Aerobic activated sludge granules are dense, spherical biofilms which can strongly improve purification efficiency and sludge settling in wastewater treatment processes. In this study, the structure and development of different granule types were analyzed. Biofilm samples originated from lab-scale sequencing batch reactors which were operated with malthouse, brewery, and artificial wastewater. Scanning electron microscopy, light microscopy, and confocal laser scanning microscopy together with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) allowed insights into the structure of these biofilms. Microscopic observation revealed that granules consist of bacteria, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), protozoa and, in some cases, fungi. The biofilm develop- ment, starting from an activated sludge floc up to a mature granule, follows three phases. During phase 1, stalked ciliated protozoa of the subclass Peritrichia, e.g., Epistylis spp., settle on activated sludge flocs and build tree-like colonies. The stalks are subsequently colonized by bacteria. During phase 2, the ciliates become completely overgrown by bacteria and die. Thereby, the cellular remnants of ciliates act like a backbone for granule formation. During phase 3, smooth, compact granules are formed which serve as a new substratum for unstalked ciliate swarmers settling on granule surfaces. These mature granules comprise a dense core zone containing bacterial cells and EPS and a loosely structured fringe zone consisting of either ciliates and bacteria or fungi and bacteria. Since granules can grow to a size of up to several millimeters in diameter, we developed and applied a modified FISH protocol for the study of cryosectioned biofilms. This protocol allows the simultaneous detection of bacteria, ciliates, and fungi in and on granules.


The chiller system in a building accounts for the main part of the building's total energy consumption, so it is critical to optimize the operation of chiller system for the purpose of saving energy. A chiller system generally consists of evaporation side and condensing side. The condensing side includes chillers, cooling water pumps and cooling towers, which form a subsystem of cooling water. It is a typical optimization problem to minimize the total energy consumption of cooling water subsystem. This paper discusses how to solve the optimization problem of the cooling water subsystem and proposes a simple optimal control rule for field operation based on the optimization results.


A healthy kidney produces final urine that is practically devoid of proteins and other physiologically important solutes. Tremendous amounts of fluid are filtered every day through the glomerular filtration barrier which is the actual sieving site in the kidney. Failure of the filtering function leads to proteinuria, which is a feature common to nearly all kidney disease. In spite of this pivotal role, the central mechanisms behind proteinuria are still unexplained. The filtration barrier is a complex biological membrane composed of four different structures: the podocytes (epithelial cells), the glomerular basement membrane, the glomerular endothelium and the glomerular endothelial cell surface layer (ESL). During the last decade the focus for understanding the regulation of this selective sieve has rested heavily on the study of the podocytes, whereas the glomerular endothelium and the glomerular ESL has been more or less neglected as contributors to the permselectivity of the barrier. However, it is of fundamental importance to investigate all components of the filtration barrier in order to understand the pathophysiology of proteinuric kidney disease. The molecular structure of the glomerular ESL is largely unexplored, and available data about its constituents so far is only based on in vitro studies. The aim of this thesis was to identify molecules located in the glomerular ESL with a functional significance for normal glomerular filtration in vivo, and to examine whether a disease-emulating milieu damages major structural glomerular ESL components and thus increases the glomerular permeability to proteins. We have developed a method for qualitative and quantitative assessment of the glomerular ESL in rats, which includes a brief injection of hypertonic sodium chloride into the renal artery. This displaces and elutes non-covalently bound components of the glomerular ESL which are then subsequently collected for further characterization with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Morphological as well as functional effects have been characterized by electron microscopy and by universal methods analyzing charge- and size selectivity of biological membranes. A conditionally immortalized human glomerular endothelial cell line was used to study the effects of hyperglycemia on glomerular ESL proteoglycans. Functional alterations were analyzed in terms of protein restriction by measuring the passage of albumin across a human glomerular endothelial cell monolayer. In conclusion, we have identified molecules from the glomerular ESL in rats that are essential for maintaining a normal glomerular barrier function. Further, we found that hyperglycemia was associated with an alteration of glomerular ESL proteoglycans which lead to an increased permeability for albumin. Overall, the observations in this thesis emphasize the importance of the glomerular ESL for the restriction of proteins in the glomerular filtration barrier.


This article provides a rigorous analysis of the legitimacy of continuing to rely on and promote school-based family life education, as a way of addressing concerns associated with sexual activity by adolescents. The issue is crucial because empirical evidence strongly suggests that a school-based approach, regardless of curricular content, has failed. For reasons grounded in law and policy, this article advocates that states should retreat from school-based family life education and, instead, recover the insights of the philosophical principle of subsidiarity. Recovering subsidiarity means fully respecting and giving effect to the parental right and duty to educate children in matters relating to morality, family life, and sexuality. Leaving this crucial task primarily to the family ensures not only efficient allocation of responsibility within society, but also a superior environment for effective and comprehensive family life education. This article also explores the key impetus behind the movement to get family life or sex education into schools, a movement grounded in a variety of ideologies. Because these ideologies are far removed from any genuine concern for the health and well-being of adolescents, the state interests often asserted as reasons for a school-based approach are insufficient to warrant continued infringement of the parental right and duty relating to the education and formation of children. Recovering subsidiarity will foster a parent-centered approach that is more likely to genuinely safeguard the well-being and reproductive health of the vast majority of adolescents. INTRODUCTION I. AS POPULARLY FRAMED, THE PUBLIC DEBATE IS MISLEADING


Aquatic plants are known to accumulate metals from their environment. The study focuses on assessment of heavy metal accumulation in certain aquatic macrophytesin comparison with water and sediments for phytoremediation. The aim of this study is to measure the concentrations of Cd, Co, Cu, Pb and Zn in four different species of aquatic macrophytes collected from estuarine zone of Tapi river near Surat city of Gujarat. Plants along with surface sediments and water were analyzed for Cd, Co, Cu, Pb and Zn contamination. The plant species selected were : Eichornia cressipes (Mart.)Solms-Loub (root and shoot) Persicaria glabra (Willd.)M.Gomez (root, stem and leaf) Pistia stratiotes L. (root and shoot) and Ceretophyllum demersum L. (whole plant). Samples were analyzed for heavy metals by AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer). The greater accumulation of heavy metals was observed in the shoot of Pistia stratiotes. The lowest content was observed in Ceretophyllum demersum. Based on the concentration observed in the river's vegetation, the five heavy metals arranged in the descending order are : Pb > Cu > Zn > Co > Cd. The results of concentration of heavy metals in selected plants were compared with the standard, normal and critical toxicity range in plants. The detected value of Cd falls within normal range, while that of Co, Cu, Pb and Zn were within the critical range. However, Co and Cu showed the highest accumulation with alarming toxicity levels, which areconsidered as one of the most hazardous pollutants in river. Species like Persicaria glabra and Pistia stratiotes are also proposed as bioremediants, which are the most useful plant species in phytoremediation studies due to their ability to accumulate heavy metals in high concentration and their availability throughout the year.


A family mould consists of different shape of cavities used, while a multi cavity mould contains same shape of cavities to create injection products. The combinations of these features create a new family mould which is beneficial for the manufacturing cost and time reduction in injection moulding process. However, the main problem of the conventional family mould is the different cavity volume, led to an imbalance of melt filling behaviour. There are many successful family mould modifications which enabled a balance of melt filling such as an artificial balance runner system, runner shut-off system and variable runner system. Nevertheless, the inconsistencies of the melt filling behaviour in these family moulds are yet to be resolved especially when they are utilized in high mass production. Hence, the idea of an interchangeable
turning sprue bushing (ITSB) insert was proposed in this study in order to overcome the imbalance of melt filling behaviour. The key for rotating ITSB insert was designed in three stages prior to a final ITSB design. The two chosen product geometry utilized
were tensile and flexural test pieces, which were designed with the support of CAE analysis to obtain a favourable feeding system. With the incorporation of ITSB insert at the layout centre, the melt was able to shift in accordance to ITSB insert rotation. This allows filling of the tensile and flexural cavities during moulding at different times and different processing conditions, which resulted in melt filling balance behaviour. The optimization of the injection moulding process such as packing pressure, injection speed and holding time were successfully conducted through Scientific moulding analysis. The efficiency of the ITSB design and its consistency during production were successfully measured from the mass and wall thicknesses data during pilot production. In conclusion, ITSB insert was found to be a favourable optional design that can be considered for injection mould industry in order to produce multi design products


Praptosuwiryo TN, Sumanto, Cahyaningsih. 2019. Diversity and host preferences of ferns and lycopods epiphytes on palm trees. Biodiversitas 20: 3731-3740. Epiphytic ferns contribute importantly to the global biodiversity of tropical rain forests. However, our knowledge of the ecology of epiphytic ferns is phenomenally still limited. Most studies on the ecology, floristic and diversity of epiphytic ferns and lycopods were reported outside of Malesian region. This study aimed: (i) to figure out the diversity of ferns and lycopods on palm trees of the lowland areas by analyzing its species richness and floristic composition, and (ii) to determine the host preferences of epiphytic ferns on palm trees. Twenty-eight phorophyte species belonging to 17 genera of palm trees, growing at Bogor Botanic Gardens, were observed. Trunk of palm trees was divided into three zones (basal, middle and upper). Individual numbers for each species of epiphytic fern growing on each zone were recorded. Epiphytic fern species which were most commonly found were analyzed statistically to determine their preference for the host trees. A total of 16 species of epiphytic ferns and lycopods were recorded. The greatest richness of species occurred in Polypodiaceae (50%). Habitual true epiphyte was the predominant ecological category, representing 75 % of the species. Caryota no Becc. hosted the greatest number of ferns and lycopods 8 species) while Attalea insignis (Mart.) Drude hosted the fewest (2 species). Individual numbers of six epiphytic fern species were significantly affected by palm trees species, namely Belvisia callifolia (Christ) Copel., Pyrrosia lanceolata (L.) Farwell, Pyrrosia piloselloides (L.) M.G. Price, Davallia denticulata (Burm.) Mett., Nephrolepis biserrata (Sw.) Schott, Vittaria ensiformis Sw. Individual numbers of five epiphytic fern species were significantly affected by zone of the host plant. Nephrolepis biserrata tends to grow well in the upper zone. Pyrrosia lanceolata tends to be abundant in the middle zone. B. callifolia, D. denticulata, and V. ensiformis grow well and make dense populations in the basal zone.


