The processing of healthy foods remains a challenge and any technology with the ability to tailor the physical properties of new materials is in demand. High-intensity ultrasound (HIU) has been identified as a useful processing technique for such activities particularly for edible lipids. HIU has been known to alter the crystallisation kinetics and in turn the resultant physicochemical properties for specific food applications. The role of cavitation dynamics during treatment of oils with HIU is of interest, with the knowledge gained allowing for insight into the complex and still undefined mechanism of action. To this end, the crystallisation kinetics of an edible lipid were investigated in the presence of several distinctly different cavitation conditions. Several cavitation clusters, including a bifurcated streamer (BiS), located on the surface of a piston-like emitter (PLE) were studied, each generated by a specific ultrasonic power level. Only samples crystallised at a low supercooling (ΔTSC) value display significant differences in induction time for each of the selected HIU powers, at least 5 minutes earlier than without exposure to HIU. Substantially better energy efficiencies were seen for the BiS regime (ΔTSC = 5 °C) which coincided with maximal crystal growth rates. An increase in melting enthalpy and elastic modulus is reported in the presence of HIU for all crystallisation temperatures, this effect is larger overall with increasing ultrasonic power. In addition, sonicated samples in the presence of the BiS event were composed of fewer smaller crystals compared to higher HIU powers after 60 minutes at 30 °C. Bubble dynamics recorded during a 10 s sonication period exhibited a greater acoustic attenuation effect for the highest ultrasonic power (75 W). The results suggest that the dynamics of the cluster and the presence of the BiS event are important in terms of energy efficiency and the physical properties of the crystallised lipid material.


This work aims to investigate the state of the art in test case generation for real-time systems, to analyze existing methods, and to propose future research directions in this area. We believe that a combination of design for testability, automation, and sensible test case selection is the key for verifying modern real-time systems. Existing methods for system-level test case generation for real-time systems are presented, classified, and evaluated against a real-time system model. Significant for real-time systems is that timeliness is crucial for their correctness. Our system model of the testing target adopts the event-triggered design paradigm for maximum flexibility. This paradigm results in target systems that are harder to test than its time-triggered counterpart, but the model improves testability by adopting previously proposed constraints on application behavior. This work investigates how time constraints can be tested using current methods and reveals problems relating to test-case generation for verifying such constraints. Further, approaches for automating the test-case generation process are investigated, paying special attention to methods aimed for real-time systems. We also note a need for special test-coverage criteria for concurrent and real-time systems to select test cases that increase confidence in such systems. We analyze some existing criteria from the perspective of our target model. The results of this dissertation are a classification of methods for generating test cases for real-time systems, an identification of contradictory terminology, and an increased body of knowledge about problems and open issues in this area. We conclude that the test-case generation process often neglects the internal behavior of the tested system and the properties of its execution environment as well as the effects of these on timeliness. Further, we note that most of the surveyed articles on testing methods incorporate automatic test-case generation in some form, but few consider the issues of automated execution of test cases. Four high-level future research directions are proposed that aim to remedy one or more of the identified problems.


Angiogenesis is a fundamental feature of tumor development, and therefore, the tracers for molecular imaging of specific angiogenic biomarkers are expected to be useful for diagnostics, patient monitoring, and drug development. We have created a new class of imaging agents based on the most important mediator of angiogenesis, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Our latest version is a single-chain (sc) VEGF protein containing an N-terminal Cys-tag designed for site-specific modification with a variety of imaging and therapeutic moieties. We have recently found that the Cys-tag itself can form a stable chelate with (99m)Tc using tin-tricine as an exchange reagent. This self-chelation approach yields a highly stable and fully functional form of radiolabeled scVEGF that can be used as a SPECT tracer for tumor angiogenesis. Also of note is that directly labeled scVEGF has less than one-half the nonspecific renal uptake of (99m)Tc-HYNIC-scVEGF. The simple production of scVEGF for direct chelation of (99m)Tc makes it a promising molecular imaging agent for the oncology clinic.


In addition to epilepsy, antiepileptic drugs are used in neurologic conditions such as chronic pain and in the treatment of bipolar disorder in psychiatry. There are studies reporting its use in the treatment of anxiety disorders. The efficacy of antiepileptic drugs as carbamazepine, valproic asid, lamotrigine, topiramate, gabapentin, pregabalin in anxiety disorders has been shown in some clinical studies. The strongest evidence has been presented for pregabalin in generalized anxiety disorder, pregabalin and gabapentin in social anxiety disorder and lamotrigine in posttraumatic stres disorder. While certain studies report the effectiveness of antiepileptic drugs in the treatment of anxiety disordes, others report them as ineffective. Double blind placebo controlled drug trials are essential for clearly presenting anxiolytic activity of antiepileptic drugs which would lead the way to further wide scale use in clinical practice. This article focuses on recent literature to show the potential use of antiepileptic drugs in patients suffering from generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stres disorder, panic disorder along with a brief review of neuroanatomic structures and neurotransmitters associated with epilepsy and anxiety disorders.


As a result of comprehensive research on the causative agents and vectors of malaria and wide use of synthetic antimalarials and highly effective residual insecticides, endemic malaria was eliminated in Turkmenistan by 1960. During the period 1965-1980, 23 local cases of malaria were recorded in Turkmenistan. These local cases were confined to the regions of Mary and Akhal, on the borders of neighbouring countries. In 1998 the epidemiological situation in the country worsened and local transmission of infection resumed. During the year the number of cases recorded was 137:134 being a first diagnosis of the disease and three being relapsed cases. In comparison with 1997, the previous year, incidence was up by 123 cases (a 9.7-fold increase), while the incidence of imported cases of malaria went up by 11 (a 2.2-fold increase), principally in Dashkhovuz and Lebar regions, being brought in from malaria foci in Gushgin district, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Tadjikistan. Local transmission of malaria went up by 111 cases (a 27.7 fold increase); 108 cases were recorded in Gushgin district, Mary region. The first case of malaria in Gushkin district was detected in June 1998. At that time there were five active foci. The approximate number of inhabitants in the active focus area was 10,000. The appearance of local malaria in border districts was caused by the periodic influx of infected mosquitos from neighbouring countries (Afghanistan).


: The effectiveness of the bioactive osteoplastic composition--Cerasorbe--at a surgical stage of combined treatment of chronic generalized periodontitis was examined. The results obtained in the study and the control groups prove, that Cerasorbe allows reduction of the treatment duration and achieves remission of the disease. From 127 patients with chronic generalized periodontitis 65 were operated by microplasmatic scalpel-irradiator as a part of a complex treatment. The treatment course comprised of 3-5 procedures. The quantity of manipulations was determined by the severity of the pathological process. Before and after the treatment the radiographical investigation was carried out in both groups. At the 18th month after the surgical intervention bone regeneration, confirmed by radiography, was shown in 87,8% cases in the study group and in 60,1% in the control group. The work presents experimental and morphological studies of regeneration of damaged areas of maxillo-facial bones. Time course of healing of defects in the lower jaw bone filled with Cerasorb was studied in experiment on rabbits. On days 7, 14, 21 and 28 four rabbits from each group were killed and the defects were investigation by X-ray and histological methods. We have stained the micropreparations by hematoxilin-eosine. In experiments with Cerasorb, bone regenerations replaced up to one half of the defect area by the day 28. We have shown high efficiency of Cerasorb in experiment and during complex treatment. Cerasorb stimulated reparative osteogenesis and can be recommended for using in the clinical practice.


Purpose. A study was undertaken to determine the risk factors and trends in antimicrobial resistance for enteric fever. Methodology. Demographic, antimicrobial susceptibility, typing and epidemiological data were examined for 2005‐2012 in patients with enteric fever in London. Single and multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the risk factors associated with antibiotic resistance. Results. 453 cases with Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Paratyphi A, 17 with S. Paratyphi B and 611 with S. enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhi were examined. For travellers, 335 (88%) of S. Paratyphi A isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin, but resistance to other antimicrobials was low. Almost 80% (395) of the S. Typhi isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin, 131 (26%) to ampicillin, 131 (27%) to chloramphenicol, 137 (28%) to trimethoprim and 171 (28%) to sulphonamide. None of the isolates were resistant to cephalosporins. A trend analysis for S. Typhi isolates showed no significant change in resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, sulphonamide and trimethoprim or for multidrug resistance (P=0.38). Overall resistance to ciprofloxacin increased for S. Paratyphi A (P=0.018) and for S. Typhi (P<0.001) but fell for S. Typhi in 2011‐2012. Resistance profiles were reflected by specific phage types and countries visited by the travellers. Conclusions. The proportion of S. Typhi strains resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol and cotrimoxazole remained steady for the period 2005‐2012. There was a significant increase in a trend for resistance to ciprofloxacin which increased until 2010, followed by a fall in 2011‐2012. S. Paratyphi resistance to ciprofloxacin increased until 2012. Specific phage types were associated with resistance to specific antimicrobials and travel abroad.


