue to be harnessed, harvested, and remediated through fat transfer, fat grafting, the therapeutic use of fat stem cells, and fat banking. Each of these technologies deploys fat as capital and promises to return corporeal wholeness following breast cancer surgery. This paper explores the supposed endless malleability of fat and the Promethean dream it represents. In the context of these technologies, the paper asks under what conditions can fat become biovalue; what new corporeal economies are created through the labor of fat; how is this form of biovalue inextricable from the vast circuitry of the breast cancer industry; and how do broader patterns of social dispossession delimit who has access to this dream? It becomes evident that fat gets to be revalued and remediated by women already privileged within circuits of capital, demarcations along lines of race, and notions of normative embodiment. Ultimately, it is the ideal neoliberal subject – one who is 'able' to assume responsibility for her own health – that is the inheritor of this dream.


CHOLANGIOGRAPHY is the roentgenologic or roentgenoscopic examination of the biliary tract with the aid of a radiopaque medium instilled into the bile ducts, usually through a tube or needle. The history of the development of the procedure from the first instillation of barium paste in a biliary fistula, in 1918, to the more modern postoperative cholangiogram as first used by Saralegui, in 1926, and the operative cholangiogram as described by Mirizzi, in 1931, has been discussed rather extensively elsewhere * and will not be reviewed further. The value of cholangiography in providing the surgeon with detailed anatomic and pathologic information has been attested to frequently.† It also has been agreed by many authors ‡ that this procedure will lower the incidence of unnecessary common duct explorations, especially in patients who are poor surgical risks, and thus increase the safety of biliary tract surgery. Secondary operations can be avoided by use of


This paper is concerned with the design and implementation of a compression method for color image. This method based on Differential Pulse Code Modulation (DPCM), Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) , Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) and Quadtree Coding Scheme. As a first step the DPCM technique is used to isolate blocks of an image into correlated and uncorrelated blocks. The isolated correlated blocks have been compressed using DCT based compression method then each block has been embedded with zeros on the original image. Each uncorrelated block has been compressed using DWT based method and put the compressed block in its location on the original image. Then, the result (i.e., the zeros blocks and compressed blocks with DWT) coded using Quadtree spatial coding. The output from DWT based and DCT based passed through shift coding stage to gain a possible further compression. The performance results of proposed hybrid algorithms produces better quality of image in terms of Peak-Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) with a higher Compression Ratio (CR) compared to standalone DCT or DWT. The PSNR values of the reconstructed images after applying proposed system are ranged from 30.62 to 40.95dB and CR on average, have been reduced to be around 1:19.6 of the size of the original image.


We study the effect of the Brexit referendum result on subjective well-being in the United Kingdom. Using a quasi-experimental design, we find that this outcome led to an overall decrease in subjective well-being in the UK compared to a control group. The effect is driven by individuals who hold an overall positive attitude towards the EU and shows little signs of adaptation. Subjective well-being of those with a very negative attitude towards the EU increases in the short-run but turns negative, possibly due to unmet expectations. Using three different measures of socio-economic connection between the UK and other European countries, we generally do not find evidence supporting the presence of spillover effects of the Brexit referendum result on subjective well-being of individuals in other EU countries.


The growing movement recognizing the importance of assessment in education includes emphasis on broadening methods of assessing student learning beyond paper and pencil measures and traditional written examinations (Hill, Ruptic, & Norwick, 1998; Stiggins, 1997). In addition, research on the nature of memory suggests that traditional written individual examinations may not maximize long-term retention of information and concepts (Anderson, 1995; Hill, 1990; Woolfolk, 1998). The cooperative oral exam described in this article is an assessment format that is applicable in a wide range of disciplines. It was designed to accomplish three goals: 1) to enhance the application and long-term retention of critical course concepts; 2) to model for prospective teachers an alternative method of assessing student learning; and 3) to deepen students' understanding of course material while also fostering group skills. The exam is part of a course titled "Learners and Instruction" which combines psychology of learning with general instructional methods. It is a required course in a Master in Teaching program for students earning a master's degree and initial teaching certification at Seattle University. In the years we have been teaching this course, we have attempted to analyze and articulate for students factors that support student learning. With this assignment we discuss with students the relationship of the cooperative oral exam to models of assessment, elements of effective cooperative learning and principles of memory. Method As an alternative to a traditional written exam, we developed, and have now empirically assessed, a cooperative oral final exam process to help students synthesize course content. Students prepare for and take this exam in the cooperative groups, typically of four people, in which they have worked throughout the course. Three days prior to the exam, students are given a list of questions from which the exam questions are selected, and a description of the process for the exam. Questions require synthesis and application of course content to the analysis of a videotaped teaching episode selected for its rich illustrations. For example, one question asks the students to "analyze the teacher's application of principles of long-term memory". Another question asks "What motivational theories and practices did you see the teacher using in the videotape? Cite specific examples of behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, or social learning theory that you saw in the lesson. Comment on the effectiveness with which you think these approaches were or could be applied. What additional motivation techniques might have been used?" Groups view the teaching episode early one afternoon, have time to discuss the questions, view the video tape again the following morning, and then have it available over the remainder of that day and the next if they choose to view it again. These 2 1/2 days are built into the course schedule as exam preparation time. Group members work to help each other master course material so that each member of the group may respond to any question asked of him/her on the exam day. On the third day following the video viewing each group meets with the two instructors for 15 minutes. Individual accountability, identified as a critical element in cooperative group learning (Johnson, Johnson, & Holubec, 1994), results from the fact that students are called on randomly, and each must be prepared to offer the group's analysis of any of the questions. Giving a single group grade for the exam provides positive interdependence, another essential element. The instructors plan five minutes between groups to discuss the group's performance, determine the group grade, and write comments for the group. The grade and comments are available at the end of the exam day. Students work on several cooperative group assignments prior to the cooperative oral final exam. …


Alberto Grau is arguably one of the most influential contemporary Venezuelan choral composers and conductors of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This thesis explores the synthesis of Venezuelan nationalism with global internationalism found within his works. As a student of the nationalistic generation of composers (Vicente Emilio Sojo, Juan Bautista Plaza, and Angel Sauce) Grau's works display the distinct characteristics found in Venezuelan music. His output also exhibits international influences, using texts associated with social and environmental events and concerns including literary and musical influences of other nations and cultures. The first section of the thesis traces the lineage of Venezuelan choral composers beginning with the colonial period and the Escuela de Chacao to the nationalistic composers from the Santa Capilla generation. The second section describes Alberto Grau's compositional style as exemplified in his work Kasar mie la gaji (The Earth is Tired). The final section of the document comprises interviews with Alberto Grau and his wife, the Venezuelan choral conductor, Maria Guinand. Guinand studied piano and conducting with Alberto Grau and was his assistant at the Orfeon Universitario Simon Bolivar and the Schola Cantorum de Caracas. She is the founding conductor of the Cantoria Alberto Grau and the editor of the Latin American division of Earthsongs Music. Through interviews and analysis this project informa the reader about the life and compositions of Venezuelan choral composer and conductor Alberto Grau.


Vaccinations have made enormous contributions to global public health over the past several decades. Increases in vaccination coverage have played a large role in the declines seen in child mortality over the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) period. However, vaccine-preventable diseases are still responsible for nearly quarter of annual child deaths. In conjunction with the transition to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) period, the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) outlined an integrative framework to continue progress towards achieving universal vaccination coverage. Robust estimates of routine and new vaccination coverage are essential for assessing global, regional, and country level progress towards reaching the SDG and GVAP targets. To date, estimates produced jointly by the WHO and UNICEF serve as the main source of coverage estimates for both public and private organizations in the global health community. However, limitations in their methodology limit the accuracy and interpretation of these estimates. In this study, we seek to fill in these gaps by using robust modeling techniques to estimate vaccination coverage for all new and routine vaccinations recommended by the WHO for 195 countries from 1980 to 2016. We additionally estimate comprehensive and comparable estimates of an overall vaccine indicator (estimated as a geometric mean across all vaccinations), drop-out, timeliness, and administrative bias at the global, regional, and country level.


"is based on the assumption that law is never simply applied, but always interpreted by a heterogeneous assemblage of legal and non-legal authorities. Common sense, professional experience, prejudice, and aesthetic judgment all inform the actions and decisions taken by urban practitioners – from officials at the Ordnungsamt to representatives of urban renewal initiatives. The site for Hentschel's analysis is Berlin's neighbourhood of Neukölln – a place long branded as depressed and failing, but currently going through a phase of rapid, and nervous, transformation. The talk disentangles the legal and quasi-legal strategies that urban regulators apply in their attempts to alter the social, aesthetic and affective fabric of Neukölln's spaces. Two spatialities – each in its own way iconic and troubled – come into focus here: the space of the casino on the one hand, and that of Broadway Neukölln (a shopping street called Karl Marx Straße) on the other. Coupling critical socio-legal studies with postcolonial urban theory, governmentality studies, and affect theory, Hentschel seeks to conceptualize the creative workings of the law in a time of a neighbourhood's nervous flickering."


