Design is not a lasting component within a web application. There will come a time when the design is outdated and requires a new form of styling. However, in order to implement the new design, one or more developers are needed to modify the code of the application. The process will use a considerable amount of resources and time that might be more valuable to use for other more important cases. That is why the idea of creating a Design Management System (DMS) surfaced. DMS is created for talent.gamehouse website so that an individual with no knowledge in web development can alter the styling according to his/her preference. The application will also help developers who work on the website to decrease the time needed to do the design implementation. The process is done through several phases. The first phase is to inject a server-side programming language, such as PHP, Python, and Ruby to the Cascading Style Sheet, which is a presentation document that consists of styling properties for a website. The second phase is to create a database for the styling properties, so that the data is stored in a server instead of the CSS. The last and most crucial phase of the process is to create a function where a styling property can be modified using an SQL query. The query will alter the property to the user's liking. These phases are all generated through a front-facing site which the users will interact with. The site will be created using Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), complemented with additional frameworks to enhance the user's experience. The application was tested through a usability session with one of the stakeholders of the application and generated a positive outcome for the fully-functional end result.


Drosophila melanogaster has been used for decades in the study of circadian behavior, and more recently has become a popular model for the study of sleep. The classic method for monitoring fly activity involves counting the number of infrared beam crosses in individual small glass tubes. Incident recording methods such as this can measure gross locomotor activity, but they are unable to provide details about where the fly is located in space and do not detect small movements (i.e. anything less than half the enclosure size), which could lead to an overestimation of sleep and an inaccurate report of the behavior of the fly. This is especially problematic if the fly is awake, but is not moving distances that span the enclosure. Similarly, locomotor deficiencies could be incorrectly classified as sleep phenotypes. To address these issues, we have developed a locomotor tracking technique (the "Tracker" program) that records the exact location of a fly in real time. This allows for the detection of very small movements at any location within the tube. In addition to circadian locomotor activity, we are able to collect other information, such as distance, speed, food proximity, place preference, and multiple additional parameters that relate to sleep structure. Direct comparisons of incident recording and our motion tracking application using wild type and locomotor-deficient (CASK-β null) flies show that the increased temporal resolution in the data from the Tracker program can greatly affect the interpretation of the state of the fly. This is especially evident when a particular condition or genotype has strong effects on the behavior, and can provide a wealth of information previously unavailable to the investigator. The interaction of sleep with other behaviors can also be assessed directly in many cases with this method.


In the current highly competitive finance industry, it is important that any financial institution to develop a proper strategy to compete in the market. More specifically, the finance managers need to have an appropriate liquidity and stability strategy during the peak season where their customers have a high demand of cash. Finding such a strategy is challenging for micro finance institution due to their limited resources, in terms of finance and human resources. This study is aimed to (1) analyze the impact of liquidity risk to the stability of micro finance institutions and to (2) assess the relationship between liquidity risk and credit risk in the period of peak season by using Generalized Moments Method. The focus of this study is Islamic micro finance institutions in West Java for the period 2012-2017. Using monthly data, this study reveals that the risk of liquidity has a negative effect on the level of stability of micro finance institutions at peak season and has a positive influence on the level of stability at off peak season. Further, the study finds that the relationship between liquidity risk and credit risk is significant during the period of peak season and off peak season period. Therefore, it can be concluded that in general credit risk impacts on liquidity risk. The findings of this study provide significant contributions in terms of enlarging our understanding on the management behavior related to institution liquidity and stability during the peak and non-peak season. From managerial perspective, this study helps the Islamic micro finance institution to remain stable and competitive during the peak season.


We study current-induced magnetization dynamics in a long thin ferromagnetic wire with a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI). We find a spiral domain wall configuration of the magnetization and obtain an analytical expression for the width of the domain wall as a function of the interaction strengths. Our findings show that above a certain value of DMI a domain wall configuration cannot exist in the wire. Below this value we determine the domain wall dynamics for small currents, and calculate the drift velocity of the domain wall along the wire. We show that the DMI suppresses the minimum value of current required to move the domain wall. Depending on its sign, the DMI increases or decreases the domain wall drift velocity.