To the Editor. — We would like to elaborate on one point of the excellent article "Therapeutic Strategies Against Tardive Dyskinesia" by Jeste and Wyatt (Archives1982;39:803-816). The authors classified bromocriptine mesylate as a treatment of dopamine (DA) antagonism, ie, decreasing DA neurotransmission. This may not be entirely accurate for the three studies cited. 1-3 Although the use of an "autoreceptor strategy" in the treatment of tardive dyskinesia (TD) with DA agonists has been described, 1 in the case of bromocriptine this probably was never effected. This strategy was based on the belief that bromocriptine binds preferentially at different DA receptor sites in different concentrations. 1,4 However, in view of the fact that multiple classes of DA receptors exist in the nigrostriatal system, which is believed to be the critical neuroanatomic area in TD, and that the oral dosage of bromocriptine required to obtain precisely the desired pharmacodynamic effect


: Analysis of the data obtained suggests that uncontrolled intensification of processes of free-radical lipid peroxidation is a bad prognostic sign in uncomplicated peptic ulcer as is rise in the aggregation activity of erythrocytes, viscosity of blood, decline in the ability of erythrocytes to deform, particularly so in peptic ulcer complicated by acute hemorrhage. The changed erythrocytes are involved into the evolution of the vicious circle causing disturbances in the gastric and duodenal mucosa microcirculation, which fact suggest the need for correction of impaired plastic properties of erythrocytes.


A spatial monitoring query (SMQ) retrieves the set of mobile nodes that satisfy some spatial constraints, and provides real-time updates whenever this set of nodes changes. Efficient processing of such queries is essential to moving objects database management. Existing techniques rely on one or more central servers for query management and assume each mobile node can communicate with some server directly. These limitations prevent them from being used in application scenarios where no such server exists. This paper assumes a mobile peer-to-peer system where mobile nodes are the only computing devices, and investigates the challenges of allowing mobile nodes to collaborate in query processing. We present a cost-effective technique to process a primitive type of SMQs and then show that other types of queries can be converted into the primitive type of queries. As such, different types of queries can now be supported within a common platform and without relying on any stationary server. We also evaluate, through both mathematical analysis and simulation, the performance of the proposed platform in terms of mobile communication costs incurred in query processing.


Radiatively driven transfer flow perpendicular to a luminous disk was examined under a fully special relativistic treatment, taking into account radiation transfer. The flow was assumed to be vertical, and the gravity, the gas pressure, and the viscous heating were ignored. In order to construct the boundary condition at the flow top, the magic speed above the flat source was re-examined, and it was found that the magic speed above a moving source can exceed that above a static source (rv 0.45 c). Then, the radiatively driven flow in a luminous disk was numerically solved, from the flow base (disk "inside"), where the flow speed is zero, to the flow top (disk "surface"), where the optical depth is zero. For a given optical depth and appropriate initial conditions at the flow base, where the flow starts, a loaded mass in the flow was obtained as an eigenvalue of the boundary condition at the flow top. Furthermore, a loaded mass and the flow final speed at the flow top were obtained as a function of the radiation pressure at the flow base; the flow final speed increases as the loaded mass decreases. Moreover, the flow velocity and radiation fields along the flow were obtained as a function of the optical depth. Within the present treatment, the flow three velocity v is restricted to be within the range of v < cI v'3, which is the relativistic sound speed, due to the relativistic effect.


From the viewpoint of the change of the anodic surface microtopography in the process of Electrochemical Finishing (ECF), this paper studies the anodic smoothening mechanism of ECF and puts forward the directional issue of the dissolution of anodic surface in the microtopography sense. On condition that the anodic material is dissolved along with the normal direction of the micro-profile on the anodic surface, the influence of wave length of the micro-profile on the smoothening effect is discussed in detail and the mathematical model based on the "lateral direction dissolution" is established. Finally, ECP is taken as the example and the experiment is carried out, the result shows that the smoothening rule obtained by experiment accords with that by calculation.


This article estimates gravity models for both directions of trade between the EU-15 and the NMS-10. The two groups form a heterogeneous integrated area (EU-27) with respect to country size, income levels, relative factor endowments and a different history of economic systems. The estimation was conducted on industries with different degrees of scale economies and factor intensities in the presence of both spatial (distance and borders) and non-spatial (Eastern enlargements and Euro membership) trade costs. The results highlight the asymmetry in intra-bloc trade when the latter is heterogeneous: country size, income, factor endowments and the various trade barriers or facilitators are found to be significant determinants of trade between old and new EU members to an extent that is specific to different country and industry groups. The results also show how this heterogeneity eliminates the equivalence between exports and imports as the dependent variable in gravity models and makes the results sensitive to the definition of the bilateral flows to be estimated.


We welcome papers that report the study of analogies (and metaphors) not only in design but also more generally in engineering, analysis, and manufacturing, as well as design education. We welcome work describing cognitive studies, computational theories, and interactive tools. One challenge in analogical thinking is that researchers mean different things by the term analogy, for example, featural, conceptual, and relational similarity. Therefore, we ask that authors clearly characterize what they mean by analogy in their work. Suitable topics include (but are not limited to) the following:


Objective To quantify the homeostatic feedback control of energy intake in response to long-term covert manipulation of energy balance in free-living humans. Methods We used a validated mathematical method to calculate energy intake changes during a 52 week placebo-controlled trial in 153 patients treated with canagliflozin, a sodium glucose co-transporter inhibitor that increases urinary glucose excretion thereby resulting in weight loss without patients being directly aware of the energy deficit. We analyzed the relationship between the body weight time course and the calculated energy intake changes using principles from engineering control theory. Results We discovered that weight loss leads to a proportional homeostatic drive to increase energy intake above baseline by ~100 kcal/day per kg of lost weight – an amount more than 3-fold larger than the corresponding energy expenditure adaptations. Conclusions While energy expenditure adaptations are often thought to be the main reason for slowing of weight loss and subsequent regain, feedback control of energy intake plays an even larger role and helps explain why long-term maintenance of a reduced body weight is so difficult. Funding This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, using data from a study sponsored by Janssen Research & Development, LLC. Disclosure D.P. is a full-time employee of Janssen Research & Development, LLC. K.D.H. reports patent pending on a method of personalized dynamic feedback control of body weight (US Patent Application No. 13/754,058; assigned to the NIH) and has received funding from the Nutrition Science Initiative to investigate the effects of ketogenic diets on human energy expenditure. R.S. is a paid consultant for Janssen, Novo Nordisk, Takeda, Daichii Sankyo, Novartis, Pfizer, Nestle, Circuit Therapeutics and Ethicon. R.S., also has received research support from Novo Nordisk, Ethicon, Sanofiand Boehringer Ingelheim. A.S. reports no conflicts of interest. What is already known about this subject? Human body weight is believed to be regulated by homeostatic feedback control of both energy intake and energy expenditure. Adaptations of energy expenditure to weight loss have been well-established, but the homeostatic control of energy intake has yet to be quantified. What this study adds We provide the first quantification of the homeostatic control of energy intake in free-living humans. The increase in energy intake per kg of weight lost is several-fold larger than the known energy expenditure adaptations. Homeostatic control of energy intake is likely the primary reason why it is difficult to achieve and sustain large weight losses.


To investigate the role of insulin signaling pathways in migration, proliferation, and inflammation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), we examined the expression of active components of the phosphatidyl inositol 3 (PI-3) kinase (p-Akt) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) (p-Erk) in primary cultures of VSMCs from human coronary arteries. VSMCs were treated in a dose-response manner with insulin (0, 1, 10, and 100 nM) for 20 min, and Akt and Erk phosphorylation were measured by Western blot analysis. In separate experiments, we evaluated the effect of 200 μM palmitate, in the presence and absence of 8 μM pioglitazone, on insulin-stimulated (100 nM for 20 min) Akt and Erk phosphorylation. The phosphorylation of Akt and Erk in VSMCs exhibited a dose dependency with a three- to fourfold increase, respectively, at the highest dose (100 nM). In the presence of palmitate, insulin-induced Akt phosphorylation was completely abolished, and there was a threefold increase in p-Erk. With addition of pioglitazone, the phosphorylation of Akt by insulin remained unchanged, whereas insulin-stimulated Erk phosphorylation was reduced by pioglitazone. These data in VSMCs indicate that high palmitate decreases insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation and stimulates MAPK, whereas preexposure peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ agonist pioglitazone preserves Akt phosphorylation and simultaneously attenuates MAPK signaling. Our results suggest that metabolic and mitogenic insulin signals have different sensitivity, are independently regulated, and may play a role in arterial smooth muscle cells migration, proliferation, and inflammation in conditions of acute hyperinsulinemia.


In minimally invasive surgery (MIS), depth estimation is also one of the most essential challenges. With the urgent demands of improving surgical safety, a method of improving the surgeon's perception of depth by introducing an "invisible shadow" in the operative field has been proposed. A novel approach is presented for adaptive shadow detection by incorporating four different attributes and using a classification algorithm to make a distinction between shadow and non-shadow regions. Experimental results show that shadow region can be detected quite well and thus the method could potentially be used as an instrument navigation aid in minimally invasive surgery.


In this paper, we study the thermodynamic features of a two-dimensional charged black hole. Weinhold curvature and Ruppeiner curvature are explored as information geometry, respectively. Moreover, based on the Legendre invariant proposed by Hernando Quevedo, the geometro-thermodynamics behavior of this black hole is investigated.


The subject I shall deal with is one that traditionally comes up for discussion, to the point of growing stale. Innumerable resolutions and recommendations on "Red Cross and Peace" have been voted by delegates to International Red Cross Conferences. One might even say that this type of recommendation, which of course is addressed to all responsible governments, has become a feature of every Red Cross gathering.


A novel emission spectral tomography algorithm based on multiobjective optimization is proposed. Its reconstruction results for asymmetrical emission coefficient fields are studied with computer simulation. The results show that this algorithm provides a significant improvement in reconstruction precision and convergence over traditional algorithms and is suitable for real-time reconstruction of an emission-coefficient field with incomplete data. In an experiment of the argon-arc plasma diagnosis, we adopted this algorithm and the spectrum relative-intensity method to obtain the three-dimensional distributions of temperature, ionization coefficient, and electron (ion) and atom densities.


