Bioactive glasses are silicate-grounded and can course of action a strong substance connect through the tissues. These biomaterials are exceptionally biocompatible and can shape a hydroxyapatite layer when embedded in the body or absorbed the recreated body liquid. Because of a few detriments, regular glass preparing technique, including softening of glass parts is supplanted by sol-gel strategy with a substantial number of advantages, for example, low handling temperature, higher immaculateness and homogeneity and along these lines better control of bioactivity. Bioactive glasses have a wide scope of utilizations, especially in dentistry. These glasses can be utilized as particulates or solid shapes and permeable or thick develops in various applications, for example, remineralization or extreme touchiness treatment. A few properties of bioactive glasses, for example, antibacterial properties can be advanced by including diverse components into the glass. Bioactive glasses can likewise be utilized to adjust diverse biocompatible materials that should be bioactive. This investigation surveys the critical advancements of bioactive glasses in dentistry. Besides, we will examine the field of bioactive glasses from starting to the present advancements, which incorporates preparing techniques, applications, and properties of these glasses.


Data on veterans demonstrate risk associated with stopping opioids The effort to reduce opioid prescribing amid the overdose crisis has raised some concern about adverse effects associated with stopping opioid treatment in long-term users of the medications. An observational study examined the likelihood of death from overdose or suicide in veterans who had been prescribed opioids in the early stages of the Veterans Health Administration's opioid safety initiative. The study population comprised veterans with an outpatient prescription for a shortor long-acting opioid or tramadol in fiscal year 2013. Excluded from the analysis were individuals for whom opioids were prescribed to treat an opioid use disorder. The researchers examined deaths from overdose or suicide through the end of fiscal year 2014. The mean age of patients with an opioid prescription was approximately 60 years. The incidence of stopping opioid treatment was 57.4%. The researchers found a significant interaction between stopping treatment and length of treatment, with greater risk of overdose or suicide death in patients who had received longer-term treatment with opioids before discontinuing treatment. Other factors associated with a greater risk of death included prescriptions for longor short-acting opioids compared with tramadol, higher dose of opioids, number of medical diagnoses, and having a diagnosis of a mental health or substance use disorder. The period immediately after starting opioid treatment also was associated with greater risk of death. "In general, our evaluation identified the first three months after starting or stopping treatment with opioids as risk periods that offer clear opportunities for clinical intervention to improve the safety of prescribing opioids," the study's authors wrote. [Oliva E, et al. BMJ 2020; published online Mar 4; doi: 10.1136/bmj.m283]


Leveraging multiple interfaces (e.g., WiFi and cellular) on mobile devices is known to provide performance gains for applications such as bulk data transfer. In this paper, we complement prior studies by conducting, to the best of our knowledge, the first measurement study of mobile web performance over multipath TCP (MPTCP). Based on experiments using real web pages under diverse settings, we found the upper-layer web protocols can incur complex and sometimes unexpected interactions with the multipath-enabled transport layer. MPTCP always boosts SPDY while may hurt HTTP. MPTCP also helps mitigate SPDY's key limitations of being vulnerable to losses and inefficient bandwidth utilization. We provide in-depth explanations of the root causes, as well as recommendations for improving mobile web performance over MPTCP.


Terahertz (THz) wireless communication systems over 300 GHz can offer broad bandwidth, but they have limitations, such as high precision fabrication requirements, high fabrication cost and lossy system components. This thesis introduces a THz communication system concept based on low-cost and high precision micromachining techniques, also a new design approach to achieve a low loss system for THz communication components and systems.

In order to minimise the components and systems losses, this thesis proposes a design approach for filtering amplifiers which removes the lossy planar matching and interconnection circuits to complete the transistor amplifiers design. The technique also adds filters resulting in a combined filtering amplifier. To enable this, an analytical design method for filtering amplifiers based on the conventional passive coupling matrix for filters is expanded for the filtering amplifiers. Novel coupled resonator circuits, including a general transistor model for the first time is investigated and a new [\(T\)] matrix is introduced to facilitate the transistor element. Complete mathematical formulas are provided in this thesis for the coupled resonator circuits for transistor amplifiers.

Two physical design examples at X band are provided in this thesis to demonstrate the usage of the novel coupling matrix with a simple mathematical synthesis. A waveguide filtering amplifier is demonstrated using waveguide resonators. This waveguide amplifier reflects the design considerations and methods for future THz amplifier developments. Good correlations between mathematical synthesis results and physical measurements are achieved for the waveguide filtering amplifier, with 3 clearly observed poles in passband, verifying the order of the filters.


What is the optimal form of firm organization during "bad times"? The greater turbulence following macro shocks may benefit decentralized firms because the value of local information increases (the "localist" view). On the other hand, the need to make tough decisions may favor centralized firms (the "centralist" view). Using two large micro datasets on decentralization in firms in ten OECD countries (WMS) and US establishments (MOPS administrative data), we find that firms that delegated more power from the central headquarters to local plant managers prior to the Great Recession outperformed their centralized counterparts in sectors that were hardest hit by the subsequent crisis (as measured by export growth and product durability). Results based on measures of turbulence based on product churn and stock market volatility provide further support to the localist view. This conclusion is robust to alternative explanations such as managerial fears of bankruptcy and changing coordination costs. Although decentralization will be suboptimal in many environments, it does appear to be beneficial for the average firm during bad times. (JEL D22, G12, G32, G34, L23)


IntroductionLinked data are increasingly used in pharmacoepidemiology studies to enhance value beyond that which can be achieve from stand-alone pharmaceutical data. The complexity of pharmaceutical data can make any linked data analysis challenging and it is imperative that this is matched by the human capacity to perform this work.
Objectives and ApproachResearch is needed to understand the state of the current pharmacoepidemiology workforce and to prioritise its capacity building needs. We aim to profile the Australian pharmacoepidemiology workforce to explore views, needs, priority areas and perspectives relevant to capacity building. Participants are the regular pharmacoepidemiology workforce (Group 1) and senior medicines stakeholders (Group 2). Following a literature review and consultation with a group of key informants, we developed survey and interview instruments for each group. We piloted the instruments in February 2018 and study data collection is planned for March 2018. We will use a mixed-methods approach to analyse the data.
ResultsWe conducted a review of existing literature and identified workforce views, needs and priorities at four levels: personal, team, organisation and wider community. During the consultative process, the informants highlighted the multidisciplinary nature of the pharmacoepidemiology workforce including many with non-health related backgrounds. They also raised concerns about attracting applicants with suitable skills and experience, job satisfaction, career progression and workforce retention. We developed instruments to (i) further explore these issues, (ii) ascertain their experience with linked health data, (iii) determine their training needs, and, (iv) learn about their future intentions. We will present findings on issues pertinent to the Australian pharmacoepidemiology landscape and suggest priorities for building workforce capacity.
Conclusion/ImplicationsThis study will provide empirical evidence to support and prioritise capacity building in the Australian pharmacoepidemiology workforce to improve their ability to work with linked data. The instruments that we developed and findings may be relevant to phamacoepidemiology workforce in other countries and other emerging fields that use linked data.


In this investigation, the climatological characteristics of ozone over Irene (25.5o S, 28.1o E) are studied with the aid of both ground-based and satellite observations. The principle aim of this work is therefore to examine the variability of vertical ozone distribution over Irene. Ozonesonde measurements and satellite measurements in the mesosphere-lower thermosphere region from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) onboard the Aura satellite and it measures for the period 2004-2007 are employed in this study. The MLS satellite measurements are collected when it overpasses Irene. The vertical ozone profiles are obtained from ozonesondes and the MLS and are found to be in good agreement from a 15 km altitude and above. Maximum ozone concentration is found in the altitude between 23-27 km. The monthly variation of ozone concentration measured by ozonesondes and MLS show maximum and minimum concentrations during spring and autumn, respectively. During spring, the maximum ozone concentration measured by ozonesonde is 4.5 × 10 12 molecules cm –3 while that measured by the MLS instrument is ~4.1 × 10 12 molecules cm –3 . A difference in the range of 0.4 × 10 12 to 0.8 × 10 12 molecules cm –3 was obtained for all seasons except during winter, when the difference was in the range 0.6 × 10 12 to 0.9 × 10 12 molecules cm –3 .


Elucidating the regulation mechanism of integrin αIIbβ3 is key to understand platelet biology and thrombotic diseases. Previous in vitro studies have implicated a role of migfilin in the support of platelet αIIbβ3 activation, however, contribution of migfilin to thrombosis and hemostasis in vivo and a detailed mechanism of migfilin in platelets are not known. In this study, with migfilin deletion (migfilin-/-) mice, we report that migfilin is a pivotal positive regulator of hemostasis and thrombosis. Migfilin-/- mice showed a nearly doubled tail-bleeding time and a prolonged occlusion time in Fecl3-induced mesenteric arteriolar thrombosis. Migfilin deficiency impedes platelet thrombi formation on collagen surface and impairs platelet aggregation and dense-granule secretion. Supported by characteristic functional readings and phosphorylation status of distinctive signaling molecules in the bidirectional signaling processes of αIIbβ3, the functional defects of migfilin-/- platelets appear to be mechanistically associated with a compromised outside-in signaling, rather than inside-out signaling. A synthesized cell-permeable migfilin peptide harboring filamin A binding sequence rescued the defective function and phosphorylation of signaling molecules of migfilin-/- platelets. Finally, migfilin does not influence the binding of filamin A and β3 subunit of αIIbβ3 in resting platelets, but hampers the re-association of filamin A and β3 during the conduct of outside-in signaling, suggesting that migfilin functions through regulating the interaction dynamics of αIIbβ3 and filamin A in platelets. Our study enhances the current understanding of platelet integrin αIIbβ3-mediated outside-in signaling and proves that migfilin is an important regulator for platelet activation, hemostasis and thrombosis.