DNA hydrogels with a wide range of tunable properties are desirable for applications to make use the characteristics of DNA. This study describes formation conditions of DNA hydrogels using ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE) cross-linker and N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED) catalyst under various reaction conditions. Rheological measurements indicate that the cross-linking of DNA in semidilute solutions proceeds by alternate gel-sol and sol-gel transitions due to two antagonistic effects of EGDE-TEMED pair; the one destroying the physical bonds (denaturation), the other creating chemical bonds (cross-linking). The viscoelastic properties of the hydrogels and the conformation of DNA network chains could be tuned by adjusting the synthesis parameters. Increasing concentration of DNA at the gel preparation stabilizes its structure so that double stranded (ds-) DNA hydrogels form. The average distance between the effective cross-links in single stranded DNA gel is much larger than that in ds-DNA gel making the former gel stable in aqueous solutions. Creep-recovery tests show that heating a semidilute solution of DNA above the DNA melting temperature (87.5 degrees C) and subsequently cooling down to 25 degrees C increases the elastic response of the solution and produces an elastic DNA mesh. DNA hydrogel undergoes a volume phase transition in aqueous solutions of polyethylene glycol's at which the gel changes about 5 times its volume.


This study examined power output on jumping and sprinting tests in young soccer players of differing pubertal status, while controlling for body size with allometric scaling exponents. A total of 46 males aged 12–18 years (14.17 years) were divided into three groups: pre-pubescent (n = 12), pubescent (n = 22), and post-pubescent (n = 12). Participants performed a series of tests, including the squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), and 10-meter and 30-meter sprint test protocols. The Post-PUB group was older (F = 112.411, p < 0.001), more experienced in competitive soccer (F = 8.055, p = 0.001), taller (F = 28.940, p < 0.001), and heavier (F = 20.618, p < 0.001), when compared to peers in the other groups. Mean differences in jumping and sprinting performances suggested a significant effect for pubertal status on performance in the 10-meter sprint (large effect size, F = 8.191, p < 0.001) and 30-meter sprint (large effect size, F = 8.093, p < 0.001) after allometric scaling. Power output derived from SJ (small effect size, F = 0.536, p = 0.001) and CMJ (small effect size, F = 1.058, p = 0.356) showed no significant differences across players of varying pubertal status. Biological maturation showed a large effect on maximal power output for sprints, but not for jumps, when the effect of body size was adjusted by statistically derived allometric exponents in young male soccer players.


This article examines the Australian law determining liability of manufacturers and retailers for injury or death allegedly caused by food and drink products which were spoiled, contaminated, or otherwise in a deleterious condition. Product liability and the issue of negligence associated with consumption of foods or drinks deemed as contaminated form the key points of discussion in this article. The liability of manufacturers, processors, wholesalers and retailers are explored with reference to elements of negligence, breach of express or implied warranty, misrepresentation, and strict liability in tort. Australian case law as it pertains to duty of care, breach, causation, and damage has been established and there are consumer protection and product safety laws at both state and federal levels that provide for those affected by contamination/harmful condition of food and drink products. This article explores examples of negligence as the basis of manufacturer's, processor's and retailer's liability in tort (common law and Civil Liability Act 2003 (Qld)) as well as liability under the federal and state legislation such as the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), the Food Act 2006 (Qld) and the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code). The various defences of contributory negligence of consumers, and obvious risk of injury suffered, as well as those established by manufacturers/retailers in the relevant proceedings are used to show the complexity of this issue. The article concludes with recommendations for consumers and businesses to avoid the risk of food contamination and to maintain food safety.