In this paper, we assess the degree to which four of the most commonly used models of risky decision making can explain the choices individuals make when faced with risky prospects. To make this assessment, we use experimental evidence for two random samples of young adults. Using a robust, nonlinear least squares procedure, we estimate a model that is general enough to approximate Kahnenman and Tversky's prospect theory and that for certain parametric values will yield the expected utility model, a subjective expected utility model and a probability-transform model. We find that the four models considered explain the decision-making behavior of the majority of our subjects. Surprisingly, we find that the choice behavior of the largest number of subjects is consistent with a probability-transform model. Such models have only been developed recently and have not been used in applied settings. We find least support for the expected utility model -- the most widely used model of risky decision making.


Eating Agaricus bisporus mushrooms may impact gut health, because they contain known prebiotics. This study assessed mushroom consumption compared to meat on gastrointestinal tolerance, short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, laxation, and fecal microbiota. A randomized open-label crossover study was conducted in healthy adults (n = 32) consuming protein-matched amounts of mushrooms or meat twice daily for ten days. Breath hydrogen measures were taken on day one, and gastrointestinal tolerance was evaluated throughout treatments. Fecal sample collection was completed days 6–10, and samples were assessed for bacterial composition, SCFA concentrations, weight, pH, and consistency. There were no differences in breath hydrogen, stool frequency, consistency, fecal pH, or SCFA concentrations between the two diets. The mushroom diet led to greater overall gastrointestinal symptoms than the meat diet on days one and two. The mushroom-rich diet resulted in higher average stool weight (p = 0.002) and a different fecal microbiota composition compared to the meat diet, with greater abundance of Bacteroidetes (p = 0.0002) and lower abundance of Firmicutes (p = 0.0009). The increase in stool weight and presence of undigested mushrooms in stool suggests that mushroom consumption may impact laxation in healthy adults. Additional research is needed to interpret the health implications of fecal microbiota shifts with mushroom feeding.


Our aim is to propose guidelines for the analysis of political personalization and personalized politics in general and for behavioural personalization in particular. The first guideline is based on our understanding that personalization comes at the cost of party politics. It suggests that in order to classify politics as more or less personalized, we must compare it to an alternative party-oriented politics. Based on a synthesis of existing theoretical work, the second guideline suggests three analytical dimensions to clarify the multidimensional concept of personalization: arena, level and character. Arena refers to where personalization takes place; level refers to whose power or independence is changing; and character refers to how personalization is manifested. Furthermore, we present the contributions of this symposium and explain how they follow the two guidelines and advance our understanding and knowledge of behavioural political personalization.


This article will update readers on the annual additions to and deletions from the ICD-9 coding manual that are most pertinent to family physicians. It features updated versions of our coding reference card, "ICD-9 Codes for Family Practice: The FPM Short List" and "ICD-9 Codes for Family Practice: The FPM Long List."


Class IX myosins are unique among the many classes of known actin-based motors in that the tail region of these myosins contains a GTPase-activating protein domain for the small GTP-binding protein, Rho. Previous studies on human myosin-IXb indicate that this myosin is mechanochemically active and exhibits actin-binding properties similar to the processive motor, myosin-Va. Motility analysis of antibody-tethered myosin-IXb performed using the sliding actin filament assay indicates that this myosin does exhibit properties characteristic of a processive motor. Like myosin-Va, the velocity of myosin-IXb remains constant (38.2 ± 1.2 nm/s) even at single motor/filament densities. At low motor densities, filaments can be seen passing through and pivoting about single points on the motility surface. Analysis of filament landing rates as a function of motor density also indicates that a single motor is sufficient for filament movement. However, in contrast to myosin-Va, which uses coordinated motion of its two heads to move processively along the filament, hydrodynamic and chemical cross-linking studies indicate that under the conditions tested, myosin-IXb is a single-headed motor consisting of a single heavy chain and associated light chains.


The theory of a novel class of information-processing systems, called cellular neural networks, which are capable of high-speed parallel signal processing, was presented in a previous paper (see ibid., vol.35, no.10, p.1257-72, 1988). A dynamic route approach for analyzing the local dynamics of this class of neural circuits is used to steer the system trajectories into various stable equilibrium configurations which map onto binary patterns to be recognized. Some applications of cellular neural networks to such areas as image processing and pattern recognition are demonstrated, albeit with only a crude circuit. In particular, examples of cellular neural networks which can be designed to recognize the key features of Chinese characters are presented. >


the production of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is developing and it is most cultured finfish species in turkey. it was first introduced in turkey in the mid 1970s from italy. in the following years, culture studies of native trout strains, mainly Black sea trout; Salmo trutta labrax and abant Lake trout, Salmo trutta abanticus started in late 1990. Market size trout production was performed in two main categories, inland areas (mainly concrete ponds by flow through fresh water and cages) and in sea (offshore cages). total tout production was 61.173 tons in 2007.


Group B Streptococcus is an important cause of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality in many parts of the world. The last two decades have seen intensified efforts in the Western hemisphere in the prevention of this devastating infection by identifying and treating pregnant women who carry group B streptococci or who are at highest risk of transmitting the organism to newborns. The intrapartum use of antibiotics in these women has led unequivocally to a decrease in the rate of neonatal group B streptococcal disease. Although studies in India show a predominance of Gram negative bacterial sepsis among infants, contributing to infant mortality, it is possible that the role of group B Streptococcus has been underestimated. This review discusses its epidemiology in India, and summarizes current concepts of microbiology, pathogenesis, clinical management and preventative issues regarding group B streptococcal disease.


This study, in a broad sense, fills in the missing parts in previous efforts at pullback stripping mode design with a dipping coal seam. Three different spoiling procedures have been developed: the normal mode, where the coal seam is flat/nearly flat; the uphill mode, where the coal seam is dipping and the dragline spoils uphill; and the downhill mode, where the coal seam is again dipping but the dragline spoils downhill. The spoiling pattern has a great impact on dragline efficiency. The waste can be spoiled near the set on which the dragline sits or near the set on which the dragline digs Each pattern has been analysed in pit geometry design. The study of pullback design has been extended to cover key cut waste placement in order to operate with various pit width values and spoil-side concerns to control spoil-bound conditions.


Despite the increasingly widespread emphasis on the need for transparency in health-care and elsewhere, there is limited evidence regarding the consequences of disclosing medical performance data. The evidence is disparate and has not been synthesised in a coherent way. This paper focuses on surgical performance, whose measurement is generally often seen as straight forward. It begins by outlining the context for understanding the publication of such data and then presents an analytical framework as a vehicle for conceptualising the nature of disclosure in surgery and health-care more generally. The framework addresses key dimensions concerning one surgical specialty (cardiac surgery) and its relationship with a range of stakeholders in an English context. In particular, we examine the interaction between surgeons and between surgeons, patients, managers and policy-makers. These relationships are framed in terms of choice and calculativeness, strategies and tactics, and trust, and need to be understood at micro, meso and macro levels. We conclude by considering how this framework provides a research agenda for a sociology of disclosure.


Background: The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) published findings in 2002 that changed the perception of the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for the reduction of cardiovascular risks. Menopausal women using HRT for the relief of vasomotor symptoms were advised to use the lowest possible dose of HRT over the shortest possible duration. Objective: This study sought to examine patterns of HRT use for the treatment of menopausal symptoms before and after the WHI among women at least 40 years of age. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on a total of 1367 women in the pre-WHI group and 6467 women in the post-WHI group using the U.S. General Electric (GE) Centricity electronic medical record database. Menopause diagnosis was assessed using ICD-9 codes. Clinical characteristics and medication use were assessed for women with at least 3 years of enrollment (1 year baseline, 2 years follow-up). Results: The proportion of women in the post-WHI group that initiated HRT was significantly less than that of women in the pre-WHI group (31.3% vs. 56.9%, respectively; p < 0.001). Combination HRT use declined significantly (21.9% pre-WHI cohort vs. 7.2% post- WHI cohort, p < 0.001) among increases in non-HRT use, namely SSRIs (15.2% pre-WHI cohort v. 22.3% post-WHI cohort, p < 0.001) and tranquilizers (9.5% pre-WHI cohort v. 15.8% post-WHI cohort, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results of the WHI 2002 publication made an impression on the perception of HRT's role in the relief of menopausal symptoms. Decision-making on the part of women seeking treatment for vasomotor symptoms and women's health professionals demonstrates that despite HRT precautions, women continue to exhibit a need for HRT use. This study's findings suggest that women seeking treatment for menopausal symptom relief and women's health professionals continue to work together to find the appropriate balance between therapy use and adherence to therapy use guidelines.