AtNRT2.1, a polypeptide of the Arabidopsis thaliana two-component inducible high-affinity nitrate transport system (IHATS), is located within the plasma membrane. The monomeric form of AtNRT2.1 has been reported to be the most abundant form, and was suggested to be the form that is active in nitrate transport. Here we have used immunological and transient protoplast expression methods to demonstrate that an intact two-component complex of AtNRT2.1 and AtNAR2.1 (AtNRT3.1) is localized in the plasma membrane. A. thaliana mutants lacking AtNAR2.1 have virtually no IHATS capacity and exhibit extremely poor growth on low nitrate as the sole source of nitrogen. Near-normal growth and nitrate transport in the mutant were restored by transformation with myc-tagged AtNAR2.1 cDNA. Membrane fractions from roots of the restored myc-tagged line were solubilized in 1.5% dodecyl-β-maltoside and partially purified in the first dimension by blue native gel electrophoresis. Using anti-NRT2.1 antibodies, an oligomeric polypeptide (approximate molecular mass 150 kDa) was identified, but monomeric AtNRT2.1 was absent. This oligomer was also observed in the wild-type, and was resolved, using SDS-PAGE for the second dimension, into two polypeptides with molecular masses of approximately 48 and 26 kDa, corresponding to AtNRT2.1 and myc-tagged AtNAR2.1, respectively. This result, together with the finding that the oligomer is absent from NRT2.1 or NAR2.1 mutants, suggests that this complex, rather than monomeric AtNRT2.1, is the form that is active in IHATS nitrate transport. The molecular mass of the intact oligomer suggests that the functional unit for high-affinity nitrate influx may be a tetramer consisting of two subunits each of AtNRT2.1 and AtNAR2.1.


Childcare instability can negatively affect family well-being. Yet not all childcare changes are bad for families. This qualitative study (N = 85) examines work, family, provider, and subsidy-related factors contributing to childcare changes among families with low incomes. We focus on the desirability—the extent to which parents wanted to leave their provider—and the planned nature of childcare changes—the extent to which parents anticipated the change and had time to plan. We find that although nearly all desired changes were planned, undesired changes were both planned and unplanned. Planning was important but not enough for finding care that aligned with family needs, and undesired changes, especially sudden changes, were often driven by the loss of a childcare subsidy, sometimes accompanied by a job loss. We discuss how these findings can help researchers and policymakers understand the implications of complex childcare trajectories for family well-being and early care and education policy.


Until the twentieth century the northern regions of Russia and North America had little by way of infrastructure and urban development. This changed as the extent of the mineral wealth in these regions came to be appreciated and exploited. During the Second World War and the Cold War the regions came to be of strategic importance, resulting in the building of major military bases, such as the Thule Air Base, and infrastructure, such as the Alaskan Highway. The mineral wealth of the region, particularly hydrocarbons, is located long distances from consumers, requiring major infrastructure projects across challenging terrain and environmentally sensitive areas. The beneficiaries of such projects, who gain access to more secure and cheaper energy sources, often reside a long way from where the impact of the projects is felt. By contrast, the local population may have to bear the environmental and social consequences and any adverse impact upon traditional livelihoods, such as hunting, fishing, and nomadic agriculture. These raise questions about how and whether the local populations can share in the benefits from development and the extent to which the environmental and livelihood consequences can be mitigated whilst achieving the understandable desire of central governments to improve living standards and security of energy supplies for their populations as a whole. In the early days of development in the region, there was a tendency on the part of governments to view the region as terra nullis, wilderness land belonging to no-one. In lands without settled agriculture, surely those displaced from one piece of tundra, taiga, or icecap to another could be relocated on an apparently interchangeable land? This was done without regard for the extent to which the landscapes were managed, the impact of relocation and development on hunting and other activities or the ties of indigenous populations with the land. More recent developments have provided from greater participation of the local population in the planning process and a sharing of the benefits from development. The paper compares and contrasts the approaches adopted in North America, particularly Canada, and the Russian Federation.


Carob (Ceratonia siliqua) is commonly found in the Mediterranean region and may be used as an alternative feed resource in livestock production. However, carob contains plant secondary compounds, such as polyphenols, which limit its use due to potential toxicity problems. This study aimed to investigate whether the substitution of barley by carob pulp at a relatively high level of up to 35% causes production-level reduction and has detrimental effects on animal welfare. Lamb performance parameters such as feed intake, liveweight and carcass weight were recorded and feeding behaviour was monitored. Blood metabolites and protein profiles were determined to detect signs of metabolic distress. The inclusion of carob pulp resulted in similar level of performance by animals in all the experimental diets. However, the feeding pattern was different with feed intake being significantly lower during the first 90 min post feed supply in the carob-fed lambs compared with the Control animals, although total daily intake was similar. In terms of welfare indicators, the inclusion of carob pulp in the lambs' diet reduced blood cholesterol while increasing both non-esterified fatty acid and urea levels. These indicate that the animals were probably under some form of metabolic stress but not at a level to cause concerns, as confirmed by the similar serum protein profile especially in terms of albumin to globulins ratio.


Independent component analysis (ICA) aims at extracting unknown components from multivariate data assuming that the underlying components are mutually independent. This technique has been successfully applied to the recognition and classification of objects. We present a method that combines the benefits of ICA and the ability of the integral imaging technique to obtain 3D information for the recognition of 3D objects with different orientations. Our recognition is also possible when the 3D objects are partially occluded by intermediate objects.


We studied the different carrier kinetic mechanisms involved into the interband absorption of quantum dots (QDs) by photocurrent spectroscopy. It was shown that in vertically coupled InGaAs QDs an effective carrier emission, collection and separation take place due to minizone formation. The possibility for the incorporation of vertically-coupled QDs into solar cells (SC) without any deterioration of structural quality of the p-i-n-junction has been shown. Due to the additional absorption of solar spectrum in QD media and the subsequent effective separation of photogenerated carriers, an increase (~1%) in short-circuit current density (Jsc) for the QD SC-devices has been demonstrated. However the insertion of QDs into intrinsic region reduced the open circuit voltage (Voc) of such devices. Moving the QD array in the base layer as well as including the Bragg reflector (BR) centered on 920 nm resulted in increase of the Voc. Moreover an improved absorption in the QD media for SC with BR led to further increase of Jsc (~1%). The efficiency for QD SCs at the level of 25% (30 suns AM1.5D) has been demonstrated.


Aims: The purpose of this article is to review community-based evaluations of street drinking bans, with a view to understanding the effectiveness of these laws in reducing alcohol-related harm and benefiting the community. Methods: Sixteen evaluations across 13 locations (in the UK, New Zealand and Australia) were identified. Nine themes were drawn out of the content and thematic analysis. Findings: Street drinking bans often: (1) negatively impact marginalized groups; (2) result in displacement; (3) improve perceptions of safety; (4) are enforced inconsistently; (5) improve perceptions of environment/amenity; and (6) are supported by police, traders and older people. It is unclear whether street drinking bans: (7) reduce public drinking; (8) reduce alcohol-related crime or harm; and (9) are understood and adhered to. Conclusions: There is no evidence that street drinking bans reduce alcohol-related harm or benefit the community in the other ways (aside from perceptions of safety and improvement to amenity). However, the methodological limitations of the evaluations reviewed make it difficult to draw conclusions about the effectiveness or otherwise of street drinking bans. More rigorous evaluations of the effectiveness and impacts of street drinking laws need to be undertaken given their continued proliferation across Australia and other Western countries.


In 1995 Daimler-Benz Research and Technology (Germany), its US subsidiary Adtranz, and Carnegie Mellon University entered into a research agreement to develop system prototypes of a next-generation train maintenance and diagnostic system. Adtranz is a manufacturer of People Movers such as are seen at airports throughout the world and also a major manufacturer of rail car systems for mass transit systems like the New York City subway. The paper focuses on the mobile information and communication aspects, discusses the working prototype features, research results, performance, obstacles overcome, and future work.


Click-active surfaces patterned at 200 nm resolution are demonstrated using the dual functional polymeric film, poly(propargyl methacrylate) (PPMA). The commercially available monomer of propargyl methacrylate (PMA) is polymerized in a single step by initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD). FT-IR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirm retention of the click-active acetylene functional group in the bulk and surface of the iCVD film, respectively. Treating substrates with silane coupling agents prior to deposition results in grafting of iCVD PPMA polymers onto various inorganic surfaces. This grafting technique provides the chemical and mechanical stability required for the PPMA layer to survive the subsequent wet chemical steps used for click functionalization. Successful attachment of an azido-functionalized coumarin dye is demonstrated. Moreover, the PPMA film displays direct positive-tone sensitivity to e-beam irradiation, which enables e-beam patterning without the use of a resist layer. Direct e-beam exposure of the multifunctional PPMA iCVD layer results in a 200 nm pattern to which quantum dot nanoparticles are selectively conjugated on the sub-strates by click chemistry.


