Many Internet users need to understand how to measure Internet traffic and performance. The primary focus of this tutorial is the global Internet, and ways of measuring, analyzing, and reporting the services provided to a user's network via the Internet. Some sections apply to measuring any network that uses the TCP/IP protocol suite, including a private network, or intranet.


Abstract Metallic nanoparticles have been used as catalysts for various reactions, and the huge literature on the subject is hard to overlook. In many applications, the nanoparticles must be affixed to a colloidal carrier for easy handling during catalysis. These "passive carriers" (e.g. dendrimers) serve for a controlled synthesis of the nanoparticles and prevent coagulation during catalysis. Recently, hybrids from nanoparticles and polymers have been developed that allow us to change the catalytic activity of the nanoparticles by external triggers. In particular, single nanoparticles embedded in a thermosensitive network made from poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) have become the most-studied examples of such hybrids: immersed in cold water, the PNIPAM network is hydrophilic and fully swollen. In this state, hydrophilic substrates can diffuse easily through the network, and react at the surface of the nanoparticles. Above the volume transition located at 32°C, the network becomes hydrophobic and shrinks. Now hydrophobic substrates will preferably diffuse through the network and react with other substrates in the reaction catalyzed by the enclosed nanoparticle. Such "active carriers", may thus be viewed as true nanoreactors that open new ways for the use of nanoparticles in catalysis. In this review, we give a survey on recent work done on these hybrids and their application in catalysis. The aim of this review is threefold: we first review hybrid systems composed of nanoparticles and thermosensitive networks and compare these "active carriers" to other colloidal and polymeric carriers (e.g. dendrimers). In a second step we discuss the model reactions used to obtain precise kinetic data on the catalytic activity of nanoparticles in various carriers and environments. These kinetic data allow us to present a fully quantitative comparison of different nanoreactors. In a final section we shall present the salient points of recent efforts in the theoretical modeling of these nanoreactors. By accounting for the presence of a free-energy landscape for the reactants' diffusive approach towards the catalytic nanoparticle, arising from solvent-reactant and polymeric shell-reactant interactions, these models are capable of explaining the emergence of all the important features observed so far in studies of nanoreactors. The present survey also suggests that such models may be used for the design of future carrier systems adapted to a given reaction and solvent.


Tannins belong to the group of polyphenols, which occur naturally in many plants. They exist in the form of two different groups: hydrolysable tannins and condensed tannins (CTs), the latter are also called proanthocyanidins. This thesis investigated the antimicrobial activities in vitro of CTs and studied their impacts on the fermentation and metabolism in chicken caecum.
An initial screening of a plant collection for CTs identified plant materials that contained different CT-types, e.g. high and low procyanidin/prodelphinidin or cis/trans, flavan-3-ol ratios and also of CTs with small or large mean degrees of polymerisation. After CT extraction and purification, the effects of these structural CT-features were studied and tested against two bacteria, avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) as Gram negative bacteria and Staphylococcus epidermidis as Gram positive bacteria by the broth microdilution assays. Subsequent experiments investigated the effects of these different CT compositions on in vitro fermentation and metabolism, and determined the metabolic end products.
These CTs were effective at minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of 5 – 10 mg/ml against APEC and at 5 – 1.25 mg/ml against S. epidermidis. At these concentrations they significantly (P≤0.05) inhibited bacterial growth. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed antimicrobial activity of these extracts on the bacterial cells of both bacteria, but CTs were more potent against the Gram positive compared to the Gram negative bacteria, which required higher MBC values of 5 - 10 mg/ml. Interestingly, this study found that low concentrations (0.6 mg/ml) of tilia flower extracts, which contain mostly procyanidins (PC), showed slightly enhancement of APEC growth.
The anti-biofilm and anti-motility activity of the CTs were also evaluated. All CT extracts also affected significantly (P≤0.05) the biofilm formation of APEC depending on their concentrations and compositions. Significant (P≤0.05) anti-biofilm activity against APEC was observed for almost all CT extracts, especially at higher concentrations (10 – 2.5 mg/ml). More importantly, concentrations of 0.6 - 1.25 mg/ml, especially with extracts that contained low molecular weight of CTs, enhanced the bacterial cell attachment of APEC. This could be because surviving bacteria prefer to form the biofilm in stressful conditions, indicating further investigations due to CT's high the anti-biofilm activity potential. In contrast, the CT extracts containing either high molar proportions of prodelphinidins (PD) or procyanidins (PC) interrupted and blocked swarming and swimming motility at 10h and 24h compared to the controls. These data support the theory that antimicrobial activity of the CTs, whether with high PC% and PD%, can elicit a positive relationship between anti-biofilm formation and anti-motility capacities. These findings are the first results that provide knowledge about the effect of different CTs on biofilm formation and motility of APEC.
The most potent CTs chosen from the above experiments were then tested in vitro using a fermentation culture over a 24h period. A nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) experiment combined with multivariate statistics was used for the first time to investigate how CT compositions influenced either metabolic end products in a chicken contents or APEC metabolites in a nutrient medium. Both experiments showed interesting results of how CT compositions, in terms of PC% and PD%, impacted on metabolic compounds. Amino acids such as glutamate, leucine, lysine, pyroglutamate, phenylalanine, proline and sarcosine were significantly (P≤0.05/times) decreased. However, leucine and lysine were measured a highest significant difference (P≤0.05) by the interaction between treatments and times. Both CT compositions also influenced significantly (P≤0.05) on fermentation of some fatty acids such as acetate, butyrate and propionate were increased in the treatments. However, lactate was recorded statistically decreasing (P≤0.05) between the treatments. In addition, other metabolites such as some of carbohydrates (e.g. mannitol, glucose, fructose, lactose and galactose) were observed slightly fluctuations on their levels (but not significantly, P≥0.05) at different time-points. Conversely, APEC culture responded metabolically and statistically to these CT compositions. Both CT compositions showed different effect on some amino acids such as lysine, leucine, glutamate phenylalanine and pyroglutamate, which illustrated a significant value (P≤0.05) in CT-groups, especially high PD% treatment, whilst the values of these amino acids showed very close results between PC treated and controls. Similarly, the fatty acids, such as butyrate, iso-butyrate, valerate and iso-valerate were increased in high PD of CTs compared to the high PC and controls. These values did not record significant difference at P>0.05 between the integration of times and treatments, but they showed a significant different (P≤0.05) at different time-points. However, CTs with high PD% led to a significant decreasing (P≤0.05) of lactate, which should normally be increased by E. coli mixed acid fermentation. This is new finding that shows the effect of CTs, particularly high PD% group can influence on the biological process of mixed acid fermentation. The most important results were that CTs with high PD% showed different effects to CTs compared to high PC % in APEC cultures, and that the PC results were close to the controls. Therefore, more research is recommended to investigate the effects of the different CT compositions and concentrations separately by using other NMR techniques e.g. 2D-NMR.
In conclusion, this thesis identified the key structural features of CTs, which contain either high molar proportions of PD or PC that might be useful to improve the efficiency of feed utilisation and to reduce the incidence of pathogenic bacterial infections in chickens. This study was also the first investigation of the effects of different CT compositions on in vitro metabolism by 1H-NMR and provided new findings that could establish a powerful database for the future experiments by including the CT extracts in chicken diets.


Adopting the interpretative lens provided by the studies on T-shaped, the paper proposes a conceptual framework to support a better understanding of managerial and organizational contributions in the field of tourism management. The domains of smartness and sustainability are analysed as key elements of macro-level dynamics in tourism sectors and the need for increasing the attention about the decision making dynamic in tourism management is underlined. The principal aim is to enrich previous managerial and organizational contributions in tourism sector identifying key paths and dimensions useful to improve the efficiency of tourism management in the next decades.


Georgius de Hungaria (b. 1422/23) went through extraordinary experiences while being a slave in Ottoman Turkey for the two decades after he had been captured in 1438. In his subsequent account, Tractatus de Moribus (first written down in 1481/82), he not only reflects upon his woeful experiences as a slave, but also provides detailed information about Ottoman culture. For some time Georgius seems to have been on the brink of converting to Islam and experienced forms of mystic visions that confirmed this new belief. But he eventually returned to Christianity and later, while writing his account, made every attempt to assert his firm adherence to Christian teachings. As a critical analysis of his treatise demonstrates, however, his open admiration of Ottoman culture is undeniable, and his sharp criticism of Islam ultimately proves to be the writer's self-defense against a deep-seated fear of having transgressed traditional European norms.


Recently, the corrosion of concrete structures has received great attention related with the deterioration of sea-side structures, such as new airport, bridges, and nuclear power plants. In this regards, many studies have been done on the chloride attack in concrete structures. However, those studies were confined mostly to the single deterioration due to chloride only, although actual environment is rather of combined type. The purpose of the present study is, therefore, to explore the influences of carbonation to chloride attack in concrete structures. The test results indicate that the chloride penetration is more pronounced than the case of single chloride attack when the carbonation process is combined with the chloride attack. It is supposed that the chloride ion concentration of carbonation region is higher than the sound region because of the separation of fixed salts. Though the use of fly ash pronounces the chloride ion concentration in surface, amounts of chloride ion penetration into deep region decreases with the use of fly ash. The present study allows more realistic assessment of durability for such concrete structures which are subjected to combined attacks of both chlorides and carbonation but the future studies for combined environment will assure the precise assessment.


Increasing interest in cyber-physical systems with integrated computational and physical capabilities that can interact with humans can be identified in research and practice. Since these systems can be classified as safety- and security-critical systems the need for safety and security assurance and certification will grow. Moreover, these systems are typically characterized by fragmentation, interconnectedness, heterogeneity, short release cycles, cross organizational nature and high interference between safety and security requirements. These properties combined with the assurance of compliance to multiple standards, carrying out certification and re-certification, and the lack of an approach to model, document and integrate safety and security requirements represent a major challenge. In order to address this gap we developed a domain agnostic approach to model security and safety requirements in an integrated view to support certification processes during design and run-time phases of cyber-physical systems.