Introduction Cardiovascular disease is among the leading causes of death in Kenya and type II diabetes (T2D) is a growing chronic health concern in the country. However, a gap exists in examining how demographic and social characteristics coalesce to identify individuals at high risk for hypertension and/or T2D in Kenya. The current study examined demographic typologies associated with self-report diagnoses. Methods Nationally representative cross-sectional study using 43,898 individuals from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2014. Main Outcome Measures were self-reported Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis. Descriptive analyses were conducted using STATA 14. Latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted using Mplus 7.4. Results Approximately 5% reported hypertension and 1% reported T2D. Latent class analysis suggested a 4-class solution. The class with the highest likelihood to report previous diagnosis of hypertension (10.4%), consisted of high proportion of married adult women. The second highest prevalence of previous diagnosis of hypertension (4.4%) consisted of a high proportion of married middle aged men with high probability of being smokers. The results suggest that Kenyan women over 30 years may be at increased risk of hypertension compared to men. Future studies should include additional socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics to better understand gender differences in correlates for hypertension to be used for targeted and tailored health promotion-interventions.


This study investigated the C mineralization and chemical modification of a typical tropical soil amended with regional compost of different stability. Compost samples were produced from coffee pulp and fruit and vegetable waste in a method of small heap composting and the samples were collected in three different phases of composting. Both the fresh waste and compost samples were analyzed for their phytotoxicity. These samples were added to a tropical Nitisol at the rate of 48 t ha?1 and a control was set up without amendment. The CO2-C respired was determined during 98 days of incubation and the incubated samples were taken at the start and end of incubation for molecular-chemical analysis by Pyrolysis-Field Ionization Mass Spectrometry (Py-FIMS). The fresh waste yielded a germination index (GI) 100%). The CO2-C respired was best explained by a first order plus linear model. A soil amended with a compost taken at the thermophilic phase attained the lowest overall organic C loss. In general, the Py-FIMS revealed a significant enrichment of stable N-compounds during the incubation in all amended soils compared to the control. Furthermore, among the compost-soil mixtures Py-FIMS indicated significantly higher increases in the proportions of carbohydrates, peptides and phenols/lignin monomers at the expense of fatty acids and sterols in soil amended with composts from the thermophilic phase. Thermal volatilization curves of Py-FIMS indicated enrichments of stable N-compounds and peptides in compost amended soil. This was a result of enhanced decomposition and stabilization of decomposition products by physical protection through association with clay and soil aggregates. In summary, application of compost shortly after reaching the high temperature phase was shown to be more efficient in organic C sequestration in a clay-rich tropical agricultural soil than mature composts.


An RNA world has been placed centre stage for explaining the origin of life. Indeed, RNA is the most plausible molecule able to form both a (self)-replicator and to inherit information, necessities for initiating genetics. However, in parallel with self-replication, the proto-organism had to obtain the ability to catalyse supply of its chemical constituents, including the ribonucleotide metabolites required to replicate RNA. Although the possibility of an RNA-catalysed metabolic network has been considered, it is to be questioned whether RNA molecules, at least on their own, possess the required catalytic capacities. An alternative scenario for the origin of metabolism involves chemical reactions that are based on environmental catalysts. Recently, we described a non-enzymatic glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway-like reactions catalysed by metal ions [mainly Fe(II)] and phosphate, simple inorganic molecules abundantly found in Archaean sediments. While the RNA world can serve to explain the origin of genetics, the origin of the metabolic network might thus date back to constraints of environmental chemistry. Interestingly, considering a metal-catalysed origin of metabolism gives rise to an attractive hypothesis about how the first enzymes could have formed: simple RNA or (poly)peptide molecules could have bound the metal ions, and thus increased their solubility, concentration and accessibility. In a second step, this would have allowed substrate specificity to evolve.


Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is viewed as a thymus-dependent autoimmune disease, although the specific β-cell autoantigen or autoantigens remain unknown. The recent identification of the β-cell 64K antigen as the enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) permits investigation of GAD as a candidate for the autoantigen associated with β-cell destruction, mediated by T-lymphocytes, in susceptible individuals. In this study, we describe the isolation of GAD-specific T-lymphocyte lines from BB rats, an animal model of IDDM. GAD (Escherichia coli) was inoculated into the footpads of diabetes-resistant BB rats, and after 10 days, a popliteal lymph node cell culture suspension was prepared. GAD-specific T lymphocytes were obtained by culture with interleukin 2 and repeated stimulation with GAD in the presence of BB rat thymic antigen-presenting cells. Four stable, CD4+, MHC (RT1u)-restricted T-lymphocyte lines were isolated. They proliferate selectively in the presence of GAD and secrete interleukin 2 and interferon-γ. T-lymphocyte lines such as these could be important in the definition of pathogenetic epitopes associated with GAD.