The last few years have seen a reinvention of the economy through the growth of the "sharing economy" or the "new economy." The modern sharing economy is diverse and is made up of various types of organizations and structures, including shared housing. What ties these various components together is that they "generally facilitate community ownership, localized production, sharing, cooperation, [and] small scale enterprise." The rise of the new sharing economy has been a consequence of the latest assault on the old American Dream -- the version in which one is "expected to grow up, get a good job, and make money to buy all of the things [one] might need." The realization of this dream, however, has been hampered by recent negative economic changes. One pair of commentators has opined that "[t]he sharing economy is not a top-down solution, meaning that it will not be imposed by a set of legislated policies . . . [Rather], it is being built from the ground up by every individual and group that chooses to begin consuming, transacting, or making a livelihood in a new way." The sharing economy has redefined consumption in the housing context in a manner that implicates the exclusivity of the use and enjoyment of real property. Consequently, just as with other aspects of use and access to goods, materials, and services in the sharing economy, housing sharing is predicated on two ideas working in tandem with one another: (1) that "we can have access to many things that we need without having to own them all by ourselves" and (2) that by sharing some of the benefits of property ownership -- namely use and enjoyment -- we can also shift some of the (economic) burdens of ownership. The number of online platforms designed to link property owners with potential short-term lessees has grown rapidly over the last few years. Airbnb, the most well known of these platforms, describes itself as "a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover and book unique accommodations around the world." Airbnb boasts that it has connected over twenty-five million guests with hosted properties in 34,000 cities in 190 countries since its founding in 2008. Airbnb is not only the leading online platform for the exchange of short-term rentals, recently, it has been the most controversial as well. Recently, controversy erupted in New York City, Airbnb's largest United States market. In October 2013, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman subpoenaed Airbnb's records, requesting data on its hosts for the previous three years. Schneiderman contended that Airbnb hosts in New York City were violating the New York Multiple Dwelling Law. The New York Multiple Dwelling Law requires that certain multiple dwellings units only be occupied by "permanent occupants" -- those residing in the unit for thirty or more consecutive days. The Attorney General also asserted that Airbnb hosts in New York City were not complying with state and local tax registration and collection requirements. Many state and local governments rely on their inherent police powers to regulate short-term housing in residential areas. In particular, zoning laws -- like New York's Multiple Dwelling Law -- may overtly prohibit occupation by short-term renters. Historically, governments have used their police powers to create and enforce zoning restrictions of this nature for the purpose of preserving or improving public safety, property values, and the "character" of residential neighborhoods. These policies are of a bygone era and are ill-suited to address the modern sharing economy. Moreover, local governments do themselves a disservice when they prohibit housing exchanges. Rather than frustrating the goals and purposes for which old economy regulations were designed (e.g., the preservation of property values and neighborhood character), such exchanges may aid in achieving these aims. Additionally, these restrictions may constitute a regulatory taking of private property without just compensation in violation of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. The sharing economy has positively impacted many individuals and communities, but there is also a brewing conflict between this genesis and the realities of economic regulation -- a conflict of which the New York Airbnb subpoena controversy is emblematic. Thus, in the housing context, we see this conflict playing out in the tension between growing patterns of home sharing and existing regulations that prohibit such sharing. This Article focuses on the question of whether municipal restrictions on short-term leasing constitute unconstitutional takings of private property without just compensation. Part I gives an overview of home sharing in the new economy via short-term leasing. In doing so, it not only examines the controversy in New York, but also provides a historical perspective on home sharing in the United States, focusing particularly on the proliferation of boarding houses in the nineteenth century as a corollary to today's home sharing market. The examination of this topic is couched in the historical context of minority, immigrant, and women homeowners' "taking in boarders" in lean times in an effort to make ends meet and maintain ownership of their homes. Part II analyzes short-term leasing restrictions under the Takings Clause. In doing so, it examines the nature of short-term leasing restrictions and the reasons employed by municipalities to justify these regulations. Part III discusses the New York Airbnb controversy. Finally, Part IV argues that such facilitation is desirable because municipalities actually do themselves a disservice when they prohibit these new economy housing exchanges. Such exchanges can help to preserve property values by providing income to homeowners that can be used to offset mortgage and maintenance costs -- in other words, sharing the burden of ownership. If homeowners are able to do so, they are more likely to be able to maintain their homes in the short-term and, in the long-term to maintain ownership. Moreover, municipalities may also reap economic benefits from permitting such exchanges.


Advances in medicine have led to the development of prostheses that can be integrated directly to the host bone of residual limbs. Osseointegration of the prosthesis comes with many benefits including its use in patients with short residual limbs. There are also a number of challenges associated with their use including high rates of tissue infection, bone fracture, and uncertainty in determining when the limb can be loaded after surgery. This paper explores a practical sensing approach to monitor the healing process of osseointegrated prostheses using instrumentation attached to the percutaneous tip of the prosthesis. Specifically, guided wave methods are used to characterize the degree of bone growth and bone integration at the prosthesis interface. Prosthetic models consisting of titanium femoral stems implanted in artificial synthetic bones are employed to simulate the bone-prosthesis interface. Piezoelectric transducers are mounted to the percutaneous end of the prosthesis to introduce controlled body waves. The prosthesis acts as a wave guide allowing the guided waves to interrogate the bone-prosthesis interface inside the limb. Due to the constraints imposed by the prosthesis boundary conditions, three guided wave types are introduced including longitudinal, torsional and flexural waves. Tone burst signals were applied to a piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) actuator array mounted to the rod to generate longitudinal waves in the prosthesis. Waves reflected in the prosthesis are received by the PZT array and analyzed to correlate changes in wave properties with implantation depth. Both numerical simulation and experimental testing are conducted to validate the use of reflected wave energy as a wave feature sensitive to penetration depth.


Error-locating codes (EL codes), first proposed by J.K. Wolf and B. Elspas in 1963, have the potential to be used to identify the faulty module for fault isolation and reconfiguration in fault-tolerant computer systems. This paper proposes a new class of EL codes suitable for memory systems organized with b-bit (b/spl ges/2) byte-organized semiconductor memory chips that are mounted on memory cards each having B-bit width. The proposed linear code, called the S/sub b/B/EL code, identifies erroneous memory card locations containing a faulty byte-organized chip. Another linear code proposed in this paper, the SEC-S/sub b/B/EL code, corrects single-bit errors induced by alpha particles and, for byte errors, it locates erroneous card positions containing a faulty chip. This paper describes design methods of the proposed codes and shows an evaluation of the decoding hardware and the error detection capabilities. >


Bank strategy for smaller enterprises has generally been to ease the scarcity of term finance by providing funds and improving the banking system's ability to lend to them. Thought to be labor-intensive, especially outside the major urban centers, small firms would create jobs at a low cost, which would improve the distribution of income and alleviate poverty. All wonderful outcomes. But such outcomes are rare. Smaller enterprises can be less labor-intensive and less efficient than larger firms. Access to finance is a problem. And the Bank's financial sector policy, with Operational Directive 8.30 in 1992, reduced lending to SMEs. The presumption of the directive was: it is better to let commercial banks decide their clients than to restrict the size of firms receiving Bank funds. In the past year, the directive was revised, in part to allow a more flexible consideration of the Bank's approach to the financial sector. This article explores that presumption for support to the Philippines, Ecuador, and Sri Lanka. This analysis represents the first time that detailed empirical findings of the results on the ground were adduced for Bank SME support. Did the circumstances of some economics make it desirable to channel funds to smaller enterprises? Did the mechanisms of support result in funds getting to needy beneficiaries? Or should Bank support have left it to the banking sector to identify and assume the risks of lending decisions?


In this article, we propose new schemes for subquadratic arithmetic complexity multiplication in binary fields using optimal normal bases. The schemes are based on a recently proposed method known as block recombination, which efficiently computes the sum of two products of Toeplitz matrices and vectors. Specifically, here we take advantage of some structural properties of the matrices and vectors involved in the formulation of field multiplication using optimal normal bases. This yields new space and time complexity results for corresponding bit parallel multipliers.