This paper discusses the design of Auto-Syringe system for chemical applications that require transferring liquids in micro liters amounts. The design is based on microcontroller based system. The contribution of this work is in the design of the system and in selecting the proper components, finally, the programming of the device such that it can be used friendly. The design, implementation and experimental results plus cost analysis will be reported.


The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) through its Regional Policy Dialogue, Public Policy and Management Network commissioned this study [update] of the Institutional Assessment of Civil Service systems (CSS) in Barbados. While reforms address key elements of the HRM system, the frameworks, or foundation required to support these reform efforts, namely, a coherent and clearly articulated HR strategy and an integrated HRM system have yet to be addressed. Two recommendations are made with these limitations in mind. Articulate a coherent HR strategy that specifies goals and objectives, to which all stakeholders commit: Recommendation 1. Develop an integrated HRM system that will facilitate interconnections between the subsystems and ultimately contribute to greater efficiency of the CSS in Barbados: Recommendation 2.


Baseline estimates are generated using the Box-Jenkins time series expectation of non-promoted volume calculated at the store/week/UPC level. The expectation of sales is a weighted moving average of weekly observations of normal non-promoted volume. The relationship between baseline volume and promotional activities was examined using the ordinary least squares method in this analysis.


Functional analysis of primary tissue-specific stem cells is hampered by their rarity. Here we describe a greatly miniaturized microfluidic device for the multiplexed, quantitative analysis of the chemotactic properties of primary, bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). The device was integrated within a fully customized platform that both increased the viability of stem cells ex vivo and simplified manipulation during multidimensional acquisition. Since primary stem cells can be isolated only in limited number, we optimized the design for efficient cell trapping from low volume and low concentration cell suspensions. Using nanoliter volumes and automated microfluidic controls for pulsed medium supply, our platform is able to create stable gradients of chemoattractant secreted from mammalian producer cells within the device, as was visualized by a secreted NeonGreen fluorescent reporter. The design was functionally validated by a CXCL/CXCR ligand/receptor combination resulting in preferential migration of primary, non-passaged MSC. Stable gradient formation prolonged assay duration and resulted in enhanced response rates for slowly migrating stem cells. Time-lapse video microscopy facilitated determining a number of migratory properties based on single cell analysis. Jackknife-resampling revealed that our assay requires only 120 cells to obtain statistically significant results, enabling new approaches in the research on rare primary stem cells. Compartmentalization of the device not only facilitated such quantitative measurements but will also permit future, high-throughput functional screens.


This study examines the effectiveness of two prevailingly used sets of mutually exclusive surcharge policies in C2C online auctions. The first policy is the option of using an all-inclusive pricing strategy or a partitioned pricing strategy. The second policy entails the flexibility of shipping policies based on shipping destinations (domestic shipping versus worldwide shipping). The impacts of these surcharge policies on C2C participators, including sellers, buyers, and auctioneer, were examined with data collected from eBay. We found that sellers and buyers receive and pay approximately the same auction total prices regardless of the choice of the first surcharge policy. The online auctioneer however receives approximately 3% higher commission fees when C2C sellers adopt an all-inclusive pricing policy. The results also suggest that C2C sellers that are more flexible in their shipping destinations receive almost 8% higher auction final prices than those that are not. Theoretical importance and pragmatic implications are discussed.


This study was intended to investigate the pre- and postoperative profile of seizures in the patients with cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). The patients consisted of 46 consecutive cases with supratentorial AVMs operated on from May 1987 to May 1993. Their postoperative mean follow-up duration was 60 months. The overall incidences of seizure were 50% preoperatively and 52% postoperatively, and the incidence of intractable seizure was 15% in both pre- and postoperative period. The presence of preoperative seizure and large AVM size were significant indicators of high risk of postoperative seizures (P < 0.05). About 70% of the patients with preoperative seizures showed seizures postoperatively, while those without preoperative seizures developed seizures postoperatively in 35%. Regarding postoperative intractable seizures, 57% of the group with preoperative intractable seizures remained intractable postoperatively. In conclusion, removal of AVMs did not change the overall incidence of seizures, and patients with large sized AVMs and preoperative seizure had a higher possibility of postoperative seizures.


This article seeks to interrogate Don McKay's body of poetry through the lens of his own critical writings, with a particular focus on poems linking representations of the nocturnal with his concept of "wilderness," which he defines as the ability of all things to "elude the mind's appropriations" ("Baler Twine" 21). In McKay's poetry, night is variously the time of shape-shifting, de-materialization, memory, and non-empirical knowledge, all of which require a re-investigation of the division between inner and outer, memory and experience, and between naming and knowing. At the same time, the article highlights poetic strategies used by an artist who loves the natural world as much as, if not more than, the language in which he renders it. As such, the nuances that assert and describe "otherness" are sharpened; by the same token, the non-human wilderness and the one inherent in human systems of language are shown to imply one another. The uncomfortable space beyond empirical knowledge―and beyond the epistemological convenience of a dichotomy between self and other that such a mode of knowledge introduces—is one that the night forces upon the mind as the latter is reminded of "another gravity" that, even if unseen, remains at work. It is this explanation of the other as "another gravity" that informs much of McKay's poetry, and that forms the basis for his critical writings about human relationships with the environment beyond mere relationships of utility.


We assessed the implication of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha deficiency in pregnancy outcome and neonatal survival and in the modulation of T cell differentiation in murine diabetic pregnancy and their offspring. Pregnant wild-type (WT) and PPAR alpha-null mice of C57BL/6J genetic background were rendered diabetic by five low doses of streptozotocin. We observed that, in the absence of diabetes, PPAR alpha deficiency resulted in an increase in abortion rate, i.e. 0% in WT mice vs. 20% in PPAR alpha-null mice [odds ratio (OR) = 14.33; P = 0.013]. Under diabetic conditions, the abortion rate was enhanced, i.e. 8.3% in WT mice vs. 50% in PPAR alpha-null mice (OR = 4.28; P = 0.011). In the pups born to diabetic dams, the offspring mortality, due to the absence of PPAR alpha, was enhanced, i.e. 27.7% in WT mice vs. 78.9% in PPAR alpha-null animals (OR = 11.48; P < 0.001). Moreover, we observed that T helper (Th) 1/Th2 balance was shifted to a pregnancy protecting Th2 phenotype in WT diabetic dams and to a noxious Th1 phenotype in PPAR alpha-null mice with diabetic pregnancy. Furthermore, offspring born to diabetic WT dams were hyperinsulinemic and hyperglycemic, and they exhibited up-regulated profile of Th2 cytokines, whereas those born to diabetic PPAR alpha-null dams were hypoinsulinemic and hyperglycemic, and they showed down-regulated profile of Th2 cytokines. However, IFN-gamma, a Th1 cytokine, was up-regulated in the offspring of both diabetic WT and PPAR alpha-null dams. Altogether, our results suggest that PPAR alpha deficiency in mice may be implicated in the increase in maternal abortion, neonatal mortality, and T cell differentiation.


Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with an increased risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is an acute phase protein strongly expressed by advanced atherosclerotic lesions.

Methods and Results: To determine the functional role of PTX3 in MetS patients, cultured human visceral adipocytes were treated with human recombinant PTX3 (hr- PTX3) in various conditions. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production from differentiated adipocytes (detected by dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate) was markedly reduced by the treatment of hr-PTX3 (44% reduction, P < 0.01). The inhibition was dependent on the intracellular lipid contents identified by functional knock down of Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1), a cholesterol transporter, using small interfering RNA.

Conclusions: PTX3-induced ROS reduction in human adipocytes suggested that MetS patients with reduced levels of PTX3 are high-risk patients for cardiovascular disease. In patients with MetS, circulating levels of PTX3 may be a novel biomarker to help predict the effectiveness of total risk management for cardiovascular prevention.


Ultrathin two dimensional materials have significant potential for application in nano-electronic devices. Graphene is a popular two-dimensional material due to its intrinsic high mobility. However, Graphene does not have any band gap, which makes it hard to be used for field effect transistors (FET)[1]. On the other hand, monolayer Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS 2 ) is a thin two dimensional material with large intrinsic band gap. These characteristics and recent successful fabrication of transistors [1] make it a promising candidate for future device applications. In this paper, the band structure of monolayer MoS 2 is calculated by density functional theory (DFT) using the abinit [2] package with the local density approximation (LDA) and GW approximation. The newly computed GW band structure and effective masses are different from previously reported LDA results in the literature. Using the new band structure we simulate a short gate length field FET and report initial results.


While quality in healthcare is an essential concept, the methodology to measure the quality is in preliminary stage. Developing quality indicators seems to be inspiring concept in measuring quality in healthcare system. Clinical laboratory being the inseparable part of health care system, we have made an attempt to through a light on quality indicators in clinical laboratory. Developing key performance indicators and monitoring, auditing and improving those parameters is a dynamic process which requires standardization, improvement and innovation – the three arms of any improvement process, may it be in industry or in service scenario. While standardization means removing the outliers' i.e. reducing the standard deviation, improvement denotes gradual bettering of a parameter from the previous level with a degree of irreversible consistency. Innovation is however, sporadic and often it requires a thinking cap which, while maintaining the speed of standardization and improvement, quickly takes the parameters to a new level.