In January 2010, grooves on the heads of golf clubs were mandated to have less volume and rounder edges. The intention of the controversial new grooves design was to make hitting from the rough harder, thereby making driving accuracy more important. We analyze data from 2009 and 2010 to determine the impact of the new rule on golfers on the PGA TOUR. In the 1980's, those golfers who were ranked most accurate in their driving were also ranked highest on the money list. However, this correlation has steadily decreased, to the point where it is now nearly zero. We find that for 2010, the correlation between these two variables is higher, but not statistically significantly so. We then examine whether it was harder in 2010 to hit from the rough, both visually and statistically. Both approaches show that it was no more difficult to hit from the rough in 2010 than in 2009, and perhaps even easier. Lastly, we look into players' strategies to determine whether or not they are playing differently in 2010 to adjust for the new rule. We find no evidence - either visual or statistical - to suggest that players have significantly changed their styles in 2010.


This article analyzes the dynamic relationships among weekly prices of price byproducts, long gram rice, and corn, using causality tests and dynamic multipliers The authors use forecasts to evaluate the time series model rice byproducts prices may be influenced more by shifts 10 demand than 10 supply. Long gram rice prices are related to brewers and seconds prices, but not to bran or mill feed prices Mill feed and corn prices move together. Corn prices exhibited no consistent relationship With seconds, brewers, or long gram prices


In this paper, the finite symmetry transformation group of the (2+1)-dimensional coupled Burgers equation is studied by the modified direct method, and with the help of the truncated Painlevé expansion approach, some special localized structures for the (2+1)-dimensional coupled Burgers equation are obtained, in particular, the dromion-like and solitoff-like structures.


The development of new nanomaterials to promote wound healing is rising, because of their topical administration and easy functionalization with molecules that can improve and accelerate the process of healing. A nanocomposite of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) functionalized with calreticulin was synthetized and evaluated. The ability of the nanocomposite to promote proliferation and migration was determined in vitro, and in vivo wound healing was evaluated using a mice model of diabetes established with streptozotocin (STZ). In vitro, the nanocomposite not affect the cell viability and the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Moreover, the nanocomposite promotes the clonogenicity of keratinocytes, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts, and accelerates fibroblast migration. In vivo, mice treated with the nanocomposite presented significantly faster wound healing. The histological evaluation showed re-epithelization and the formation of granular tissue, as well as an increase of collagen deposition. Therefore, these results confirm the utility of AuNPs–calreticulin nanocomposites as potential treatment for wound healing of diabetic ulcers.


Four methods of heterochromatic photometry were employed, using the same four observers in each case. These were (i) two types of direct heterochromatic photometry (direct comparison with white, and step by step), (ii) flicker photometry, and (iii) the minimally distinct-border method (MDB). The MDB method is shown to yield results that are linear and obey Abney's law. Flicker and MDB methods generate relative luminous-efficiency functions that agree well with each other and also with the CIE standard observer as modified by Judd; the methods of direct heterochromatic photometry yield data that agree fairly well with each other, whereas they differ greatly from the data obtained by flicker or MDB. Luminous efficiency as measured by the direct methods seems to receive a contribution from two sources, (a) achromatic signals of the photopic visual system, which exclusively determine the MDB setting, and (b) chromatic signals of the visual system, which produce extra brightness, the amount of which is related to the saturation of the stimulus used.


Delta(3,5),Delta(2,4)-Dienoyl-CoA isomerase (DI), an auxiliary enzyme of unsaturated fatty acid beta-oxidation, was purified from rat mitochondria and peroxisomes and subjected to N-terminal sequencing to facilitate a mechanistic study of this enzyme. The mature mitochondrial DI from rat heart was lacking its 34 N-terminal amino acid residues that have the properties of a mitochondrial targeting sequence. The peroxisomal isomerase was identified as a product of the same gene with a truncated and ragged N terminus. Expression of the cDNA coding for the mature mitochondrial DI in Escherichia coli yielded an enzyme preparation that was as active as the native DI. Because the recombinant DI also exhibited Delta(3,5,7),Delta(2,4,6)-trienoyl-CoA isomerase (TI) activity, both isomerases reside on the same protein. Mutations of any of the 3 acidic amino acid residues located at the active site (Modis, Y., Filppula, S. A., Novikov, D. K., Norledge, B., Hiltunen, J. K., and Wierenga, R. K. (1998) Structure 6, 957-970) caused activity losses. In contrast to only a 10-fold decrease in activity upon replacement of Asp(176) by Ala, substitutions of Asp(204) by Asn and of Glu(196) by Gln resulted in 10(5)-fold lower activities. Such activity losses are consistent with the direct involvement of these latter two residues in the proposed proton transfers at carbons 2 and 6 or 8 of the substrates. Probing of the wild-type and mutants forms of the enzyme with 2,5-octadienoyl-CoA as substrate revealed low Delta(2),Delta(3)-enoyl-CoA isomerase and Delta(5),Delta(4)-enoyl-CoA isomerase activities catalyzed by Glu(196) and Asp(204), respectively. Altogether, these data reveal that positional isomerizations of the diene and triene are facilitated by simultaneous proton transfers involving Glu(196) and Asp(204), whereas each residue alone can catalyze, albeit less efficiently, a monoene isomerization.


… Introduction : Hemodialysis is the most common method - used to remove waste and toxic substances from the body, hence it is used to treat patients of different types of renal failure. Upto 1960s, attempts were made to reduce the side/adverse effects associated with hemodialysis and to make hemodialysis an effective therapy. Now-a-days many advanced and sophisticated dialysis machines have been designed which make dialysis therapy more convenient and promising. Hemodialysis therapy requires complete coordination between the health care team which includes nephrologists, dietitian, nurse, technician and social worker. Patient and his/her family also coordinate the procedure to make hemodialysis more effective. But even with the use of modern and effective dialysis machines for therapy patients may still suffer from different types of complications. Objective: The purpose of this study was to observe those complications and also their management during and after dialysis . Place and conducted year : Data was collected by convenience sampling technique in local hospital of Lahore in December, 2016. Study design: Retrospective approach was used and notices the case history of 100 patients. Methods: Retrospective approach was used and the case history of 100 patients (from morning and evening shifts) who had hemodialysis over a 1-5 year period was noted. Demographic and clinical data of patients who died during dialysis were compared to the control group comprised of the survivors of hemodialysis. Data was analyzed using SPSS IBM version 16. Result: In this study it was observed that patients may suffer from various complications. 38% patients suffered from hypotension, 13% patients suffered from cramps, Itching was observed in 15% of patients, Vomiting was observed in 18% of the patients and in 5% patients dialysis reaction was observed. In order to manage these complications normal saline and 5% dextrose were administered to the patients. Hydrocortisone Sodium Succinate was administered intravenously in order to manage dialyzer reaction and session was postponed. Although hemodialysis is beneficial but it poses certain risks as well. Conclusion: Hemodialysis is associated with various life threatening complications however these complications occur in low frequency and these can be managed and prevented by various protective therapies by health care team and medical staff.


The transvaginal sonography is a non invasive diagnostic method to evaluate the endometrium. It has a high reliability in the diagnosis of endometrial carcinoma, in the assessment of the depth of myometrial invasion as well as in preoperative staging. Patients with an episode of postmenopausal vaginal bleeding and an endometrial thickness (double layer) less-than-or-equal 4 mm should be controlled by transvaginal ultrasound examination after 3 month. In case of a endometrial thickness > 4 mm or in case of a persistent bleeding a histologic assessment should be obtained. Because of the highest sensitivity and specificity a hysteroscopic biopsy or a diagnostic hysteroscopy with subsequent D & C should be performed. Vaginal bleeding under hormonal replacement therapy should not be regarded to have more importance than vaginal bleeding in patients without HRT. After the current consensus hysteroscopy causes only a slightly increase in the rate of positive peritoneal cytology. This phenomenon seems to be of no influence on the disease free survival rate.


Fuzzy rule base systems are expert systems rely on fuzzy set theory. Here the knowledge of human expert is transfered to the artificial model via fuzzy rules. Therefore, preciseness, completeness and coverage of fuzzy rules in a fuzzy system is vital for the accuracy and plausibility of fuzzy reasoning. However, in such cases where the human expert is unable to supply the rules sufficiently, data-based automatic rule generation methods attract attention. In this study, 2 linear and 2 evolutionary approaches of automatic fuzzy rule generation methods are investigated. The investigated linear solutions contain Wang-Mendel Method and E2E-HFS, while MOGUL and IVTURS-FARC are the selected evolutionary approaches. Wang-Mendel and MOGUL is commonly considered as basic methods of the group they belong to. IVTURS-FARC is distinguished with its ability to handle interval valued fuzzy sets. Among the rest of the algorithms, E2E-HFS is unique with its weak dependency to data. Because it only use some simple properties of corresponding input variable. In order to compare the completeness and the accuracy of automatically generated fuzzy rules, several experiments are performed on different software defect prediction datasets, and the classification performance of resulting fuzzy systems is evaluated. Provided results show that even if training of evolutionary approaches seem to be more precise, similar accuracy can be achieved by linear approaches, and they perform better regarding the experiments on unseen data.