Adrenal medullary secretory function of the right innervated gland was simultaneously compared with that of contralateral acutely denervated gland in anesthetized dogs. During bilateral carotid artery occlusion (BCO), output (in ng/min) from right innervated gland of epinephrine and norepinephrine increased from 86.6 +/- 33.0 and 34.4 +/- 15.1 to 280.8 +/- 86.7 (P less than 0.01, n = 7) and 104.4 +/- 40.6 (P less than 0.01, n = 7), respectively. By contrast, epinephrine output from left denervated gland increased only slightly (P less than 0.05), and norepinephrine did not increase significantly. Net catecholamine output from left denervated gland was markedly attenuated by approximately 90% (P less than 0.01, n = 7) compared with that from right innervated gland. During BCO in the second group of dogs, catecholamine output from sham-denervated left gland increased significantly (P less than 0.01, n = 7) to an extent slightly lower than that observed in right innervated gland. In the third group, intravenous injections of dimethylphenylpiperazinium (5 and 15 micrograms/kg) resulted in a dose-dependent increase (P less than 0.05, n = 7) in catecholamine output from both right innervated and left denervated gland. The results indicate that the present procedure of acute surgical adrenal denervation can eliminate the centrally mediated adrenal response, whereas the medullary secretory response to blood-borne substances remains intact. This model may be a useful tool for studying neuronal and humoral medullary secretory functions in vivo under various experimentally induced stress conditions.


Introduction Jackhammer oesophagus is a relatively new diagnosis based on high resolution manometry(HRM). It is rare and the management of this condition remains unclear. We aim to study the symptomology, diagnosis and management of patients with Jackhammer oesophagus in a tertiary teaching hospital, which is responsible for HRM assessment for a population of 1.2 million in the Scotland. Method Retrospective study from 01/10/2012 to 31/12/2016. Patients with at least one hypercontractile swallow (distal contractile integral[DCI]>8000 mmHg/s/cm) on HRM were analysed. Demographics, symptoms, HRM findings, and subsequent management plan were obtained from the local database and electronic record. Results 16 (9F:7M) patients were identified. Median age at diagnosis was 61.2y(Max: 84.6y Min:43.9y). Three most common presenting complaints were dysphagia 15 (93.8%), regurgitation 9 (56.3%), and globus sensation 7 (43.8%). The median duration of symptoms reported by the patient prior to diagnosis was 4 years (Max: 20y Min: 0.1y). 12 (75%) patients were referred from general practice, 2 (12.5%) from respiratory medicine, 1 (6.3%) from ENT surgery and 1 (6.3%) from internal medicine. The median duration from referral to diagnosis was 126d (Max: 1320d Min: 85d). 11 (68.8%) had barium swallow. Of these, 8 (72.7%) were abnormal; findings included tertiary contraction, contrast stasis and oesophageal diverticulum. 15 (93.8%) had gastroscopy. Endoscopic findings can be classified into: 6 (40%) with hiatus hernia or reflux oesophagitis, 4 (26.7%) with gastritis or duodenitis, 3 (20%) with lower oesophageal hypertonicity and 2 (13.3%) were normal. Only 2 (12.5%) had 24 h pH study, which were normal. 1 (6.3%) had nuclear medicine study confirming delayed gastric emptying. Heterogenous treatment strategies were employed included: GTN 6 (43.8%), Sildenafil 2 (12.5%), BOTOX injection 1 (6.3%), and Nifedipine 2 (12.5%). Of these, only those who had Nifedipine had temporary symptom response. Median follow-up was 361.5d(Max: 1620d Min: 96d). At last follow-up, only 2 (12.5%) had symptom resolution with proton pump inhibition while 14 (87.5%) remained symptomatic. Conclusion Jackhammer oesophagus is a heterogenous motility disorder of the oesophagus. Most patients have prolonged symptoms prior to diagnosis. To date, no effective treatment has been identified and most patients remain symptomatic. Novel approach such as peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) may be a valuable option in selected subset of patients with Jackhammer oesophagus. Reference . Herregods TVK, et al. Jackhammer oesophagus: observations on a European cohort. Neurogastroenterology & Motility. 2016;1–8. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Description: Menstral health management (MHM) has gained greater attention in recent years. It is now understood as an integrated, cross-sectoral response involving sexual and reproductive health and rights, education and life skills, water, hygiene and sanitation, and waste disposal, both in development and humanitarian contexts. This historic meeting of committed professionals was an important step towards consolidating support for strengthening MHM in the region, particularly since it is implicit in the attainment of several Sustainable Development Goals and those within Agenda 2063. A Call to Action identified the emerging priorities for MHM in Africa and committed to further action led by an African Coalition for Menstrual Health Management.


Abstract. Convection as one dominant source of atmospheric gravity waves (GWs) has been the focus of investigation over recent years. However, its spatial and temporal forcing scales are not well known. In this work we address this open issue by a systematic verification of free parameters of the Yonsei convective GW source scheme based on observations from the High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder (HIRDLS). The instrument can only see a limited portion of the gravity wave spectrum due to visibility effects and observation geometry. To allow for a meaningful comparison of simulated GWs to observations, a comprehensive filter, which mimics the instrument limitations, is applied to the simulated waves. By this approach, only long horizontal-scale convective GWs are addressed. Results show that spectrum, distribution of momentum flux, and zonal mean forcing of long horizontal-scale convective GWs can be successfully simulated by the superposition of three or four combinations of parameter sets reproducing the observed GW spectrum. These selected parameter sets are different for northern and southern summer. Although long horizontal-scale waves are only part of the full spectrum of convective GWs, the momentum flux of these waves is found to be significant and relevant for the driving of the QBO (quasi-biennial oscillation). The zonal momentum balance is considered in vertical cross sections of GW momentum flux (GWMF) and GW drag (GWD). Global maps of the horizontal distribution of GWMF are considered and consistency between simulated results and HIRDLS observations is found. The latitude dependence of the zonal phase speed spectrum of GWMF and its change with altitude is discussed.


The technique to produce full-parallax 3D multi-view still pictures is described. The matrix of source views (from 6x6 to 15x15 views) is built from computer-generated images or from the natural images taken by a photo-camera. The matrix is processed in specially designed software and the resulting multi-view picture is generated. To display the large size (up to 0.4 m x 0.6 m) multi-view picture, the crossed lenticular screens of two types were used.


Cartilaginous tumors of the larynx are rare. Only a 2-5% of all chondrosarcomas arise on head and neck area while the laryngeal forms represent less than 1% of the malignant neoplasms in that location. Laryngeal chondrosarcoma is three times more frequent in men than in women with average age of presentation about the 6th - 7th decades. Most of them are originated on cricoid (70-75%) followed by the thyroid cartilage (10-20%) as in the case that we are reporting. Its growth often is very slow with delayed clinic being hoarseness, dyspnea and dysphagia the most common symptoms. Laryngeal chondrosarcomas use to be tumors with low-grade of malignancy and their elective treatment is surgery preserving the laryngeal function. Local and late recurrences are frequent and the definitive diagnosis is the anatomopathological exam.


Introduction Adolescence is a crucial period of growth and development in girls and boys. During this period the risk of iron deficiency and anemia appears. In India iron deficiency anemia is a major public health problem affecting people from all walks of life (Dallman, Simes & Stekel, 1980). Objective to explore the factors influencing anemia among anemic adolescent girls. Design a qualitative analysis using grounded theory was carried out for the present study. Setting homes of the selected adolescent girls. Instruments a questionnaire on background information, record of investigations, nutritional assessment and a semi structured questionnaire for interviewing. Participants ten adolescent girls purposively selected; participated in the present study Results
the age of the adolescent girls ranged from 12 to 15 years.
They were studying in 8th, 9th or 10th standard. Calorie, iron & protein consumption was less compared to their requirement. Hemoglobin ranged from 7.2 to 8.2 gm/ dl.Conclusion adolescents perceived anemia as a major problem. Menstruation, worm infestation and dietary deficiency were found as the major cause; which was consistent with the literature. Therefore the study helps to conclude that health awareness programme for the adolescent girls and their society is essential in preventing anemia


Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is a climacteric fruit that exhibit a very fast ripening rate. Ethylene controls the ripening event in the papaya fruit. 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carbocxylic acid (ACC) oxidase gene encodes a specific enzyme for ethylene biosynthesis. The gene had become a target for manipulation to make a gene construct of an antisense ACC oxidase to regenerate transgenic papaya that has a characteristic of delayed ripening. The objective of the experiment is to engineer transgenic papaya that has a delayed ripening characteristic by transforming papaya with the antisense ACC oxidase gene through particle bombardment technique. The immature embryos of papaya variety Burung were used for the explants. Antisense ACC oxidase and reporter (gus) genes were co-transformed to papaya calli. Four hundreds eighteen calli were bombarded by the antisense ACC oxidase gene. The transformation experiment resulted 25 putatives transgenic plants out of fifty plants acclimatized in a greenhouse. Gus gene expression assay observed at 9 days after bombardment showed that the papaya explants bombarded twice at 9 cm shoot distance had 53.3% transformation rate of gus positive and 5.25 blue spots number in average. The results of PCR analysis showed that four out of 25 transgenic putative papaya plants (TR6, TR9, TR20, dan TR24), indicated a positive PCR of the antisense ACC oxidase gene with the amplified fragment DNA size of 800 base pair.