In this study, computational method are used for finding the approximation in the solution of thin film flow problem using stochastic solver like genetic algorithm (GA) and pattern search (PS). The mathematical model is formulated by defining a fitness function and the process is working in artificial neural networks (ANNs). Proposed numerical results are optimized several times for various values of stoke numbers and material parameters. Different parameters are chosen and several independent number of runs are carried out to find the reliability and accuracy of results. A statistical analysis is presented for the reliability of designed scheme.


Acousticneutrinodetectionisapromisingapproachforlarge-scaleultra-highenergyneutrinodetectorsinwater.In this article, a Monte Carlo simulation chain for acoustic neutrino detection devices in water will be presented. The simulation chain covers the generation of the acoustic pulse produced by a neutrino interaction and its propagation to the sensors within the detector. Currently, ambient and transient noise models for the Mediterranean Sea and simulations of the data acquisition hardware, equivalent to the one used in ANTARES/AMADEUS, are implemented. A pre-selection scheme for neutrino-like signals based on matched filtering is employed, as it is used for on-line filtering. To simulate the whole processing chain for experimental data, signal classification and acoustic source reconstruction algorithms are integrated in an analysis chain. An overview of design and capabilities of the simulation and analysis chain will be presented and preliminary studies will be discussed.


We report a new redox initiator couple of ammonium persulfate (APS)/carbon dots (CDs) with high initiation efficiency used in frontal polymerization (FP). The CDs also served as fluorescent reagents, and had good dispersion and a relatively high absolute quantum yield (>60%). The initiation efficiency and possible mechanism of CDs/peroxydisulfate (S2O82−) initiators were investigated. The electron transfer between the CDs and S2O82− made decomposition of the latter into free radicals easier. Besides, electron transfer occurred between the CDs and vinyl monomers, prompting the CDs to be applied to initiate monomers alone. Therefore, the combined effects of the CDs and APS made vinyl monomers more prone to be triggered in FP, thereby lowering the reaction temperature considerably. This research might provide a promising avenue to discover other polymerization initiators with high efficiency for the synthesis of versatile materials.


On a power network, events are desired to be monitored to find its reasons and to take preventive action. Today, power quality measurement devices are used to obtain synchronous measurement data of network, however these devices are expensive and it is not considered a practical option to place one on each node of the network. Therefore, methods estimating voltages and currents at non-measured points of the network are required. In this study, a new power system transient state estimation method is designed to estimate transients in a power network in which some of the loads are unknown. By this method, reduction of measuring devices is aimed considering measurement noises. In addition, the developed method can also be applied on a small area of a power system, and this contributes reducing the amount of measuring devices and calculation time in estimation. The method is applied to a specific region of the IEEE 14 Bus System, and simulation results show that the method gives satisfactory results despite noises.


Phytic acid coatings were formed on AZ91D-Mg alloy during immersion in 5.0 g/L phytic acid solution for different time. The corrosion resistance of the bare and coated samples was investigated using Tafel polarization and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) methods, and the corresponding electrochemical corrosion parameters were analyzed. The results show that the anodic and cathodic corrosion processes of AZ91D-Mg alloy are conspicuously inhibited with phytic acid coatings; the overall corrosion resistance index of AZ91D-Mg alloy is increased with immersion time; and the corrosion protection efficiency of phytic acid coatings is up to 97.8%.


In recent years, several large-scale whole-genome sequencing projects were completed, including the 1000 Genomes Project, and the UK10K Cohorts Project. These projects aim to provide high-quality genotypes for a large number of whole genomes in a cost-efficient manner, by sequencing each genome at low coverage and subsequently identifying alleles jointly in the entire cohort. The resulting variant data are critical for the characterization of human genome variation within and across populations in the original projects, and for many downstream applications such as genome-wide association studies. The same datasets carry the potential to increase the quality of genotype calling in other low-coverage sequencing data in future sequencing projects, because the existing genotype calls capture the linkage disequilibrium structures of the cohorts they represent. In this paper we present reference-based Reveel (or Ref-Reveel in short), a novel method for large-scale population genotyping. Ref-Reveel is based on our earlier method, Reveel, which has been demonstrated to be an effective tool for variant calling from low-coverage sequencing data. Ref-Reveel leverages genotype calls from a sequenced cohort to boost the genotyping quality of new datasets, while maintaining high computational efficiency. We show that using a reference panel improves the quality of genotype calling via extensive experiments on simulated as well as real whole-genome data. Ref-Reveel is publicly and freely available at http://reveel.stanford.edu.


The aging precipitation behavior in solution treated Cu-Ni-Si-Cr alloy has been studied in terms of the analyses of the variations in electrical conductivity. On the basis of the linear relationship between the electrical conductivity and the volume fraction of the precipitates, the phase transformation kinetics equation was deduced from the Avrami empirical formula. On the basis of this equation, transformation kinetics curves corresponding to 5% and 50% transformation were established.


Many modulators of inflammation, including chemokines, neuropeptides, and neurotransmitters signal via G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). GPCR kinases (GRK) can phosphorylate agonist-activated GPCR thereby promoting receptor desensitization. Here we describe that in leukocytes from patients with active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) or with secondary progressive MS, GRK2 levels are significantly reduced. Unexpectedly, cells from patients during remission express even lower levels of GRK2. The level of GRK2 in leukocytes of patients after stroke, a neurological disorder with paralysis but without an autoimmune component, was similar to GRK2 levels in cells from healthy individuals. In addition, we demonstrate that the course of recombinant myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (1–125)-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for MS, is markedly different in GRK2 (cid:1) / (cid:2) mice that express 50% of the GRK2 protein in comparison with wild-type mice. Onset of EAE was significantly advanced by 5 days in GRK2 (cid:1) / (cid:2) mice. The earlier onset of EAE was associated with increased early infiltration of the CNS by T cells and macrophages. Although disease scores in the first phase of EAE were similar in both groups, GRK2 (cid:1) / (cid:2) animals did not develop relapses, whereas wild-type animals did. The absence of relapses in GRK2 (cid:1) / (cid:2) mice was associated with a marked reduction in inflammatory infiltrates in the CNS. Recombinant myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-induced T cell proliferation and cytokine production were normal in GRK2 (cid:1) / (cid:2) animals. We conclude that down-regulation of GRK2 expression may have important consequences for the onset and progression of MS. The Journal of Immunology, 2005, 174: 4400–4406.


A Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) numerical method has been employed in conjunction with a chimera domain decomposition approach for time-domain simulation of large-amplitude ship roll motions. For the simulation of arbitrary roll motions, it is convenient to construct body-fitted numerical grids for the ship and ambient flow domain separately. The ship grid block is allowed to roll with respect to its center of rotation under either forced or free roll conditions. The roll moments are computed at every time-step by a direct integration of the hull surface pressure and shear stresses obtained from the chimera RANS method. The simulations for prescribed roll motions of a full-scale motor vessel clearly show that the bilge keels at mid-ship produced large roll damping but generated very small waves. On the other hand, the ship skag acted as a wavemaker during the roll motion and produced large wakes in the stern region. Time-domain simulations were also performed for a free-floating pontoon barge in free decay motions and under large-amplitude incident waves. The simulation results successfully predicted the roll resonance when the incident wave coincides with the natural roll period (free decay period) of the barge.


Novel View Synthesis (NVS) is concerned with the generation of novel views of a scene from one or more source images. NVS requires explicit reasoning about 3D object structure and unseen parts of the scene. As a result, current approaches rely on supervised training with either 3D models or multiple target images. We present Unsupervised Continuous Object Representation Networks (UniCORN), which encode the geometry and appearance of a 3D scene using a neural 3D representation. Our model is trained with only two source images per object, requiring no ground truth 3D models or target view supervision. Despite being unsupervised, UniCORN achieves comparable results to the state-of-the-art on challenging tasks, including novel view synthesis and single-view 3D reconstruction.


Random sequences and random numbers constitute a necessary part of cryptography. Many cryptographic protocols depend on random values. Randomness is measured by statistical tests and hence security evaluation of a cryptographic algorithm deeply depends on statistical randomness tests. In this work we focus on statistical distributions of runs of lengths one, two, and three. Using these distributions we state three new statistical randomness tests. New tests use distribution and, therefore, exact values of probabilities are needed. Probabilities associated runs of lengths one, two, and three are stated. Corresponding probabilities are divided into five subintervals of equal probabilities. Accordingly, three new statistical tests are defined and pseudocodes for these new statistical tests are given. New statistical tests are designed to detect the deviations in the number of runs of various lengths from a random sequence. Together with some other statistical tests, we analyse our tests' results on outputs of well-known encryption algorithms and on binary expansions of , , and . Experimental results show the performance and sensitivity of our tests.


This Study, a preliminary report of which was presented at a meeting of the British Association of Dermatologists in Sheffield, in 1970, now includes 2000 children and covers a period of 20 years. Certain outstanding features ofthe study will be described. Adverse factors affecting prognosis are now clear-cut: these include late onset (after 15 months of age), the so-called reversed pattern, discoid eczema and parental discord and social problems. Favourable factors include early onset (before 6 months of age), the so-called seborrhoeic pattern and the effect ofthe persistent use of topical corticosteroids and nocturnal antihistamines. The recovery rate at 15 years of age is approximately 93% and certain factors can now be shown to be important in recovery. It is not possible as yet to determine accurately the relapse rate at puberty.