We collected data on over 1000 taxicab rides in New Haven, CT in 2001. After controlling for a host of other variables, we find two potential racial disparities in tipping: (1) African-American cab drivers were tipped approximately one-third less than white cab drivers; and (2) African-American passengers tipped approximately one-half the amount of white passengers (African-American passengers are 3.7 times more likely than white passengers to leave no tip).Many studies have documented seller discrimination against consumers, but this study tests and finds that consumers discriminate based on the seller's race. African-American passengers also participated in the racial discrimination. While African-American passengers generally tipped less, they also tipped black drivers approximately one-third less than they tipped white drivers.The finding that African-American passengers tend to tip less may not be robust to including better controls for passenger social class. But it is still possible to test for the racialized inference that cab drivers (who also could not directly observe passenger income) might make. Regressions suggest that a "rational" statistical discriminator would expect African Americans to tip 56.5% less than white passengers.These findings suggest that government-mandated tipping (via a "tip included" decal) might reduce two different types of disparate treatment. First, mandated tipping would directly reduce the passenger discrimination against black drivers documented in this study. Second, mandated tipping might indirectly reduce the widely-documented tendency of drivers to refuse to pick up black passengers.


With AlCl3 and FeSO4 as the major raw material, the preparation process of a new high polymer flocculant-polymeric aluminum ferric sulfate chloride(PAFSC) was researched, to offset the polymeric aluminum and the polymerization iron flocculants' lacks, and draw their strong points. The product was characterized by Al-Fe-Ferron timed complex colorimetric, IR and XRD methods, to study the flocculant's morphological characteristics. The results show that The PFASC, with better coagulating property than the market PAC, has higher contents of Alb and Al-OH-Fe bond, and the introduction of iron restrains the forming of Al-OH-Al.


A new heterogeneous catalytic system was prepared by immobilization of tungstate ions on a cross-linked poly(ionic liquid) nanogel. The solid nanogel was easily synthesized by a surfactant-less method. The resulting catalyst was highly active in selective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides by H2O2. The oxidation reactions were successfully performed under solvent-free conditions affording high yields. The catalyst was recycled and reused for several reaction cycles without any significant loss of catalytic activity.


Mountain ecosystems will likely be affected by global warming during the 21st century, with substantial biodiversity loss predicted by species distribution models (SDMs). Depending on the geographic extent, elevation range, and spatial resolution of data used in making these models, different rates of habitat loss have been predicted, with associated risk of species extinction. Few coordinated across‐scale comparisons have been made using data of different resolutions and geographic extents. Here, we assess whether climate change‐induced habitat losses predicted at the European scale (10 × 10′ grid cells) are also predicted from local‐scale data and modeling (25 m × 25 m grid cells) in two regions of the Swiss Alps. We show that local‐scale models predict persistence of suitable habitats in up to 100% of species that were predicted by a European‐scale model to lose all their suitable habitats in the area. Proportion of habitat loss depends on climate change scenario and study area. We find good agreement between the mismatch in predictions between scales and the fine‐grain elevation range within 10 × 10′ cells. The greatest prediction discrepancy for alpine species occurs in the area with the largest nival zone. Our results suggest elevation range as the main driver for the observed prediction discrepancies. Local‐scale projections may better reflect the possibility for species to track their climatic requirement toward higher elevations.


Excerpt] The scientific and mathematical competence of American high school students is generally recognized to be very low. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports that only 7.5 percent of 17 year old students can "integrate specialized scientific information" (NAEP 1988a p.51) and 6.4 percent "demonstrated the capacity to apply mathematical operations in a variety of problem settings." (NAEP 1988b p. 42) There is a large gap between the science and math competence of young Americans and their counterparts overseas. In the 1960s, the low ranking of American high school students in such comparisons was attributed to the fact that the test was administered to a larger proportion of American than European and Japanese youth. This is no longer the case. Figures 1 to 4 plot the scores in Algebra, Biology, Chemistry and Physics against proportion of the 18-year old population in the types of courses to which the international test was administered. In the Second International Math Study, the universe from which the American sample was drawn consisted of high school seniors taking a college preparatory math course. This group represents 13 percent of the age cohort, a proportion that is roughly comparable to the 12 percent of Japanese youth who were in their sample frame and is considerably smaller than the 19 percent of youth in the Canadian province of Ontario and the 50 percent of Hungarians who took the test. In Algebra, the mean score for this very select group of American students was about equal to the mean score of the much larger group of Hungarians and substantially below the Canadian achievement level (McKnight et al 1987).


Pulse contour cardiac output (PiCCO) monitoring is a new type of invasive hemodynamic monitoring technology, which is more and more often applied in perioperative period and the patients suffering from multiple injuries, septic shock, and extensive burn. With PiCCO one is able to monitor patients' hemodynamic indexes safely, timely, accurately, and continuously to provide reference for judgment of patients' condition and proper quality and quantity of fluid administration. This technique has a good prospect in clinical application.


The global warming phenomenon has had a great impact not only on the temperature patterns of the regions, but also on the spatial-temporal patterns of the occurrence of wet and dry days. As some areas have increased (decreased) the number of dry days, the result of these changes requires new approaches to water management in these areas. Golestan province in northern Iran is one of the provinces in south of Caspian Sea, where evidence suggests a decrease in precipitation days as well as the temporal displacement of precipitation days from the cold period to the warm period of the year. Therefore, the present study investigates the probability of occurrence of wet and dry days based on the one-time Markov chain method, as a change of decade. Thus, in this research, precipitation data from 197 precipitation stations for a period of 40 years from 1971 to 2010 was used. In this study, based on the most internal consistency of different regions in terms of the occurrence of wet and dry days, eight different spatial zones were identified. The results of this study indicate that the continuity of the wetter periods in the eight-cluster zones of Golestan province indication that the length of the wetter period has decreased in most months. The highest decrease in July was on average 0.20 days per decade. However, in August, September, and October, it reached its lowest level. In August and September, clustered zones in the eastern regions of the province show an increase in the longer period. This indicates that during the last decades throughout the second half of the summer, rainfall has increased in the province.


There is an increasing need for on-site applications of DNA-based methods, both, for inspection services by public authorities, as well as for companies that wish to monitor their supply chain. The capability to apply DNA-based methods in the field, or at 'point-of-use', is critical where centralised laboratories are inadequate to meet the demand of prompt answers for early intervention. The application fields addressed by DECATHLON are food analysis with specific emphasis on pathogen detection for food safety, GMO identification and customs issues.
In recent years much progress has been made in the development of different types of on-site devices that can accommodate DNA-based methods.

Within the DECATHLON project, two primary approaches for on-site use of DNA-based methods are developed in parallel; sample preparation and nucleic acid identification using a centrifugal microfluidic platform, and development of a novel graphene nano-gap sensor for next generation sequencing.


BACKGROUND & AIMS
The colonic migrating motor complex (CMMC) is a motor pattern that regulates the movement of fecal matter through a rhythmic sequence of electrical activity and/or contractions along the large bowel. CMMCs have largely been studied in empty preparations; we investigated whether local reflexes generated by a fecal pellet modify the CMMC to initiate propulsive activity.

METHODS
Recordings of CMMCs were made from the isolated murine large bowel, with or without a fecal pellet. Transducers were placed along the colon to record muscle tension and propulsive force on the pellet and microelectrodes were used to record electrical activity from either side of a fecal pellet, circular muscle cells oral and anal of a pellet, and in colons without the mucosa.

RESULTS
Spontaneous CMMCs propagated in both an oral or anal direction. When a pellet was inserted, CMMCs increased in frequency and propagated anally, exerting propulsive force on the pellet. The amplitude of slow waves increased during the CMMC. Localized mucosal stimulation/circumferential stretch evoked a CMMC, regardless of stimulus strength. The serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine-3) receptor antagonist ondansetron reduced the amplitude of the CMMC, the propulsive force on the pellet, and the response to mucosal stroking, but increased the apparent conduction velocity of the CMMC. Removing the mucosa abolished spontaneous CMMCs, which still could be evoked by electrical stimulation.

CONCLUSIONS
The fecal pellet activates local mucosal reflexes, which release serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) from enterochromaffin cells, and stretch reflexes that determine the site of origin and propagation of the CMMC, facilitating propulsion.


Background: Asymptomatic bacteriuria is one of the cause for adverse perinatal outcome. Pregnant women are at high risk for UTIs. Women exposed to antepartum urinary tract infection had increased incidence of delivering infants with low birth weights, premature infants, preterm infants with low birth weights, than those who were not exposed. Women exposed to antepartum urinary tract infection were also more likely to experience premature labor, hypertension or preeclampsia and anemia.
Methods: Antenatal women attending Geetanjali medical college and hospital, Udaipur, OPD department were screened for asymptomatic bacteriuria and followed up till delivery. Two groups were made one with asymptomatic bacteriuria positive and treated and other with non-asymptomatic bacteriuria patients. Both groups were followed uptill delivery to note their adverse perinatal outcomes. Odds ratios (OR's) and 95% test based confidence intervals (CI's) were computed between two groups to note their perinatal and maternal outcomes.
Results: Prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria was 12.27%. Mean gestational age at which women presented was 14-26 weeks. No incidence of pyelonephritis was found. No significant adverse perinatal outcome was noted amongst patients treated for asymptomatic bacteriuria.
Conclusions: Early screening and treatment of ASB when implemented helps in reducing adverse maternal outcome.


In this study, we investigated people's relationships with AIBO, a robotic pet, through 6,438 spontaneous postings in online AIBO discussion forums. Results showed that AIBO psychologically engaged this group of participants, particularly by drawing forth conceptions of technological essences (75%), life-like essences (49%), mental states (60%), and social rapport (59%). However, participants seldom attributed moral standing to AIBO (e.g., that AIBO deserves respect, has rights, or can be held morally accountable for action). Our discussion focuses on how robotic pets (now and in the future) may (a) challenge traditional boundaries (e.g. between who or what can possess feelings), (b) extend our conceptions of self, companionship, and community, and (c) begin to replace interactions with live pets. We also discuss a concern that people in general, and children in particular, may fall prey to accepting robotic pets without the moral responsibilities (and moral developmental outcomes) that real, reciprocal companionship and cooperation involves. This research contributes to a growing literature on the human-robotic relationship.