Disasters are not uncommon events, and take many forms. Disasters, in whatever form they take, rob us of our sense of well-being, our security, our community, our loved ones, and our homes. Disasters forever change 'life as we know it' and seriously impact our ability to function. The psychosocial effects of a natural or manmade disaster can be long lasting, and the resulting trauma can reverberate even with those not directly affected by the disaster. Mental, neurological, and behavioral disorders are common sequelae to natural and manmade disasters. People with these disorders endure social isolation, poor quality of life, and increased mortality. Further, these disorders are the cause of staggering economic and social costs. With the increase in natural and manmade disasters, the incidence of mental illnesses has grown exponentially, creating large at-risk and vulnerable populations.


Background Nearly all newborn deaths occur in low- or middle-income countries. Many of these deaths could be prevented through promotion and provision of newborn care practices such as thermal care, early and exclusive breastfeeding, and hygienic cord care. Home visit programmes promoting these practices were piloted in Malawi, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Uganda. Objective This study assessed changes in selected newborn care practices over time in pilot programme areas in four countries and evaluated whether women who received home visits during pregnancy were more likely to report use of three key practices. Design Using data from cross-sectional surveys of women with live births at baseline and endline, the Pearson chi-squared test was used to assess changes over time. Generalised linear models were used to assess the relationship between the main independent variable – home visit from a community health worker (CHW) during pregnancy (0, 1–2, 3+) – and use of selected practices while controlling for antenatal care, place of delivery, and maternal age and education. Results There were statistically significant improvements in practices, except applying nothing to the cord in Malawi and early initiation of breastfeeding in Bangladesh. In Malawi, Nepal, and Bangladesh, women who were visited by a CHW three or more times during pregnancy were more likely to report use of selected practices. Women who delivered in a facility were also more likely to report use of selected practices in Malawi, Nepal, and Uganda; association with place of birth was not examined in Bangladesh because only women who delivered outside a facility were asked about these practices. Conclusion Home visits can play a role in improving practices in different settings. Multiple interactions are needed, so programmes need to investigate the most appropriate and efficient ways to reach families and promote newborn care practices. Meanwhile, programmes must take advantage of increasing facility delivery rates to ensure that all babies benefit from these practices.


Many analyses and transformations in a parallelizing compiler can benefit from the ability to compare arbitrary symbolic expressions. In this paper, we describe how one can compare expressions by using symbolic ranges of variables. A range is a lower and upper bound on a variable. We describe how these ranges can be efficiently computed from the program test. Symbolic range propagation has been implemented in Polaris, a parallelizing compiler being developed at the University of Illinois, and is used for symbolic dependence testing, detection of zero-trip loops, determining array sections possibly referenced by an access, and loop iteration-count estimation.<<ETX>>


Super-resolution reconstruction (SRR) produces a high-resolution image from multiple low-resolution images. Many image SRR algorithms assume that the blurring process, i.e., point spread function (PSF) of the imaging system is known in advance. However, the blurring process is not known or is known only to within a set of parameters in many practical applications. In this letter, we propose an approach for solving the joint blur identification and image SRR based on the principle similar to the variable projection method. The approach can avoid some shortcomings of cyclic coordinate descent optimization procedure. We also propose an efficient implementation based on Lanczos algorithm and Gauss quadrature theory. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.


Background: Exclusive breast feeding (EBF) has been shown to be an important and effective feeding practice essential for infant development. Initiation, maintenance and continuation of EBF were associated with several maternal and socio-demographic characteristics which influence EBF abandonment.
Methodology: The study is a prospective cross-sectional study conducted at the child health clinic in general hospital Bonny, in Bonny Island. The study population were nursing mothers of infants six months and below. All eligible nursing mothers that presented to the clinic were enlisted into the study until the required sample size was achieved. Study tool was a structured interviewer administered questionnaire. Multinomial regression analysis was done using SPSS with statistical significance set at 0.05.
Result: Results reveal significant statistical association between duration of EBF and some maternal variables such as parity, ante-natal attendance, breast feeding counselling, birth interval, gestational age and mode of delivery. Also, significant association was seen between duration of EBF and socio-demographic characteristics such as maternal occupation, income, education and marital status.
Conclusion: Abandonment of EBF before and its continuation up to six months can be influenced by socio-demographic factors such as maternal occupation, income and marital status. Other maternal variables which also influence EBF include ante-natal care attendance including the number of times of breast-feeding counselling, mode of delivery, gestational age, parity and birth interval.


Rationing of healthcare resources is a challenging decision that policy makers and providers may be forced to make during a pandemic, natural disaster, or mass casualty event. Well-defined guidelines to triage scarce life-saving resources must be designed to promote transparency, trust, and consistency. To facilitate buy-in and use during high-stress situations, these guidelines need to be interpretable and operational. We propose a novel data-driven model to compute interpretable triage guidelines based on policies for Markov Decision Process that can be represented as simple sequences of decision trees ("tree policies"). In particular, we characterize the properties of optimal tree policies and present an algorithm based on dynamic programming recursions to compute good tree policies. We utilize this methodology to obtain simple, novel triage guidelines for ventilator allocations for COVID-19 patients, based on real patient data from Montefiore hospitals. We also compare the performance of our guidelines to the official New York State guidelines that were developed in 2015 (well before the COVID-19 pandemic). Our empirical study shows that the number of excess deaths associated with ventilator shortages could be reduced significantly using our policy. Our work highlights the limitations of the existing official triage guidelines, which need to be adapted specifically to COVID-19 before being successfully deployed.


In this paper, we establish some unique common coupled xed pointresults for mappings satisfying dierent contractive conditions in the contextof complete C-algebra-valued Fuzzy soft metric spaces which generalize theconcept of C-algebra-valued metric spaces and gives some examples to supportsour obtains results. Moreover, the paper provides an application to provethe existence and uniqueness of a solution for nonlinear integral equations.


Keku TO, Dulal S, Deveaux A, Jovov B, Han X. The gastrointestinal microbiota and colorectal cancer. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 308: G351–G363, 2015. First published December 24, 2014; doi:10.1152/ajpgi.00360.2012.—The human gut is home to a complex and diverse microbiota that contributes to the overall homeostasis of the host. Increasingly, the intestinal microbiota is recognized as an important player in human illness such as colorectal cancer (CRC), inflammatory bowel diseases, and obesity. CRC in itself is one of the major causes of cancer mortality in the Western world. The mechanisms by which bacteria contribute to CRC are complex and not fully understood, but increasing evidence suggests a link between the intestinal microbiota and CRC as well as diet and inflammation, which are believed to play a role in carcinogenesis. It is thought that the gut microbiota interact with dietary factors to promote chronic inflammation and CRC through direct influence on host cell physiology, cellular homeostasis, energy regulation, and/or metabolism of xenobiotics. This review provides an overview on the role of commensal gut microbiota in the development of human CRC and explores its association with diet and inflammation.


Within the water framework directive the assessment of the impact on groundwater of the pressure from nitrate from agriculture origin is requested. At basin and national levels other methods should be developed in order to provide a uniform view of the pressure/impact issue.
This presentation is based on a project which was initiated with the objective of proposing national maps of pressure and impact based on the combination of various thematic layers using a geographical information system.
The first step was the development of a national approach for the calculation of the nitrogen pressure note for agricultural sources. To attribute the cultural pressure note, several notes have been attributed according to an expert judgment before attributing the final note ("previous crop" N surplus; "following crop" capacity of absorption).
Using the existing map of the French plots (about 6 millions plots have been treated), it was thus possible to obtain a national map for the nitrogen pressure from agriculture.
To validate the approach the pressure map has been compared with the nitrate concentration measured at monitoring points. Median of concentrations from the French Groundwater database was used. A quite good matching appears between cultural notes (today's pressure) and median of NO3 concentration in groundwater (today's impact)
Due to different and sometimes long transfer and residence time of water and associated solutes it is necessary to take into account "delays" when comparing pressure and impact.
Nitrates transfer estimation depends mainly on lithology. For sedimentary basin, unsaturated zone depth and existing data on nitrate transfer velocity were coupled in order to obtain information on NO3 delay in the unsaturated zone. For other lithologies, only data on "chemical and isotope tracer" ages were used to get an estimation of the residence time of the contaminant in the saturated zone.
The various information layers will be combined in order to obtain a spatial distribution of the nitrate recharge ages (Wang et al., 2012) and link the today's impact to the pressure at the origin of the impact (without the time delay).
The proposed approach will give an homogeneous national view of the pressure / impact approach for nitrate and will permit highlighting the sectors where today's pressure may lead to a degradation of groundwater quality and that will need local studies in order for the Water Manager to propose adequate program of measures


Procedures for isolating carbonic anhydrase (EC 18.104.22.168) enzymes from the erythrocytes and the mucosae of the gastrointestinal tract of guinea pigs are described. From a haemolysate, haemoglobin was removed by the addition of ammonium sulphate, and also by two other methods, namely by gel filtration or by adsorption on DEAE-Sephadex. The crude enzyme thus obtained was resolved into the different isoenzymes by chromatography with DEAE-cellulose. From particle-free supernatants of homogenates of some gastrointestinal tissues, carbonic anhydrases were purified by ammonium sulphate fractionation, gel filtration, and ion-exchange chromatography with DEAE-cellulose. The major isoenzymes from blood, stomach, proximal colonic mucosa and caecal mucosa were homogeneous during ion-exchange chromatography, acrylamide-gel electrophoresis, and centrifugal examination. From these tissues, carbonic anhydrase was isolated as two major isoenzymes. They resemble the pairs of isoenzymes discovered in the bloods of other species. The carbon dioxide hydratase activity of one isoenzyme (;high activity' carbonic anhydrase) was 40 times that of the other isoenzyme (;low activity' carbonic anhydrase), as measured at a single substrate concentration. Two other minor components of the enzyme are also found in guinea-pig erythrocytes. All of the enzymes isolated had molecular weights of nearly 30000 (sedimentation equilibrium). ;High activity' carbonic anhydrases from blood and gastrointestinal tissues were indistinguishable according to some chemical, physical and kinetic measurements; similarly ;low activity' carbonic anhydrases from those tissues were indistinguishable. ;High activity' carbonic anhydrase was markedly different from the ;low activity' carbonic anhydrase with respect to its amino acid composition, chromatographic behaviour and isoelectric pH value. Marked differences were also found in the tissue concentrations of the major isoenzymes. It is suggested that the characteristic and selective distribution of the different forms of carbonic anhydrase in the guinea-pig tissues is related to the specific and different physiological functions of the enzymes.