The article examines the relevance of existing accounts of globalisation and education for low income, postcolonial countries, with special reference to the education systems of sub-Saharan Africa. Using recent developments in globalisation theory, existing accounts are analysed in relation to their view of the origins, nature and future trajectory of globalisation and the implications for education. It is argued that most of the recent literature deals with Western industrialised countries and the newly industrialised countries of the Pacific Rim and therefore has limited relevance for low income countries. The literature that is concerned with low income countries often lacks a firm theoretical basis and has been limited to a discussion of the impact of economic globalisation on education. Drawing on recent work on the political economy of development and the state in Africa, the article sets out a conceptual framework for understanding various aspects of the education/globalisation relationship in low income, postcolonial countries including economic, political and cultural aspects.


We present a novel image inversion framework and a training pipeline to achieve high-fidelity image inversion with high-quality attribute editing. Inverting real images into StyleGAN's latent space is an extensively studied problem, yet the trade-off between the image reconstruction fidelity and image editing quality remains an open challenge. The low-rate latent spaces are limited in their expressiveness power for high-fidelity reconstruction. On the other hand, high-rate latent spaces result in degradation in editing quality. In this work, to achieve high-fidelity inversion, we learn residual features in higher latent codes that lower latent codes were not able to encode. This enables preserving image details in reconstruction. To achieve high-quality editing, we learn how to transform the residual features for adapting to manipulations in latent codes. We train the framework to extract residual features and transform them via a novel architecture pipeline and cycle consistency losses. We run extensive experiments and compare our method with state-of-the-art inversion methods. Qualitative metrics and visual comparisons show significant improvements. Code: https://github.com/hamzapehlivanIStyleRes.


The article analyses service of documents in cross-border civil cases. Proper service of documents is particularly important to ensure the right to a fair trial. The right to a fair trial might be violated if the addressee is not properly informed about the case and cannot enjoy this right effectively. The European Court of Human Rights has established a due diligence requirement regarding the service of documents and information about civil proceedings (Gyuleva, Zavodnik, Schmidt cases). Though this requirement is not defined in the case law, the author has found that it requires courts to ensure that persons in the case are properly informed and have enough time to prepare for legal defense. Courts shall ascertain whether the addressee actually received documents and can enjoy the right to a fair trial effectively. Therefore, courts shall establish the actual address of the addressee and consider which means of service of documents are the most appropriate in each case. The article analyzed practical issues regarding the service of documents under the Regulation No. 1393/2007. First, can documents may be delivered to the third person, but no the addressee in person? Second, how knowledge of the language of the addressee is established? Third, should all annexes to the document be translated? Fourth, does the failure to deliver a standard form II of the Regulation 1393/2007 to the addressee makes the service of documents procedure invalid? Fifth, how the date of the delivery of documents shall be established when documents have been served by several means? Knowledge of language raises various practical problems. Obviously, in order to understand legal documents, a certain level of knowledge of the language shall be established. The author of the article has found that in deciding the level of knowledge of the addressee's language, the court shall assess the actual knowledge of the language, taking into account all relevant facts: the language previously used, the language spoken by the parties prior to the case, the language of the transactions, the profession of the addressee, documents certifying the knowledge of the language, a citizenship. The use of the specific language in business relations alone does allow to presume knowledge of the language but is a significant factor in this assessment. The need to translate the annexes to the document depends on the content of the document and the probative value of the annexes, the defendant's ability to understand the subject matter and the basis of the dispute.