Carbonated water drops impact on a hydrophobic surface is examined. The influence of CO2 gas bubbles in droplet fluid on impacting droplet characteristics, such as spreading rates and restitution coefficient, are explored. The predictions of droplet wetting diameter and spreading rates are validated through the experimental data obtained from high-speed recording. The findings reveal that predictions agree well with the experimental data. CO2 gas bubbles in the droplet are compressed by the total impact pressure of the droplet liquid while slightly reducing the gas bubble sizes. The small size of close by bubbles at high pressure can merge forming large size bubbles, which occur toward the end of droplet spreading and retraction periods. The pressure increase in the fluid gives rise to the increased vertical height of the droplet and slightly reduces the droplet contact diameter on the impacted surface. The work done during the compression of CO2 gas in bubbles lowers the restitution coefficient of the droplet after the retraction period.


This paper examines the role of body weight in smoking initiation by adolescents. We estimate discrete-time hazard models of the decision to initiate smoking using data from the Children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979 Cohort. We control for cigarette prices, tobacco control policies and socioeconomic factors. To avoid problems stemming from the endogeneity of body weight, we also estimate models using the method of instrumental variables. We find clear gender differences. Lighter girls are less likely to initiate smoking, while current weight is uncorrelated with initiation among boys. Among girls, smoking initiation is insensitive to cigarette prices, but among boys smoking initiation is negatively correlated with cigarette prices. These gender-specific differences may help explain the mixed evidence of the impact of price on smoking initiation found in previous literature.


Many opportunities exist to combine different models in the cybernetics and systems field to assist groups and organizations to be more effective. Brings together three models, the Viable System Model, Socio‐Technical Systems and Total Quality Management, to consider their potential usefulness in an integrated approach. It examines their common roots in the concepts of systems and environments, communications, the modelling process, variety, feedback and autonomy. Their differences of emphasis and some limitations are also noted. A suggestion is made regarding how they might be brought together in a single application using the Viable Systems Model as one of three possible frameworks. Other systems models and where they might fit within this framework are also noted. Finally, co‐operation and experiment among practitioners of different models is urged as having great potential benefit to client organizations.


Charting the trans-Atlantic movement of 'dynamic' psychiatry from The Henry Phipps Psychiatric Clinic, Baltimore, to Gartnavel Mental Hospital, Glasgow, this thesis throws light upon the resultant 'dynamic' case note records, produced in Gartnavel during the 1920s. By undertaking an in-depth, qualitative analysis of Gartnavel's case note records and corresponding archival materials, I explore the polemical question, posed, amongst others, by Foucault, of how psychiatry achieves its distinct status as a science of the individual. Foucault, most notably in Discipline and Power, ascribes to the psychiatric profession the power to fashion individual patient histories into cases, cases which simultaneously emphasise the individuality of a patient, while condensing, i.e. 'fixing' their identities that they may be constituted 'an object for a branch of knowledge and a hold for a branch of power'. This thesis, while recognising the validity of this argument, explores how the clinical practices and philosophical outlook of dynamic psychiatry in the early twentieth century enabled both patient and psychiatrist to negotiate the construction of the psychiatric case note record, and consequently of patients' individual identities.

D. K. Henderson, physician superintendent of Gartnavel between 1921 and 1932, was one of the first, if not the first psychiatrist fully to incorporate dynamic principles into the working practices of a British mental hospital. Initiating methods of case note taking and staff meeting consultation (now integral components of modern day psychiatric practice) he transported the teachings of his mentor, the Swiss emigre psychiatrist Adolf Meyer, to the everyday clinical practices of Gartnavel. The dissemination of dynamic psychiatry through Henderson's published works and medical teachings is recognised as having integrally shaped the practices of Scottish psychiatry in the twentieth century. However, the significance of the unpublished case note records, produced under his superintendence of Gartnavel during the 1920s, as sources of historical enquiry has gone largely unrecognised. A near-unique archive of 'dynamic' case note records is used in this thesis to reveal, what Roy Porter termed, a 'history from below' of clinical practices and examinatory processes. For as Henderson employed stenographers and clinical clerks to record verbatim and semi verbatim the dialogues that passed between patients and psychiatrists within staff meetings and mental examinations, I, as Porter himself aspired to, take as the focus of my research a history of the 'two-way encounters between doctors and patients'.

By employing an interdisciplinary research method, one that incorporates Foucauldian, literary, critical medical humanities, as well as more traditional forms of medical history scholarship, I establish a history of dynamic psychiatry set within clinical encounters. Engaging with current debate, evolving primarily within the interdisciplinary sphere of the medical humanities, I argue these records reveal a history of medical humanism, one in which both patients and psychiatrists actively shaped the history of twentieth century Scottish psychiatry.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: IR has recently demonstrated its capacity to reduce noise and permit dose reduction in abdominal and thoracic CT applications. The purpose of our study was to assess the potential benefit of IR in head CT by comparing objective and subjective image quality with standard FBP at various dose levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety consecutive patients were randomly assigned to undergo nonen-hanced and contrast-enhanced head CT at a standard dose (320 mAs; CTDI, 60.1) or 15% (275 mAs; CTDI, 51.8) and 30% (225 mAs; CTDI, 42.3) dose reduction. All acquisitions were reconstructed with IR in image space, and FBP and images were assessed in terms of quantitative and qualitative IQ. RESULTS: Compared with FBP, IR resulted in lower image noise ( P (cid:1) .02), higher CNR ( P (cid:1) .03), and improved subjective image quality ( P (cid:1) .002) at all dose levels. While degradation of objective and subjective IQ at 15% dose reduction was fully compensated by IR (CNR, 1.98 (cid:1) 0.4 at 320 mAs with FBP versus 2.05 (cid:1) 0.4 at 275 mAs with IR; IQ, 1.8 versus 1.7), IQ was considerably poorer at 70% standard dose despite using the iterative approach (CNR, 1.98 (cid:1) 0.3 at 320 mAs with FBP versus 1.85 (cid:1) 0.4 at 225 mAs with IR, P (cid:2) .18; IQ, 1.8 versus 2.2, P (cid:2) .03). Linear regression analysis of CNR against tube current suggests that standard CNR may be obtained until approximately 20.4% dose reduction when IR is used. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with conventional FBP, IR of head CT is associated with significant improvement of objective and subjective IQ and may allow dose reductions in the range of 20% without compromising standard image quality


Background Measurement of muscle hardness is important for objective evaluation of the muscle condition. Muscle hardness may be related to muscle size, but this relationship has not yet been examined. Purpose To examine the relationship between the size and hardness of the medial gastrocnemius muscle (MG) at different ankle joint angles. Material and Methods Twelve young male subjects comprised the present study. Muscle thickness of the right MG (MTMG) was measured by ultrasonography as an index of muscle size. The MTMG was determined at 30% of the lower leg length from the popliteal crease to the lateral malleolus. At the same site, muscle hardness of the right MG (MHMG) was measured with ultrasound real-time tissue elastography. Both measurements were taken while each subject was instructed to lie in a prone position on a test bench. The right ankle was secured to a handmade apparatus by a non-elastic belt, with the hip and knee joints fully extended and the ankle positioned at +30°, 0° and –20° (0°: neutral position, positive values indicating plantar flexion). Results There were no significant differences in the MTMG among the ankle joint angles whereas the MHMG significantly increased as the ankle was moved from plantar flexion to dorsiflexion. As a result, there was a difference in the MTMG-MHMG relationship between the angles. The MTMG significantly correlated with the MHMG only at +30° (r = 0.635, P < 0.05) where passive torque around the ankle has been shown to be near zero in previous studies. Conclusion The hardness of the relaxed MG with no passive tension appears to depend on its size.


For many patients with cardiac insufficiency, the disease progresses inexorably to organ dilatation, pump failure, and death. Although there are examples of reversible heart failure in man, our understanding of how the myocardium repairs itself is limited. A well defined animal model of reversible heart failure would allow us to better investigate these restorative processes. Receptors that activate Gαq, a signal transduction molecule in the heterotrimeric G protein superfamily, are thought to play a key role in the development of heart failure. We demonstrated previously that mice expressing a recombinant Gαq protein, the activity of which can be turned on or off at will in cardiac myocytes, develop a dilated cardiomyopathy with generalized edema and heart failure following activation of the protein (Fan, G., Jiang, Y.-P., Lu, Z., Martin, D. W., Kelly, D. J., Zuckerman, J. M., Ballou, L. M., Cohen, I. S., and Lin, R. Z. (2005) J. Biol. Chem. 280, 40337-40346). Here we report that the contractile dysfunction and pathological structural changes in the myocardium improved significantly after termination of the Gαq signal, even in animals with overt heart failure. Abnormalities in two proteins that regulate Ca2+ handling in myocytes, phospholamban and the voltage-dependent L-type Ca2+ channel, were also reversed, as was the increased expression of genes that are associated with heart failure. These results indicate that the heart has a substantial reparative capacity if the molecular signals responsible for the myocardial dysfunction can be identified and blocked.