In this work we present the fabrication of silica hollow core photonic crystal fibres (HC-PCF) with guidance at 2.94μm. As light is confined inside the hollow core with a very small overlap of the guided E-M wave with the fibre material, the high intrinsic loss of silica at these mid-infrared wavelengths can be overcome. The band gap effect is achieved by a periodic structure made out of air and fused silica. As silica is bio-inert, chemically stable and mechanically robust, these fibres have potential advantages over other multi-component, non-silica optical fibres designed to guide in this wavelength regime. These fibres have a relatively small diameter, low bend sensitivity and single-mode like guidance which are ideal conditions for delivering laser light down a highly flexible fibre. Consequently they provide a potential alternative to existing surgical laser delivery methods such as articulated arms and lend themselves to endoscopy and other minimally invasive surgical procedures. In particular, we present the characterisation and performance of these fibres at 2.94 μm, the wavelength of an Er:YAG laser. This laser is widely used in surgery since the wavelength overlaps with an absorption band of water which results in clean, non-cauterised cuts. However, the practical implementation of these types of fibres for surgical applications is a significant challenge. Therefore we also report on progress made in developing hermetically sealed end tips for these hollow core fibres to avoid contamination. This work ultimately prepares the route towards a robust, practical delivery system for this wavelength.


Many secondary students with EBD are mainstreamed in regular classes and are required to take tests in those classes to demonstrate their competence with regard to their mastery of the content. Unfortunately, these students often do not use strategies that would help them meet this critical classroom demand. The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive test-taking strategy that includes many of the test-wiseness strategies cited in the literature and to validate an instructional methodology for teaching this strategy to secondary students with EBD. Through the use of a multiple-probe across-students design, the instruction was shown to be effective in helping students to master the use of the steps of the comprehensive test-taking strategy and to apply them in a generative way to a series of novel tests. Preliminary evidence collected in targeted mainstream classes indicated that the students were applying the strategy to their regular class tests and that their scores on these tests improved. The results of this study are similar to those achieved in a companion study with students with learning disabilities, indicating that EBD and LD students can successfully receive strategic instruction together since they learned the strategy at comparable rates and achieved comparable levels of mastery and generalization.


A permanent manned settlement on the Martian surface requires the use of advanced technology concepts in order to become technically and financially feasible. The former developed Mars Base 10 concept incorporates novel ideas, increasing the feasibility of a continous human base on Mars. The most advanced feature of the MB10 design is the concept of increasing the habitable space of the Mars base once landed with an inflatable torus like structure. This paper gives an overview on the MB10 design and has its primary focus on the deployment of the inflatable structure. The deployment simulations show the final inflated shape of the MB10 concept on Mars from an un-inflated initial shape on Earth. The deployment strategy, simulations and rigidization techniques are discussed to provide a conceptual solution for large inflatable components of the MB10 habitat. Further applications of secondary inflatable smart structures are presented as well. These secondary structures are self deploying at the Martian ambient pressure which results in low storage volume and mass. These structures are well-suited to carry on for astronauts on EVAs for example.


"Using 1981 and 2001 Census data together with primary data from a 2002 survey of Registered Nurses (RNs) in Western Australia, this paper profiles the nurse workforce. Amongst other things the paper reports on a high level of pay dissatisfaction, particularly amongst younger nurses. Hours of work also emerge as an important issue, with many RNs employed on a part-time basis and many more indicating they would prefer to work fewer rather than more hours. The demands of work and family are shown as impacting on these preferences, with 30.6 per cent of RNs reporting difficulty in balancing these conflicting demands. In the absence of any renewal strategy, the average age of nurses continues to rise. This age structure will change as RNs retire, one-third of all RN respondents to the 2002 survey plan on leaving the profession before 2008. A sizeable proportion of those who plan to leave are in the 26-30 age groups. The paper should sound a number of alarm bells for those engaged in nurse workforce planning."


We introduce a new version of the FONLL code, now capable of calculating differential distributions for top quark production with next-to-leading-log resummation of log(p_t/m) terms. Numerical results for LHC and FCC kinematics are presented. In the transverse momentum region presently explored by ATLAS and CMS, no significant difference with respect to available fixed order predictions is predicted by FONLL. The large transverse momentum resummation of FONLL may instead become relevant if top is ever measured at transverse momentum scales of several TeV.


Objective: The present study aimed to define characteristics of the patients who were readmitted with the diagnosis of surgical site infections after gynecologic or obstetric procedures and management of these patients. We also reviewed the literature in this context. Study design: We examined 120 patients with surgical site infections that had been hospitalized and managed medically and/or surgically between April 2014 and April 2015. Characteristics of the patients were recorded and analyzed. Results: The mean age of the patients was 33.4±11.8 years. The patients were readmitted for surgical site infections on the mean of 9.6±5.4 days after the first operation. The most frequent procedures resulted with SSI were cesarean delivery, abdominal hysterectomy and vaginal birth. When patients were compared according to these procedures, there were statistically significant differences regarding age, gravida, parity, preoperative white blood cell count, postoperative white blood cell count and antibiotics usage. Conclusion: Combining evidence-based surgical site infections prevention practices and clinician and patient cooperation will result in reduction in surgical site infections incidence following obstetric and gynecologic procedures. Because of economic burden and threat to the physical and psychological health of the patients, these modifiable risks should be recognized and surgical site infections should be minimized. After surgical site infections occurred, diagnosis and proper management with antibiotics and wound care with debridement and secondary suturing is important.


Water risks and security are a major global hazard in the 21st century and it is essential that water professionals have a solid grounding in the principles of preventative risk management.

The second edition of this best-selling textbook, Risk Management for Water and Wastewater Utilities , extends beyond first principles and examines the practicalities of resilience and vulnerability assessment, strategic risk appraisal and the interconnectedness of water utility risks in a networked infrastructure. It provides an up-dated overview of tools and techniques for risk management in the context of the heightened expectations for sound risk governance that are being made of all water and wastewater utilities.

Risk Management for Water and Wastewater Utilities provides a valuable starting point for newly appointed risk managers in the utility sector and offers MSc level self-paced study with self-assessment questions and abbreviated answers, key learning points, case studies and worked examples.

ISBN: 9781780407487 (eBook)

ISBN: 9781780407470 (Print)


Background: Diabetes mellitus is a rapidly increasing disease worldwide. In the Austrian Diabetes Report 2017, the number of people with diabetes mellitus in Austria is estimated at about seven to eleven percent, of which an assumed 30-35% have not been diagnosed. The -individually adapted- treatment of diabetes mellitus therefore aims to achieve freedom from symptoms and to prevent acute complications and serious secondary diseases. This project report examines whether screening the general population is recommended in guidelines and, if not, what methods are used to recommend screening in subpopulations. Results: In total, 14 relevant publications on eleven different guidelines were identified through the searches in various sources. The synthesis of the recommendations show the following result: Screening for diabetes mellitus type 1 for adults or for children/adolescents is generally not recommended. Similarly, a population-wide screening programme for diabetes mellitus type 2 is not recommended. For adults, a regular assessment of individual diabetes risk using validated risk assessment tools such as CANRISK or FINDRISC is recommended. Screening for type 2 diabetes mellitus using blood glucose monitoring is subsequently recommended for adults at high risk of diabetes. The guidelines consistently recommend a screening interval of three years. Screening for type 2 diabetes mellitus is recommended for children and adolescents aged eight to ten years or older who are overweight or obese and have at least one additional risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus. In these cases, the guidelines recommend a screening interval of two years. Again, only blood sugar measurements are recommended as a screening test. Urine glucose tests are not mentioned in the context of screening in any of the included guidelines. Conclusion: The results of this report show that international evidence-based guidelines recommend screening for type 2 diabetes mellitus for those population groups (adults and children/adolescents), who are at high risk of contracting diabetes mellitus. A recommendation for a population-wide screening for diabetes mellitus is not given. Overall, there are no significant inconsistencies between the guidelines regarding the recommendations on screening for diabetes mellitus. However, differences exist between the individual guidelines in the definition of a high risk for diabetes mellitus.


In this paper we present a novel method to estimate curvature of iso grey-level surfaces in grey-value images. Our method succeeds where isophote curvature fails. There is neither a segmentation of the surface needed nor a parametric model assumed. Our estimator works on the orientation field of the surface. This orientation field and a description of local structure is obtained by the Gradient Structure Tensor. The estimated orientation field has discontinuities mod . It is mapped via the Knutsson mapping to a continuous representation. The principal curvatures of the surface, a coordinate invariant property, are computed in this mapped representation. An extensive evaluation shows that our curvature estimation is robust even in the presence of noise, independent of the scale of the object and furthermore the relative error stays small.