We investigate the response function of LISA and consider the adequacy of its commonly used approximation in the high-frequency range of the observational band. We concentrate on monochromatic binary systems, such as white dwarf binaries. We find that above a few mHz the approximation starts becoming increasingly inaccurate. The transfer function introduces additional amplitude and phase modulations in the measured signal that influence parameter estimation and, if not properly accounted for, lead to losses of signal-to-noise ratio.


Purpose

The aim of this paper is to understand the antecedents and effects of performance attribution challenges arising in the provision of business-to-business (B2B) services in supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach

The study draws on three in-depth case studies of logistics service providers (LSPs) offering supply chain solutions to their clients in Sweden. The analysis of performance attribution challenges and their antecedents and effects is based on 38 semi-structured interviews and review of 43 documents, including contracts and performance monitoring records.

Findings

Three key antecedents of performance attribution challenges are stressed. Two of these, the inseparability and contestability of service inputs, are closely related to the notion of service co-production. The third antecedent is the limited provider capability in performance data collection and analysis. Performance attribution challenges may result in provider aversion to performance-related risk and have a harmful effect on client relationships, for example, in terms of provider perceptions of opportunism and unfair allocation of gains. These effects can be mitigated through contracting, interventions in performance measurement system design and deployment of relational mechanisms.

Research limitations/implications

The paper extends the service management literature that emphasises on service co-production by suggesting that inputs of the client firm and its supply chain partners may not only vary in quality but also can be inseparable from provider inputs and highly contestable. It also empirically demonstrates how performance attribution challenges and their antecedents and effects manifest themselves in B2B service provision, as opposed to supply chain settings where the main user of logistics services is the consumer.

Practical implications

LSP managers should contract for performance based on high-quality and incontestable external inputs they rely upon. Contractual specifications (performance indicators and related incentives) should explicate and consider the inputs required by clients and their supply chain partners to minimise their contestability.

Originality/value

The study proposes an empirically based framework of the antecedents and effects of performance attribution challenges, an issue that has received scant attention in logistics outsourcing research and the business services literature more broadly.


The large majority of EGRET point sources remain without an identified low-energy counterpart, and a large fraction of these sources are most likely extragalactic. Whatever the nature of the extragalactic EGRET unidentified sources, faint unresolved objects of the same class must have a contribution to the diffuse extragalactic gamma-ray background (EGRB). Understanding this component of the EGRB, along with other guaranteed contributions from known sources, is essential if we are to use this emission to constrain exotic high-energy physics. Here, we follow an empirical approach to estimate whether a potential contribution of unidentified sources to the EGRB is likely to be important, and we find that it is. In addition, we show how upcoming GLAST observations of EGRET unidentified sources, as well as of their fainter counterparts, can be combined with GLAST observations of the Galactic and extragalactic diffuse backgrounds to shed light on the nature of the EGRET unidentified sources even without any positional association of such sources with low-energy counterparts.


Internet governance has been a controversial issue among governments, private sector and Internet users since the US government ended its restriction on Internet in the early 1990s. However, as there is still no academic consensus on its definition, the concept of Internet governance can be very broad, and it is difficult to identify authors' arguments from different perspectives. This literature review paper focuses specifically on governments' involvement in Internet governance, and categorizes previous studies into three perspectives: overall views, technical architecture and public policy issues. By examining and discussing existing studies, this paper concludes that governments are both necessary and inevitable to be involved in Internet governance, but in order to make a better environment for the Internet and to enhance freedom, democracy and economic development in the real world, they need to limit their power, improve their transparency and coordinate with other stakeholders based on relevant international and regional platforms.


The Unaccusative Hypothesis (UH) predicts that the subject of an unaccusative is mentally reactivated in the object position. Previous psycholinguistic studies have reported evidence of reactivation (Friedmann et al 2008, Koring et al 2012). However, these studies did not equate the unaccusative and unergative stimuli, resulting in confounds which jeopardize their conclusions. We reexamined UH with two Visual World Paradigm experiments carefully controlled for the potential confounds in the previous studies. On each trial, participants (n=40; n=52) saw 4 black-and-white drawings and heard a sentence. In the test condition, but not the control condition, one image was semantically related to subject of the sentence. We measured the proportion of looks to the target image at three time regions after the verb onset and found a robust match-effect (p's<.05) but no differences between the unaccusative and unergative conditions. We will discuss the consequences of our findings for syntactic theory.


The stampede towards delivering tertiary education online has been well documented in the academic literature and newspaper media. A great deal of this writing has been characterised by an acute division between those who support and those who deplore this paradigm shift in the way education is offered to students. Not withstanding a few notable exceptions, social work as a discipline has yet to fully engage in this debate, watching, as emerging technologies radically change the way education and social services are delivered. This article provides an overview of the literature related to online learning in social work. In particular the global context influencing the delivery of education is investigated; the major themes emerging from the literature are highlighted; the opportunities and obstacles for teaching and learning social work online are examined, and finally questions relating to the cultural implications for delivering social work education online are identified using a constructivist framework.


Palladium
complexes are among the most commonly used transition metal catalysts for
different organic transformations with wide applications in the chemical
synthesis. Currently, catalytic transformations involving Pd(0)/Pd(II)
catalytic cycles are very well-known, and processes involving Pd(II)/Pd(III)/Pd(IV)
intermediates are also gaining interest in recent years due to the increasing relevance
of high-valent Pd species. By contrast, isolated low-valent Pd(I) complexes,
especially mononuclear Pd(I) species, are very rare. Herein, we report the
isolation of two heteroleptic Pd(I) complexes stabilized by dithiapyridinophane
ligands that were fully characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, EPR,
IR, and UV-Vis spectroscopies, and computational studies. Excitingly, these Pd(I)
complexes are shown to be superior catalysts for the Csp2-Csp3
Kumada cross-coupling reaction vs. their Pd(0) or Pd(II) analogs.


Ferrites in thin film form are usually obtained by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). This method can induce the presence of secondary phases, a problem which requires an annealing process. The study aimed at finding a PLD based method through which, in further studies, ferrites with a controllable phase composition can be obtained. Therefore, we obtained ferrite thin films in oxygen atmosphere and in high vacuum. Raman spectroscopy measurements for the samples obtained in high vacuum revealed the formation of magnetite. Instead of annealing, we irradiated these samples with an excimer laser (λ = 308 nm), at various frequencies, for certain amount of pulses. The Raman spectra revealed the formation of the nickel ferrite phase, as well as the presence of residual magnetite phase.


In December 1997 the European Commission (EC) adopted Directive 97/69/EC (O.J. L 343/19 of 13 December 1997), in which criteria were established for the classification and labeling of synthetic mineral fibers. This directive was derived based upon an extensive program evaluating current scientific knowledge on fiber pathogenicity and its relationship to the biopersistence of long fibers. Within this context, the biopersistence of fibers longer than 20 µm was found to be a good predictor of the lung burden and early pathological changes in chronic inhalation studies with fibers as well as of the tumor response in chronic intraperitoneal studies with fibers. The analysis that provided the scientific basis for the relationship of biopersistence to the chronic intraperitoneal (ip) results is presented in detail. Analysis of the relationship of biopersistence clearance half-times to ip tumor response shows a statistically significant relationship of ip tumor response to not only the number of fibers injected, but also the median length of the fibers injected and their solubility (clearance half-time). The results show that the biopersistence half-times as determined by intratracheal instillation (T 1/2 of WHO fibers or weighted T 1/2 of fibers with L > 20 µm) and as determined by inhalation (weighted T 1/2 of fibers with L > 20 µm) are equivalent predictors of the ip results. From these ip studies, fibers that can be exonerated from classification as carcinogens in Europe have a relative tumorigenic potency in the ip cavity of between 66 and 2500 times less than fibers that have been shown to produce a significant increase in tumors following chronic inhalation exposure. In addition, based upon the ip results, there is no statistical difference between the EC and the other fiber exoneration criteria, such as the German Gefahrstoffverordnung of 1999.


Over recent decades, fiber Raman lasers (FRLs) have received much attention from researchers and have become a challenge for them both numerically and experimentally. The equations governing the FRLs are in the form of a first-order system of nonlinear two-point boundary-value ordinary differential equations. In this paper, an algorithm for solving this system of differential equations using a spectral method, namely Chebyshev pseudospectral method is presented in detail and then numerical simulations are performed. The main advantage of the spectral methods is in their optimality in achieving high accuracy by using fewer degrees of freedom under suitable conditions. It is shown that the proposed spectral method in combination with the Newton method results in a considerable reduction in the size of the discretized problem and in the computational effort to achieve high accuracy. In this paper, a new approach for constructing an initial approximate solution for the Newton iteration is also presented.


We analyze how the transmission of international inflation spillovers depends on the nature of the underlying shocks that drive inflation abroad. We find evidence for substantial heterogeneity in the magnitude of spillovers to domestic inflation related to the fundamental source of international price fluctuations and the corresponding monetary policy reactions. Indeed, it turns out that the relative conduct of monetary policy varies depending on the source of these price fluctuations, and so does the role of the exchange rate as a shock absorber. We show this by looking at international inflation spillovers to Switzerland through the lenses of a Bayesian structural dynamic factor model relating a large set of disaggregated prices to key macroeconomic factors. Being a small open economy with an independent monetary policy, Switzerland is a particularly suitable subject for studying the role of monetary policy in the transmission of foreign shocks. However, our results more broadly indicate that inflation spillovers need to be analyzed in a framework allowing for different transmission channels.