This study used Lavie's (1995, 2010) perceptual load theory to investigate
selective attention deficits after mild to moderate Traumatic Brain Injury
(TBI). This theory predicts that when the load involved in a task does not
exceed perceptual resources (low load), there is spare capacity for irrelevant
distractors to be processed. This leads to distractor interference, with
incompatible distractors causing maximal interference compared to neutral and
compatible distractors. When perceptual resources are exceeded (high load)
differential distractor interference effects are reduced or eliminated. Twelve
mild to moderate TBI patients and 12 neurologically intact controls completed
two computer-based tasks which manipulated perceptual load, as well as
neuropsychological tests of attention. In computer task A target letters flanked
by coloured shapes were presented with distractors that were incompatible,
neutral or compatible with the target. Computer task B was similar but
involved more ecologically relevant targets in the form of line drawings of
cups and glasses. Participants were instructed to respond to targets when they
appeared with coloured shapes (single feature; low load) or specific shapes of
specific colours (conjunction of features; high load) thus manipulating
perceptual load by verbal instruction alone. Patterns of responses were
consistent with hypotheses; however, no statistically significant differences
were found between distractor types under low load in either computer task.
Whereas there were no significant differences between groups on RT
measures, TBI patients made significantly more errors on the computer tasks
and showed poorer performances on neuropsychological tests of selective
attention than did controls. Small sample sizes and possible confounding
effects of cognitive load may have contributed to the lack of statistically
significant results. Future research with mild/moderate TBI patients may
benefit from varying display set size to manipulate load instead of the verbal
instructions used in the current study.


The analysis proposed in this paper is concerned with the welfare effects of self-regulation by Producer's Organizations (PO) as an alternative to market or public intervention. Using the advances of the economics of incentives, it studies the interaction of asymmetric information and the democratic process in the quality choices of a group of heterogenous producers. With a simple model of adverse selection it presents the pricing rules and the quality provision in a group of producers facing an opportunity to gain from their collective capacity to establish a reputation for their quality products. This paper explicitly considers the democratic process through which quality-based reward schemes are decided upon and enforced in the PO. It distinguishes between a constitutional phase, in which each potential participant votes on whether to form a PO and the rules by which the PO will be run, and a working phase, in which the rules, including quality regulation, are enforced by the PO.


In the pursuit of social justice, the problem of relative economic inequality in developing countries deserves serious consideration. With the help of a formal analytical framework, the present paper shows that the essential elements of a solution of the problem are structural change, focusing on narrowing down the difference in initial wealth holdings, and an active 'incrementalist' policy of keeping the growth rate of the income of the poor significantly higher than the growth rate of the income of the rich. Naive egalitarianism, requiring only the equality of these two growth rates in the name of moderation, will only create an explosive situation in which economic inequality will keep on increasing. It is further argued that in the context of solving the problem the critical points are the ones where the income and wealth gaps begin to narrow down. Once these points are reached, relative inequality will be fmally eliminated in a fairly short time regardless of the relative size of the initial wealth holdings. Policy action to achieve the stated objective will require a marriage of stru.ctural change and incrementalism rather than an emphasis on one to the neglect of the other.


Subjective probabilities are now collected on a number of large household surveys with the objective of providing data to better understand inter-temporal decision making. Comparison of subjective probabilities with actual outcomes shows that the probabilities have considerable predictive power in situations where individuals have considerable private information such as survival and retirement. In contrast the subjective probability of a stock market gain varies greatly across individuals even though no one has private information and the outcome is the same for everyone. An explanation is that there is considerable variation in accessing and processing information. Further, the subjective probability of a stock market gain is considerably lower than historical averages, providing an explanation for the relatively low frequency of stock holding. An important research objective will be to understand how individuals form their subjective probabilities.


What happens when an exceptionally strong state takes on an especially rapid expansion of squatter settlements? A dramatic struggle of such proportions—between the forces of fast industrialisation pulling rural people into the city and an effective, modernising state intolerant of squatting—was played out in Seoul, South Korea, in the 1960s and 1970s, when that city was one of the world's fastest-growing metropolises. This paper documents battles over unlicensed housing in Seoul and finds that leaders repeatedly failed in their endeavour to clear the city's shantytowns, despite the impressive coercive capacity of the South Korean state. Instead, the state was forced to accommodate other interests, including industrial employers, more-privileged urban residents, land investors and squatters themselves. The remarkable case of Seoul offers insight into broader questions about the politics of housing the urban poor in the developing world.


Problem statements: The salinity of seawater is a critical issue for desalination process. Approach: The salinity changes in the coastal waters of Kuwait due to large scale power and desalination activity were evaluated. Results: Systematic sampling campaigns were planned to cover the uptake and outfall of the desalination plant spreading evenly the sampling points to cover the freshwater input zone of Arabian Gulf in north. The salinity observations are critical both for the desalination process and for integrity of the marine environment, which is critical in case of Kuwait. Conclusion/Recommendations: The results showed compliance of Kuwait EPA salinity standard in the area with a difference of around 4 ppt salinity increase at outfall compared to uptake zone.


Purpose: Radium-223 is an alpha-emitting radionuclide associated with overall survival (OS) improvement in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) to prostate extends OS in men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) limited to less than 4 metastases. We hypothesized that combination radium-223 + pelvic EBRT could safely deliver maximal radiotherapy doses to primary and metastatic prostate cancer and may improve disease control. Patients and Methods: Thirty patients with de novo bone metastatic mHSPC who had commenced androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and docetaxel were recruited to this single-arm, open-label, prospective clinical trial: Neo-adjuvant Androgen Deprivation Therapy, Pelvic Radiotherapy and RADium-223 (ADRRAD; for new presentation T1–4 N0–1 M1B adenocarcinoma of prostate). Study treatments were: ADT, 6 cycles of radium-223 q28 days, conventionally fractionated prostate radiotherapy (74 Gy) and simultaneous integrated boost to pelvic lymph nodes (60 Gy). Results: No grade 4/5 toxicity was observed. Three patients experienced grade 3 leukopenia, and 1 each experienced grade 3 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia; all were asymptomatic. One patient each experienced grade 3 dysuria and grade 3 urinary infection. No grade 3 gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity was observed. On treatment completion, there was a signal of efficacy; 24 (80%) patients had whole-body MRI evidence of tumor response or stability. Twenty-seven (90%) patients showed a reduction in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) compared with pretreatment levels. Median progression-free survival was 20.5 months. Conclusions: This is the first trial of combination ADT, radium-223, and EBRT to pelvis, post docetaxel. The combination was safe, with an efficacy signal. Multicenter randomized controlled trials (RCT) are warranted.


We investigated whether chronic sciatic ligation modifies the glutamate release in spinal cord nerve endings (synaptosomes) as well as the expression and the function of presynaptic release-regulating mGlu2/3 autoreceptors and 5-HT2A heteroreceptors in these particles. Synaptosomes were from the spinal cord of animals suffering from the sciatic ligation that developed on day 6 post-surgery a significant decrease of the force inducing paw-withdrawal in the lesioned paw. The exocytosis of glutamate (quantified as release of preloaded [3H]D-aspartate, [3H]D-Asp) elicited by a mild depolarizing stimulus (15 mM KCl) was significantly increased in synaptosomes from injured rats when compared to controls (uninjured rats). The mGlu2/3 agonist LY379268 (1000 pM) significantly inhibited the 15 mM KCl-evoked [3H]D-Asp overflow from control synaptosomes, but not in terminals isolated from injured animals. Differently, a low concentration (10 nM) of (±) DOI, unable to modify the 15 mM KCl-evoked [3H]D-Asp overflow in control spinal cord synaptosomes, significantly reduced the glutamate exocytosis in nerve endings isolated from the injured rats. Acute oral trazodone (TZD, 0.3 mg/kg on day 7 post-surgery) efficiently recovered glutamate exocytosis as well as the efficiency of LY379268 in inhibiting this event in spinal cord synaptosomes from injured animals. The sciatic ligation significantly reduced the expression of mGlu2/3, but not of 5-HT2A, receptor proteins in spinal cord synaptosomal lysates. Acute TZD recovered this parameter. Our results support the use of 5-HT2A antagonists for restoring altered spinal cord glutamate plasticity in rats suffering from sciatic ligation.


The thoracic manifestations of AIDS have undergone a gradual metamorphosis, partly due to more awareness about the disease leading to earlier diagnoses and partly due to the fact that research has produced more effective prophylaxis as well as treatment for these patients. Many patients now demonstrate partial or complete clinical response which prolongs the length and quality of life of individuals positive for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV+). Also, with the large number of infected individuals coming to medical attention, and the years of experience in diagnosing and treating these AIDS patients, we now recognize not only the usual but also less usual manifestations of thoracic illnesses in AIDS, including infections, non-infectious diseases such as HIV associated Lymphocytic Interstitial Pneumonia and the neoplasms associated with AIDS. A section will be devoted to HIV infection in children. We will finish the article with a discussion of the current role of Nuclear Medicine in the diagnosis of HIV associated thoracic diseases. These topics are the subject of this article.


The present thesis investigates the performance of current aerospace structural materials such as Glare, a fibre metal laminate, to the catastrophic consequence of sabotage-induced blast loadings on commercial aircraft. The aim is to quantify the effects of these blast events and establish if remedial action can in some manner increase the chances of aircraft survivability.

Within the EU funded VULCAN consortium, a coordinated effort has been devised to determine the dynamic deformation and fracture behaviour of structural materials subject to blast loadings using both experimental and numerical techniques. Test data from small-scale experimental blast trials have been verified and validated by the author using robust and efficient finite element models. Numerical studies have shown that Glare has potential to be a strong candidate for blast attenuating structures, exhibiting superior blast resistance compared to monolithic aluminium plates. Furthermore, a blast vulnerability and survivability analysis was devised to illustrate various failure scenarios in scaled fuselage structures.

To address the macroscopic crack propagation in large-scale shell structures to blast loadings, well-controlled dynamic fracture experiments have been performed. This configuration, which consists of closed-end pressurised barrels with a through-thickness crack, is designed to capture the underlying dynamic phenomena under investigation whilst keeping the computational effort manageable. Quantitative fracture metrics obtained from high speed imaging systems have shown that Glare exhibits much lower average crack velocities than Aluminium 2024-T3 and CFRP.