Two new coordination complexes, namely, [Cu(tdp)(H2O)(bim)3]·4H2O (1) and {[Cu(μ2-tdp)(bim)2]·4H2O}n (2) (tdp = 3,3'-thiodipropionate, bim = benzimidazole), having naked-eye sensor properties and thermochromic behaviors, were synthesized and structurally characterized using elemental analysis, IR and UV spectra, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and thermal analyses (TG, DTA and DTG) techniques. Complex 1 changed color from blue to dark and light green in methanol and DMF solvents, respectively, while complex 2 changed color from light blue to light green only in DMF solvent. Moreover, complex 1 can be used to detect as little as 10 percent methanol in ethanol by the naked eye. The thermochromic properties of the complexes showed that complexes 1 and 2 changed color from blue and light blue to light and dark green at 65 °C, respectively.


We consider stochastic multi-armed bandit problems where the expected reward is a Lipschitzfunction of the arm, and where the set of arms is either discrete or continuous. For discrete Lipschitzbandits, we derive asymptotic problem specific lower bounds for the regret satisfied by anyalgorithm, and propose OSLB and CKL-UCB, two algorithms that efficiently exploit the Lipschitzstructure of the problem. In fact, we prove that OSLB is asymptotically optimal, as its asymptoticregret matches the lower bound. The regret analysis of our algorithms relies on a new concentrationinequality for weighted sums of KL divergences between the empirical distributions of rewards andtheir true distributions. For continuous Lipschitz bandits, we propose to first discretize the actionspace, and then apply OSLB or CKL-UCB, algorithms that provably exploit the structure efficiently.This approach is shown, through numerical experiments, to significantly outperform existing algorithmsthat directly deal with the continuous set of arms. Finally the results and algorithms areextended to contextual bandits with similarities.


Tourism is a kind of human activity, which has the ability to simultaneously satisfy a wide human needs' range and develop people's personality. Adventure tourism term is a type of tourism able to fulfill these types of human needs. The aim of the study was to know the Polish tourists opinion about the adventure tourism in Poland. The study involved 50 people, taking into account their gender, age, education and occupational status. The research tool was a survey questionnaire. The study indicated that it is not a popular form of tourism in Poland. Its proponents, the information about places and facilities derive mainly from the Internet. The most popular forms are trekking, tramping, caves exploration, paintball, windsurfing, bungejumping and rafting. Rather average possibility of practicing the adventure tourism in Poland is associated with multitude barriers, mainly financial investments, lack of free time, as well as fear and general fear of some of its forms.


Meaningful science engagement beyond one-way outreach is needed to encourage science-based decision making. This pilot study aimed to instigate dialogue and deliberation concerning climate change and public health. Feedback from science café participants was used to design a panel-based museum exhibit that asked visitors to make action plans concerning such issues. Using intercept interviews and visitor comment card data, we found that visitors developed general or highly individualistic action plans to address these issues. Results suggest that employing participatory design methods when developing controversial socio-scientific exhibits can aid engagement. We conclude by recommending participatory strategies for implementing two-way science communication.


Context: Many theories in health care and business administration seek answers to the fundamental question of why people behave the way they do. The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) is a theory that focuses on a person's intention to behave a certain way. An intention is a plan or a likelihood that someone will behave in a particular way in specific situations and driven by what is believed -- whether or not they actually do so. Belief is a state of mind that embodies trust and confidence in something. In this context, actions are driven by what is believed, by what is assumed to be true about the world. Objective: Our aim is to study and characterize a belief system by applying TRA to agile software project teams in terms of origins, sources and impacts of beliefs on self-management development practices. Method: An ethnographic case study was conducted. A set of interviews and observations on origins and impacts of beliefs in self-management practices was conducted over years with professionals from different project teams. Results: The results showed the strong influence of past experiences and organizational contexts on self-management practices of agile teams and pointed out some key issues. Thus, this study contribute to an improved understanding on how to apply behavioral theories to study software practices. Conclusion: This study showed that ethnographic methods are quite useful to understand software practice. The study also demonstrated that it is possible to capture and represent a belief system in a software project context.


and treatment of chronic diseases in China. A large number of CM clinical studies, including a substantial number of available randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews, have shown that CM is effective and safe in the treatment of chronic diseases. Although the efficacies of some evaluated CM therapies remain uncertain, it is worth assessing them by using CM pattern (Zheng or syndrome) differentiation to verify treatment outcomes. CM is considered to have a better safety profile compared to pharmaceutical chemicals, but inappropriate applications of CM also makes the safety issues a hot discussed subject. As a medical system, CM should be able to provide worldwide contribution for the patients who are suffering from chronic diseases. The application of CM pattern classification in diagnosis with corresponding prescribed treatment using herbal formulae in the relief of chronic diseases can be linked with modern biomedical parameters (biomarkers) as treatment outcomes. These outcome parameters, together with the patients ' reported quality of life assessment, can provide innovative approaches for evidence-based estimation of the efficacy of CM treatment in chronic diseases


Complex gesture recognition and multi-degree-of-freedom prostheses necessitate the ability to chronically record electromyography (EMG) signals from multiple physically distant muscles. This paper presents an inductive wireless power transfer (WPT) system for a distributed EMG recording platform that can power multiple implants via a homogeneous magnetic field. The proposed coil array is designed to optimally power randomly distributed implants across a large area on the forearm. Efficiency is maximized by carefully optimizing the geometry of the hexagonal sub-coil of the array and the frequency of the WPT, while field homogeneity is maximized by stacking three horizontally offset layers of coils in order to minimize magnetic field variations. The array achieves best-case, worst-case, and average efficiencies of 70.3%, 65.5%, and 68.5%, respectively, enabling efficient power delivery to multiple randomly distributed implants.


Abstract : Over the past ten years the study of chaotic advection, namely the chaotic motion of particles in deterministic dynamical systems derived from velocity fields associated with simple fluid flows, has come to the fore as a model and means of obtaining efficient mixing. The main question addressed in the research supported by this grant has been to determine how useful the ideas and tools of dynamical system theory, successful in analyzing chaotic advection models, are for studying mixing in high Reynolds number, i.e. turbulent flows. The link between dynamical systems ideas and turbulence is provided by the Lagrangian picture of the fluid, namely the fluid particle description. Accordingly our work has centered on developing Lagrangian descriptions of the stretching and alignment, the processes by which mixing is achieved, for passive and non-passive scalars and vectors. This has led to some new insights into the mechanisms of fine scale vorticity dynamics and identified the subtle and critical role of pressure fluctuations. In the case of the (non-passive vector) dynamics of magnetic field lines, a Lagrangian formulation of 3-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamics equations has identified the possibility of a finite time singularity around magnetic null points.


Plasmacytoma is a rare neoplastic disorder arising from B-cell series lymphocytes. It can develop in three clinical variants: a) Multiple Myeloma (M.M.); b) Solitary Plasmacytoma of the bone; c) Extramedullary Plasmacytoma (EMP). EMP generally occurs in the submucosal tissue of the upper airways (80% of cases). This paper reports 22 cases of EMP of the head and neck observed in the last 20 years and reviews pertinent Literature. Four of our cases were located in the nasopharynx, four in the oropharynx and five in naso-sinusal sites. More rarely, the lesion occurred in the larynx (2 cases) or in the oral cavity (3 cases). In 4 patients multiple localizations in the upper airways were observed. Full evaluation was carried out in order to exclude disseminated disease. With the exception of 2 cases which were surgically treated, radiotherapy (RT) represented the treatment of choice in all patients, with doses ranging from 36 to 58 Gy. In 9 cases RT was administered after complete surgical resection. Follow-up time ranged from 13 to 167 months (mean 69.6). A partial response after treatment was observed in 4 cases. In only two of these cases neoplastic residue was observed (further RT allowed complete remission of the disease). In the other two cases, residual masses consisted in amyloid deposits. Three patients developed disseminated disease (MM) after a disease-free period ranging from 3 to 6 years. Five-year actuarial disease was 92%. Although surgery is generally considered a diagnostic tool, in our opinion local disease should always be removed surgically when surgery produces low morbidity. Surgical debulking of the lesion can increase the probability or local radiotherapeutic control.


PROBLEM
Assurance of adequate water quality is one of the most important aspects of ensuring a safe and effective delivery of haemodialysis. There are several different culture methods recommended in the various guidelines on the microbiological testing of water for dialysis.

AIMS
The aim was to investigate whether or not there was a significant difference in the microbiological results obtained using the various recommended culture methods.

METHODS
Current guidelines suggest that samples for microbiological analysis should be cultured using a low nutrient media such as Reasoner's 2A but vary in recommending temperature and time. Over a six month period, samples were sent to an independent laboratory and cultured using three different times and temperatures. Samples were cultured at 22 degrees C for 7 days (ERA-ERCA, EDTNA-ERCA), 37 degrees C for 2 days (AAMI and ISO) and 30 degrees C for 5 days (ISO, EP).

RESULTS
The bacterial culture method used was R2A media at the incubation temperatures and times indicated. During an extensive microbiological survey of several water systems, the results from the laboratory gave conflicting results for the three methods. Results showed that several of sample sets returned results with a difference in recovery by a factor of between 10 and 1000.