Abstract Objective: We developed an Italian version of the Wheelchair Use Confidence Scale for Manual Users-Short Form (WheelCon-M-I-short form) and examined its reliability and validity. Methods: The original scale was translated from English to Italian using the "Translation and Cultural Adaptation of Patient Reported Outcomes Measures–Principles of Good Practice" guidelines. The WheelCon-M-I-short form was administered to experienced manual wheelchair users who had a variety of diagnoses. Its internal consistency and test–retest reliability were examined. Its concurrent validity was evaluated using Pearson correlation coefficients with the Italian version of the Wheelchair Outcome Measure (WhOM-I) and the Italian version of the Barthel index (BI). Results: The WheelCon-M-I-short form was administered to 31 subjects. The mean ± SD of the WheelCon-M-I-short form score was 7.5 ± 1.9. All WheelCon-M-I-short form items were either identical or similar in meaning to the WheelCon-M-short form items. Cronbach's α for the WheelCon-M-I-short form was 0.95 (p < 0.01), and the test–retest reliability (ICC) was 0.978 (p < 0.01). The Pearson correlation coefficient of the WheelCon-M-I-short form scores with the WhOM-I scores was 0.7618 (p < 0.01). The Pearson correlation coefficient of the WheelCon-M-I-short form scores with the Italian BI scores was 0.638 (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The WheelCon-M-I-short form was found to be reliable and a valid outcome measure for assessing manual wheelchair confidence in the Italian population. Implication for Rehabilitation The WheelCon-M-I-short form is a valid outcome measure available for assessing wheelchair confidence, according to Bandura's social cognitive theory, self-efficacy is a better predictor of future behavior than skill itself. Translation of the WheelCon-M-short form into the WheelCon-M-I-short form provides a new tool for Italian professionals. Clinicians now have a method to measure this invisible barrier to wheelchair use, and they will be able to make informed decisions when prescribing the use of manual wheelchairs and when training clients in their use. The WheelCon-M-I-short form also provides researchers with a tool in an important and relevant area of study for future research.


Milk contamination begins the moment it leaves the udder. Milk contamination if not prevented will lead to milk losses along the dairy value chain. The objective of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with contamination of milk with spoilage microorganisms and to quantify these losses along the dairy sub value chain. A survey was carried out to identify the risk factors followed by microbiological analysis of the sources of contamination identified, and milk along the sub value chain. Contamination sources sampled from were; the udder, milking hands, milking and bulking containers which provided 560 samples. Milk samples along the sub value chain were 461 from the udder, farm gate, transporters and at the cooling centres. Microbiological analysis included total viable counts (TVC), Coliform counts (CC), Thermophillic bacteria counts (ThBC) and Psychrophilic bacteria counts (PBC). The survey showed that only 11 % of rural farmers practiced hand and udder drying compared to 50 % in peri-urban. Regression of risk factors versus farm gate milk from viable colony counts, showed that udder swabs were the highest source of contamination of milk (r =2.73). Losses due to microbiological quality were determined based on the KEBS standards (2×105 CFU ml-1). Transporters node at peri urban location recorded the highest percentage (30%) of probable losses. It is evident from the results that effective udder cleaning and observation of high hygiene may reduce the risk of microbial contamination and milk losses along the dairy sub value chains.


We report on the experimental demonstration of optical single sideband (SSB) modulation using a directly modulated semiconductor laser under strong optical injection-locking. Modulation sidebands with 15-dB power ratio between the lower and upper sidebands have been achieved. The longer wavelength sideband is resonantly amplified by the injection-locked laser cavity mode. The radio-frequency performance of the optical SSB after 80-km fiber transmission is significantly improved compared with a typical symmetric sideband modulation of a free-running laser. A 622-Mb/s data transmission on a 20-GHz subcarrier is demonstrated over an 80-km fiber link.


Building effective recommender systems for domains like fashion is challenging due to the high level of subjectivity and the semantic complexity of the features involved (i.e., fashion styles). Recent work has shown that approaches to 'visual' recommendation (e.g. clothing, art, etc.) can be made more accurate by incorporating visual signals directly into the recommendation objective, using 'off-the-shelf' feature representations derived from deep networks. Here, we seek to extend this contribution by showing that recommendation performance can be significantly improved by learning 'fashion aware' image representations directly, i.e., by training the image representation (from the pixel level) and the recommender system jointly; this contribution is related to recent work using Siamese CNNs, though we are able to show improvements over state-of-the-art recommendation techniques such as BPR and variants that make use of pretrained visual features. Furthermore, we show that our model can be used generatively, i.e., given a user and a product category, we can generate new images (i.e., clothing items) that are most consistent with their personal taste. This represents a first step towards building systems that go beyond recommending existing items from a product corpus, but which can be used to suggest styles and aid the design of new products.


Information and Communication Technologies have become a critical success factor for service delivery in Kenya's public sector. Applying ICTs in service delivery has become a game changer in public records management. It has completely transformed records management work procedures, methods, and principles. The study aimed to assess how operational efficiency can be achieved by adopting ICT in diplomatic records management at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kenya. The study was guided by records continuum and hybrid theories and adopted the descriptive survey research design. The target population comprised 887 Ministry of Foreign Affairs employees, from which a sample of 87 participants was selected using a stratified and purposive sampling approach. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect data, which was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively using Statistical Package for Social Sciences and content analysis. The study revealed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had embarked on the assimilation of ICTs into its operational activities as a component of e-service delivery. As a result, the study established that diplomatic records, which were vital in achieving operational efficiency, were being created, accessed, and used in electronic format. Inadequate infrastructure for electronic records management programs was, however, found to be a significant hindrance to the realization and use of diplomatic electronic records. The study recommends that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs develop and execute a comprehensive electronic records management policy and regulatory framework to integrate e-records into Ministry's operational efficiency and service delivery. The Ministry of foreign affairs should collaborate with Information Communication and Technologies Authority to develop infrastructure for electronic records management systems to ensure that all software acquired for managing electronic records capture records management requirements to achieve operational efficiency and improved service delivery. Keywords: Electronic Records, Operational Efficiency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Diplomatic Records, Record Management Technologies


To provide the operators of wastewater treatment plants with the required knowledge to operate their plant both an on-line and an off-line expert system were developed. The on-line system recognises plant failures from on-line signals and laboratory measurements, immediately starts the diagnosis and gives proper advice displayed on the screen without controlling the plant directly. The off-line system is used for the diagnosis of plant upsets as well as for plant operation and the choice of control parameters. Both expert systems are PC-based and are applied to nutrient removing municipal treatment plants. They contain rules and models for nitrogen- and phosphorus removal, sludge losses, sludge bulking and the on-line control of different plant functions.


Cardiac morbidity, early mortality, and sudden death are the major consequences of sickle cell disease (SCD) in patients surviving into adulthood. Pulmonary hypertension (PH), elevated tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity (TRV), and diastolic dysfunction have all been identified to correlate with early mortality in adults with SCD. However, the unifying pathophysiology behind these abnormalities and its connection with early mortality and sudden death have not been recognized previously. We have found that SCD patients have a unique cardiomyopathy characterized by restrictive physiology (diastolic dysfunction, left atrial dilation and normal systolic function) superimposed on features of hyperdynamic circulation (left ventricular [LV] enlargement and eccentric LV hypertrophy. The restrictive cardiomyopathy of SCD causes pulmonary congestion and post-capillary PH. This can be detected by a mild elevation in TRV, which is likely a marker of the SCD-related cardiomyopathy rather than pulmonary arterial disease. Similar to other restrictive cardiomyopathies, the SCD cardiomyopathy predisposes to arrhythmias and sudden death, even when pulmonary pressures are not severely elevated. We have also found that diffuse myocardial fibrosis is common in SCD and may underlie the diastolic dysfunction, but more studies are needed to understand the mechanisms of SCD-related cardiomyopathy and to identify new therapies to decrease cardiac morbidity and improve the life expectancy of SCD patients.


Oxadiazole, a heterocyclic nucleus has attracted a wide attention of the chemist in search for the new therapeutic molecules. Out of its four poss ible isomers, 1, 3, 4-oxadiazole is widely exploited for various applications. A numbers of th erapeutic agents such as HIV-integrase inhibitor raltagravir, a nitrofuran antibacterial furamizole , a potent PDF inhibitor BB-83698 , antihypertensive agents tiodazosin and nesapidil are based on 1,3,4-oxadiazole moiety. The 1, 3, 4-oxadiazole undergoes number of reactions in cluding electrophillic substitution, nucleophilic substitution, thermal and photochemica l. The present review attempts to summarize the various routes of synthesis and the r eactions of 1, 3, 4-oxadiazole and its derivatives and focus on their biological potential .


The effect of hemodialysis on the mechanical behavior of a cellulosic Hemophane ME-IOH and one Polysulfone type hollow fibers was investigated. Mechanical tests showed that the deformation of polysulfone type of hollow fibers is entirely different than that of the other dialyser for the samples used and unused in hemodialysis. All the samples exposed to the dialysis showed decreased in ductility. Fracture surface studies proved that there was some alignment on the fracture surface. XRD and DSC experiments revealed structural changes had occurred.


Extensive measurements of spectral aerosol optical depths (AODs) were made at Manora Peak, Nainital (29.4°N, 79.5°E,~1958 m above mean sea level) in the central Himalayas, using a ten channel multi-wavelength solar radiometer during January 2002 to December 2005. Using these spectral AOD values, the columnar size distribution [CSD; n(subscript c)(r)] function of aerosols have been derived. The CSD, retrieved from spectral AODs are, in general, bimodal (combination of power law and unimodal log normal distribution) with a prominent secondary (or coarse) mode occurring at a fairly large value of radius (r>0.5 μm), while the primary (or fine) mode either does not appear explicitly or perhaps occurs below the radius ≌0.1 μm. The bimodal nature of CSDs indicates the presence of fine as well as coarse mode aerosols over the observational site. The effective radius, total aerosol number content and columnar mass loading computed from deduced CSD shows minimum values during winter (November to February) and maximum during summer (March to June) months. The share of sub micron and super micron aerosols to the total aerosol number concentration (N(subscript t)) indicates the dominance of sub micron aerosols to the N(subscript t) and it accounts for >90% during the study period.