Background. Synonymous words behave differently, and language users should be aware of the fact that though near-synonyms share similar denotational meanings, they require different collocates. Further, with specific collocates, they provoke a special affective meaning called semantic prosody. To give an example of this problematic area, researchers use a lot of reporting verbs that merely describe an opinion such as argue, claim, believe, etc. or state facts such as find, confirm, cite, etc. Such verbs cannot be used interchangeably as some novice researchers usually do when they discuss their findings or compare their results with others'.
Purpose. This study aimed at examining the semantic prosody of 24 research verbs commonly used by researchers. For this purpose, collocational behavior of nearly synonymous verbs was examined. Compared to previous studies, this study considered only adverbs co-occurring with such research verbs.
Methods. The researcher used the Directory Open Access Journals (DOAJ), which is of 2.6 billion words and 659,132 texts, and focused on predicational adverbs that end in –ly. For the purpose of the study, adverbs with positive semantic prosody are those proving a stronger attitude towards the proposition, improving the quality, quantity, manner of a piece of information or its the relation to the topic or those suggesting a higher level of certainty.
Results. Investigating 24 research verbs related to hypothesizing, reporting, and summarizing, the researcher found that such verbs have different sets of collocates and thus distinct semantic prosodies. Results showed that 12 of the research verbs were positive (i.e., quantify, argue, claim, suggest, state, mention, indicate, outline, summarize, encapsulate, recapitulate, and reveal), whereas 12 verbs (i.e., hypothesize, review, conclude, presume, posit, assume, theorize, speculate, note, report, find, and postulate) were neutral.
Implications. The study has its own implications for writing instructors and researchers. Novice researchers should not use some research verbs interchangeably as they require different collocates of adverbs. Further, future research should address the relationship between word's etymology and semantic prosody as the present study showed that verbs derived from Latin (e.g., conclude, hypothesize, postulate, etc.) are neutral compared to those that are originally French.


This paper presents CoSummary, an adaptive video fast-forwarding technique for browsing surgical videos recorded by wearable cameras. Current wearable technologies allow us to record complex surgical skills, however, an efficient browsing technique for these videos is not well established. In order to assist browsing surgical videos, our study focuses on adaptively changing playback speeds through the learning and detecting collaborative scenes based on surgeon hand placement and gaze information. Our evaluation shows that the proposed method is able to highlight important collaborative scenes and skip less important scenes during surgical procedures. We have also performed a subjective study with surgeons in order to have professional feedback. The results confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method in comparison to uniform video fast-forwarding.


Ancient history and modern thought interact in multifarious ways. While modern concepts can help us to understand, or serve to obscure, ancient reality, the remote past can also be used as a point of reference for contemporary debates about political issues and strategies. In fact, pundits and politicians alike are used to invoking the lessons of (ancient) history in order to justify their recommendations and decisions. This is often done in a most arbitrary and selective way, without regard for the fact that the interpretation of history is too complex a task to yield uncontroversial and straightforward answers to contemporary problems. Nevertheless, it would be rash to dismiss this kind of analysis as unsuitable for academic research; for it should not be overlooked that it can help to broaden the understanding of structural patterns and give a sense of the variety of options available to decision-makers.


Industrial, residential and aerospace environments widely use switching mode power supplies. Switching modepower supplies need to be of small size as well as highly efficient. Hence a high switching frequency is necessary for reducing the size of the converter. But as the switching frequency increases, switching loss will also increase. This will result in gradual decrease in the efficiency of the power supplied. This paper is an attempt to study the application of fuzzy based control for DC-DC converters operating at finite switching frequency. Conventional PI method currently used for buck boost converters is compared with the fuzzy based control. Simulation results are also presented. The simulations show that the fuzzy control method has better dynamic  performance.


In this article the authors address how pathological anxiety may develop from adaptive fear states. Fear responses (e.g., freezing, startle, heart rate and blood pressure changes, and increased vigilance) are functionally adaptive behavioral and perceptual responses elicited during danger to facilitate appropriate defensive responses that can reduce danger or injury (e.g., escape and avoidance). Fear is a central motive state of action tendencies subserved by fear circuits, with the amygdala playing a central role. Pathological anxiety is conceptualized as an exaggerated fear state in which hyperexcitability of fear circuits that include the amygdala and extended amygdala (i.e., bed nucleus of the stria terminalis) is expressed as hypervigilance and increased behavioral responsivity to fearful stimuli. Reduced thresholds for activation and hyperexcitability in fear circuits develop through sensitization- or kindling-like processes that involve neuropeptides, hormones, and other proteins. Hyperexcitability in fear circuits is expressed as pathological anxiety that is manifested in the various anxiety disorders.


Similar to its colonial predecessor, the post-colonial Hong Kong state relies on its business allies to mediate state-society relations. Nevertheless, because of the erosion of the intermediary role of business elites, the state-business alliance now struggles to accommodate the rising challenges of civil society. The case of Hong Kong offers an interesting case study to the literature on hybrid regimes.


The measurement and analysis of human sex and gender is a nuanced problem with many overlapping considerations including statistical bias, data privacy, and the ethical treatment of study subjects. Traditionally, human gender and sex have been categorized and measured with respect to an artificial binary system. The continuation of this tradition persists mainly because it is easy to replication and not, as we argue, because it produces the most valuable scientific information. Sex and gender identity data is crucial for many applications of statistical analysis and many modern scientists acknowledge the limitations of the current system. However, discrimination against sex and gender minorities poses very real privacy concerns when collecting and distributing gender and sex data. As such, extra thoughtfulness and care is essential to design safe and informative scientific studies. In this paper, we present statistically informed recommendations for the data collection and analysis of human subjects that not only respect each individual's identity and protect their privacy, but also establish standards for collecting higher quality data.


Objectives:Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies in women. Hormonal treatment and chemotherapy induce a transient or permanent menopause status. Vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) is a frequent debilitating symptom of menopause that is best treated with local or systemic estrogen formulations. Because estrogens drive the growth of the majority of breast cancers, most effective VVA therapies are precluded. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of fractional microablative CO2 laser on sexual function and in relieving symptoms in women with breast cancer and VVA induced or exacerbated by iatrogenic menopause. Methods:This retrospective study included 26 women affected by hormone-receptor positive breast tumors and treated for VVA symptoms with the fractional microablative CO2 laser system. Every 30 to 40 days, women underwent a cycle of treatment for a total of three cycles. During each cycle, women underwent a gynecological examination and completed visual analog scale questionnaires designed to assess (1) the degree of symptoms and (2) procedure-related discomfort. Results:Treatment resulted in a significant regression of VVA symptoms and procedure-related discomfort versus baseline (P < 0.001 in almost all cases). No adverse reactions were observed nor reported by women. Conclusions:Fractional microablative CO2 laser treatment is associated with a significant improvement of VVA symptoms in women affected by hormone-driven breast cancer. This procedure has the advantage of relieving iatrogenic/physiological VVA symptoms without resorting to contraindicated estrogen preparations, which have been the most effective therapy thus far.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Abortion is a controversial issue in different religions, medical communities, and ideologies. From the Islamic perspective, with the exception of certain medical circumstances, abortion is considered a criminal guilt. This study aimed to investigate the religious beliefs and attitudes toward abortion among the students and healthcare personnel of the gynecology departments of the hospitals affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences, Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 186 medical students, interns, midwives, maternity assistants, and healthcare personnel to evaluate the attitudes toward abortion at Babol University of Medical Sciences, Iran during 2014-2015. Collected data included the religious beliefs and attitudes toward abortion and demographic characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, and education level), which were obtained via two separate standard questionnaires. Scores of the participants were categorized as follows: negative attitude (mean score: 5.3). Moreover, mean scores of 5.2 were considered as appropriate religious beliefs. FINDINGS: In this study, mean age of the participants was 28.24±7.57 years. In total, 30 participants (16.6%) were male, and 151 (83.4%) were female. Total mean score of attitude and religious beliefs toward abortion in medical students was 2.89±0.43, which was significantly lower compared to the students of other education fields (3.24±0.52) (p<0.001). In addition, a moderate, direct correlation was observed between the attitude toward abortion and religious orientation of the subjects (r=0.537, p<0.001). Among the studied variables, religious beliefs were the only influential factor for the modification of attitudes toward abortion (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, religious beliefs could be an influential factor to change the attitude of students and healthcare personnel toward abortion. Therefore, higher religious beliefs could be associated with a more favorable attitude toward abortion.


The number of DNA synthesizing myocytes in the conductive system, as compared with the working myocardium, was determined by means of light autoradiography. At the same time the number of mitosing cells was counted. The indices of labelled nuclei in the sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodes of the embryos after the single and repeated 3H-thymidine injections were significantly lower than in the working ventricle and atrium. During the postnatal development (3-11 days) only in the sinoatrial node the index of labelled nuclei was significantly lower than in the working ventricle. The proliferative activity in all the myocardium parts fell markedly by the 13th day of development. Following 10 3H-thymidine injections with 12 hrs intervals, the indices of labelled nuclei varied from 0.03 to 0.67% in the working ventricle and atrium and from 0.13 to 1.0% in the conductive system of adult mice. During the embryogenesis the index of labelled nuclei in the sinoatrial node was significantly higher than in the atrioventricular one and during the postnatal development-vice versa.


We present a visual analytics system that supports an uncertainty-aware analysis of static and dynamic attributes of biochemical reaction networks (BRNs). These are often described by mathematical models, such as ordinary differential equations (ODEs), which enable the integration of a multitude of different data and data types using parameter estimation. Due to the limited amount of data, parameter estimation does not necessarily yield a single point in parameter space and many attributes of the model remain uncertain. Our system visualizes the model as a graph, where the statistics of the attributes are mapped to the color of edges and vertices. The graph view is combined with several linked views such as lineplots, scatterplots, and correlation matrices, to support the identification of uncertainties and the analysis of their mutual dependencies as well as their time dependencies. To assess the utility of the individual visualization approaches and multiple linked views, a qualitative user study with domain experts was performed. We found that all users were able to process analysis tasks using our system.