CONCLUSIONS
Culturing using the stated temperature and times produces large variations in reported levels of contamination. Culturing at the different temperatures and incubation times can produce results which may give a false sense of security by not indicating a contamination problem. Standardising on a single method is desirable in order to produce consistently valid results.


Introduction. Emergency Departments (EO) have a highly variable workload and need to highly expertise for a critical decision making in an emergency situation. This study was designed to find some of the golden times lost in AL-Zahra Emergency department (the greatest referral emergency center in Isfahan province, affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Health Services).
Methods. In an observational study, we recorded all times spent by each 2212 patients referred to EO. The study was conducted in 30 days period (1999 June) and data was collected by full time secret observers.
Results. About 55.1 percent of patients came by own and others were referred by physicians or other medical centers. Forty four percent of them were managed ambulatory. About half of the admissions were during 4 to 12 PM. Mean waiting times for each stage of patient management were as follows: waiting for patient's first visit by intern of screen room, 2 min; second visits by referral intern visit, 7 min; third visit by related resident, 37 min; patient arrival at EO. till admission, 41 min; hospital registration of patient, 11 min; ordering by intern or physician, 14 min; patient arrivalat EO. till ward admission, 189 min; performing procedures for outpatient's, 95 min; patient arrival at E.O. till receiving prescription (as an ambulatory care), 97 min. Mean waiting times for preclinical procedures were: EKG, 10 min; ultrasonography, 50 min; X-ray or CT scans, 36 min and lab tests, 117 min. About 51 percent of admissions were in field of internal medicine (including neurologic and infectious disease). In 88.8 percent of the admissions, physicians who were engaged in patient screening were not matched to their specialty and expertise. Primary diagnosis was correct in 31 percent and wrong in 6 percent of hospitalized patients. In 41 percent of cases, ultimate diagnosis was obscure. The average of CPR incidence was 2.7 times per day.
Discussion. The most rate limiting stages in our E.O. were paraclinical procedures, making decision for admission and finally, registration process. Foremost of the cases, physicians who were engaged in screening process had not sufficient expertise in patient management due to inappropriate specialty and/or inadequate knowledge.


Abstract We describe nesting and paternal care in two species of the weakly electric fish, Gymnotus: Gymnotus carapo from savanna swamps on the Caribbean island of Trinidad; and Gymnotus mamiraua from whitewater floodplains of the Amazon Basin. In both species, single adult males guard eggs and juveniles. Male G. carapo excavate depressions in the substrate or nest in the roots of aquatic macrophytes. Male G. mamiraua form nests exclusively in the root mass of floating meadows of macrophytes. Twelve nests of G. mamiraua were encountered, containing juveniles up to a maximum total length (TL) of 67 mm and estimated maximum age of 8–12 weeks. Two of these nests exhibit a bimodal size distribution, implying more than one spawning event. Juveniles remain close to the male during the day and disperse little more than 1 m away at night. Larval G. carapo and G. mamiraua (approximately 15– 20 mm TL) generate a characteristic Electric Organ Discharge (EOD) with a dominant positive phase followed by a very weak negative phase. The Peak Power Frequency of the larval EOD is in the range 0.015–0.04 kHz. It is possible that the EODs of larvae may be sensed by animals with ampullary electroreceptors, including the male as well as predatory catfishes. Larval G. carapo and G. mamiraua generate EODs at a low repetition rate compared to adults and with no increase at night. This low rate reduces the probability of coincident pulses and may mitigate sensory jamming between nestlings in crowded nests. The repetition rate, and the waveform and spectral features of the EODs from 40 mm TL specimens of G. mamiraua, resemble those of mature adults.


This thesis is based on four papers (A-D) treating filtering, smoothing, and maximum likelihood (ML) estimation in general state space models using stochastic particle filters (also referred to as sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) methods). The aim of Paper A is to study the bias of Monte Carlo integration estimates produced by the so-called bootstrap particle filter. A bound on this bias which is inversely proportional to the number N of particles of the system is established. In addition, we refine the analysis by deriving the asymptotic bias as N tends to infinity and, under suitable mixing assumptions on the latent Markov model, a time uniform bound. In Paper B we consider ML estimation based on EM (Expectation-Maximization) methods. In this context, the key ingredient is the computation of smoothed sum functionals of the hidden states for given values of the model parameters. It has been observed by several authors that using standard SMC methods for this smoothing assignment may be unreliable for larger observations sizes. Thus we study a simple variant, based on forgetting ideas of the state space model dynamics, of the basic sequential smoothing approach which is transparent in terms of computation time and reduces the variability of the sum functional approximation. Under suitable regularity assumptions, it is shown that this modification indeed allows a tighter control of the L_p error and the bias of the approximation. To perform ML estimation in state space models, the log-likelihood function must be approximated. In Paper C we study such approximations based on particle filters, and in particular conditions for consistency and asymptotic normality of the corresponding approximate ML estimators. Numerical results illustrate the theory. Paper D is devoted to the study asymptotic properties of weighted particle samples produced by the so called two-stage sampling (TSS) particle filter, which is a generalization of the auxiliary particle filter proposed by Pitt and Shephard (1999). Besides establishing a central limit theorem (CLT) for smoothed particle estimates, we also derive bounds on the L_p error and bias of the same for a finite particle sample size. Setting out from the recursive formula for the asymptotic varianc of the CLT, we discuss some possible improvements of the TSS algorithm. (Less)


Glucose production from pretreated corn stalks by cellulose enzymatic hydrolysis with cellulase was investigated and compared with no pretreatment, as a reference. The corn stalks were pretreated with microwave, sulfuric acid hydrolysis and dilute sodium hydroxide solution hydrolysis respectively. The enzymatic hydrolysis experiments were carried out at 50°C, 50 g/l dry matter (DM) solid substrate concentration and 15 filter paper unit (IU)/g DM of a commercial cellulase. Fermentable sugar was able to be produced from all the pretreated corn stalks with an overall yield of 29-58% of the maximum theoretical yield, based on the glucan available in the solid and liquid substrate. The corn stalks pretreated with dilute acid had the best glucose yield as 58.09% followed by the corn stalks pretreated with acid and microwave with an overall yield of 57.02% with 15 IU/g DM of cellulase. Glucose was the main product with enzymatic hydrolysis yield ratio 38.89%in the dilute sulfuric acid pretreated corn stalks, while with enzymatic hydrolysis yield ratio 51.07%in the dilute sodium hydroxide solution and microwave pretreated corn stalks under enzymatic hydrolysis conditions. These advantages, along with their negative price, make these solids a valuable raw material for L-lactic acid production.


Carbon dioxide embolism during laparoscopic surgery is a serious and life-threatening complication. The overall incidence of embolism during laparoscopic surgery is low (0.15%). Although the potential fatal consequences of this complication are reported in literature, a well-documented report of the effect of massive CO2 embolism during laparoscopic liver resection on cardiovascular, respiratory and encephalographic parameters does not exist. The authors describe a well-documented case of massive carbon dioxide embolism during laparoscopic liver resection suspected by both hemodynamic instability and elevation of EtCO2 and confirmed by arterial blood gas. The surgeon's rapid closure of the vascular breach resulted in an overall improvement of the patient's vital signs without further consequences. Our case report shows the cardiovascular, respiratory and encephalographic effects of a massive carbon dioxide embolism and highlights the importance of a strict cooperation between the surgeon and the anesthesiologist and the importance for a prompt treatment when massive carbon dioxide embolism occurs.


Pseudomonas exotoxin (PE) has been shown previously to enter mouse LM cells by receptor-mediated endocytosis, to block protein synthesis, and to cause cell death. The requirement for the divalent cation calcium in the binding and internalization of PE was examined. Biochemical studies showed that depletion of extracellular calcium with ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid protected cells from the action of PE when the chelator was present during the internalization step. Extracellular calcium was not required for binding. We observed with immunoelectron microscopy that, in the cold, toxin bound to cell surfaces equally well in the presence or absence of chelator. In the presence of chelator, toxin was not cleared from the cell surface when cells were warmed to 37 degrees C. Replenishment of calcium (2 mM CaCl2), however, allowed normal rapid clearance of PE to occur. We suggest that internalization, but not binding, of PE by LM cells requires extracellular calcium.


The DNA polymerase and gene 4 protein of phage T7, in the presence of helix-destabilizing protein (DNA binding protein), catalyze DNA synthesis on duplex templates. As has been previously shown (Kolodner, R. D., and Richardson, C. C. (1978) 4. Biol. Chem. 253, 574-584), in the absence of ribonucleoside 5'-triphosphates DNA synthesis is initiated at nicks, and all of the newly synthesized DNA is covalently attached to the template. In this paper we characterize the DNA synthesized in the presence of ribonucleoside 5'-triphophates and show that, in contrast, the major portion of the newly synthesized DNA is not attached to the template, having an average chain length of 5000 to 6000 nucleotides. In addition, each chain of newly synthesized DNA is terminated at its 5'-end by a covalently attached tetranucleotide RNA primer whose sequence is predominantly pppApCpCpC and pppApCpCpA. The results of isotope transfer experiments are in agreement with the number of initiation events determined by the incorporation of [gamma-32P]ATP and indicate that each of the four deoxyribonucleotides is present at the RNA-DNA junction.


ABSTRACT Discipline-specific instructional improvement policies require teachers to implement new teaching and collaborative practices. What kinds of leadership moves do principals make to support enactment of new practices? Drawing on leadership theories to examine principals' leadership actions, data come from a qualitative study of three elementary school principals leading implementation of an ambitious mathematics teaching policy. We found that principals used instructional, facilitative, and positional moves across school settings to support teachers' enactment. These findings add depth to current conceptions of discipline-specific instructional leadership and raise questions about how principals might make strategic moves based on available expertise and resources.