Background: In Italy, the response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic upgraded from social distancing on February 23, 2020, to national lockdown on March 11, 2020. We described how the pandemic affected a tertiary care children hospital with a dedicated COVID-19 regional center. Methods: We analyzed the characteristics of emergency department (ED) visits, urgent hospitalizations and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-COV-2 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction testing, and COVID-19 patients across 3 response phases: before the first Italian case, before national lockdown and during lockdown. Results: ED visits decreased from a daily mean of 239.1 before the first COVID-19 Italian case, to 79.6 during lockdown; urgent hospitalizations decreased from 30.6 to 21.2. As of April 20, 2020, 1970 persons were tested for SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and 2.6% were positive. Positive rates were 1.2% in the ED, 21.1% in the COVID center and 0.5% in other wards. The median age of COVID-19 patients (N = 33) was 6.7 years, 27% had coexisting conditions and 79% were related to family clusters. Conclusions: The pandemic strongly impacted on the use of hospital services, with a 67% reduction in ED visits and a 31% reduction in urgent hospitalizations. Separating the flows of suspected patients from all other patients, and centralization of suspected and confirmed cases in the COVID center enabled to control the risk of nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Delay in hospital use for urgent care must be avoided, and clear communication on infection prevention and control must be provided to families. Further studies are needed to assess how the reduction in hospital use affected children healthcare needs during the pandemic.


The macrocyclic ligand (L), containing two terpyridine (terpy) and two ethylenediamine (en) groups arranged in a cyclic terpy-en-terpy-en sequence, forms a double-strand helicate Cu2L(4+) complex made especially stable by the formation of interstrand π-π stacking interactions involving opposite pyridine rings. The crystal structure of this complex shows the Cu(2+) cations in square pyramidal coordination environments defined by the donor atoms of half ligand chain composed, in sequence, by one pyridine ring, the connected ethylenediamine moiety and the two adjacent pyridine rings of the successive terpyridine. In aqueous solution, L forms both mono- and binuclear complexes with Cu(2+). The stability constants determined for these complexes evidence the combined action of the two metal ions in the assembly of the very stable helicate species, the binding of the first metal ion favoring the entrance of the second one. UV adsorption and emission spectra corroborate these equilibrium results. Furthermore, the Cu2L(4+) complex shows a significant inertness toward dissociation in acidic solutions. Also Zn(2+) forms mono- and binuclear complexes with L, although the Zn2L(4+) complex is much weaker than the Cu2L(4+) helicate and gives rise to fast dissociation reactions in acidic media. Experimental evidence allows neither to say that also the Zn(2+) complex has a helicate structure nor to exclude it.


The i.p. injection of caffeine (8, 20, and 40 mg/kg) 3 times weekly for 8 weeks suppressed the development of spontaneous pulmonary adenomas in strain A mice. The same caffeine injection scheme suppressed urethan (0.25 and 1.0 mg/g)-induced lung tumor development when caffeine treatment started 1 week before urethan administration, but this suppression was not significant when caffeine treatment was initiated 1 week after urethan injection. The most pronounced suppression of lung tumor formation occurred when caffeine was given as only two injections 3 hr before and 3 hr after urethan administration. The incorporation of [3H]thymidine into lung tissue DNA of caffeine-treated mice was impaired at the time of urethan administration. Also, caffeine partially antagonized the effects of urethan on lung tissue, as measured by [3H]thymidine incorporation studies. One interpretation of these results is that caffeine-induced suppression of DNA synthesis interferes with pulmonary adenoma induction by decreasing the affinity of lung tissue DNA for urethan. The finding that chronic caffeine treatment produced continued suppression of [3H]thymidine incorporation into lung tissue DNA suggests that caffeine-induced inhibition of spontaneous pulmonary adenoma formation is due to a general suppression of lung DNA-synthetic activity.


Background: The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is rapidly increasing due to lifestyle changes. Therefore, the current study was aimed to determine the prevalence of CKD in Iran army ground forces. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in 2017 on 1,800 health records of the army ground forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran that were referred to four medical centers of the in different cities. Moreover, healthy people over 20 years of age entered the study. Subject with kidney disease and individuals without a complete medical record were excluded. After recording the demographic data and evaluating pathological criteria such as GFR, blood pressure, cholesterol, uric acid, creatinine, proteinuria, FBS and RBC in urine, their relationship with different stages of CKD was then evaluated. Results: subjects consist of 1726 men and 74 women (1800 cases), aged 19–65 years with an average age of 35.47 ± 7. 41 years were included in the study. With regard to the classification, 1597 subjects (89.5%) were assigned in to normal group, followed by 105 subjects with mild stage (5.9%; Stage I), 70 (3.9%) with mild CKD (Stage II) and 11 subjects (1.1%) have moderate CKD (Stage III). After adjusting data, none of the subjects had sever CKD and end stage CKD. Statistical analysis revealed that the age, weight and BMI were significantly higher in patients with CKD (especially Stage I). Moreover, Uric acid, HDL, cholesterol, FBS, Red Blood Cells (RBC) in the urine and also the frequency of proteinuria were significantly higher in patients suffering from CKD (p<0.05). Conclusion: Unhealthy clinical conditions of the body such as blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol and high weight, and risk factors such as proteinuria, age, and RBC in the urine are significantly related to CKD.


The umbral regions of sunspots and pores in the solar photosphere are generally dominated by 3 mHz oscillations, which are due to p-modes penetrating the magnetic region. In these locations, wave power is also significantly reduced with respect to the quiet Sun. However, here we study a pore where not only is the power of the oscillations in the umbra comparable to, or even larger than, that of the quiet Sun, but the main dominant frequency is not 3 mHz as expected, but instead 5 mHz. By combining Doppler velocities and spectropolarimetry and analysing the relationship between magnetic field strength and frequency, the resultant B − ω diagram reveals distinct ridges that are remarkably clear signatures of resonant magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) oscillations confined within the pore umbra. We demonstrate that these modes, in addition to velocity oscillations, are also accompanied by magnetic oscillations, as predicted from MHD theory. The novel technique of B − ω analysis proposed in this article opens up an exciting new avenue for identifying MHD wave modes in the umbral regions of both pores and sunspots.


It is frequently stated that there are explicit tradeoffs between biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction. This Chapter examines these tradeoffs through the interaction between Ghana's artisanal canoe fishery and the offshore trawler fishery. Ghana's marine biodiversity is threatened by a sizeable fishing industry partly because poverty is rife, and also because the coastal population has a high dependence on fish for their food security. The artisanal fishing fleet targets small pelagics, predominantly round sardinella (Sardinella aurita), with their catch used mainly for subsistence. By-catch in Megan Bailey, Samuel Quaatey, A. K. Armah et al. 2 the trawler fleet, which includes round sardinella, is mainly consumed in urban areas within the country, while their target species are exported. Current artisanal sardinella catch is insufficient to meet subsistence needs, and therefore domestic reliance on trawlcaught sardinella for food security might be in conflict with the conservation of biodiversity. We develop a bioeconomic model, which illustrates that giving priority to the effective management of the artisanal fishery in Ghana could provide food and job security to the fishers of Ghana, without compromising biodiversity conservation, in contrast to the commercial trawl fishery. It appears that the sardinella fishery may be overcapitalized, as optimization results suggest effort could be cut in half while still providing catch levels of about 300,000 tonnes per year, or four times current artisanal catches. Limiting by-catch and spatial conflicts by the trawl fishery could yield economic benefits from the artisanal sector of over US$200 million over 20 years.


Deregulation of epigenetic and miRNA pathways are emerging as key events in carcinogenesis. miRNA genes can be epigenetically regulated and miRNAs can themselves repress key enzymes that drive epigenetic remodeling. Epigenetic and miRNA functions are thus tightly interconnected and crucial for maintaining correct local and global genomic architecture as well as gene-expression patterns, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms and their widespread effects remain poorly understood. Owing to the tissue specificity, versatility and relative stability of miRNAs, these small ncRNAs are considered especially promising in clinical applications, and their biogenesis and function is subject of active research. In this article, the current status of epigenetic miRNA regulation is summarized and future therapeutic prospects in the field are discussed with a focus on cancer.


By one informed estimate from the late 1990s, three-quarters of the Fortune 100?s total market capitalization was represented by intangible assets, such as patents, copyrights and trademarks. In this environment, cautions the author, IP management cannot be left to technology managers or corporate legal staff alone ? it must be a matter of concern for functional and business-unit leaders as well as a corporation?s most senior officers.

To realize the full value of their companies? intellectual property, top executives must seek answers to the following questions: How can the company use intellectual property rights to gain and sustain competitive advantage? How do IP rights affect the industry?s structure? What options do IP rights offer vis-a-vis competitors? How can IP rights grant incumbency advantage and establish barriers to entry? How can IP rights help the company gain vertical power along the value chain? What organizational design accommodates an IP strategy most effectively?

The author explores each question, drawing on such company examples as Nokia, Motorola, Novo Nordisk and Leo Pharma, in the process helping lead intellectual property rights out of their shadowy existence in patent and legal departments.