Milk fat secretion is a complex process that initiates in the endoplasmic reticulum of the mammary epithelial cell by the budding of lipid droplets. Lipid droplets are finally released as fat globules in milk enveloped by the apical plasma membrane of the mammary epithelial cell. The milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) thus comprises membrane-specific proteins and polar lipids (glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids) sur-rounding a core of neutral lipids (mainly triacylglycerols and cholesterol esters). We have recently described major proteins of the MFGM in the goat and we have highlighted prominent differences between goats and bovine species, especially regarding lactadherin, a major MFGM protein. Here, we show that, in the goat species, the well-documented genetic polymorphism at the α s1 -casein ( CSN1S1 ) locus affects both structure and composition of milk fat globules. We first evidenced that both milk fat globule size and ζ-potential are related to the α s1 -casein genotype. At midlactation, goats displaying strong genotypes for α s1 -casein (A/A goats) produce larger fat globules than goats with a null genotype at the CSN1S1 locus (O/O goats). A linear relationship (R 2 = 0.75) between fat content (g/ kg) in the milk and diameter of fat globules (μm) was established. Moreover, we found significant differences with regard to MFGM composition (including both polar lipids and MFGM proteins) from goats with extreme genotype at the CSN1S1 locus. At midlactation, the amount of polar lipids is significantly higher in the MFGM from goats with null genotypes for α s1 -casein (O/O goats; 5.97 ± 0.11 mg/g of fat; mean ± standard deviation) than in the MFGM from goats with strong genotypes for α s1 -casein (A/A goats; 3.96 ± 0.12 mg/g of fat; mean ± standard deviation). Two MFGM-asso-ciated proteins, namely lactadherin and stomatin, are also significantly upregulated in the MFGM from goats with null genotype for α s1 -casein at early lactation. Our findings are discussed with regard to techno-functional properties and nutritional value of goat milk. In addition, the genetic polymorphism in the goat species ap-pears to be a tool to provide clues to the lipid secretion pathways in the mammary epithelial cell.


Abstract A novel methodology is proposed for investigating the effect of the pulsed electric current during the spark plasma sintering (SPS) of electrically conductive powders without potential misinterpretation of experimental results. First, ensemble configurations (geometry, size and material of the powder sample, die, plunger and spacers) are identified where the electric current is forced to flow only through either the sample or the die, so that the sample is heated either through the Joule effect or by thermal conduction, respectively. These ensemble configurations are selected using a recently proposed mathematical model of an SPS apparatus, which, once suitably modified, makes it possible to carry out detailed electrical and thermal analysis. Next, SPS experiments are conducted using the ensemble configurations theoretically identified. Using aluminum powders as a case study, we find that the temporal profiles of sample shrinkage, which indicate densification behavior, as well as the final density of the sample are clearly different when the electric current flows only through the sample or through the die containing it, whereas the temperature cycle and mechanical load are the same in both cases.


Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection can lead to adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes and is a risk for mortality in pregnant women.  There are few published data on the seroepidemiology of HEV infection in pregnant women and none are available from Sudan specifically. A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the seroepidemiology of anti-HEV Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in mothers and newborns in Medani Hospital, Sudan. Socio-demographic, clinical and obstetric characteristics of the women were gathered using questionnaires. Anti-HEV IgG antibodies were investigated in the paired maternal and newborn sera using an enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA). Two hundred and nine women were enrolled to the study. The mean (SD) of their age, parity and gestational age was 27.5 (5.5) years, 2.2(1.5) and 38.8 (1.8) weeks, respectively. Out of these 209, 25 (12.5%) women had a positive result for anti-HEV IgG and two (1.0%) newborns had a positive result for anti-HEV IgG.In logistic regression none of the investigated factors (age, parity, gestational age, residency and education) were associated with anti-HEV IgG seropositivity. There is a high seroprevalence of HEV among pregnant women in central Sudan regardless of their age, parity and gestational age. Optimal preventive measures against HEV infection should be employed.