Experimental boundary and loading conditions served as well-defined input parameters to large-scale finite element models using cohesive elements. It has been shown that rate-independent cohesive models, initially verified using quasi-static fracture toughness tests, are insufficient to capture the dynamic crack growth rates. Alterative rate-dependent models have been discussed and implemented which take into account the influence of loading rate on the cohesive traction and energy dissipation. An inverse problem of cohesive zone modelling is performed to obtain mode-I cohesive zone laws. The comparison shows that both the experiments and the numerical simulations result in very similar crack initiation times and produce crack tip velocities of acceptable agreement.


Introduction: Treatment approaches for drug addiction are classified into several general types: psychosocial interventions as a part of drug-free programs, opioid maintenance treatment programs and detoxification programs. Μethadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is one of the most common therapeutic approaches.
Aim: To investigate the factors that affect drug dependent people's subjective Quality of Life (QOL) under MMT.
Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in a convenience sample of 209 drug dependent people under MMT provided by a substitution treatment unit (OKANA). They completed a questionnaire that included: a) demographic/occupational characteristics, b) the Short Form 12-Item Health Survey questionnaire (SF-12) and c) the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R). Data analysis was carried out using the statistical package SPSS 24.0.
Results: Mean scores for the physical (PCS) and the mental (MCS) subscale of SF-12 were 47.4(±8.8) and 38.6(±9.2) respectively, displaying lower level of drug dependent people' QOL. High mean scores of the nine symptomatic dimensions and the three global indices of the SCL-90-R demonstrate existence between addiction and psychiatric disorder. Prolonged time period over two years under MMT was associated with deterioration in their QOL. Drug dependent people with the longest stay under MMT had higher scores in the subscales of somatization (p =0.051), the obsessive-compulsive disorder (p =0.013), the Global Severity Index (p=0.041) and the Positive Symptoms Total (p=0.033). Findings indicate that female sex, the age of initiation of drugs (younger age) and previous
Conclusions: In line with drug dependent people's subjective QOL, prolonged time under MMT was associated with poor QOL. Therefore, changing MMT program's philosophy is essential to cover drug dependent people's further psychosocial needs.


ABSTRACT Appreciation of policy practice and its rudiments can be achieved beyond the walls of a university classroom, an understanding exemplified by Syracuse University School of Social Work's annual James L. Stone Legislative Policy Day (LPD). This article describes the school's approach and its creative use of the Onondaga County Legislative Chambers as venue of choice. Students, faculty, government officials, local and national presenters, and community members all come together to explore the development and implementation of policy change through the lens of social and economic justice. Seven key components of LPD are explicated. Dignity and worth of humankind, one of social work's professional values, remains at the center of LPD's efforts. In addition, strengths associated with people and causes are interwoven in the presentations associated with the day. This is coupled with showcasing how the legislative process works and highlighting salient social activist tactics that may be used, given the area of focus.


: Diets containing expeller-extracted linseed meal treated with corn oil, lard or coconut oil were fed to lambs to determine the effectiveness of coating the protein in reducing its ruminal degradation. Three common indicators of nitrogen metabolism in the ruminant were used in evaluation: ruminal ammonia, blood plasma ammonia and plasma urea. Eight crossbred lambs, averaging 27 kg in weight, were allotted to the four diets which were fed at a rate of 350 g at 12-hour intervals. Ruminal ammonia, plasma ammonia and plasma urea were monitored at 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 hr after feeding. Lambs consuming coconut oil-treated linseed meal produced less rumen ammonia (average of .5 mg/100 ml across all collection times) than those fed normal linseed meal (10.3 mg/100 ml). Lambs fed corn oil-treated and lard-treated linseed meal had ruminal ammonia levels intermediate to those fed normal and coconut oil-treated linseed meal. Levels of plasma ammonia and plasma urea nitrogen of normal linseed meal were significantly higher than the same measures with the oil-treated linseed meals. Differences in plasma ammonia and urea nitrogen were not significant among the three oil-treated diets.


Physical inactivity is a major public health concern and is believed to contribute to the high prevalence of childhood obesity in U.S. youth. To address this problem, Knoxville, Tennessee's Childhood Obesity Coalition launched the Kids Can Bike! program in the spring of 2012. The 7-week bicycling program is designed to increase physical activity, teach safe cycling skills, and explore local parks and greenways while having fun. The program targets children in 3rd-5th grades who are already enrolled in an after-school or summer program. Once a week, the children are transported to a location where they can safely ride. The City of Knoxville Department of Parks and Recreation transports the bicycles to the corresponding location in a 24-foot enclosed trailer. Additionally, the Department of Parks and Recreation provides staffing while the University of Tennessee provides student volunteer assistants. The instructors are trained to deliver a safe cycling curriculum that includes both physical activity and education components. The children are surveyed at the beginning and end of the program to determine the impact of the bicycle program on changes in bicycle knowledge, and to evaluate their attitudes towards the Kids Can Bike! program as a whole. Preliminary results from year 1 showed a significant increase in the percentage of correct bicycle knowledge questions. Furthermore, the children indicated high levels of satisfaction with the program. Bicycle education programs can be successfully integrated into existing afterschool and summer programs and may help children acquire the skills and knowledge to become lifelong bicyclists.


Aims: Impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia (IAH) in people with type 1 diabetes is a dangerous condition that is associated with a six-fold greater risk of severe hypoglycaemia. A new psychoeducational programme, DAFNE-HART, has been specifically designed to address persistent IAH. The initial pilot showed promising outcomes including fewer hypoglycaemic episodes and improved hypoglycaemia awareness. This aim of this paper is to describe the development and qualitative evaluation of DAFNE-HART from participant interviews.Methods: DAFNE-HART incorporates diabetes education with two psychological approaches that have demonstrated efficacy in long-term health conditions: motivational interviewing and cognitive behaviour therapy. The course, delivered across two UK locations included both group and individual support over a six-week period facilitated by DAFNE educators, trained and supervised by a clinical psychologist. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 participants immediately after their courses and the interviews were analysed using grounded theory.Results: Five main themes emerged which describe the behavioural changes people made to their diabetes management, the development of new attitudes and beliefs, their experiences of regaining hypoglycaemia cues, reactions to the course format and the significance of the relationship with their care provider. Participants provide insights into how the course changed their view of IAH and led to practical changes in minimising hypoglycaemia.Conclusions: Integration of psychological techniques into diabetes education can address the cognitive and motivational barriers to restoring awareness and optimal diabetes management. It is suggested that further research is needed to evaluate this programme in a larger sample and to measure sustainability. Dr Emma Shuttlewood Clinical Health Psychology Clarence Wing St. Mary's Hospital Praed Street London W2 1NY 1 October 2014 Dear Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, Please accept a submission for the following paper to be considered for publication: A qualitative evaluation of DAFNE-HART: A psychoeducational programme to restore hypoglycaemia awareness This paper has been written and edited by Shuttlewood, De Zoysa, Rankin and Amiel. I, the corresponding author, have now left the department at King's College London but am happy to be contacted about his paper. I look forward to hearing the reviewer's comments.


The thermal stresses generated in ZrTiN coating deposited on HSS and tungsten carbide substrates are investigated by finite element analysis and calculated by mathematics model. FEM analysis provides detailed information about all stress components. The influence of deposition temperature, substrate materials, coating thickness and interlayers on the generation is analyzed. The thermal stress of coatings has a linear relationship with deposition temperature, and an inverse relationship with the coating thickness. The results of simulated thermal stress are in accordance with the analytical method. The highest shear stress found at the interface between the coating and substrate indicates that the interface is the critical location which is learned from the failure point of view. Results also show that the insertion of TiZr interlayer between the coating and substrate can reduce the stress components especially the shear stress. The interlayer thickness has a great effect on stress reduction.


Although the everyday notion of information has clear semantic properties, the all-pervasive technical concept of Shannon information was defended being a non-semantic concept. In this paper I will show how this measure of information was implicitly 'semantized' in the early 1950s by many authors, such as Rothstein's or Brillouin's, in order to explain the knowledge dynamics underlying certain scientific practices such as measurement. On the other hand, I will argue that the main attempts in the literature to develop a quantitative measure of semantic information to clarify science and scientific measurements, such as Carnap-Bar-Hillel, or Dretske, will not successfully achieve this philosophical aim for several reasons. Finally, I will defend the use of a qualitative notion of semantic information within the information-theoretical framework MacKay to assess the informational dynamics underlying scientific practices, particularly measurements in statistical mechanics.


In this paper, a real-time mathematical heat transfer model for billet continuous casting of low carbon steel has been presented and solved by finite volume method. This model can be used to simulate the casting conditions which vary frequently. As taking the variation of superheat of liquid steel into consideration in the water flow rate distribution, the fluctuation of billet surface temperature has been decreased. Meanwhile the fluctuation of measured temperature has been largely reduced when it is measured with thermal imager. The mathematical model has been validated by measuring shell thickness and surface temperature in industrial caster. The on-line model can monitor surface temperature and shell thickness along the caster machine in the casting process, and it has been applied on the dynamic control system to adjust the operation parameters. The billet defect has been decreased greatly and the quality of billet has been obviously improved.


The interrelationship between diabetes and various vitamins and minerals is characterized by a high degree of reciprocity. Chronic uncontrolled hyperglycemia can cause significant alterations in the status of these nutrients, and conversely, some of these substances, especially those that have been characterized as micronutrients, can directly modulate glucose homeostasis (1). Differences in patient populations studied and methodological uncertainties account for the discrepancies in most reported studies. Certain subgroups of individuals with diabetes, such as elderly patients, vegans (who consume no animal products), and pregnant and lactating women, are at particular risk for deficiencies for such nutrients. Additionally, caloric restriction for obese patients and the effects of a high fiber diet and a host of drugs on the metabolism of vitamins and minerals are of concern (2,3).