This paper presents a word sense disambiguation method by reconstructing the context using the correlation between words. Firstly, we figure out the relevance between words though the statistical quantity(co-occurrence frequency , the average distance and the information entropy) from the corpus. Secondly, we see the words that have lager correlation value between ambiguous word than other words in the context as the important words, and use this kind of words to reconstruct the context, then we use the reconstructed context as the new context of the ambiguous words .In the end, we use the method of the sememe co-occurrence data[10] for word sense disambiguation. The experimental results have proved the feasibility of this method.


ABSTRACT The core objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) are the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources. The ITPGRFA links these goals explicitly to farmers' rights. Although farmers' rights have been debated intensely at international level, their effective implementation at national level remains a major challenge. Community seed banks are good examples of effective implementation of those rights, but have received little attention in scientific literature and policy circles. Case studies in this article from Bangladesh, Côte d'Ivoire, India and Zimbabwe illustrate how this knowledge gap can be filled.


In this paper we study an adaptive line enhancer, the adaptive algorithm of which is based on an affine combination of two adaptive filters. Combination of adaptive filters is an interesting way of improving the performance of adaptive algorithms. The adaptive structure consists of two NLMS adaptive filters that adapt on the same input signal. One of the filters has a large and the other one a small step size. Such a combination is capable of achieving fast initial convergence and small steady state error at the same time. In this paper we study the second order statistics of the output signal of a line enhancer based on a combination of two adaptive filters in steady state.


The effect of the developed chip length on the coated tool's cutting performance was investigated. Milling experiments at various cutting speeds and chip lengths were performed, which resulted to different tool wear developments. To explain these results, a FEM simulation of the cutting process was conducted and the related chip geometries were predicted and compared to the corresponding experimental ones. Based on these results, the Coulomb friction coefficient between chip and tool rake was appropriately adjusted to achieve a sufficient correlation between experimental and computational data. By additional FEM calculations, the mechanical and thermal loads of the cutting edge were estimated and insight was provided concerning the effect of chip length on coated tool stresses and film fatigue fracture. The obtained results revealed that the chip length reduction improves the cutting performance of coated tools and a significant increase of the removed material volume and material removal rate as well can be achieved.


Background There is considerable variation in alcohol-related problems between the regions of Great Britain. Previous investigations have clearly shown that the magnitude of such problems is considerably higher in northern areas than in southern areas of Britain. Yet consideration of the survey literature (Chapter 4) demonstrates that the relationship between regional variations in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems within a British context is not well understood. Aims The aim of the project was to consider the drinking practices and attitudes in three areas of Britain which manifest markedly different rates of problem drinking. These were the Highland and Tayside regions of Scotland, and part of the South East Thames Health Board (effectively "East Kent" but referred to as "Kent") in England. Of the three areas Highland Region manifested the highest problem drinking rates and Kent the lowest rates. The specific aim of the project was to determine whether the consumption practices of persons in Highland region differed from those from the other two areas in such a way as to account for the different problem drinking rates. Method Between 8th September and 10th October 1982, 2349 adults aged 18 and over were randomly selected and interviewed about their alcohol consumption habits, experience of adverse consequences from drinking, and their attitudes and knowledge about alcohol use and misuse (Chapter 6). A commercial survey organisation was hired for this purpose. Response rates At 69% the response rate was modest in comparison to previous British general population surveys (Chapter 7). However, consideration of previous studies and of a follow-up survey (Appendix 8) of non-participants to the main survey suggested that the findings from this survey were valid. Results It was hypothesised that the Highlands would be characterised by one or more of the following: more drinkers; more heavy drinkers; more frequent drinking occasions; more binge drinking; higher mean consumption levels; faster consumption rates; more negative attitudes towards drinking; and greater awareness of alcohol-related problems within the community. None of the hypotheses relating to consumption were supported (Chapter 8). Indeed, if anything, Taysiders exhibited the greatest consumption levels, rates etc. There was mixed support for hypotheses relating to attitudes. Nor was there evidence that the drinking patterns of specific population sub-groups (Chapter 9) varied in accordance with problem drinking statistics. There was, however, a greater tendency for the Scots, irrespective of region to firstly, indulge in binge drinking and secondly, to report adverse consequences in the previous two years. Discussion A number of possible explanations were offered to account for the failure to relate variations in consumption patterns to variation in alcohol consumption patterns (Chapter 10). There was, for example, some admittedly crude (Appendix A) evidence that the effect of various biases upon alcohol consumption levels varied by region. Highlanders, for example, appeared to suffer greater memory loss for number of drinking days in the past week, while males from Kent were more likely to under-report when interviewed in the presence of another household member. There was also evidence that the Scots reacted differently to alcohol than did those from Kent. But it is not clear whether this reflected culturally based differences in expectations about alcohol; genetic differences in the reaction to alcohol; or the operation of other factors including diet, lack of exercise, smoking etc, which act in combination with alcohol to increase risk of harm. Regarding the latter explanation it is, for example, well established that the Scots exhibit a particularly unhealthy life style and are at a greater risk of a variety of diseases. There is also strong evidence that at least one of the commonly employed official indicators of problem drinking, namely hospital admissions for alcohol dependence, abuse and psychosis is suspect. Latcham (1985) in a companion study observed that Highlanders were 12.5x more likely to be admitted to a hospital bed with such a diagnosis than were people from Kent. But when psychiatric out- and day-patient rates were added to in-patient rates this difference disappeared. Clearly care has to be taken when interpreting official statistics relating to problem drinking. Policy implications are discussed.


SHELTER RHETORICS: NARRATIVE PATHWAYS & ASSEMBLAGES OF THE U.S. ASYLUM PROCESS Monica Reyes Old Dominion University, 2020 Director: Dr. Delores Phillips A person is eligible to apply for asylum if they are able to effectively persuade the U.S. that they are "unable or unwilling to return to his or her country of nationality . . . because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion." However, when attempting to compose such credibility narratives, people seeking asylum are often within liminal spaces of their journey, such as detention centers or temporary shelters; these sites are complex spaces for someone to compose such a high-stakes narrative. This project inquired how the variety of stories displaced people tell about themselves is influenced by the rhetorical ecology— a varied and shifting context of narratives, events, people, materials, and policies— that is the U.S. asylum system. To complete the project, I collaborated with an emergency shelter located in South Texas. I interviewed 17 people: 11 shelter clients (5 men and 6 women) representing 9 countries from 6 different geographical regions; 1 full-time staff member who was also a previous client; 2 full-time staff members; 2 seasonal volunteers; and 1 student intern. To better interpret their quotidian experience, I used audio-recorded interviews, as well as participants' own visualizations (drawings and photos they created themselves). Through a methodology of located-listening, a community-based research approach I have created, I was able to center participants' contextualized expertise about their own lived experiences. This blended methodology relies on cultural rhetorics, rhetorical ecologies and Chicana feminisms, as well as concepts from the field of refugee and forced migration studies. A critical discourse analysis of participant's stories and visuals helped me analyze both participant interviews and their visualizations because it scrutinizes how ideology and context are connected to language (Cameron; Rose). Ultimately, I argue that the shelter operates as an influential "Third Space" for asylum hopefuls as evidenced through distinct shared rhetorical practices of daily life— like silence and routine—that both safeguard vulnerabilities and enact agency for individuals within precarious spaces. I term these practices shelter rhetorics. Third Space, as articulated by respective Chicana feminists such as Candace Zepeda, Lisa A. Flores, and Adela C. Licona, posits that in-between sites, such as LHB, may provide space for marginalized people to cultivate alternative perspectives and shared rhetorical practices which speak back to hegemonic and fixed representations of their experiences. This scholarship adds to the conversation by analyzing how the underlying ideologies of tangible materiality liberates and constrains the stories the shelter composes about asylum experience (Bennett; Edbauer; Reynolds).


Telecommunications services monitoring is of paramount importance, network operators must meet the expectations of their subscribers. On wireless communications, transmitted signal may suffer different degradations in the transmission channel. In the literature, there are different models of wireless channels, among the most cited are the Rician and Rayleigh fading channel models, each one presents different characteristics of transmission. In the speech quality assessment research area, most of the works focused on wired network type degradations, using parameters as packet losses, delay and jitter; however, wireless degradation characteristics are not considered. In this context, the present paper investigate the impact of different Doppler frequency shifts (Hz) on speech communications, using the fading channel models previously mentioned, and different multipath delay profiles. Performance evaluation parameters are based on the voice quality assessment algorithms described in recommendations ITU-T P.563 and P.862. The experimental results show how the variation range of the Doppler shift is related to speech quality index.


What is the maximum number of holes enclosed by a $d$-dimensional polyomino built of $n$ tiles? Represent this number by $f_d(n)$. Recent results show that $f_2(n)/n$ converges to $1/2$. We prove that for all $d \geq 2$ we have $f_d(n)/n \to (d-1)/d$ as $n$ goes to infinity. We also construct polyominoes in $d$-dimensional tori with the maximal possible number of holes per tile. In our proofs, we use metaphors from error-correcting codes and dynamical systems.


The wireless sensor networks (WSN) are immersed in multiple areas of knowledge and are the alternative that allows analyzing, solving, and preventing problems under different facets. The RPL protocol (IPv6 Routing Protocol for Low power a Lossy Networks) arises for the management of this type of network restricted by their physical capabilities through different rules and operations that simplify the communications and constructions of the WSN. Although RPL is an efficient and standardized protocol, it does not consider high traffic handling and presents severe problems regarding load balancing, which leads to service disruption. In this article, WRF-RPL is proposed as a protocol for considering load balancing over RPL to distribute communications and messages into a network topology to avoid one preferred parent's congestions. The proposed protocol aims to improve the network's lifetime and the packet delivery through source nodes to the sink in an energy-efficient manner. Different simulated scenarios were conducted over the Cooja simulator. The results show that WRF-RPL protocols outperform the standard RPL protocol over Network Lifetime, PDR, control message overhead, and energy consumption compared with other existing protocols.