The question as to the prognosis of severity of motor and psychic disturbances in children with perinatally damaged brains is the issue of interest for their parents during the first months of the patients' life, and of the great medico-social value. Retrospective analysis of peculiarities of the patients psychic and neurologic development allowed identification of some prognostic criteria which displayed a certain degree of reliability as the early predictors of further development of a child. These criteria could be derived from the indices of mental development and EEG findings at the early months of a child's life.


Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the esophagus that, in a genetically susceptible host, is triggered by a food antigen. Emerging evidence supports impaired epithelia barrier function as the key initial event in the development of EoE and other allergic diseases. Symptom resolution, histologic remission, and prevention of both disease and treatment-related complications are the goals of treatment. Successful dietary treatments include elemental and elimination diets, both empiric and allergy test directed. These treatments are dietary approaches to inducing clinical and histologic remission. Dietary therapy with an exclusive elemental diet offers the best response with a remission rate of more than 96%. Empiric elimination diets and allergy-directed diets offer similar response with remission induced in 3 of 4 subjects (75%). Cow's milk, wheat, egg and soy are the four common food antigens most likely to induce esophageal inflammation. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel


Perspective: This study is concerned with a specific HE policy arising from the National Committee of Enquiry into Higher Education (NCIHE): the benchmarking of academic standards initiative. It is concerned to scrutinise the inception, articulation, progress and implementation of the policy initiative. The study is concerned to explore the distinctive policy process of the benchmarking initiative and through that to discover more about the policy process generally. In this endeavour social science theoretical debates and, to a lesser extent, theoretic debates in other disciplines - notably overseas development studies - are drawn upon. A backdrop to the progression of the benchmarking of academic standards initiative is the recognition that educational policy is frequently the terrain on which contestation between the state and higher education is played out. The state's interest in HE policy is noted to be constrained and to focus upon: • the need to support the capital accumulation process; • the need to guarantee a context for its continued expansion; • the need to legitimate the capitalist mode of production including the state's own part in it. The state's recurring policy interest in higher education within the above context is acknowledged to be the potential contribution of higher education to manpower planning and accumulation of capital. Quite separate from the contestation being played out at the macro level are other disputes and challenges played out within the microcosm of the policy process itself. The most potent of these can arise from different ideological perspectives, both articulated and tacit, represented within the policy process. These exert forces which combine to neutralise some potential options and consequently, to constrain outcomes. Method: The study adopts the form of a policy trajectory study to examine each stage of the policy process. The policy trajectory uses the metaphor of the staircase as a simplifying organisational device to mark out the different phases of the trajectory. This does not imply that the policy trajectory progressed in a measured and regular way with ordered, staged progression to reach the outcome. Indeed the trajectory reveals that at different stages, distinctive social processes were at work and that contestation and ideological difference between stages militated against such ordered progression. The policy trajectory focuses upon the key texts published throughout the period of the trajectory to articulate the purpose, and amended purpose of the policy initiative, upon interviews with participants in the policy process, and upon a questionnaire sent to university departments. There was a critical, interrogative reading of such key texts, and analysis and interrogation of interviews and questionnaires. The policy trajectory is thus able to illuminate competing ideologies, emergent issues, compromise and adjustment, to build a picture of their combined effect on the policy process, in particular to deflect the policy intention and to reconstitute it in an altered manifestation. That the policy process can be 'disturbed' through changes in the external environment is also recognised and the relationship to the respective stages of the policy process of such external disturbances are referenced and evaluated. Rationale: The benchmarking of academic standards initiative has been selected for this study because its publicly stated intention was not realised in what was subsequently implemented. The progress of the policy has been characterised by modifications and adjustments to that stated purpose. The policy initiative utilised considerable higher education resources in its construction and implementation. Conclusion: The suite of actions implemented as a result of the policy initiative on academic benchmarking did not address those specific issues which originally brought the matter to the policy agenda. This finding raised the need for explanations in respect of the policy being scrutinised but also raised questions more generally about the management of HE policy at national level. In particular the apparent absence of any strategies within policy management to recognise and respond when policy intentions become seriously compromised through the policy development and implementation process itself. Finally the study returns to consider implications for conceptualisations of the policy process at macro level and makes a number of suggestions for improvements for the management of the policy process, capable of improving adherence of policy outcomes to policy objectives.