Background: In this study, we investigate the impact of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the most abundant and potent catechin in green tea, on a mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the underlying mechanisms of action. Methods: C57BL/6J mice were subjected to dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced IBD-like disease and then randomly divided into three groups: Model group (MD), low-dose EGCG group (LE, 20 mg/kg/d), and high-dose EGCG group (HE, 50 mg/kg/d). DSS-induced clinical and macroscopic changes were monitored daily. Intestinal permeability was assessed by FITC-Dextran assay. Results: Both high- and low-dose EGCG treatment alleviated clinical manifestations including body weight loss and disease activity index (DAI) of DSS-induced colitis. The DAI score was significantly improved after two days of EGCG treatment. At the end of the study, the macroscopic severity score (MSS) of HE and LE treatment groups were 2.4 ± 1.2, and 2.2 ± 1.0, respectively, significantly lower than that of the controls (5.0 ± 2.1). EGCG treatment also prevented colon shortening, and improved intestinal permeability and histopathological changes. In addition, EGCG treatment attenuated colon inflammation by suppressing colonic levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, MCP-1, and TNF-alpha, and inhibited CD3+ T cell and CD68+ macrophage infiltration. Conclusion: EGCG is effective in inflammatory colitis because it reduces cellular and molecular inflammation, and reduces intestinal permeability.


OBJECTIVE
Possibly due to a deficiency of insulin mediators, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is often associated with insulin resistance (IR) and hyperinsulinemia, likely responsible for an elevated production of reactive oxygen species. We investigated oxidative-related alterations in erythrocytes and anti-inflammatory effects of inositol in women with PCOS before and after treatment with myo-inositol (MYO).

METHODS
Twenty-six normal-weight PCOS patients were investigated before and after MYO administration (1200 mg/day for 12 weeks; n=18) or placebo (n=8) by evaluating serum testosterone, serum androstenedione, fasting serum insulin, fasting serum glucose, insulin area under the curve (AUC), and glucose AUC after oral glucose tolerance test and homeostasis model of assessment-IR. In erythrocytes, band 3 tyrosine phosphorylation (Tyr-P) level, glutathione (GSH) content, and glutathionylated proteins (GSSP) were also assessed.

RESULTS
Data show that PCOS patients' erythrocytes underwent oxidative stress as indicated by band 3 Tyr-P values, reduced cytosolic GSH content, and increased membrane protein glutathionylation. MYO treatment significantly improved metabolic and biochemical parameters. Significant reductions were found in IR and serum values of androstenedione and testosterone. A significant association between band 3 Tyr-P levels and insulin AUC was found at baseline but disappeared after MYO treatment, while a correlation between band 3 Tyr-P and testosterone levels was detected both before and after MYO treatment.

CONCLUSIONS
PCOS patients suffer from a systemic inflammatory status that induces erythrocyte membrane alterations. Treatment with MYO is effective in reducing hormonal, metabolic, and oxidative abnormalities in PCOS patients by improving IR.


Ten of the 15 seats on the U.N. Security Council are held by rotating members serving two‐year terms. We find that a country's U.S. aid increases by 59 percent and its U.N. aid by 8 percent when it rotates onto the council. This effect increases during years in which key diplomatic events take place (when members' votes should be especially valuable), and the timing of the effect closely tracks a country's election to, and exit from, the council. Finally, the U.N. results appear to be driven by UNICEF, an organization over which the United States has historically exerted great control.


Five medicinal plants were taken to investigate and evaluate levels of non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants in leaves of Calotropis procera, Datura stramonium, Argemone mexicana, Withania somnifera, Solanum nigrum. The results indicate that among these medicinal plant leaves; the enzymatic activities of enzymatic antioxidant viz. catalase, glutathione reductase activity were highest in leaves of Withania somnifera but superoxide dismutase activity was high in Calotropis procera. The level of nonenzymatic antioxidant viz. total phenols, flavonoids and carotenoid were highest in medicinal plant leaves of Argemone Mexicana but ascorbic acid in Datura stramonium.


This paper explores the intrinsic but often weakly developed links between sustainability and issues of diversity, power, and privilege. It offers a systems-oriented conceptual framework for exploring and understanding how issues of diversity, power and privilege operate in social-ecological systems. This framework can be used as a learning tool with a wide array of audiences (higher education, organizational development, adult learners) and educational contexts (including but not limited to sustainability education programming).


To the Editor: Recent reports from Asia (1–4) have highlighted the increasing incidence of the fungus Candida auris as a nosocomial bloodstream pathogen affecting persons of all age groups. We report a case of C. auris candidemia in a 27-year-old woman in Kuwait with a long history of chronic renal failure. On May 9, 2014, the patient was admitted to the intensive care unit with symptoms of septic shock secondary to lobar pneumonia and complicated by acute renal failure. The patient was known to have immotile cilia syndrome (primary ciliary dyskinesia) and bronchiectasis with recurrent episodes of sinusitis. Beginning on day 1, she received treatment with different courses of a wide range of broad-spectrum antimicrobial drugs. However, despite treatment, the patient's condition continued to deteriorate. On day 12 after admission, a blood culture yielded yeast growth that was identified with 99% probability as C. haemulonii by using the Vitek 2 yeast identification system (bioMerieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France). As part of routine patient care, we sent the isolate (Kw1732/14) to the Mycology Reference Laboratory at Kuwait University for further identification and antifungal susceptibility testing. The isolate was resistant to fluconazole (MIC of >256 μg/mL), but it appeared susceptible to amphotericin B (MIC of 0.064 μg/mL), voriconazole (MIC of 0.38 μg/mL), and caspofungin (MIC of 0.064 μg/mL) by using the Etest (bioMerieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France). The patient was started on liposomal amphotericin B (150 mg/day), but the next day, she died from multiorgan failure.

On MAST ID CHROMagar Candida medium (Mast Group Ltd., Bootle, UK), the isolate formed pink colonies, which grew well at 42°C but not at 45°C. The isolate did not grow on BBL Mycosel Agar (BD, Sparks, MD, USA) containing 0.4 g cycloheximide per liter of medium. As with C. auris isolates from India and South Africa, this isolate assimilated N-acetyl glucosamine (2,5). Because the isolate showed reduced susceptibility to fluconazole, it was further characterized by sequencing of internal transcribed spacer and D1/D2 domains of ribosomal DNA. Genomic sequences for the internal transcribed spacer and D1/D2 regions (EMBL accession nos. {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"LN624638","term_id":"723005175","term_text":"LN624638"}}LN624638 and {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"LN626311","term_id":"725798491","term_text":"LN626311"}}LN626311) shared 99%–100% identity with sequences for corresponding regions of several C. auris strains (identification nos. CBS12874, CBS12875, CBS12876, CBS12880, CBS12882, CBS12886, and CBS12887, and several isolates from India).

C. auris was isolated in 2009 from the ear canal of a woman in Japan (6). The species has attracted attention because of its reduced susceptibility to azoles and amphotericin B (2,5) and its misidentification as C. haemulonii or Rhodotorula glutinis by commercial yeast identification systems (1,4). Because there are no reliable phenotypic methods for the rapid identification of C. auris and because molecular methods are not yet widely available, it is reasonable to infer that C. auris may be a more frequent cause of candidemia than previously recognized, particularly in Asian countries. A recently published multicenter study from India supports this view (7). In that study, a significantly higher occurrence of C. auris candidemia was reported among patients admitted in public sector hospitals compared with those in private hospitals (8.2 vs. 3.9%; p = 0.008) (7). The report reinforces the growing clinical implications of rare Candida spp. in the etiology of candidemia and highlights the role of molecular methods for their unequivocal identification.


In this article, we address the fundamental question: "What is the critical size of a single cluster of gas molecules that grows and becomes a stable (or continuously growing) gas bubble during gas evolving reactions?" Electrochemical reactions that produce dissolved gas molecules are ubiquitous in electrochemical technologies, e.g., water electrolysis, photoelectrochemistry, chlorine production, corrosion, and often lead to the formation of gaseous bubbles. Herein, we demonstrate that electrochemical measurements of the dissolved gas concentration, at the instant prior to nucleation of an individual nanobubble of H2, N2, or O2 at a Pt nanodisk electrode, can be analyzed using classical thermodynamic relationships (Henry's law and the Young-Laplace equation - including non-ideal corrections) to provide an estimate of the size of the gas bubble nucleus that grows into a stable bubble. We further demonstrate that this critical nucleus size is independent of the radius of the Pt nanodisk employed (<100 nm radius), and weakly dependent on the nature of the gas. For example, the measured critical surface concentration of H2 of ∼0.23 M at the instant of bubble formation corresponds to a critical H2 nucleus that has a radius of ∼3.6 nm, an internal pressure of ∼350 atm, and contains ∼1700 H2 molecules. The data are consistent with stochastic fluctuations in the density of dissolved gas, at or near the Pt/solution interface, controlling the rate of bubble nucleation. We discuss the growth of the nucleus as a diffusion-limited process and how that process is affected by proximity to an electrode producing ∼1011 gas molecules per second. Our study demonstrates the advantages of studying a single-entity, i.e., an individual nanobubble, in understanding and quantifying complex physicochemical phenomena.