Context: Many patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) experience impaired quality of life (QOL) and would be willing to take an additional safe medication to gain QOL improvement. QOL scores provide meaningful patient-based outcomes for CHF patients. Poorer QOL scores predict an increased number of hospitalizations and a higher rate of mortality. Objective: This pilot study measures QOL and exercise endurance in CHF patients taking Cardiodoron, a plant-derived extract shown to increase heart rate variability. Medical practitioners prescribe the extract for palpitations, cardiac insufficiency, and orthostatic symptoms. Design: The research team designed an 18-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind pilot study. Setting: The study took place at the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Charleston, South Carolina. Participants: Eight CHF patients at the center participated in this study. Intervention: Four participants received the herbal extract Cardiodoron for 18 weeks, and four received placebo. Both groups received standard therapy as well. Outcome Measures: The Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire and the 6-minute Walk Test were the primary endpoints measured at baseline and end of study. Results: Participants taking Cardiodoron experienced no side effects. Mean and median QOL scores improved 15 and 12 points, respectively, in the Cardiodoron group, with three of the four participants taking Cardiodoron reporting QOL improvement by 7 or more points. One participant taking Cardiodoron reported a decrease in QOL. Results in this small pilot study were not statistically significant, but they may have clinical relevance to the participants in the study. Conclusion: CHF patients can safely take the described herbal extract with standard therapy. A future study may determine whether the extract can enable them to benefit from the more favorable prognosis that accompanies a better QOL in heart failure.


This chapter explicates the various ways in which contemporary warfare challenges post-1945 international law on the use of force and the conduct of war. It begins by exploring the rules governing the use of force against non-state actors. This is one of the most pressing issues of the war on terror, much of which has involved military operations against terrorist groups operating from the territory of states that cannot or will not suppress their activities. In particular, campaigns by the US and several other states against ISIS in Syria have seriously undermined the international law framework governing self-defence and the right of states to have their sovereignty and territorial integrity respected. The chapter then looks at another trademark policy of the war on terror: the use of targeted killings, often carried out by unmanned drones, to eliminate suspected terrorists. It also considers a new type of warfare altogether: the emerging phenomenon of cyber warfare, which, too, has implications for both jus ad bellum and jus in bello.


Abstract This study aimed to survey algal model organisms, covering phylogenetically representative and ecologically relevant taxa. Reports about the occurrence of sulfonates (particularly sulfoquinovose, taurine, and isethionate) in marine algae are scarce, and their likely relevance in global biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem functioning is poorly known. Using both field-collected seaweeds from NW Scotland and cultured strains, a combination of enzyme assays, high-performance liquid chromatography and matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to detect key sulfonates in algal extracts. This was complemented by bioinformatics, mining the publicly available genome sequences of algal models. The results confirm the widespread presence of sulfonates and their biosynthetic pathways in macro- and microalgae. However, it is also clear that catabolic pathways, if present, must be different from those documented from the bacterial systems since no complete cluster of gene homologues of key genes could be detected in algal genomes.


Impaired driving continues to be a significant source of injury, death, and financial burden on society. Alcohol-impaired driving alone accounts for one-third of traffic deaths. Unlike alcohol, however, the prevalence of non-alcohol drugs among drivers remains relatively unknown. With the legalization of marijuana, emergence of the opioid epidemic, and results from National Roadside Surveys, it has become increasingly clear that there is a strong societal need to quantify the scope of drugged driving and its associated negative consequences. Unfortunately, the numerous publicly available traffic databases are notoriously flawed at assessing drugged driving. In 2018, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAA Foundation) commissioned a study to assess the feasibility of developing a sentinel surveillance system for drug use by drivers in crashes (Kelley-Baker et al., 2019). Optimal standards for a database that could form a nationwide sentinel surveillance system were identified and included. Trauma center–related data was ultimately deemed to be the most feasible and viable approach for the development and creation of a sentinel surveillance system. The second phase of this project entailed pilot testing the implementation of this sentinel surveillance system at two trauma centers. This Brief describes the pilot test and related lessons learned, as well as barriers encountered in the development and implementation of such a surveillance system. Additionally, the study was used to develop a guidebook on how to implement a sentinel surveillance system for drug use by drivers in crashes.


We have designed and manufactured a new WR-28 (26.5–40GHz) rectangular waveguide calorimeter. The former WR-28 calorimeter was setup during 1980s, many parts are not work, and especially the mount is not available. So the new calorimeter needed. The calorimeter is designed as twin line structure and put in two layers copper barrel. The outer one is temperature controlled to reduce the effect of the change of ambient temperature. The temperature wave in inner barrel is less than 50 micro degrees within 24 hours. General used microwave load be used as the terminator, other than special designed mount. Resistor heater is tightly tied to load which can provide DC bias power. A commercial bolometric sensor embedded into a hole in the waveguide flange with a Type IV power meter is used to detect the DC substitution power.


How does someone become a professional product designer? This paper argues that every practicing product designer has made a series of key decisions at key points in their life that have contributed to them taking the journey towards their professional vocation.
The nature of this process of formative decision making is of key interest to the marketing and recruitment activity for the undergraduate Product Design Programme at UWIC. In addition, the understanding of this process is critical to understanding why prospective students choose a path to studying product design in higher education.
This paper initially presents a case study of research which attempts to explore the decision making process that applicants have undertaken prior to focusing on Product Design at Undergraduate Level.
The paper then presents the results of the primary research and draws some initial conclusions about decision makers, influencers and the various key stages identified. The research focussed on the period from pre-GCSE through to successful application to university.


Since 1990s, the impact of tourism development has grown tremendously especially in the spectra of islands and marine parks tourism. Despite the fact that most of the Malaysian islands already have their individual ecotourism natural attractions, more islands have been progressively developed as a tourist attractions spot. The scenario has given an economic advantage to the local community where many society members have shifted their profession from fishing to ecotourism-related activities. However, inappropriate tourism development and growth can lead to adverse environmental and socio-economic impacts on the islands, including exposing the local community to certain foreign behaviours that may opposed to the island culture or traditional community values. Pangkor Island is one of the renowned islands in Malaysia, located in the Perak state and just off the coast of North West Malaysia. Another name for Pangkor Island long ago was Dinding, which means 'screen' or 'partition'. There are five main attractions of Pangkor Island that are coastal areas, island resorts, historical sites, forest areas and cultural activities. Based on Life Cycle Theory, Pangkor Island is currently facing declination stage where it used to experience booming tourism period in the past 20 years. The impact of previous development on the local community socio-economic provides a significant research area to be explored. Interviews have been conducted with several notable people in Pasir Bogak and Teluk Nipah to assess the socio-economic impact on the local community in Pangkor Island.


OF THESIS SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE IN KENTUCKY: CONDITION AND PERCEPTIONS Agricultural education consists of three components: classroom instruction, FFA, and supervised agricultural experience (SAE). SAE is the experiential learning component in which students apply agricultural principles and concepts. The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of Kentucky high school agriculture teachers toward the value of SAE, the quality components of SAE, and teacher satisfaction with SAE. A secondary purpose was to determine the status of SAE participation in Kentucky. This study concluded that Kentucky agriculture teachers perceive SAE as a valuable component of agricultural education. Moreover, teachers were in agreement with accepted quality standards for SAE programs, but the findings implied that other quality indicators may be valid. Furthermore, teachers were not satisfied with their SAE programs. A slight majority of students in Kentucky agricultural education programs have a SAE with the bulk of those SAEs categorized as either placement or entrepreneurship SAEs. Based on the conclusions, the author recommended that a SAE task force be created to address concerns related to SAE participation, student and teacher motivation to conduct SAE, state rewards for SAEs, and assessing the quality of SAE programs in Kentucky.


Several mammalian avian species, including the chicken, show migrating myoelectric complexes (MMC) both in unfed and fed states. In these species, postprandial hormones seem to modulate but not to disrupt the MMC. To gain more information in this modulatory role, we evaluated the role of cholecystokinin (CCK) vs gastrin on the regulation of intestinal motility in chickens. Birds were implanted with eight electrodes for electromyography in the stomach, duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. In feed-deprived animals, CCK infusion (10(-12) mol/kg per min x 3 h) did not disrupt the MMC but induced changes in the MMC pattern similar to those induced by a meal. Infusion of CCK in fed animals induced dose-dependent effects: CCK infused at 10(-11) and 3 x 10(-11) mol/kg per min x 2 h, progressively elongated the MMC and slowed the speed of propagation of Phase 3. Furthermore, CCK infused at 10(-10) mol/kg per min x 2 h disrupted the MMC but a Phase 3 appeared just after the end of the infusion. By contrast, chicken gastrin (10(-10) mol/kg per min x 2 h) did not modify the MMC pattern. In conclusion, CCK influence on the intestinal motility of chickens ranges from the modulation of the MMC to total disruption, depending on the dose. Moreover, this study suggests that the mechanism of action of CCK could be similar in both mammalian and avian small intestines.