Green and lean paradigms have been adopted by companies in order to manage their relationships with suppliers in a supply chain management context, but nearly always separately and with little understanding of their influence on company performance. This paper proposes a theoretical framework for the analysis of the influence of green and lean upstream supply chain management practices on the sustainable development of businesses. To attend this objective, a set of performance measures covering economic (operational cost, environmental cost, and inventory cost), environmental (business wastage, green image, and CO2 emission), and social (corruption risk, supplier screening and local supplier) perspectives is proposed. An explanatory case study was conducted at a Portuguese automaker to test qualitatively the validity of the proposed theoretical framework. From the case study, a model is suggested, which encompasses the relationships between green and lean upstream supply chain practices and sustainable business development.


Data-intensive Grid applications require huge data transfers between grid computing nodes. These computing nodes, where computing jobs are executed, are usually geographically separated. A grid network that employs optical wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology and optical switches to interconnect computing resources with dynamically provisioned multigigabit rate bandwidth lightpath is called a Lambda Grid network. A computing task may be executed on any one of several computing nodes which possesses the necessary resources. In order to reflect the reality in job scheduling, allocation of network resources for data transfer should be taken into consideration. However, few scheduling methods consider the communication contention on Lambda Grids. In this paper, we investigate the joint scheduling problem while considering both optical network and computing resources in a Lambda Grid network. The objective of our work is to maximize the total number of jobs that can be scheduled in a Lambda Grid network. An adaptive routing algorithm is proposed and implemented for accomplishing the communication tasks for every job submitted in the network. Four heuristics (FIFO, ESTF, LJF, RS) are implemented for job scheduling of the computational tasks. Simulation results prove the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed solution.


This paper presents the hardware and software design and implementation of a low-cost, wearable, and unobstructive intelligent accelerometer sensor for the monitoring of human physical activities. In order to promote healthy lifestyles to elders for an active, independent, and healthy ageing, as well as for the early detection of psychomotor abnormalities, the activity monitoring is performed in a holistic manner in the same device through different approaches: 1) a classification of the level of activity that allows to establish patterns of behavior; 2) a daily activity living classifier that is able to distinguish activities such as climbing or descending stairs using a simple method to decouple the gravitational acceleration components of the motion components; and 3) an estimation of metabolic expenditure independent of the activity performed and the anthropometric characteristics of the user. Experimental results have demonstrated the feasibility of the prototype and the proposed algorithms.


The main objective of the study was to assess whether augmented renal clearance was a risk factor for mortality in a cohort of patients with Enterobacteriaceae sepsis, severe sepsis, or septic shock that all received appropriate antimicrobial therapy within 12 hours. Using a retrospective cohort from Barnes-Jewish Hospital, a 1,250-bed teaching hospital, we collected data on individuals with Enterobacteriaceae sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock who received appropriate initial antimicrobial therapy between June 2009 and December 2013. Clinical outcomes were compared according to renal clearance, as assessed by Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) formulas, sepsis classification, demographics, severity of illness, and comorbidities. We identified 510 patients with Enterobacteriaceae bacteremia and sepsis, severe sepsis, or septic shock. Sixty-seven patients (13.1%) were nonsurvivors. Augmented renal clearance was uncommon (5.1% of patients by MDRD and 3.0% by CKD-EPI) and was not associated with increased mortality. Our results are limited by the absence of prospective determination of augmented renal clearance. However, in this small cohort, augmented renal clearance as assessed by MDRD and CKD-EPI does not seem to be a risk factor for mortality in patients with Enterobacteriaceae sepsis. Future studies should assess this finding prospectively.


In this paper, the characteristics and general laws of cutting complex curved surface by wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) system are studied. Based on analysis of motion parameters the universal mathematical model of polar coordinates is derived. Moreover, the simulation of WEDM system is introduced, which is carried out by using language Visual C++ and the three dimensional graph software OpenGL.This simulation method is helpful in improving machining quality and productivity of complex curved surfaces, and is fundation for establishing CAD/CAPP/CAM technology in WEDM.


We use the SDSS Stripe 82 to empirically quantify the stellar-mass and black-hole growth triggered by minor mergers in local spiral (disk) galaxies. Since major mergers destroy disks and create spheroids, morphologically disturbed spirals are likely remnants of minor mergers. Disturbed spirals exhibit enhanced specific star formation rates (SSFRs), the enhancement increasing in galaxies of 'later' morphological type (which have more gas and smaller bulges). By combining the SSFR enhancements with the fraction of time spirals spend in this 'enhanced' mode, we estimate that ~40% of the star formation in local spirals is directly triggered by minor mergers. The disturbed spirals also exhibit higher nuclear-accretion rates, implying that minor mergers enhance the growth rate of the central black hole. However, the specific accretion rate shows a lower enhancement than that in the SSFR, suggesting that the coupling between stellar-mass and black-hole growth is weak in minor-merger-driven episodes. Given the significant fraction of star formation that is triggered by minor mergers, this weaker coupling may contribute to the large intrinsic scatter observed in the stellar vs. black-hole mass relation in spirals. Combining our results with the star formation in early-type galaxies -- which is minor-merger-driven and accounts for ~14% of the star formation budget -- suggests that around half of the star formation activity in the local Universe is triggered by the minor-merger process.


The study was carried out to isolate and identify the common Bacteria causing respiratory tract infections among patients attending Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital between August and October, 2011, and the current sensitivity patterns of the isolated bacteria to common commercially antibiotic prepared disc. Fourty three (43) bacterial pathogens were isolated from two hundred (200) samples collected. Streptococcus pneumoniae (25.6%) has the highest percentage of occurrence, followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (20.9%), Escherichia coli (20.9%) and Staphylococcus aureus, (16.3%) respectively. Others include Proteus species (4.7%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4.7%), Haemophilus influenzae (4.7%) and Serratia species (2.3%) as well. Age ranges 20 - 29 and 30 - 39 have the highest percentage of pathogens isolated. The sensitivity patterns of the isolated bacteria to commercially antibiotic prepared disc indicated that drugs likes Ceftriaxone, Ceftazidine, Ciprofloxacin, Ofloxacin, Gentamicin and Chloramphenicol shows activity on all the pathogens isolated.


A transformation is taking place in the data center. With more powerful compute resources available, IT managers are using virtualization to consolidate more applications onto fewer physical servers for greater efficiency and better resource utilization. The result is a more efficient, flexible data center that can better adapt to changing needs. Intelligent and powerful servers are a key element of this new data center. Another is a flexible and reliable network fabric that meets the bandwidth needs of demanding applications and simplifies the network by consolidating multiple types of data center traffic. This paper describes how new server and networking products from Intel combine to provide the foundation of this new data center model.


Often the problem of determining an optimal or approximate production schedule in a company can be reduced to the problem of solving a scheduling problem on a bottleneck machine. However, even the majority of the resulting single-machine scheduling problems are NP-hard from a computational point of view and, therefore, it is difficult to solve large instances of such problems exactly. In this paper, we consider five such single-machine problems, where a dynamic programming algorithm of pseudo-polynomial complexity exists. The running time of such an algorithm can often be improved by so-called graphical algorithms which do not need to consider all states in a dynamic programming algorithm separately. Based on such graphical algorithms, we present fully polynomial-time approximation schemes (FPTASes) for five single-machine total tardiness problems. The new FPTASes have the best running time among the known approximation schemes for these problems. The presented approach is rather general and can be applied to many other scheduling and combinatorial optimisation problems as well.


Women are less dedicated to computer gaming than men. Previous studies show that one reason might be that current games exhibit hypersexualised female avatars: avatars that have exaggerated sexual signals to which female players object. We report on a study in which this hypothesis was tested. The study was performed with men and women aged 17--22 from the Stockholm area. In our study, both women and men showed similar preferences in avatar selections. However, we also found that the women seemed to be more aware of personality stereotypes, in that they were more consistent in attributing a hypersexual avatar to a 'bimbo' personality.


Science, technology and innovation (STI) have played a key role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and the unprecedented socio-economic crisis it has triggered. This paper explores how the pandemic affected STI in 2020, including how STI was mobilised to provide vaccines, treatments and innovative (often digital) solutions to address "social distancing". The paper also reviews the quick and agile STI policy responses implemented across countries to stimulate research and innovation activities to find solutions to the pandemic. Moreover, the paper covers STI policies that targeted universities, research centres, innovative businesses and entrepreneurs most affected by the crisis. It also raises key debates on the effectiveness of such policies. Follow-up work will leverage more and better data to improve this early assessment of the impacts of the crisis and STI policy responses.