Background Desensitisation protocols (DP) are founded on the gradual reintroduction of small quantities of drug which caused a hypersensitivity reaction, administering it over long periods of time to achieve the therapeutic dose.  Purpose To elaborate a DP for cabazitaxel (CBZ) and describe our experience in a case report. Material and methods For the development of the new protocol a Pubmed search was conducted with the following search terms: 'desensitisation protocol AND (cabazitaxel or taxane)'; 'desensitisation protocol AND chemotherapy'; and 'cabazitaxel clinical case'. No described clinical cases for CBZ-DP were found in the literature. The search revealed the standardised working procedures to develop a DP and other chemotherapy DP, such as platinum or taxane. The DP described in Cortijo-Cascajares et al's study1 was taken as a reference to elaborate our protocol. The CBZ-DP consisted of 12 stages in which to administer the total dose (50 mg). Three solutions (250 ml) were prepared with dilutions 50/100 (A), 50/10 (B) and 50/1 (C). Every solution was administered in 4 stages increasing the administration rate every 15 min, starting with the lower concentration. The drug was administered in the intensive care unit. Prior to the desensitisation, the patient received oral dexchlorpheniramine and oral methylprednisolone. Results The CBZ-DP was implemented in a 49-year-old man with metastatic hormone refractory prostate cancer. He previously received a total of 15 docetaxel-DP cycles because he suffered a hypersensitivity reaction type III with his first administration. After progression to docetaxel and other lines of treatment, abiraterona and enzalutamida, CBZ was prescribed. The CBZ prick test was negative but given the patient's medical history and the possibility of occurrence of cross reactivity between paclitaxel and docetaxel, the CBZ-DP was applied. A total of 6 cycles were administered safely until September 2015. Conclusion In the absence of protocols and clinical cases in the literature, our CBZ-DP is a considerable innovation for patients with taxane hypersensitivity reactions. The protocol was safe and well tolerated by our patient and represented another line of treatment. References and/or Acknowledgements Review of hypersensitivity reactions to antineoplastic agents. Farm Hosp 2012;36:148-58 No conflict of interest.


Phosphorus-doped graphene is known to exhibit good electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). While the ORR activity of P-doped graphene nanoribbons (PGNR) is still unclear. Taking the common graphene nanoribbons with the edges of armchair as an example in this study, we research the mechanistic investigation of ORR on the PGNR under acidic electrolytic conditions by density functional theory (DFT). Based on the keen observation of the atomic charge distribution and adsorption energy at different sites, P atom in PGNR is considered to be the strongest adsorption site with oxygen. Detailed ORR mechanistic was deduced by the investigation of reaction heat, reaction barrier for each possible step and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Based on our calculations, when the contribution of the intermediate product to the ORR activity is not considered, PGNR does not possess the property as an ORR catalyst due to several high reaction barriers and some endothermic reactions for ORR path.


OBJECTIVE
New York health care providers have experienced declining percentages of positive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) tests among patients. Furthermore, observed positivity rates are lower than expected on the basis of the national estimate that one-fifth of HIV-infected residents are unaware of their infection. We used mathematical modeling to evaluate whether this decline could be a result of declining numbers of HIV-infected persons who are unaware of their infection, a measure that is impossible to measure directly.

DESIGN AND SETTING
A stock-and-flow mathematical model of HIV incidence, testing, and diagnosis was developed. The model includes stocks for uninfected, infected and unaware (in 4 disease stages), and diagnosed individuals. Inputs came from published literature and time series (2006-2009) for estimated new infections, newly diagnosed HIV cases, living diagnosed cases, mortality, and diagnosis rates in New York.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Primary model outcomes were the percentage of HIV-infected persons unaware of their infection and the percentage of HIV tests with a positive result (HIV positivity rate).

RESULTS
In the base case, the estimated percentage of unaware HIV-infected persons declined from 14.2% in 2006 (range, 11.9%-16.5%) to 11.8% in 2010 (range, 9.9%-13.1%). The HIV positivity rate, assuming testing occurred independent of risk, was 0.12% in 2006 (range, 0.11%-0.15%) and 0.11% in 2010 (range, 0.10%-0.13%). The observed HIV positivity rate was more than 4 times the expected positivity rate based on the model.

CONCLUSIONS
HIV test positivity is a readily available indicator, but it cannot distinguish causes of underlying changes. Findings suggest that the percentage of unaware HIV-infected New Yorkers is lower than the national estimate and that the observed HIV test positivity rate is greater than expected if infected and uninfected individuals tested at the same rate, indicating that testing efforts are appropriately targeting undiagnosed cases.


This article addresses the problem of curriculum development, particularly with regard to the practical processes of curricular design and redesign, in higher education, in the context of reform. This paper is structured twofold: the first part situates panoramically and synthetically the context of appearance of the imperative need for changes and development of innovative curricular models in accordance to the hegemonic discourse of educational policies enunciated from the agencies of political and financial power for education, concerned and occupied in linking the curriculum with the knowledge society, information society, and the economic market through an educational reform that transforms schools in order to guide them towards a broad and complex educational and curricular reform effort. The second part exposes the importance of the design practice, and the methodological strategies used assuming the premise that the phases of foundation and curricular design constitute strategic and tactical moments of the game of academic power addressing the proposals as curricular synthesis (from Alba, 1991: 38). This work concludes with some reflections to continue the discussion.


Yersinia enterocolitica is a major agent of foodborne diseases worldwide. Prophage plays an important role in the genetic evolution of the bacterial genome. Little is known about the genetic information about prophages in the genome of Y. enterocolitica, and no pathogenic Y. enterocolitica prophages have been described. In this study, we induced and described the genomes of six prophages from pathogenic Y. enterocolitica for the first time. Phylogenetic analysis based on whole genome sequencing revealed that these novel Yersinia phages are genetically distinct from the previously reported phages, showing considerable genetic diversity. Interestingly, the prophages induced from O:3 and O:9 Y. enterocolitica showed different genomic sequences and morphology but highly conserved among the same serotype strains, which classified into two diverse clusters. The three long-tailed Myoviridae prophages induced from serotype O:3 Y. enterocolitica were highly conserved, shared ≥99.99% identity and forming genotypic cluster A; the three Podoviridae prophages induced from the serotype O:9 strains formed cluster B, also shared more than 99.90% identity with one another. Cluster A was most closely related to O:5 non-pathogenic Y. enterocolitica prophage PY54 (61.72% identity). The genetic polymorphism of these two kinds of prophages and highly conserved among the same serotype strains, suggested a possible shared evolutionary past for these phages: originated from distinct ancestors, and entered pathogenic Y. enterocolitica as extrachromosomal genetic components during evolution when facing selective pressure. These results are critically important for further understanding of phage roles in host physiology and the pathology of disease.


Infrastructure facilities are important to the economic growth and quality of life of modern societies. Much infrastructure has been built principally in the second half of the 20th century and several thousand structures are now attaining their design lives in Switzerland alone. Due to limited funds available for replacing all infrastructure that may have become weak, evaluating and maintaining existing infrastructure are inevitable tasks for structural engineers. Evaluation of infrastructure is often based on conservative models and simple code guidelines due to the lack of understanding of real behavior. When conservative provisions require either strengthening or replacement, less costly actions may be justified when measurements are performed. However, even if assessments are accurate at measured locations, this information cannot generally be extrapolated to predict, for example, at other locations and for other loads. Structural mechanics models are required to predict at locations where measurements are not available. In order to provide reliable performance assessment and prognosis, model-based data-interpretation techniques that include modeling and measurement uncertainties are needed to link structural response to properties using information acquired through measurement. This activity is called structural identification. Model-based data interpretation for complex structures is an ill-defined inverse task that is carried out in open-world conditions. Performance assessments in these contexts lead to multiple possibilities for models of real behavior. The number of possibilities may be reduced by acquiring additional knowledge of the structural behavior. Knowledge is acquired gradually by new information obtained using data-interpretation methods. Through these methods, engineers test their hypotheses with in-situ observations, including measurement data. The experience and judgment of engineers are of utmost importance. This thesis proposes an iterative structural identification framework that guides engineers in the process of knowledge acquisition and data interpretation in order to provide good performance assessments and prognoses. Six tasks are necessary for supporting engineers; modeling, in-situ inspection, monitoring, model falsification, performance assessment and prognosis. Such tasks are carried out through a process of model-class and model-instance population generation and falsification. In addition, two complementary population-based prognosis methodologies for the evaluation of fatigue reserve capacity are proposed that outperform current conservative estimations. Finally, a new metric based on expected utility that assists measurement-system design is proposed. This metric is able to quantify the usefulness of monitoring actions and estimate points where overinstrumentation is likely. These proposals are tested and verified on five cases, four full-scale structures and one simple beam. The framework is robust to systematic modeling uncertainties and incomplete knowledge of error interdependencies between measurement locations. Multi-path iterations of activities are compatible with the way knowledge evolves as evaluation proceeds. This leads to good support for decision-making related to many aspects of structural health management.


This book would not have been possible without the existence of that brilliant, vivid, bright, superb, wonderful, luminous, radiant, and very beautiful person whom the authors simply refer to as 'Mum.' The Authors' mother was always there for them as they went through the highs and lows of their lives, always encouraging and helping them throughout her life, and this help continued even when the authors became adults. She continued to be a source of great help until she answered God's call and went into her eternal sleep on that Wednesday afternoon in March of 2016.