Sexual assault occurs with alarming frequency in Canada. The prevalence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in assault survivors is drastically higher than the national prevalence of the disorder, which is a strong indication that the current therapies for sexual-assault-related PTSD are in need of improvement. Increasing knowledge and understanding of the pathologies associated with rape trauma in biological, psychological and sociological domains will help to develop more effective treatments for survivors. A dysregulation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis is observed in survivors of sexual assault and this may be a fundamental cause of the structural and functional abnormalities contributing to PTSD symptoms. Pharmacotherapies are available to treat PTSD; however, they are often inadequate or unwanted by the survivor. Psychological health is compromised following interpersonal trauma and many psychological therapies are available, but with varying efficacy. A person's cognitions have a dramatic effect on the onset, severity, and progress of PTSD following sexual assault. Sociological impacts of assault influence the development of PTSD through victim-blaming attitudes and the perpetuation of rape myths. Perceived positive regard and early social support is shown to be important to successful recovery. Education is vital in rape prevention and to foster a supportive environment for survivors. The biological, psychological and sociological impacts and treatments should not remain mutually exclusive. A better appreciation of the biopsychosocial repercussions of sexual assault will aid in developing a more holistic and individualized therapy to help alleviate the physical and emotional pain following the trauma of rape.


OBJECTIVE
To explore how baseline resting-state cerebral function predicts clinical outcomes of acupuncture treatment for migraine.

METHODS
One hundred migraine patients and 46 healthy subjects were recruited. Patients were randomized into the acupuncture, sham acupuncture, and waiting list groups. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected at baseline and after 1 month of longitudinal acupuncture treatments. Fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) calculations were applied to explore the associations between baseline fALFF and changes in clinical variables in the acupuncture treatment group and the waiting list group.

RESULTS
Compared with healthy subjects, migraine patients had lower fALFF in the left rostral ventromedial medulla, right thalamus, left amygdala, and right angular gyrus. Regression analyses revealed that baseline fALFF values in the left middle frontal gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus, and middle temporal gyrus were positively associated with headache intensity changes in the acupuncture treatment group, while baseline fALFF values in the bilateral lingual gyrus and cuneus were negatively associated with headache intensity changes in this group.

CONCLUSION
The baseline fALFF values of brain regions associated with cognitive pain modulation, but not migraine severity, may predict future headache intensity improvement levels in migraine patients receiving acupuncture treatment.


As part of a large population-based study of hearing and aging, ultra high-frequency (9-20 kHz) threshold measures are reported for 3396 participants grouped by age (48-59 years, n = 1233; 60-69 years, n = 1031; 70-79 years, n = 851; 80-92 years, n = 281). Ultra high-frequency (UHF) thresholds were higher for older age groups. The percentage of unmeasurable responses also was significantly higher for older age groups and for higher frequencies in the UHF range. The observed age effects remained significant after adjusting for gender. In general, UHF thresholds were significantly higher for men compared to those for women at lower UHF frequencies (9-14 kHz), but were not significantly different by gender for the highest UHF frequencies (16, 18, and 20 kHz). After accounting for hearing loss at traditional audiometric frequencies (250-8000 Hz), the age effect still remained; even for comparable degrees of sensorineural hearing loss, participants in older age groups evidenced higher UHF thresholds.


ABSTRACT Thriving, "a psychological state composed of the joint experience of vitality and learning (Spreitzer, Sutcliffe, Dutton, Sonenshein, & Grant [2005]. A socially embedded model of thriving at work. Organization Science, 16(5), 537–549.)" might offer further insight into the problem of youth sport development research. The purpose of the study was to investigate the mechanisms underlying thriving within a youth sport context. More specifically, the present study considered the perspective of Self-Determination Theory and in particular, how hedonic and eudaimonic motives, as antecedents of thriving, influenced youth athletes' outcomes (i.e., intention to continue sport, subjective well-being in sport, and goal progress), consequences of thriving. 196 youth sport participants answered an online survey. Path analysis was conducted to test our hypotheses. We used the bias-corrected bootstrap procedure to examine the hypothesised indirect effects. Our results showed that both hedonic and eudaimonic motives were positively related to all outcome variables (intention to continue sport, subjective well-being in sport, and goal progress) through both the basic psychological need satisfaction and thriving. Thriving is an important psychological concept that can facilitate youth athletes to acquire important outcomes for youth sport participation.


As virtual reality technology is increasingly attracting significant attention in clinical psychology, especially in the treatment of phobias, physiological monitoring is increasingly considered as an objective measuring tool for studying participants. However, there are few studies of the normal individual's physiological response to virtual environments, or their reactions to different virtual environments. The goal of this study is to analyze non-phobic participants' physiological reaction to two virtual environments: driving and flying and to investigate the usefulness of heart rate variability. Eleven non-phobic participants were exposed to each virtual environment for 15 minutes. Heart rate, skin resistance, and skin temperature measurements were taken for physiological monitoring and Presence and Simulator Sickness Questionnaires were obtained after each exposure. This study found that skin resistance and heart rate variability can be used to show arousal of participant exposed to virtual environments experience and that such measures generally returned to normal as time went by. The Study showed that skin resistance and heart rate can be used as objective measures in monitoring the reaction of non-phobic participants to virtual environments. Significantly, heart rate variability analysis in virtual environments showed that it could be useful for assessing the emotional states of participants.


Sound in the oceans is generated by a variety of natural sources, such as breaking waves, rain, and marine animals, as well as a variety of human-produced sources, such as ships, sonars and seismic signals. This overview will begin with a quick review of some basic properties of sound waves with particular reference to differences between the behaviours of these waves underwater versus in air. A basic understanding of the physics of underwater sound is critical to understanding how marine animal acoustic signals have evolved relative to their different functions and how changes in the marine acoustic environment due to increasing anthropogenic sound in the oceans may impact these species. We will then review common sources of anthropogenic sound in the oceans. The frequency contributions of three major sources of underwater anthropogenic sound and their relative intensities will be discussed: naval exercises, seismic surveys and commercial shipping. Finally, a case study examining relative inputs to a regional noise budget, that of the Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, will be presented to introduce the audience to methodologies for characterizing and managing sound on an ecosystem level.


A higher incidence of Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) was found in the intensive care unit of Elisabeth Hospital in 2013 and 2014. Clusters of Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Enterobacter cloacae and Citrobacter freundii were found. These samples were taken from sinks in patients' rooms. After interventions were put in place to disinfect the siphons, the situation seemed under control for a period of 6 months. However, in January 2014, 3 ICU patients were found to be colonised with an identical MDR Enterobacter cloacae. As the screening progressed, it was decided to typify the MDR Citrobacter freundii, colonisations of which were also found in patients. From the period of February 2013 until August 2014, 22 patients were infected with a MDRO. Environmental screening showed that the washbasins were infected with MDRO. This resulted in a set of MDRO procedures. 1. Hand hygiene (renew good practice) 2. Preventive, antiseptic washing of patients with 2% Chlorhexidine Gluconate (chg) washcloths sage 3. Adjusted use of sink in patients' rooms 4. Isolation in line with regulations of infection control 5. Replacement of siphons in patients' room; weekly disinfection of siphons with chlorine solution of 300ppm 6. Type and screen of MDRO at admittance and discharge The purpose of the research and the set of measurements put in place was to halt the spread of MDR Enterobacter cloacae and MDR Citrobacter freundii from sink to patient and from patient to patient. The research took place from September 2014 until March 2015. The measurements taken resulted in a halt of the outbreak. Spreading of identical MDRO was no longer detected.


Introduction Corneal donation is a possibility for many palliative care patients after death but anecdotal evidence suggests it is seldom done. Previous research in other settings (especially acute medical settings) suggest lack of knowledge and a negative attitude from staff contributing to low donation rates, rather than public refusal. Aim To explore palliative care doctors' knowledge and attitudes about corneal donation and to find if any associations with corneal procurement exist. Methods and results A postal survey was conducted that tested knowledge of corneal donation and asked about attitude and behaviour (past experiences). A 14 item questionnaire was sent to 427 practising palliative care consultants and associate specialists in the UK. A response rate of 50% was achieved and the findings were analysed using SPSS software and thematic content analysis. The study showed that over half (57%) of doctors had an inadequate level of knowledge about corneal donation but did have a positive personal and professional attitude towards it. There was a statistically significant association between their personal and professional attitude (ie, either both would be positive or both negative) with a significant association between a positive attitude and a higher mean knowledge score. The most common perceived drawback of discussing donation was fear of causing distress (36% of doctors gave this response). In practice, causing distress was reported by 4.8% of the doctors. Conclusion The study found an association between palliative care doctors' knowledge and attitude with procurement behaviour. Those that viewed donation positively had a greater amount of knowledge. Doctors tended to have the same professional view as their personal view. This could suggest that doctors bring their personal opinions into the work place and exhibit gate-keeping behaviour which could have implications for practice. The study also highlighted the differences between doctors' perceptions and actual experiences.


This page is designed for actors, to help them develop the library skills they will need when researching a role. Using the proper research methods your visit to the library will be easier and more efficient.