Between May 2012 and September 2013 Oxford Archaeology East carried out archaeological monitoring of the works for the Godmanchester flood alleviation scheme, to the rear of properties adjacent to the River Great Ouse, along The Avenue, Post Street, The Causeway and West Street (from TL24280 71140 to TL24350 70800).
Godmanchester has well documented Roman remains beginning with a fort built in the mid 1st century AD to control the strategic crossing point of the river, later the town of Durovigutum grew up over the fort due to its nodal location on Ermine Street. A linear project such as this, through the northern suburb of Durovigutum, had high potential to uncover remains relating to Ermine Street, its crossing over the river and roadside setltements.
The works consisted of the construction of 1.5km of flood defences including widening and dredging of the river around Cook's Bridge and two pumping stations. The majority of the monitoring was carried out during the excavation of foundation trenches along the course of the wall which ran predominantly in private gardens adjacent to the river. A total of 79 site monitoring visits were conducted over a 16 month period.
Archaeological remains dating from the early Roman to the post-medieval period were uncovered during the excavation of the footings for the wall and dredging of the river. Much of the foundations did not penetrate deep enough to expose the archaeological level with most being entirely in garden soils, topsoils and modern levelling deposits.
Stratified archaeological remains were uncovered at No.4 The Avenue. A depth of 0.80m of archaeological deposits in two segments of the foundation trench included late 1st century Roman layers overlain by a 2nd century occupation surface with two hearths and a compacted clay and gravel surface. A gravel road or track was also uncovered at this property which appeared to be running perpendicular to the proposed route of Roman Ermine Street. Over 300 sherds of Roman pottery were recovered from excavations at this property along with well preserved environmental remains such as charred cereal grains, charcoal and fish-scales, indicating intensive domestic occupation in this area in the late 1st to early 3rd century AD. Residual sherds of Roman pottery were recovered from nearby gardens and from deposits dredged during the river widening.
The capping on a post-medieval well was uncovered at 23 Post Street and post-medieval brick rubble was uncovered in a buried garden soil at 5-8 Post Street. An in situ garden wall dating to the 18th century was uncovered along the southern boundary of the garden of No.4 The Avenue.
No archaeological remains were uncovered during excavations for the pumping stations located to the east of The Avenue and at Rectory Gardens.


The study aimed to examine the managerial practices of school principals in district Poonch Azad Jammu & Kashmir's private secondary schools, using Henri Fayol's management theory's purpose principles as a framework. The primary goals of the study were to assess how the heads' experience impacted their adherence to Fayol's purpose principles and to compare the implementation of these principles based on gender. The research was founded on Henri Fayol's administrative theory. All the private schools were population of the study which was 94 during the academic year 2012-17. Systematic sampling technique adopted to select the sample. There 76 private schools selected as sample of the study. The data collected through questionnaires. This Instrument had been validated from the experts. Collected data had been entered in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). This software supported the scholar for the generation of reports. For data analysis mean, ANNOVA and t-test used to find the relevant results of objectives. Results reported and derived on the basis of data analysis. Some key findings were that principles of Fayol management theory are practiced by heads. However some parts of this theory are being neglected. The implementation of these principles varies based on the previous experience of the team leads. In certain cases, highly experienced individuals may overlook principles that are crucial for those with less experience. The implementation of management principles also varies among leaders based on gender. Based on these variations in results, it is recommended that different performance reviews be provided to the school heads to assess their strengths and weaknesses. In addition, school heads may benefit from proper training sessions and mentoring. It is also suggested that workshops be conducted to raise awareness about management theories


Previous studies have shown cognitive task performance to be affected by tinnitus severity, but also that the literature is conflicted. This study sought to identify neuroticism as a possible confound, since severe tinnitus distress is associated with higher levels of neuroticism. A total of 78 participants (39 with and 39 without tinnitus) undertook two cognitive tasks. It was found that when undertaking a Stroop paradigm, controlling for neuroticism rendered previously significant results not significant. It was also found that neuroticism was not a significant covariate for a change blindness task. Gender, age, anxiety, and depression were all controlled for, and future implications for the literature discussed.


A characteristic response to the imposition of state power by the conquered, oppressed, and powerless is a pattern that Skalnick calls "outwitting the state." This collection of essays, the latest in the distinguished series in Political Anthropology, challenges the widespread view that the state is a natural holder of authority in society. Using examples of confrontations between European states and polities outside Europe, the authors show that the power model is not universally applicable. Traditional or neo-traditional polities are founded on authority derived from a high degree of overlap between the interest of rulers and their subjects. In these contexts, power based on physical coercion is not the source of authority. When these archaic polities are subjected to an imported state power, they respond by finding ways to outwit state power and preserve their political and cultural identity. Examples from Africa, Oceania, Asia, and North America support this radically different conception of politics. The authors argue that this less confrontational approach to state power is not only possible but desirable. The "powerless" may be unable to confront state power by violence or the threat of violence, but they outwit it by ingenious techniques. Their own power derives from their use of knowledge, experience, consensus, compromise, and other qualities broadly shared by the population as well as their rulers. The new and different approach gives ordinary people a chance to achieve political goals without looking to the state. This collection will be of interest to anthropologists and political scientists, and others interested in state power and the struggle to achieve political goals by those who have no access to power.


Although parental harshness has been consistently linked with increased depressive symptoms in youth, its associations with children's brain structure are not well understood. The striatum has been strongly implicated in depression in adolescents and adults. In this study, we investigated the associations among parental harsh discipline, striatal volume, and depressive symptoms in children. Participants were parents and their 5- to 9-year-old children (63% female; 29% African American; 47% Hispanic/Latino). Parents completed questionnaires about their parenting behaviors and children's depressive symptoms. Children participated in a high-resolution, T1-weighted MRI scan, and volumetric data for the caudate, putamen, and nucleus accumbens were extracted (n = 20 with both parenting and MRI data; n = 48 with both MRI and depressive symptom data). Findings indicated that more frequent parental harsh discipline was significantly associated with smaller dorsal striatal volume (caudate plus putamen). In addition, smaller dorsal striatal volume was significantly associated with increased depressive symptoms in children. These associations remained significant after accounting for child age, sex, whole brain volume, and parental depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that parental harsh discipline may be associated with children's striatal volume, which may in turn be associated with their level of depressive symptoms.


A new monotypic genus of tylenchid nematode, Ficotylus n. gen., was recovered from sycones of Ficus congesta L. from Mourilyan, Mission Beach and Cairns, Queensland, Australia. The genus is characterised by having slender nematodes with a long stylet, a sub-cylindrical pharynx lacking a terminal bulb, pharyngeal glands overlapping the intestine for a short distance, secretory/excretory pore opening posterior to the nerve ring, female with a single gonad and post-vulval sac and male with slender, arcuate, cephalated spicules with the bursa arising near the proximal level of the retracted spicule and supported by a pair of papilla-like structures at its widest point. This is the first record of a tylenchid occurring within Ficus sycones. Ficotylus congestae gen. n., sp. n. is distinguished by possessing a long stylet (29-39 μm) with conus forming ca 40% of stylet length and three well developed bifid knobs at the base of the shaft, a degenerate pharynx with a vestigial metacorpus (no valve) and no basal bulb, females with a post-vulval uterine sac and males with a characteristic bursa supported by a pair of papilla-like structures at its widest point, then narrowing rapidly and just enveloping tail. Ficotylus congestae gen. n., sp. n. is a putative member of the Anguinata (sensu Siddiqi, 1985), based on molecular phylogeny of near full length SSU and D2/D3 expansion segments of the large subunit (LSU) rDNA. Morphologically, it has affinities with the superfamily Sphaerularioidea, family Neotylenchidae, where it is tentatively placed.


Zung depression ratings were obtained from three groups of depressed patients before and after two electric convulsive shock treatments (ECT). The ECT was administered bilaterally in one group and unilaterally, to the left- or right-cerebral hemisphere, in the other two groups. A fourth group was tested before and after the same interval but with no ECT. There were ten patients in each group, all right-handed. All groups improved in mood, but the gain was significantly larger for right-hemisphere ECT than for either left- or bilateral-ECT. Comparisons with the no-ECT group, although nonsignificant, suggest that shock to the left hemisphere retards the antidepressant effects of ECT. It was speculated that right-hemisphere shock facilitates denial, while shock to the left-hemisphere interferes with verbally more complex means of processing dysphoric information defensively.


This paper presents a variable structure rule-based fuzzy control for trajectory tracking and vibration control of a flexible joint manipulator by using chaotic anti-control. Based on Lyapunov stability theory for variable structure control and fuzzy rules, the nonlinear controller and some generic sufficient conditions for global asymptotic control are attained. The fuzzy rules are directly constructed subject to a Lyapunov function obtained from variable structure surfaces such that the error dynamics of control problem satisfy stability in the Lyapunov sense. Also in this study, the anti-control is applied to reduce the deflection angle of flexible joint system. To achieve this goal, the chaos dynamic must be created in the flexible joint system. So, the flexible joint system has been synchronized to chaotic gyroscope system. In this study, control and anti-control concepts are applied to achieve the high quality performance of flexible joint system. It is tried to design a controller which is capable to satisfy the control and anticontrol aims. The performances of the proposed control are examined in terms of input tracking capability, level of vibration reduction and time response specifications. Finally, the efficacy of the proposed method is validated through experimentation on QUANSER's flexible-joint manipulator.


Retail Store choice has traditionally been studied from the perspective of an individual. The retail offering is however consumed more by the family than by an individual. This study questions the study of store choice by an individual and argues that the family is the relevant unit of analysis. The study draws on the extensive literature available on store choice and also on the family decision making for products and services. It identifies the key factors from the literature, which might be affecting the store choice of a family. On the basis of these factors, it proposes a conceptual framework for studying the retail store choice as a family decision.


Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum sublineola is an important disease of cultivated sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) worldwide. Anthracnose is also common on the ubiquitous wild sorghum relative Johnsongrass (S. halepense). Analysis of repetitive molecular fingerprinting markers revealed that isolates of C. sublineola from both hosts in the southeastern United States were genotypically diverse, with relatively few haplotypes found in more than one location. With few exceptions, isolates recovered from S. bicolor belonged to a population that was genetically distinct from the population recovered from S. halepense. Twenty-three isolates from cultivated sorghum were all pathogenic to at least one of 13 heritage inbred lines of S. bicolor. In all, 4 of 10 isolates from S. halepense were also pathogenic to one or more of the lines, while the rest caused no disease in greenhouse assays. The four pathogenic isolates from S. halepense were less aggressive, on average, than isolates from S. bicolor, although the ranges overlapped. Pathogenicity tests involving 15 representative pathogenic isolates from S. bicolor and S. halepense on eight heritage inbred lines of S. bicolor identified 12 races. The combined results of this study demonstrated that C. sublineola comprises two separate host-associated subpopulations in the field, even though some isolates from S. halepense were able to cause disease on S. bicolor under ideal greenhouse conditions. Nonetheless, the apparent existence of infrequent cross-infection events in the field, indicated by molecular fingerprinting, suggests that Johnsongrass has the potential to serve as a refuge and an incubator for genetic diversity in C. sublineola, which can complicate efforts to develop and deploy resistant sweet sorghum varieties in the region.


"Law and Society in England" is a major new text on legal history, covering in detail the complexities of two centuries of intense social and legal change. In this original work, the authors have examined the complex interaction between ideology, social change and the law. Bringing together a vast body of research and contemporary source material, they investigate the manner in which the legislative process responded to the growing demands for regulation and reform in a fast-changing society, and examine the extent to which the law reflected those shifting attitudes.


Epiphyte phase of phytopathogenic bacteria Erwinia amylovora and Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae on the fruit garden weeds has been studied. It has been shown that healthy weeds of the fruit-tree stands can be an ecologic niche for Erwinia amylovora and Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae which gives them an opportunity to survive as epiphytes. Strains of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae were isolated from seven studied weeds (47-49%) during the whole vegetation period (March-October). Strains of Erwinia amylovora distributed on the leaves of Arctium lappa L., Amarantus reflexus L. and Tripleurospermum inodorum (L) Sch. Vir. in the period of the disease intensive development on the pear-tree (June-August). Cells of Erwinia amylovora were isolated from 12-14% of selected weeds.


In a number of areas of application, the behavior of systems depends sensitively on properties that pertain to the atomistic scale, i. e., the angstrom and femtosecond scales. However, generally the behaviors of interest are macroscopic and are characterized by slow evolution on the scale of meters and years. This broad disparity of length and time scales places extraordinary challenges in computational material science.

The overarching objective of this dissertation is to address the problem of multiple space and time scales in atomistic systems undergoing slow macroscopic evolution while retaining full atomistic detail. Our approach may be summarized as follows:

(1) The issue of accounting for finite temperature in coarse grained systems has not been solved entirely. For finite temperature systems at equilibrium, constructing an effective free energy in terms of a reduced set of atomic degrees of freedom is still an open area of research. In particular, the thermal vibrations of the missing degrees of freedom need to be accounted for. This is specially important if the aim of the simulation is to determine the dynamic properties of a system, or to allow the transmission of dynamic information between regions of different spatial discretization. To this end, we introduce a framework to simulate (spatially) coarse dynamic systems using the Quasicontinuum method (QC). The equations of motion are strictly derived from dissipative Lagrangian mechanics, which provides a classical Langevin implementation where the characteristic time is governed by the vibrations of the finest length scale in the computational cell. In order to assess the framework's ability to transmit information across scales, we study the phonon impoverish spectra in coarse regions and the resulting underestimation of thermal equilibrium properties.

(2) Atomistic simulations have been employed for the past thirty years to determine structural and thermodynamic (equilibrium) properties of solids and their defects over a wide range of temperatures and pressures. The traditional Monte Carlo (MC) and Molecular Dynamics (MD) methods, while ideally suited to these calculations, require appreciable computational resources in order to calculate the long-time averages from which properties are obtained. In order to permit a reasonably quick, but accurate determination of the equilibrium properties of interest, we present an extension of the "maximum entropy" method to build effective alloy potentials while avoiding the treatment of all the system's atomic degrees of freedom. We assess the validity of the model by testing its ability to reproduce experimental measurements.

(3) Based upon these effective potentials, we present a numerical framework capable of following the time evolution of atomistic systems over time windows currently beyond the scope of traditional atomistic methods such as Molecular Dynamics (MD) or Monte Carlo (MC). This is accomplished while retaining the underlying atomistic description of the material. We formulate a discrete variational setting in which the simulation of time-dependent phenomena is reduced to a sequence of incremental problems, each characterized by a variational principle. In this fashion we are able to study the interplay between deformation and diffusion using time steps or strain rates that are orders of magnitude larger or smaller than their MD|MC counterparts.

(4) We formulate a new class of "Replica Time Integrators" (RTIs) that allows for the two-way transmission of thermal phonons across mesh interfaces. This two-way transmission is accomplished by representing the state of the coarse region by a collection of identical copies or "replicas" of itself. Each replica runs at its own slow time step and is out-of-phase with respect to the others by one fast time step. Then, each replica is capable of absorbing from the fine region the elementary signal that is in phase with the replica. Conversely, each replica is capable of supporting --and transmitting to the fine region-- an elementary signal of a certain phase. Since fine and coarse regions evolve asynchronously in time, RTIs permit both spatial and temporal coarse graining of the system of interest. Using a combination of phase-error analysis and numerical testing we find that RTIs are convergent, and allow step waves and thermal phonons to cross mesh interfaces in both directions losslessly.


Clinical examination of 25 males with new-onset and progressive angina pectoris resistant to inpatient combined antianginal treatment versus 15 healthy males established hyperfunction of the platelets in low antithrombogenic activity of the vascular walls in patients with unstable angina pectoris. A 5-day course of fraxiparin resulted in a trend to a decrease in ADP-induced platelet aggregation and in the level of platelet factor IV. The endothelium recovered normal antiaggregation and fibrinolytic properties. This may underlie the drug efficacy against unstable angina pectoris.


Experiments in vitro showed that dimeric linear substituted dipeptide GK-2-a new mimetic of the nerve growth factor (NGF) - introduced in a concentration of 10(-5) M and 10(-8) M in the culture of immortalized murine hippocampal cell line HT-22 increases the synthesis of heat shock proteins HSP32 and HSP70 (neuroprotectors belonging to the endogenous system of cell protection) and stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of TrkA receptor, which is specific for neurotrophins.


Abstract Questions: How do fire frequency, tree canopy cover, and their interactions influence cover of grasses, forbs and understorey woody plants in oak savannas and woodlands? Location: Minnesota, USA. Methods: We measured plant functional group cover and tree canopy cover on permanent plots within a long-term prescribed fire frequency experiment and used hierarchical linear modeling to assess plant functional group responses to fire frequency and tree canopy cover. Results: Understorey woody plant cover was highest in unburned woodlands and was negatively correlated with fire frequency. C4-grass cover was positively correlated with fire frequency and negatively correlated with tree canopy cover. C3-grass cover was highest at 40% tree canopy cover on unburned sites and at 60% tree canopy cover on frequently burned sites. Total forb cover was maximized at fire frequencies of 4–7 fires per decade, but was not significantly influenced by tree canopy cover. Cover of N-fixing forbs was highest in shaded areas, particularly on frequently burned sites, while combined cover of all other forbs was negatively correlated with tree canopy cover. Conclusions: The relative influences of fire frequency and tree canopy cover on understorey plant functional group cover vary among plant functional groups, but both play a significant role in structuring savanna and woodland understorey vegetation. When restoring degraded savannas, direct manipulation of overstorey tree canopy cover should be considered to rapidly reduce shading from fire-resistant overstorey trees. Prescribed fires can then be used to suppress understorey woody plants and promote establishment of light-demanding grasses and forbs. Nomenclature: Barkley (1986).


Cancer cell invasion and induction of the metastatic cascade are often the consequence of deregulated cell adhesion and migration. There is substantial evidence for the involvement of Stat3 in cell motility, migration, and invasion under normal and pathological situations. Stat3 activation is required for induction of genes encoding MMP‐1, MMP‐2, and MMP‐9, key components of tumor invasion. Through binding to its receptor, cmet, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) can regulate cell survival, growth, migration, and angiogenesis. cmet is often constitutively active in human tumors and HGF/cmet signaling is at least partially mediated by Stat3. Overall, these observations suggest that positive feedback signals in the HGF/cmet/Stat3 signaling pathway contribute to tumorigenesis. To explore the role of Stat3 in skin cell malignancy in a human cell culture model, our lab has overexpressed a dominant negative form of Stat3β in the tumorigenic SCC cell line, SRB12‐p9. We established SRB12‐p9 cell clones expressing FLAG‐tagged Stat3β‐Y705F (S3DN). Suppression of Stat3 activity impaired the ability of these cells to scatter upon stimulation with HGF, diminished their capacity to invade, and enhanced adhesion in vitro. S3DN cells also showed suppressed HGF‐induced activation of cmet, as revealed by a phospho‐specific cmet antibody. We next assessed the role of Stat3 in tumor invasion using in vivo mouse tumorigenicity experiments. When injected subcutaneously into immune‐deficient mice, S3DN cells produced tumors that were less locally invasive, though WT tumors were more differentiated as indicated by K10 immunostaining. Upon further examination of these tumors, we found that those arising from WT cells had more intense membrane staining for total cmet and phospho‐cmet than S3DN cells, indicating stronger cmet activity in these tumors. This pattern of cmet staining correlated with increased phospho‐Stat3 membrane staining in the WT tumors. Western blotting revealed a decrease in MMP‐2, MMP‐9, and cmet expression in the S3DN cells. These results are consistent with those from the in vitro experiments. Finally, we show that S3DN may interfere with Stat3/cmet interaction, as evidenced by co‐immunoprecipitation experiments, preventing the activation of cmet at the cell membrane. Ongoing studies will further address the effect of S3DN expression on cmet signaling and the effect this has on the HGF/c‐met/Stat3 signaling loop and tumor cell invasion. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(1 Suppl):B40.