This book is written by her five children and is an attempt to keep Bathqyomo Marine Khoury-Issa's memory alive.

The authors' mother hailed from Mesopotamia, "the land between the two rivers." Mesopotamia is the place that is referred to as the"Cradle of Western Civilization." Therefore, it was worthwhile to mention in this book some of the literature that talks about this great civilization that the authors' parents brought them nearer to by what they taught, told and asked them to read in history books. The recipes included in this book were taught to the authors by their mother, and thus have a Mesopotamian origin.

This book is dedicated to the authors' mother, Bathqyomo Marine Khoury-Issa, with her unique characteristics as a spouse, mother and matriarch of the Issa Family. Her care put continues to exist in the food she used to cook (both main dishes and sweets), the care she gave to the garden, the way she faced life and the way she welcomed people into her home and family.


Despite advances in conventional treatment modalities for malignant brain tumors—surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy—the prognosis for patients with high-grade astrocytic tumor remains dismal. The highly heterogeneous and diffuse nature of astrocytic tumors calls for the development of novel therapies. Advances in genomic and proteomic research indicate that treatment of brain tumor patients can be increasingly personalized according to the characteristics of the targeted tumor and its environment. Consequently, during the last two decades, a novel class of investigative drug candidates for the treatment of central nervous system neoplasia has emerged: recombinant fusion protein conjugates armed with cytotoxic agents targeting tumor-specific antigens. The clinical applicability of the tumor-antigen-directed cytotoxic proteins as a safe and viable therapy for brain tumors is being investigated. Thus far, results from ongoing clinical trials are encouraging, as disease stabilization and patient survival prolongation have been observed in at least 109 cases. This paper summarizes the major findings pertaining to treatment with the different antiglioma cytotoxins at the preclinical and clinical stages.


Stocking of eggs is a common strategy to support declining or reintroduce extirpated salmonid populations. Data on how juveniles disperse from stocking points is crucial to be able to design efficient stocking programs. Detailed information of dispersal is limited for many salmonids, for example, brown trout. In this study, dispersal distance was measured at the end of the first growing season in a low gradient (0.7%) stream in Sweden where the trout population had been depleted. Eggs from 17 separate sets of parents were stocked as eyed eggs in March. During the following fall fry were sampled throughout the stream. The majority of the fry dispersed downstream and remained within a distance of 200 m from the stocking point with no difference between sizes of fry and the presence of a competing cohort or not. There was no dissimilarity in dispersal distances across offspring originating from different parents indicating absence of genetic influence. Our results suggest that, in streams similar to our study site, stocking points should be separated by approximately 330 m in order to avoid overlap in habitat use of fry from different stocking points and that the presence of competing cohorts, fry size and within population variability in dispersal can be neglected.


In this work, a sensitivity of the rate of relaxation of ground-state atomic coherences to magnetic-field inhomogeneities is studied. Such coherences give rise to many interesting phenomena in light-atom interactions, and their lifetimes are a limiting factor for achieving better sensitivity, resolution, or contrast in many applications. For atoms contained in a vapor cell, some of the coherence-relaxation mechanisms are related to magnetic-field inhomogeneities. We present a simple model describing relaxation due to such inhomogeneities in a buffer-gas-free antirelaxation-coated cell. A relation is given between relaxation rate and magnetic-field inhomogeneities including the dependence on cell size and atomic species. Experimental results, which confirm predictions of the model, are presented. Different regimes, in which the relaxation rate is equally sensitive to the gradients in any direction and in which it is insensitive to gradients transverse to the bias magnetic field, are predicted and demonstrated experimentally.


This study examines the variables which help direct students to a deep learning approach to science lessons, with the aim of guiding programmers and teachers in primary education. The sample was composed of a total of 164 primary school students. The Learning Approaches to Science Scale developed by Unal (2005) for Science and Technology lessons as a four-point Likert scale was used in the research. It was found that the students who preferred a deep learning approach decreased in number with a higher grade level, enjoyed answering science questions and used the internet for research purpose. Moreover, a deep learning approach to science lessons is related to enjoyment of science lessons and the attitude of finding science lessons necessary. © 2012 IOJES. All rights reserved


The advancement in network technology has led to an exponential rise in the number of internet users across the globe. The increase in internet usage has resulted in an increase in both the number of malicious websites and cybercrimes reported over the years. Therefore, it has become critical to devise an intelligent solution that can detect malicious websites and be used in real-time systems. In our paper, we perform a comparative analysis of various feature selection techniques to build a time-efficient and accurate predictive model. To build our predictive model, a set of features are selected by feature selection methods. The selected features consist of at least 70% of the categorical features in all feature selection techniques examined in this paper. Keeping the end goal of real-time deployment of models in context the cost of processing or storing these features is far cheaper when compared to text or image-based features. We started out with a class imbalance in our data which was later dealt with using the Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique. Our proposed model also bested the existing work in the literature when compared over various evaluation metrics. The result indicated that Embedded feature selection was the best technique considering the accuracy of the model. The Filter-based technique may also be used in the context of developing a low latency system at the cost of the accuracy of the model.


Electrooculogram (EOG) artifact contamination is a common critical issue in general electroencephalogram (EEG) studies as well as in brain–computer interface (BCI) research. It is especially challenging when dedicated EOG channels are unavailable or when there are very few EEG channels available for independent component analysis based ocular artifact removal. It is even more challenging to avoid loss of the signal of interest during the artifact correction process, where the signal of interest can be multiple magnitudes weaker than the artifact. To address these issues, we propose a novel discriminative ocular artifact correction approach for feature learning in EEG analysis. Without extra ocular movement measurements, the artifact is extracted from raw EEG data, which is totally automatic and requires no visual inspection of artifacts. Then, artifact correction is optimized jointly with feature extraction by maximizing oscillatory correlations between trials from the same class and minimizing them between trials from different classes. We evaluate this approach on a real-world EEG dataset comprising 68 subjects performing cognitive tasks. The results showed that the approach is capable of not only suppressing the artifact components but also improving the discriminative power of a classifier with statistical significance. We also demonstrate that the proposed method addresses the confounding issues induced by ocular movements in cognitive EEG study.


Editing hairstyle is unique and challenging due to the complexity and delicacy of hairstyle. Although recent approaches significantly improved the hair details, these models often produce undesirable outputs when a pose of a source image is considerably different from that of a target hair image, limiting their real-world applications. HairFIT, a pose-invariant hairstyle transfer model, alleviates this limitation yet still shows unsatisfactory quality in preserving delicate hair textures. To solve these limitations, we propose a high-performing pose-invariant hairstyle transfer model equipped with latent optimization and a newly presented local-style-matching loss. In the StyleGAN2 latent space, we first explore a pose-aligned latent code of a target hair with the detailed textures preserved based on local style matching. Then, our model inpaints the occlusions of the source considering the aligned target hair and blends both images to produce a final output. The experimental results demonstrate that our model has strengths in transferring a hairstyle under larger pose differences and preserving local hairstyle textures.


Objective: To evaluate cervical length and gestational age as predictors of intra-amniotic inflammation in patients admitted because of preterm labor and intact membranes. Methods: 93 pregnant women with preterm labor and intact membranes were included in our study. Transvaginal cervical length was measured on admission and transabdominal amniocentesis was performed within the first 48 hours at admission. Positive amniotic fluid cultures defined intra-amniotic infection. High levels of IL6 defined intra-amniotic inflammation. To determine the best cut off point of IL6, a ROC curve was constructed. Logistic regression was used to investigate associations of different explanatory variables with inflammatory status. Results: Intra-amniotic infection and inflammation rates were 14% and 28%, respectively. ROC curve analysis showed that best cut off value for IL6 was 13.4 ng/mL which was comparable to the cut off of 11.3 ng/mL reported previously by other authors. Cervical length < 15 mm and gestational age at admission < 28 weeks were independently associated with intra-amniotic inflammation. A strategy considering these two non-invasive parameters could detect 84% of women with intra-amniotic inflammation. Conclusion: Cervical length and gestational age at admission can be used as a non-invasive method to assess the risk of intra-amniotic inflammation in preterm labor and intact membranes.


In developed countries women actively participate in business and other activities without any social and other restrictions. However, in a developing country like India, the situation is different for women. Women are generally perceived as home makers with little to do with economy or commerce. The present study aims to look into how the notion is changing over time with more number of women coming forth to the business arena with ideas to start small and medium enterprises. They consider entrepreneurship to be rewarding and regard it as an alternative to limited options to career advancement. At the same time it also draws attention to the fact that transition from homemaker to sophisticated business women is not an easy task as women are continuously discriminated against. Women entrepreneurs not only contribute to improving their own economic welfare but add to the economic and social fabric of society through job creation, innovative products, processes and services. Thus, they act as an important human resource of the nation and can be utilized as mediators of economic growth and development. The study emphasizes that the country should recognize the need for women to be part of the mainstream economic development and help to promote a more enabling environment for women's entrepreneurship.


A need exists for representation of the interlock strength of steel sheet piling as a distribution for two main reasons. First, this strength is highly variable, and second, this aspect of design of a sheet pile system depends on the strength of the weakest interlock. In this investigation a total of 220 interlock tension tests were run on PS28 steel sheet piling from two different sources. From these tests frequency distribution diagrams were developed. A considerable difference in the results demonstrated a sensitivity of one of the two products to initial alignment. The study of the failure mechanism further suggested that relative alignment angle of adjacent webs, not considered in this program, may have a considerable influence on interlock strength. Consequently, while this study provides for an improved concept of representation of interlock strength it demonstrates a possible need for improved testing techniques.