Interconnects have become a severe bottleneck in today's computing hardware [1]. For large-scale data centers in particular, the interconnect situation is even more severe [2]. The interconnect bandwidth and bandwidth density have to be increased on all system-levels. The ideal technology to increase the density is Si photonics (SiPh). While the integration of most of the SiPh components has been mastered already on a 90 nm CMOS platform [3], the integration of III-V materials to yield directly-modulated lasers still poses a major challenge. This integration is considered as the cornerstone for reaching a complete, yet cost-competitive, SiPh-CMOS marriage. Most concepts shown so far [4, 5] either lack CMOS-compatibility or have device dimensions that hinder the integration of the laser into a standard BEOL. To allow for a common BEOL between SiPh and CMOS, we integrate the III-V material between the FEOL and BEOL, within the first interlayer dielectric ILD0' (Fig. 1). Such integration imposes tight requirements on device dimensions as well as several technological challenges that have to be mastered. We report here on decisive aspects of such integration. This represents a major step towards a full integration of III-V, SiPh and CMOS.


Studied the characteristics of natural zeolite catalysts activated and modifications and catalytic activity in the isomerization of glucose. Natural zeolite was activated by NH 4 NO 3 2 M obtained catalyst HZA. While modification using 0,24 M Sn metal impregnated on HZA obtained catalyst Sn-HZA. At this stage, hydrothermal process carried out at temperature of 90 °C for 12 hours followed by calcination at temperature of 500 °C for 4 hours. The characterization includes the XRD analysis, SEM-EDAX analysis, acidity by ammonia method, and surface area by adsorption of methylene blue method. Glucose conversion was obtained through analysis of polarimeter at hour-0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 with temperature variation of 110, 120, and 130 °C. Solution which had the highest conversion resulted by polarimeter was analyzed by HPLC. XRD analysis showed that there were no changes in the structure of zeolite after activation and modification process. SEM-EDAX analysis showed that morphology of the zeolite surface is not damaged and Sn metal was successfully impregnated 6,94 %. The activity of HZA and Sn-HZA was 1,4850 mmol/g and 2,3145 mmol/g. while the surface area of HZA and Sn-HZA was 11,4077 m 2 /g and 11,4738 m 2 /g. Using the Sn-HZA catalyst with the reaction temperature of 120 °C provides the highest conversion of glucose and fructose selectivity. It were 14,0733 % w/v and 0,646 % w/v. Keywords : Catalyst, glucose, isomerization, natural zeolite, Sn metal.


This paper applies a recently developed technique for wideband frequency domain system identification to parametric modelling of a power transformer using frequency response data. It is well known that frequency response data from a typical power transformer contains many resonant modes and spans several decades in frequency. This in effect leads to a numerically ill-conditioned problem when attempting to fit a parametric model to the data. The method employed here to fit the parametric model utilises what has been termed frequency localising basis functions. These functions have been shown to improve the numerical conditioning of a least squares type estimator which correspondingly results in an increased accuracy of the estimated parameters. Two examples are used in this paper to highlight the veracity of the frequency localising basis functions technique. The first example uses simulation data, whilst the second utilises frequency response data from a large power transformer.


This paper analyses the socioeconomic determinants of life expectancy in Southeastern Europe countries highlighting the most important factors that can affect life expectancy in this part of Europe.
Two Panel Data Regression with fixed–effects model was applied for 20 years from 2000 to 2019. Eight socioeconomic and environmental explanatory variables were used to verify their influence on life expectancy.
The analysis highlights the important influence of factors such as urbanization; GDP per capita; fertility rate; education; marital status; CO2 emission and the non-significant influence of other factors, such as health expenditure or health care out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure. This study points out that healthcare spending (public and/or household out-of-pocket spending) is not a significant factor in improving life expectancy in SEE countries. Results illustrate that GDP per capita; urbanization, CO2 emissions, and fertility rate are the most influential and significant explanatory factors. A surprising result concerns marital status, which in this study affects life expectancy inversely in one of the panel regressions.
Life expectancy is a very important and expressive outcome indicator for public health. Each country is committed to spending public money to improve people's quality of life, which translates into a longer life (Life expectancy), or even better, a longer and healthier life (Health Adjusted Life Expectancy). The results of this study, considering the demographic development of the SEE countries (low fertility rate and aged people), show that policymakers need to consider public healthcare organization and reassess the effectiveness of public health expenditure. On the other hand, the balanced urbanization process with a clean ecosystem (less CO2 emissions) conducts a better life quality (consequently an improved life expectancy).
Keywords: Panel data analysis; Life Expectancy; Public Health; SEE Countries
Jel Classification: C33; H51; I15


Objective  Thyrotoxic hypokalaemic periodic paralysis (THPP) is an uncommon condition with intermittent episodes of muscle weakness and occasionally severe paralysis. THPP is a common complication of hyperthyroidism in Asian populations, and has also been reported in other ethnic groups including Caucasians. This study aimed to conduct an analysis of THPP in a Turkish population, and is to our knowledge the first analysis of a homogeneous Caucasian group.


BACKGROUND
In the recent World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research report of diet and cancer, it was concluded that there is limited but suggestive evidence that animal fat intake increases the risk of colorectal cancer.

OBJECTIVE
To clarify this potential relation, we conducted meta-analyses across a variety of subgroups, incorporating data from additional studies.

DESIGN
Analyses of high compared with low animal fat intakes and categorical dose-response evaluations were conducted. Subgroup analyses, consisting of evaluations by study design, sex, and tumor site were also performed.

RESULTS
Six prospective cohort studies with comprehensive dietary assessments, contributing 1070 cases of colorectal cancer and approximately 1.5 million person-years of follow-up, were identified. The summary relative risk estimate (SRRE) for these studies was 1.04 (95% CI: 0.83, 1.31; P for heterogeneity = 0.221) on the basis of high compared with low intakes. When data from case-control studies were combined with the cohort data, the resulting SRRE was 1.15 (95% CI: 0.93, 1.42) with increased variability (P for heterogeneity = 0.015). In our dose-response analysis of the cohort studies, no association between a 20-g/d increment in animal fat intake and colorectal cancer was observed (SRRE: 1.02; 95% CI: 0.95, 1.09). In a separate analysis of 3 prospective cohort studies that reported data for animal protein or meat protein, no significant association with colorectal cancer was observed (SRRE: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.70, 1.15).

CONCLUSION
On the basis of the results of this quantitative assessment, the available epidemiologic evidence does not appear to support an independent association between animal fat intake or animal protein intake and colorectal cancer.


Introduction : Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder associated with variable air flow obstruction and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. It is characterised clinically by recurrent episodes of cough, difficulty in breathing and wheezing which resolves spontaneously or with treatment. The socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of asthmatic children in north western Nigeria have not been reported. Methods : This was a descriptive study in children with asthma aged 4-15 years carried out over a 3 month period Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano. The aim was to determine the socio-demographic and clinical parameters of asthmatic children. Asthmatic children whose parents or guardian consented to the study were recruited consecutively. Their bio-data, sociodemographic and physical examination were documented. Results : Seventy asthmatic children were recruited of which 50(71.4%) were males and 20(28.6%) were females, giving a male: female ratio of 2.5:1. Insecticide was the commonest asthma trigger (64.3%) and 26(37.1%) patients belonged to socio economic class III. Mild persistent asthma was the commonest form of asthma severity encountered. There was positive correlation between PEFR and height (r = 0.577, p< 0.0001). Conclusion : Most of the asthmatics children seen at AKTH, Kano were males with mild persistent asthma, had positive family history of atopy and belonged to the middle socio economic class. Key words : Asthma, Children, Socioeconomic class, Asthma severity


The University of Arizona has licensed a tool to integrate student information systems and learning management systems to UA startup FishTail Technologies. The software, which simplifies the use of the University's complex D2L curriculum management system, resulted from the inventive work of a collaborative, multiunit team from the UA Office of Instruction and Assessment [1] and University Information Technology Services [2].


It has largely been accepted that collagen fibers play an important role in the mechanics of myocardial scar tissue; however, few studies have performed both mechanical and structural analysis on the same samples to confirm this. Therefore, the goal of this study was to combine both types of analysis with a structure-based constitutive model, which incorporates measured collagen fiber orientations, to gain a better understanding of the structural basis for the mechanics of two-week-old scar tissue.Copyright © 2007 by ASME


The presence of microorganisms in certain renal calculi having been demonstrated; currently, there is a debate about the possibility of certain germs of extremely small size, Nanobacteria, which can have an important role in the general theory of lithogenesis.