During the last decade there has been intense controversy over the nature of contemporary armed conflicts and their connection with religion, ethnicity, crime and natural resources. Central to the discussion is the question of why armed organisations use violence against civilians. Recent contributions underscore the self-interested behaviour of individuals and suggest that war, violence and collaboration are increasingly driven by personal ambitions rather than political goals. Combatants, warlords and politicians seem less interested in victory than in satisfying their lust for power and money, usually at the expense of the population; meanwhile, fearful but rational civilians try to exploit the opportunities that conflict throws up, engaging in individualistic alliances with armed organisations and even prompting the use of violence against their fellows. These trends, it is argued, are compounded by the convergence between crime and warfare, and the Colombian conflict is often cited as a typical example. This dissertation examines these claims by studying a recent outbreak of violence against civilians in the Middle Magdalena Valley, in Colombia, that left nearly 2,000 civilians dead and more than 110,000 people forcefully displaced. Based on data obtained from official and unofficial sources on conflict and violence, interviews with key informants and news reports, the dissertation argues that violence was used by armed organisations and, to a lesser extent, by the state, to extend and strengthen the territorial and political control they had over the region. Despite the salience of illegal economies, there is no evidence that economic motives have significantly contributed to the production of violence. Furthermore, civilian collaboration went beyond the narrow sphere of private interests as politicians, parties and social organisations took part in alliances with armed organisations and aimed to advance the interests of the social groups they represented. The dissertation thus challenges common misconceptions and influential contributions in the field of armed conflict and political violence; it also sheds light on the nature of the Colombian conflict.


Under the government of Stephen Harper's Conservative Party (2006-2015), Canada witnessed numerous alterations of its immigration and citizenship rules. Under the new Citizenship Act (2014), dual citizens who have committed high treason, terrorism or espionage could lose their Canadian citizenship. In this paper, we examine how the measure was discussed in Canada's mainstream newspapers. We ask: who/what is seen as the target of citizenship revocation? What does this tell us about the direction that Canadian citizenship is moving towards? As promoters of civic literacy, mainstream media disseminate information about government actions and legislation, interpret policies and are highly influential in forming public opinion. Our findings show that the newspapers were more often critical than supportive of the citizenship revocation provision. However, they also interpreted the measure as only likely to affect Canadian Muslims in general and omitted discussing the involvement of non-Muslim and, in particular, white, Western-origin Canadians in terrorist acts. Thus, despite advocating for equal citizenship in principle, Canadian Muslims were nonetheless constructed as less Canadian.


The authors reflect on the advancements in the integration of caregiving and bereavement research. They state that they observe increasing evidence of continuity in caregiving and bereavement investigation and integration. They find that the Caregiver Health Effects Study and Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health Study (REACH) have helped caregivers understand the burden of caregiving related to bereavement outcome.


In 1883, the Ottoman government granted a tobacco monopoly to a foreign company called the Régie. The Régie opened its largest factory in the Cibali district of Istanbul in 1884. Nacar's study examines strikes and unionization efforts in the Cibali factory at the turn of the century. It argues that the labor movement in the factory reached its peak in 1911 when some 2,000 workers launched what would be one of the longest strikes in late Ottoman history. This long strike was ultimately defeated and the labor movement in the factory quickly lost momentum. A close examination of the strike, however, shows that none of these developments were inevitable. In the spring of 1911, the strikers were so well organized that the Régie's various attempts to break their ranks remained futile. Moreover, they were not isolated in their battle. Workers in different provinces and sectors and politicians publicly expressed support for the strike. This article suggests that had the efforts of the strikers and their supporters could have resulted in a favorable settlement for workers, both in and outside the Cibali factory, and that the labor movement might have taken a different direction.


Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) mediates growth-inhibitory effects on most target cells via activation of the canonical SMAD signaling pathway. This growth-inhibitory activity may be coupled with cellular differentiation. Our studies demonstrate that TGF-β1 inhibits proliferation of primary, non-transformed human lung fibroblasts in association with the induction of myofibroblast differentiation. Differentiated myofibroblasts maintain the capacity to proliferate in response to exogenous mitogenic stimuli and are resistant to serum deprivation-induced apoptosis. These proliferative and anti-apoptotic properties of myofibroblasts are related, in part, to the down-regulation of caveolin-1 (Cav-1) by TGF-β1. Cav-1 down-regulation is mediated by early activation of p38 MAPK and does not require SMAD signaling. In contrast, myofibroblast differentiation is dependent on activation of the SMAD pathway, but not on p38 MAPK. Thus, combinatorial signaling by TGF-β1 of myofibroblast differentiation and down-regulation of Cav-1 by SMAD and p38 MAPK pathways, respectively, confer proliferative and apoptosis-resistant properties to myofibroblasts. Selective targeting of this SMAD-independent, p38-MAPK/Cav-1-dependent pathway is likely to be effective in the treatment of pathological conditions characterized by TGF-β signaling and myofibroblast activation.


Four simply supported reinforced concrete (RC) beams were test experimentaly and analyzed using the extended finite element method (XFEM). This method is used to treat the discontinuities resulting from the fracture process and crack propagation in that occur in concrete. The Meso-Scale Approach (MSA) used to model concrete as a heterogenous material consists of a three-phasic material (coarse aggregate, mortar, and air voids in the cement paste). The coarse aggregate that was used in the casting of these beams rounded and crashed aggregate shape with maximum size of 20 mm. The compressive strength used in these beams is equal to 17 MPa and 34 MPa, respectively. These RC beams are designed to fail due to flexure when subjected to load as a two-point loading. To model the coarse aggregate realistically, the aggregate must distributed randomly according to the gradient and amount actually used in the mix design. This property is not found in the ABAQUS program that resulted in the use of an alternate program to represent the aggregate randomly. Next, the random representation of the aggregate were transfered to the ABAQUS program by using commands and instructions that the program can understand, to draw as a sketch. The comparison between experimental and numerical results showed that the XFEM is a good method used to simulate the non-smooth behavior in RC beams such as discontinuitiy and singularity. While a mesoscale model can be simulated the non-homogeneity in the concrete. Keywords— Extended Finite Element Method, fracture mechanics, Mesoscale modeling, crack propagation.


Background: Early under-nutrition not only hampers physical growth but also adversely affects cognitive growth of children. Hence, appropriate complementary feeding practices are crucial for the proper growth of children. The study was aimed to find the association of mothers' sociodemographic characteristics with their knowledge and practices about complementary feeding.
Subjects and methods: The cross sectional analytical study was carried out at preventive pediatric department of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Lahore from November to December 2016. Interviews of 148 mothers were conducted to collect data. Data was analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20.
Results: The mean age of mothers was 27±5 years; average family income was 21,000 PKR/month; 81% received formal school education; and 7% were doing job. Only 47% mothers had adequate knowledge of complementary feeding; and only 23% mothers had appropriate feeding practices. The mothers who received antenatal care and counseling (OR=2.906); and those who were doing job (OR=4.903) had higher odds and showed significant association with appropriate knowledge (p<0.05). The mothers who were literate (OR=3.231) or who had age ≥35 years (OR=2.400) had higher odds for appropriate practices. Mothers who received antenatal care; delivered within hospital; and those who were literate showed significant association with appropriate practices (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Both, knowledge and practices regarding complementary feeding were inappropriate. Seeking antenatal care and counseling, and delivery within a hospital had significant association with appropriate knowledge and practices.  Proper counseling and awareness of mothers to adhere with appropriate child feeding practices is highly recommended.


In the present article, a sequel to a contribution published elsewhere in this issue of Lampas, I discuss afrocentric attempts to amend James' story of the plundering of the Royal Library at Alexandria by Alexander and Aristotle. The aim of these attempts is to salvage from its critics the fiction of a palpable theft of Egyptian wisdom by the Greeks. Rakote, the original Egyptian settlement on the location of the city founded by Alexander, is substituted for Alexandria, a temple library for the Ptolemaic institute, and Callisthenes for Aristotle. While James' apologists pretend that they are defending the main thesis of Stolen Legacy, they are actually coming up with a new story to replace James' untenable invention. The amended story may look superficially less implausible than the original one, it still is an unfounded contention, unsupported by any evidence, and hard to combine with what we know about Alexander's policies in Egypt and elsewhere. Rather than rescuing James' 'hypothesis' from its critics, the amendments demonstrate the indispensability of fiction for afrocentric discourse.


Although armed conflicts and crises affect people of all ages, children are particularly susceptible to the effects of war. One significant consequence of armed conflict that is especially critical for children's well-being, is when the belligerents use tactics specifically focused on harming children, including child soldier recruitment. Despite the increased attention of policy-makers, we still lack systematic knowledge of how many children are directly and indirectly at risk of being recruited by state and non-state actors. In overcoming this gap, we have collected data on the use of children by state and non-state actors from 2010 onwards. Moreover, we estimate the number of children at risk of recruitment. The results of our mapping and estimation sketch a dark picture. According to our estimates, in 2020, approximately 337 million children (or 14%, or more than one in eight of all children globally) were living in a conflict zone with reported child soldier recruitment— that is less than 50 km from ongoing conflict, which involved at least one actor who has been re-ported to recruit children. We close the paper by taking stock of the current knowledge on the root causes of child soldiering, and we discuss some policy implications