A method for analyzing the behavior of flow passing through an asymmetrical glottal channel is presented. The method assumes the formation of a thin boundary layer near the glottal wall and an interaction between the boundary layer and the core flow. The core flow velocity is estimated in two dimensions employing a method of potential flow analysis, while the characteristic quantities of the boundary layer are determined by solving the integral momentum relation on the basis of the similarity of the velocity profiles within the layer. Estimation results for the volume flow rate, effective flow velocity, pressure distribution, driving force of the vocal folds, and flow separation point are presented for a total of 315 glottal configurations obtained by varying the angle of each vocal fold and the minimum glottal height. The results indicate that the boundary layer tends to reduce the effect of channel asymmetry, and the imbalance of the aerodynamic quantities between the two vocal folds is small unless the glottis widely opens and the angular difference of the vocal folds is considerable.


Color-based object tracking is an important issue since color is an efficient and robust visual cue for characterizing one object from the other objects. Color segmentation is, however, suffered from color variations induced from irregular illumination variations and the viewing geometry of a camera. This paper proposes a reliable color modeling approach including intensity information in HSI color space using B-spline curves based on the fact that the color distribution of a single-colored object, even in a hue-saturation plane, is not invariant with respect to brightness variations in practical cameras. By using the approach, our color-based visual tracker is able to adapt to irregular illumination variations and abrupt changes of brightness. The approach is applied to real-time face tracking under various illumination conditions in a PC-based vision system.


ABSTRACT The plant-pathogenic bacterium Dickeya dadantii (formerly Erwinia chrysanthemi) produces a large array of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes. Using an in situ detection test, we showed that it produces two feruloyl esterases, FaeD and FaeT. These enzymes cleave the ester link between ferulate and the pectic or xylan chains. FaeD and FaeT belong to the carbohydrate esterase family CE10, and they are the first two feruloyl esterases to be identified in this family. Cleavage of synthetic substrates revealed strong activation of FaeD and FaeT by ferulic acid. The gene faeT appeared to be weakly expressed, and its product, FaeT, is a cytoplasmic protein. In contrast, the gene faeD is strongly induced in the presence of ferulic acid, and FaeD is an extracellular protein secreted by the Out system, responsible for pectinase secretion. The product of the adjacent gene faeR is involved in the positive control of faeD in response to ferulic acid. Moreover, ferulic acid acts in synergy with polygalacturonate to induce pectate lyases, the main virulence determinant of soft rot disease. Feruloyl esterases dissociate internal cross-links in the polysaccharide network of the plant cell wall, suppress the polysaccharide esterifications, and liberate ferulic acid, which contributes to the induction of pectate lyases. Together, these effects of feruloyl esterases could facilitate soft rot disease caused by pectinolytic bacteria.


Research has shown that men, like women, are negatively affected by idealized media portrayals. However, there are few qualitative studies that have examined this issue, leaving the literature impoverished of the meaning of male body image to men. Specifically, there is a lack of discursive inquiry. Since romantic relationships provide a unique context for body image construction, the current study examines the ways in which men in relationships linguistically construct and negotiate the media's influence on their own body image. Three interviews and a focus group of two men in heterosexual relationships were employed to explore this topic. Our results show that, while men speak of a negative influence of media on their body image, they do so in such a way that is adaptive and creates protective barriers between the self and the media's messages. These strategies, which at times utilize relationship status, allow participants to construct general, albeit sometimes reluctant, satisfaction with their bodies. These findings, while largely concurring with previous literature, add caveats and may reconcile disparate results from past research by identifying contradictory constructions of media influence on males in heterosexual relationships.


Dhofar region in southern Oman possesses a wealth of livestock. This wealth is managed traditionally by different Dhofari groups in a distinct landscape and ecological conditions. By the seventies, development addressed all aspects of live in the Sultanate. Education turned out to be a prime objective in development plans. In Dhofar, young generations of pastoralists found their way into education. It is known that the route of education starts directly from primary school level to the university level. Consequently, theoretical university education detach and disengage young Dhofaris from their forefathers' traditional profession and most of all their wealth. Dhofar's livestock is unequivocally a national wealth that needs to be invested and developed by young Dhofari generations, trained in modern scientific management in order to investment in Dhofar's livestock . Therefore, it is a call for a focused education and training to address the potential of the region and its wealth. The paper attempts to draw attention to a situation which is taking place in Dhofar region and proposes certain recommendations.


ABSTRACT Objective Anterior cruciate ligament rupture (ACLR) is a risk factor for the development of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). While PTOA in the tibiofemoral joint compartment is well-characterized, very little is known about pathology in the patellofemoral compartment after ACL injury. Here, we evaluated the extent to which ACLR induces early patellofemoral joint damage in a rat model. Methods Adult female Lewis rats were randomized to noninvasive ACLR or Sham. Two weeks post-injury, contrast-enhanced micro-computed tomography (µCT) of femoral and patellar cartilage was performed using 20% v/v ioxaglate. Morphometric parameters of femoral trochlear and patellar cartilage, subchondral bone, and trabecular bone were derived from µCT. Sagittal Safranin-O/Fast-Green-stained histologic sections were graded using the OARSI score in a blinded fashion. Results Cartilage and bone remodelling consistent with an early PTOA phenotype were observed in both femoral trochleas and patellae. ACLR caused osteophyte formation of the patella and pathology in the superficial zone of articular cartilage, including surface fibrillation, fissures, increased cellularity, and abnormal chondrocyte clustering. There were significant increases in thickness of patellar and trochlear cartilage. Loss of subchondral bone thickness, bone volume fraction, and tissue mineral density, as well as changes to patellar and trochlear trabecular microarchitecture, were indicative of catabolic bone remodelling. Several injury-induced changes, including increased cartilage thickness and trabecular spacing and decreased trabecular number were more severe in the patella compared to the trochlea. Conclusion The patellofemoral joint develops mild but evident pathology in the early period following ACL rupture, extending the utility of this model to the study of patellofemoral PTOA.


This research was conducted for analyze the influence of process quality , infrastructure quality and interaction quality on customer loyalty with customer satisfaction as mediating variable. This study employed quantitative method, and questionnaire for collecting data. The sampling technique employed was accidental sampling one. The sample of research consisted of 170 respondents in inpatient units of type-D hospitals in Sukoharjo divided into PKU Muhammadiyah and Nirmala Suri Hospitals. The analysis method employed in this research was Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS 2.0 program help. Validity and reliability tests were analyzed using outer model, while inner model was used to test hypotheses. Result of research showed that process quality ,infrastructure quality, and interaction quality affected customer loyalty positively and significantly and customer satisfaction , customer satisfaction mediates relationship  between process quality,infrastructure quality,and interaction quality to customer loyalty . So that the better the process  quality, infrastructure quality,and interaction   quality  the higher is the customer satisfaction and customer lotalty  of type-D hospitals in Sukoharjo


Intended for occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant educators, the Occupational Therapy Curriculum Design Framework presents a practical approach to designing occupational therapy curricula with attention to influential factors that should be considered throughout the process. The framework provides an overarching view of occupational therapy curriculum design that can be adapted to a faculty's vision for their particular institution. Although the unique features of a curriculum will vary from institution to institution, foundational core elements should be present in all curricula. With this in mind, faculty should be deliberate, reflective, and organized when crafting their own occupational therapy curriculum. This framework offers reflection questions, resources, and curriculum examples that may be applied to occupational therapy curricula at all degree levels. This framework does not dictate program content or implementation and is not intended to be used as a guide to ensure compliance with accreditation standards.


Due to the high communication overhead when training machine learning models in a distributed environment, modern algorithms invariably rely on lossy communication compression. However, when untreated, the errors caused by compression propagate, and can lead to severely unstable behavior, including exponential divergence. Almost a decade ago, Seide et al [2014] proposed an error feedback (EF) mechanism, which we refer to as EF14, as an immensely effective heuristic for mitigating this issue. However, despite steady algorithmic and theoretical advances in the EF field in the last decade, our understanding is far from complete. In this work we address one of the most pressing issues. In particular, in the canonical nonconvex setting, all known variants of EF rely on very large batch sizes to converge, which can be prohibitive in practice. We propose a surprisingly simple fix which removes this issue both theoretically, and in practice: the application of Polyak's momentum to the latest incarnation of EF due to Richt\'{a}rik et al. [2021] known as EF21. Our algorithm, for which we coin the name EF21-SGDM, improves the communication and sample complexities of previous error feedback algorithms under standard smoothness and bounded variance assumptions, and does not require any further strong assumptions such as bounded gradient dissimilarity. Moreover, we propose a double momentum version of our method that improves the complexities even further. Our proof seems to be novel even when compression is removed from the method, and as such, our proof technique is of independent interest in the study of nonconvex stochastic optimization enriched with Polyak's momentum.


This book presents a collection of papers from the fifth conference of the Enoch Seminar. The conference re-examined 2 Enoch, an early Jewish apocalyptic text previously known to scholars only in its Slavonic translation, in light of recently identified Coptic fragments.


Despite major scientific advances in its prevention, treatment and care, hypertension remains a serious condition that might lead to long-term complications such as heart disease and stroke. The great majority of forms of hypertension eventually result from an increased vasomotor tone activity that is regulated by endothelial NOS (eNOS) in vascular endothelium. Here, we examined the effect of fucoidan on eNOS activation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). We also examined the effects of functional components of Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan on blood pressure and vascular function in eNOS inhibition-induced hypertensive rats in vivo. Our results suggest that fucoidan increased nitric oxide production by activating eNOS and Akt phosphorylation, which could be impaired by Akt or eNOS inhibitors. In the hypertensive rat model, treatment of fucoidan resulted in potent and persistent reduction of high blood pressure (BP) even after drug withdrawal. Our results showed that the mechanisms might involve protection against vascular structure damage, enhanced endothelium-independent vascular function and inhibition of abnormal proliferation of smooth muscle cells, which are mediated by the Akt-eNOS signaling pathway. Moreover, fucoidan treatment reduced the vascular inflammation and oxidative stress control caused by iNOS expression. Together, these results support a putative role of fucoidan in hypertension prevention and treatment.