The dissipative dynamics anticipated in the proof of 't Hooft's existence theorem -- "For any quantum system there exists at least one deterministic model that reproduces all its dynamics after prequantization" -- is constructed here explicitly. We propose a generalization of Liouville's classical phase space equation, incorporating dissipation and diffusion, and demonstrate that it describes the emergence of quantum states and their dynamics in the Schroedinger picture. Asymptotically, there is a stable ground state and two decoupled sets of degrees of freedom, which transform into each other under the energy-parity symmetry of Kaplan and Sundrum. They recover the familiar Hilbert space and its dual. Expectations of observables are shown to agree with the Born rule, which is not imposed a priori. This attractor mechanism is applicable in the presence of interactions, to few-body or field theories in particular.


The oil industry does not play a major role in the Ukrainian energy sector and has smaller economic and political significance than the gas, coal and nuclear sectors. The issues linked to the Ukrainian fuel sector are rarely given publicity in the mass media. Meanwhile, a comprehensive analysis reveals that there has been a painful and durable collapse in this strategic branch of the economy. What once was a powerful Ukrainian refining sector has been plunged into deep crisis for years. Only one out of the six existing refineries is currently in operation, using only a small section of its production capacity. For years all the refining companies have suffered from underinvestment, have not been modernised and have been unable to produce fuels in the quantities and at the quality required by the market. Another problem that has remained unresolved for years is the supply of crude oil to be processed. As a result, Ukrainian refineries are the most outdated in Europe, and the oil processing output in Ukraine has reached a record-low level of around 2.5 million tonnes annually. At the same time, the market share of imported fuels over the past few years has reached 80–85% of total consumption. A significant part of the imports originates from Russia. It is difficult to expect that the situation in the Ukrainian fuel sector will improve to a significant degree in the coming years. Its condition is also a good case study laying bare the numerous weaknesses of the Ukrainian state.


BACKGROUND
Meningitis is inflammation of the meninges, the layers that protect the brain and spinal cord. Acute meningitis is an emergent disease that develops over the course of hours to several days. Delay in treatment can lead to serious outcomes. Inflammation of the meninges is assessed by analysing cerebrospinal fluid. Identifying the pathogen in cerebrospinal fluid is another way to diagnose meningitis. Cerebrospinal fluid is collected by doing a lumbar puncture, which is an invasive test, and can be avoided if a physical examination excludes the diagnosis of meningitis. However, most physical examinations, such as nuchal rigidity, Kernig's test, and Brudzinski's test, are not sufficiently sensitive to exclude meningitis completely. Jolt accentuation of headache is a new and less well-recognised physical examination, which assesses meningeal irritation. It is judged as positive if the headache is exacerbated by rotating the head horizontally two or three times per second. A 1991 observational study initially reported high sensitivity of this examination to predict pleocytosis. Pleocytosis, an abnormally high cerebrospinal fluid sample white cell count, is an accepted indicator of nervous system infection or inflammation. Jolt accentuation of headache may therefore accurately rule out meningitis without the use of lumbar puncture. However, more recent cross-sectional studies have reported variable diagnostic accuracy.

OBJECTIVES
To estimate the diagnostic accuracy of jolt accentuation of headache for detecting acute meningitis in emergency settings. Secondary objectives: to investigate the sources of heterogeneity, including study population, patient condition, and types of meningitis.

SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (Ovid), and Embase (Elsevier) to 27 April 2020. We searched ClinicalTrials.gov, the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and Ichushi-Web Version 5.0 to 28 April 2020.

SELECTION CRITERIA
We included cross-sectional studies that assessed the diagnostic accuracy of jolt accentuation of headache for people with suspected meningitis in emergency settings. We included participants of any age and any severity of illness. Meningitis should be diagnosed with any reference standard, such as cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis, proof of causative agents, or autopsy.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently collated study data. We assessed methodological quality of studies using QUADAS-2 criteria. We used a bivariate random-effects model to determine summary estimates of sensitivity and specificity where meta-analysis was possible. We performed sensitivity analyses to validate the robustness of outcomes. We assessed the certainty of the evidence using the GRADE approach.

MAIN RESULTS
We included nine studies (1161 participants). Five studies included only adults. Four studies included both adults and children; however, the proportion was not reported in three of these studies. The youngest child reported in the studies was aged 13 years. There was no study including only children. The reference standard was pleocytosis in eight studies, and the combination of pleocytosis and increased protein in the cerebrospinal fluid in one study. Two studies also used smear or positive culture of cerebrospinal fluid. Risk of bias and concern about applicability was high in the participant selection domain for all included studies and the consciousness subgroup. Overall, pooled sensitivity was 65.3% (95% confidence interval (CI) 37.3 to 85.6), and pooled specificity was 70.4% (95% CI 47.7 to 86.1) (very low-certainty evidence). We established the possibility of heterogeneity from visual inspection of forest plots. However, we were unable to conduct further analysis for study population, types of meningitis, and participants' condition, other than disturbance of consciousness (a secondary outcome). Amongst participants whose consciousness was undisturbed (8 studies, 921 participants), pooled sensitivity and specificity were 75.2% (95% CI 54.3 to 88.6) and 60.8% (95% CI 43.4 to 75.9), respectively (very low-certainty evidence).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Jolt accentuation for headache may exclude diagnoses of meningitis in emergency settings, but high-quality evidence to support use of this test is lacking. Even where jolt accentuation of headache is negative, there is still the possibility of acute meningitis. This review identified the possibility of heterogeneity. However, factors that contribute to heterogeneity are incompletely understood, and should be considered in future research.


Blogs are used in higher education to support face-to-face courses, to organise online courses, and to open up courses for a wider group of participants. However the open and distributed nature of blogs creates problems that are not common in other learning contexts. Four key challenges related to the use of blogs in learning were identified from earlier research: fragmented discussions, a lack of coordination structures, weak support for awareness, and a danger of over-scripting. The EduFeedr system has been designed to address these issues. In this paper, the authors present their evaluation of its design and effectiveness in a total of 10 courses. The results indicate that learners find the EduFeedr system useful in following discussions and in comparing their progress with other learners. The coordination and awareness issues are seen as more important than the fragmentation of discussions and a danger of over-scripting.


We examined the influence of the pre-existing organiza-tion of the semantic memory on forming new episodic associations between words. Testing human subjects' performance we found that a semantic relationship be-tween words facilitates forming episodic associations be-tween them. Furthermore, the amount of facilitation in-creases linearly as a function of the number of co-occurrence of the words, up to a ceiling. Constrained by these empirical findings we developed a computational model, based on the theory of spreading activation over semantic networks. The model uses self-organizing maps to represent semantic relatedness, and lateral connections to represent the episodic associations. When two words are presented to the model, the interaction of the two ac-tivation waves is summed and added to the direct lateral connection between them. The main result is that the model is capable of replicating the empirical results. The model also makes several testable predictions: First, it should be easier to form an association from a word with few semantic neighbors to a word with many se-mantic neighbors than vice-versa. Second, after associat-ing an unrelated word pair it should be easier to associate another two words each related to one of the words in the first pair. Third, a less focused activation wave, which may be the cause of schizophrenic thought disor-der, should decrease the advantage in learning rate of re-lated over unrelated pairs.


The primary purpose of the present study was to compare the home advantage (HA) and the home team performance in the most relevant European rink hockey leagues (Spanish, Portuguese and Italian), considering the presence or absence of spectators in the competition venues due to the effect of COVID-19 restrictions. The sample was composed of 1665 rink hockey matches (654 from the Spanish league, 497 from the Portuguese league, and 514 from the Italian league) played between the 2018–2019 and 2020–2021 seasons. The HA and match variables comparisons were established using several negative binomial regression models. Results showed that the effect of HA did not disappear despite playing without spectators but decreased from 63.99% to 57.41% (p = 0.002). Moreover, the comparison of the match variables showed that playing with spectators benefited local teams' performance, especially in the Portuguese and Italian leagues. Playing with spectators favoured local team performance in rink hockey matches, which is more evident in some analysed leagues. However, as HA does not disappear entirely without spectators, it is necessary to study other relevant performance factors that are not directly or indirectly attributable to crowd behaviour in rink hockey performance analyses.


A heat-conduction equation with linearized radiation cooling boundary conditions is used to calculate the thermal field in a circular window pane heated by thermal radiation (fire) but screened on narrow strips along edges built into the frame. This temperature field is used to calculate a quasi-static thermal stress field in the pane in the first-order planar thermal stresses build up at the edges in a narrow strip of a few times the pane thickness. As the radius of the pane grows the edge stresses quickly approach those of the linear strip pane. The round window does not differ much from the strip window in the geometrical region of practical utility in windows. The results also indicate, without explicit calculations, that in rectangular windows the stresses do not concentrate in the corner regions. As the final result of the theoretical work it seems plausible to use simple, general relationships obtained for the strip window as well for all geometries deviating from linear to evaluate approximately the danger of thermal breakage of a pane.