Vaccine uptake is one of the indicators that has been used to guide immunization programs. This study aimed to evaluate whether measles vaccine uptake is predicted by measles vaccine hesitancy. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in urban districts in Khartoum state in February 2019. Measles vaccine uptake among children was measured as either fully vaccinated or partially/not vaccinated. The Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) scale was used to measure measles vaccine hesitancy. Multivariate logistic regression was run to identify the predictors of measles vaccination uptake, controlling for sociodemographic variables, and the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% CI were calculated. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was created, and the area under the curve (AUC) for the PACV was computed. Data were collected from 495 participants. We found that measles vaccine hesitancy (PACV scores) predicts the uptake of measles vaccine after controlling for other potential social confounders, such as the mother's age and the number of children (aOR 1.055; 95% CI 1.028–1.028). Additionally, the ROC for the PACV yielded an area under the curve (AUC 0.686 (95% CI 0.620–0.751; p < 0.001)). Our findings show that measles vaccine hesitancy in Sudan directly influences the uptake of the measles vaccine. Addressing the determinants of vaccine hesitancy through communication strategies will improve vaccine uptake.


Background: One of the paracrine/autocrine factors regulating prostate growth and differentiation is nerve growth factor (NGF). The role of NGF and its receptors in the prostate, however, remains controversial. We have shown that NGF treatment of human prostate cancer cell lines reduced their tumorigenicity, both in vitro and in vivo. Objective: To investigate the involvement of NGF as a differentiation factor in prostate cancer cells. Design: We exposed the androgen-independent/androgen receptor (AR)-negative prostate cancer cell line DU145 to NGF to study whether this neurotrophin could revert DU145 cells to a less malignant phenotype. Methods: DU145 cells were treated with NGF, then ARs and NGF receptor p75 expression and telomerase activity were studied. Finally, we investigated whether re-expression of ARs could restore the androgen sensitivity in this cell line. Results and Conclusions: NGF treatment induced a reversion of DU145 cells to a less malignant phenotype, characterized by the re-expression of ARs and p75 NGF receptors. Re-expression of ARs restored the androgen sensitivity, as suggested by the fact that exposure to dihydrotestosterone stimulated the growth of NGF-treated DU145 cells. This effect was blocked by androgen antagonist drugs, such as hydroxyflutamide and cyproterone acetate, which also induced apoptotic death of NGF-treated cells. The hypothesis that a differentiation pathway is activated by exogenous NGF in DU145 cells is also supported by findings indicating that NGF-treated DU145 cells expressed a low telomerase activity, as a result of a decrease in human telomerase reverse transcriptase transcription. European Journal of Endocrinology 147 407–415


Tax avoidance is an interesting strategy option taken by management which aims to increase profitability through the reduction of corporate tax expense. This research has a purpose to examine the influence of ownership structures financial distress, and tax loss carry forward on tax avoidance using secondary data from financial statement of manufacturing companies listed on IDX year 2012-2014. The study type used in this study is hypothesis testing. The results of this study show that ownership structures which are proxied by foreign ownership and institutional ownership has partially influence the tax avoidance. Other results show that financial distress also has partially influence the tax avoidance, while tax loss carry forward has no influence on tax avoidance. However, all the independent variables has simultaneously influence the tax avoidance. The limitations of this study are focused in the manufacturing companies on IDX as samples and only used two variables as the proxy for ownership structures which are foreign ownership and institutional ownership. Therefore, this study suggests to adding new variables that expected have effect to tax avoidance with different sectors of company. Keywords: tax avoidance, ownership structures, financial distress, tax loss carry forward


X-ray interferometry has the potential to provide imaging at ultra high angular resolutions of 100 micro arc seconds or better. However, designing a practical interferometer which fits within a reasonable envelope and that has sufficient collecting area to deliver such a performance is a challenge. A simple system which can be built using current X-ray optics capabilities and existing detector technology is described. The complete instrument would be ~20 m long and ~2 m in diameter. Simulations demonstrate that it has the sensitivity to provide high quality X-ray interferometric imaging of a large number of available targets.


Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a global epidemic that is the leading cause of death worldwide. CHD can be detected by measuring and scoring the regional and global motion of the left ventricle (LV) of the heart. This project describes a novel automatic technique which can detect the regional wall motion abnormalitie, of the LV from echocardiograms. Given a sequence of endocardial contours extracted from LV ultrasound images, the sequence of contours moving through time can be interpreted as a three-dimensional (3D) surface. From the 3D surfaces, we compute several geometry-based features (shape-index values, curvedness, surface normals, etc.) to obtain histograms-based similarity functions that are optimally combined using a mathematical programming approach to learn a kernel function designed to classify normal vs. abnormal heart wall motion. In contrast with other state-of-the-art methods, our formulation also generates sparse kernels. Kernel sparsity is directly related to the computational cost of the kernel evaluation, which is an important factor when designing classifiers that are part of a real-time system. Experimental results on a set of echocardiograms collected in routine clinical practice at one hospital demonstrate the potential of the proposed approach.


Summary Three sublines of HeLa cells were infected with Mycoplasma orale type 1, M. hominis and M. hyorhinis and compared with mycoplasma-free cells for their ability to support the growth of adenovirus types 2 and 31, herpes simplex virus, Sabin's poliovirus type 1, parainfluenza virus type 2, respiratory syncytial virus and vaccinia virus. Titres of herpesvirus and adenovirus tended to be reduced in the cells infected with mycoplasmas, but titres of the other viruses were generally raised by such infection. The largest differences in titre in either direction were approximately ten-fold and were obtained with adenovirus type 2 (reduction) and vaccinia virus (increase). Much smaller effects were noted with the other viruses. With herpesviruses and adenoviruses, which have a known requirement for arginine, the antagonistic effect of the two arginine-metabolising mycoplasmas, M. orale type 1 and M. hominis, was more than that of M. hyorhinis, which does not metabolise arginine. With the other viruses, the higher titres obtained in the mycoplasma-infected cells were independent of the species of mycoplasma. The cell lines infected with M. hyorhinis were difficult to maintain for long periods on account of the cytopathic effects of this species, and were, therefore, less suitable for titration of the more slowly growing herpes- and adeno-viruses. It is concluded that mycoplasma contamination of a HeLa cell line may interfere with the titration of some viruses, but the effects are relatively small and probably do not constitute a serious hazard in routine diagnostic virology.


This paper deals with the modeling and the validation of multiple networked embedded computer systems supporting in-vehicle applications. In this context, the authors developed a modular modeling and simulation technique. This approach allowed the development of reusable component models with clearly defined interfaces. The building of a whole application model is then obtained by the integration of these components, so that model construction and result analysis are made easy. In fact, thanks to the formal definition of components, interfaces, and composition rules, this step is automatically achieved. In the context of the CAROSSE project, we implemented this methodology in the Carosse-Perf tool. Herein, the authors detail the methodology together with its modeling principles and the resulting definition of basic components and interfaces. Finally, they apply it to a case study drawn from a PSA Peugeot-Citroen application.


evidence available, however, the exclusion of GPs' cases would seem to be a rational reallocation of resources. I would also like to stress the importance of the findings of Drs Hill and Hampton in terms of which type of MCCU should be provided -that is, "doctor-manned" or "paramedicalstaffed." As previously shown' in Brighton the latter type has achieved similar levels of lifesaving to the former type in Belfast, partly by accepting more calls from the public, thus increasing the scope of the service, and partly by reaching more patients earlier, thereby increasing the chances of success. If, as Drs Hill and Hampton's findings would suggest, it is the publicly summoned cases in which the greatest potential for life-saving lies, then the type of service best equipped to deal with this group should be the one which is advocated. This, for the reasons given previously,2 3 would be the emergency ambulance service already under obligation to answer these calls. By performing a randomised controlled trial of MCCUs on the population shown to be at greater risk Drs Hill and Hampton are clearly performing a valuable service. I would also contend that Dr Geddes's advice is misplaced and that, as the Belfast service does not generally accept calls direct from the public, it is he, to use his own words (my emphasis), who should direct his energies "toward bringing treatments of proved value to the maximum number of patients at ... greatest risk, whether medical advice is sought through a general practitioner or the emergency ambulance service." This is precisely what Drs Hill and Hampton are seeking to do within the confines of a limited budget. T J ORCHARD


Water and water-related disasters, e.g. flooding, landslide and droughts, are affecting the world and it is important for decision makers and experts to build the capacity of forecasting hydrodynamic disasters and safeguarding people's life and property. This study focuses on building capacity of decision makers and analysts with an aim to create and support a robust framework for decision makers in integrated water resource management. Capacity building training workshops has been conducted using Coupled Routing and Excess Storage (CREST) and Ensemble Framework for Flash Flood Forecasting (EF5) distributed hydrological modeling jointly developed by University of Oklahoma (OU) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), involving Regional Center for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), ICPAC and Kenyan Meteorological department (KMD). The OU_Applied Science Team (AST) in collaboration with RCMRD provided an EF5 hydrologic model website to KMD to visualize and forecast streamflow. Further, an advanced EF5 training was conducted in East Africa and a system to collect citizen reports to gather observations of flooding was developed.  This effort will improve awareness of and access to available services through providing user-tailored services to inform development of decision-making processes and build the capacity of SERVIR hubs and their partners to provide high quality services, creating a stronger network at the regional and international level. The study will guide users/forecasters on how to use EF5 operationally and enhances development of an impact-based flood early warning system with users, linking hydrologic forecasts with vulnerability assessment and risk analysis to mitigate the potential negative impact to the public and properties.

 Key words: Capacity building, drought, flood, hydrologic model, landslide, streamflow.