Channel geometry directly influences the erosional capacity of rivers incising bedrock and so is key to how fluvial erosion drives landscape evolution; however, widely divergent relationships among river incision rate, channel width, and channel slope, have been observed in different settings. Based on a large empirical dataset of channel width and slope (n6000) we identify regression-based scaling relationships in four mixed bedrock-alluvial rivers in western Scotland that are subject to spatial variations in fluvial incision rate and substrate erodibility. We find that stream power per unit area (reach-averaged) increases by up to a factor of 10 downstream of actively retreating bedrock knickpoints, and that channel narrowing is the dominant mechanism for raising erosional capacity under transient conditions. By contrast when it comes to substrate erodibility we find that bedrock channel width is far less sensitive than channel slope. Resistant outcrops (quartzites) steepen bedrock channels by a factor of 1.5 to 6.0 and, in terms of stream power per unit area, channels increase their erosional capacity by a factor of 2.7 to 3.5. Yet only 4 to 13 % of this increase is due to channel narrowing. Channel width scales with discharge as W = 3.32 Qˆ0.33, irrespective of lithology. Our results are consistent with the view that W-Q scaling is similar in all single-thread rivers subject to transport-limited conditions, but for increasingly sediment supply-limited settings such as western Scotland, erosional thresholds at the channel boundary exert a strong control on bedrock channel width.


This article draws on a four-year evaluation that assessed the delivery of support services by 15 British hospices and social agencies to family carers of terminally ill people. It aims to examine the politics of evaluation research. Three main arguments are posited: first, that evaluation research is distinguishable from 'quick and dirty' evaluations, which are insufficiently resourced and not implemented properly; second, what constitutes a contribution to knowledge and particularly what constitutes 'new' knowledge is inherently political; third, drawing on dramaturgy theory, the article presents findings from the study that illustrate how service providers draw selectively in various ways on knowledge, to present their work favourably to their audiences. Finally, the article concludes that such knowledge manipulation raises questions about whose voices are heard within organizations, and the politics involved in the writing of grant applications, in the processes of tendering for the funding of local services.


Purpose: The tripartite motif protein 44 (TRIM44) participates in a variety of biological processes of malignant tumors. However, the expression and molecular mechanism of TRIM44 in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unclear. Patients and methods: 123 CRC tissues were used for immunohistochemical assay and survival analysis. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology was used to silence the expression of TRIM44 in CRC cell lines. Then, we explored the effect of TRIM44 on the biological behavior of CRC cells. Finally, we studied the underlying mechanisms by Western blot. Results: We found that TRIM44 is up-regulated in CRC tissues and cells. TRIM44 is a risk factor for poor prognosis in patients with CRC. In vitro, we effectively silenced the expression of TRIM44 in CRC cell lines. Silencing of TRIM44 inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of CRC cells. In terms of mechanistic studies, we found that high TRIM44 expression activates the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Conclusion: Our research showed that TRIM44 may serve as a biomarker for CRC patients.


In this work we will present an alternative method to teach the first two Kepler's laws, using basic concepts of geometry, but achieving conclusions in the important notions of reference systems and the equivalence between heliocentrism (Copernican- Keplerian system) and geocentrism (Ptolemaic system). We used this method for students of junior (last year), high school and for undergraduate courses (Physics and Mathematics).


The Y2Si4N6C:Ce3+ carbidonitride phosphor has been successfully synthesized via a novel acid-driven carbonization and carbothermal reduction nitridation method (ADC–CRN). This novel approach for Y2Si4N6C:Ce3+ promises lower heating temperature and shorter heating time than classical methods, indicative of a cost-effective and facile way to search for new silicon-based carbidonitrides. In contrast to Ce3+ activated (oxy)nitrides showing blue-green emissions, Y2Si4N6C:