From sensing leucine to metabolic control The mTORC1 protein kinase complex plays central roles in regulating cell growth and metabolism and is implicated in common human diseases such as diabetes and cancer. The level of the amino acid leucine tells an organism a lot about its physiological state, including how much food is available, how much insulin is going to be needed, and whether new muscle mass can be made (see the Perspective by Buel and Blenis). Wolfson et al. identified a biochemical sensor of leucine, Sestrin2, which connects the concentration of leucine to the control of organismal metabolism and growth. When leucine bound to Sestrin2, it was released from a complex with the mTORC1 regulatory factor GATOR2, activating the mTORC1 complex. Saxton et al. describe the crystal structure of Sestrin2 and show how it specifically detects leucine. Aylett et al. determined the structure of human mTORC1 by cryoelectron microscopy and the crystal structure of a regulatory subunit, Raptor. The results reveal the structural basis for the function and intricate regulation of this important enzyme, which is also a strategic drug target. Science, this issue p. 43, p. 48, p. 53; see also p. 25 Electron microscopy reveals the structure of a key regulator of growth and metabolism. [Also see Perspective by Buel and Blenis] Target of rapamycin (TOR), a conserved protein kinase and central controller of cell growth, functions in two structurally and functionally distinct complexes: TORC1 and TORC2. Dysregulation of mammalian TOR (mTOR) signaling is implicated in pathologies that include diabetes, cancer, and neurodegeneration. We resolved the architecture of human mTORC1 (mTOR with subunits Raptor and mLST8) bound to FK506 binding protein (FKBP)–rapamycin, by combining cryo–electron microscopy at 5.9 angstrom resolution with crystallographic studies of Chaetomium thermophilum Raptor at 4.3 angstrom resolution. The structure explains how FKBP-rapamycin and architectural elements of mTORC1 limit access to the recessed active site. Consistent with a role in substrate recognition and delivery, the conserved amino-terminal domain of Raptor is juxtaposed to the kinase active site.


Guidance in Latin America as a field of professional training, in comparison with Europe and United States , is an activity of recent acceptance in academic scene. The same has been characterized by a constant evolution in its eagerness to adapt to the new changes and social, political and economical transformations that occur in the Latin American continent. In this communication a general view appears about Guidance in this continent. The main considerations formulated are related to four dimensions: a) public policy dimension where the present situation and the proposals appear on the matter; b) the contextual dimension that makes reference to the counselor training and the different action settings; c) the organizational dimension that is related to the provision of this service, and d) the methodological dimension, where the main aspects related to the Guidance practice are developed.


Multiuser multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) nonlinear pre coding techniques face the issue of poor computational scalability of the size of the network. But by this nonlinear pre coding technique the interference is pre-cancelled automatically and also provides better capacity. So in order to reduce the computational burden in this paper, a definitive issue of MU-MIMO scalability is tackled through a non-linear adaptive optimum vector perturbation technique. Unlike the conventional (Vector Perturbation) VP methods, here a novel anterograde tracing is utilized which is usually recognized in the nervous system thus reducing complexity. The tracing of distance can be done through an iterative-optimization procedure. By this novel non-linear technique the capacity is improved to a greater extend which is explained practically. By means of this, the computational complexity is managed to be in the cubic order of the size of MUMIMO, and this mainly derives from the inverse of the channel matrix. The proposed signal processing system has been implemented in the working platform of MATLAB/SIMULINK. The simulation results of proposed communication system and comparison with existing systems shows the significance of the proposed work.


Inflows of foreign knowledge are the key for developing countries to catch up with the world technology frontier. In this paper, I construct a simple tractable model to analyze (a) the incentives of foreign firms to bring their know-how to a developing country and (b) the incentives of domestic firms to invest in their own know-how, given the exposure to foreign ideas and competition. The model embeds two diffusion mechanisms typically considered separately in the literature: externalities and markets. The dynamic gains of openness can be substantial under either mechanism, but their relative preponderance significantly changes the dynamic implications of openness. Notably, openness allows developing countries to fully catch up only when market transactions fully dominate the diffusion of ideas. While externalities can also push domestic firms to upgrade their productivity, the equilibrium exposure to ideas in the country remains below the frontier and domestic firms never catch up.


Background and study aims  Adenoma detection rate (ADR) is a well-accepted quality indicator of screening colonoscopy. In recent years, the added value of artificial intelligence (AI) has been demonstrated in terms of ADR and adenoma miss rate (AMR). To date, there are no studies evaluating the impact of AI on the performance of trainee endoscopists (TEs). This study aimed to assess whether AI might eliminate any difference in ADR or AMR between TEs and experienced endoscopists (EEs). Patients and methods  We performed a prospective observational study in 45 subjects referred for screening colonoscopy. A same-day tandem examination was carried out for each patient by a TE with the AI assistance and subsequently by an EE unaware of the lesions detected by the TE. Besides ADR and AMR, we also calculated for each subgroup of endoscopists the adenoma per colonoscopy (APC), polyp detection rate (PDR), polyp per colonoscopy (PPC) and polyp miss rate (PMR). Subgroup analyses according to size, morphology, and site were also performed. Results  ADR, APC, PDR, and PPC of AI-supported TEs were 38 %, 0.93, 62 %, 1.93, respectively. The corresponding parameters for EEs were 40 %, 1.07, 58 %, 2.22. No significant difference was found for each analysis between the two groups ( P  > 0.05). AMR and PMR for AI-assisted TEs were 12.5 % and 13 %, respectively. Sub-analyses did not show any significant difference ( P  > 0.05) between the two categories of operators. Conclusions  In this single-center prospective study, the possible impact of AI on endoscopist quality training was demonstrated. In the future, this could result in better efficacy of screening colonoscopy by reducing the incidence of interval or missed cancers.


Background: Dermatoglyphics is one of the tools for recognition and forensic exploration as it is anecdotal amongst different population groups across the world. It plays a dynamic role in the medical analysis of hereditary diseases and also in disclosing offenses. Objective: To find the correlation between the fingerprint patterns of the student community concerning their blood groups and gender. Methods: 138 students from the Department of Zoology, Yogi Vemana University during the years 2015-2019 comprising of 39 (28.2%) males and 99 (71.7%) females within the age group of 22-25 were selected for the present study. The fingerprints of the subjects were taken using the stamp pad ink method and the obtained blueprints were classified into three primary fingerprint patterns (loop, whorl, and arch) and recorded. Statistical analysis was executed with the aid of Microsoft Excel 2007 and IBM SPSS 21.0 version. Chisquare analysis was used to verify the association between fingerprints and sex. Results: The common distribution patterns of fingerprints demonstrated high frequency (72.3%) of loops, whorls with moderate (24.9%) and arches with least (2.68%) frequency. Almost the same array was detected in both Rh+ve and Rh-ve individuals and A, B, AB, and O blood groups. The chi-square test revealed that there was no association between fingerprint pattern and A, B, AB, and O blood groups when results combined between both genders. The chi-square test results show that there is no association between fingerprint patterns and A, B, and O blood groups however, the chi-square value is zero as the little fingers of AB blood group students have no arches. The chi-square results also exhibited that there is no association between fingerprint patterns and Rh blood group as only B and O have Rh-ve individuals whereas A and AB blood groups are purely Rh+ve. Conclusion: This study concludes that the distribution of fingerprint patterns is neither related to gender nor blood groups. The uniqueness of each fingerprint facilitates them to be efficiently used in many forensic applications and identification of an individual in mob catastrophes. Hence, the reliability of the correlation of dactylographic pattern with sex and blood group requires many more studies which include a larger sample sizes.


The duration of tourniquet ischaemia was recorded in 1000 consecutive operations on extremities under a bloodless field, the average ischaemia time was 74.11 +/- 29.52 minutes. The duration of tourniquet ischaemia in meniscectomies was 58.47 +/- 15.91 minutes, in osteosynthesis of malleolar fractures 88.46 +/- 23.33 minutes and in operations for endoprosthetic replacement of the knee joint 131.19 +/- 11.24 minutes. In 85 cases the commonly accepted two hour limit for tourniquet time was exceeded without clinical complications. LDH and CPK levels in venous blood were studied in 15 operations. No significant changes were seen in LDH levels when recorded up to 24 hours following release of the tourniquet. CPK levels increased significantly (p less than 0.05) and highly significantly (p less than 0.005) when measured three hours and 24 hours after the release of the tourniquet, respectively. The results of the study suggest that two hours of ischaemia of the extremities is relatively well tolerated.


Differences in logging intensity, forestfires and forest encroachment have caused the variability of natural forest conditions, including its horizontal and vertical stand structures. Information on stand structure variability and dynamic of secondary forests is essential for projecting the future stand structure, which can be used to develop forest management plan. This study, which used 109 permanent sample plots data established on low and dry-land logged over natural forests in Kalimantan, showed that there was an obvious variability of the stand conditions after logging in terms of the trees number per hectare and horizontal stand structures. Keywords: stand structure, secondary forest, logged-over naturalforest, forest management plan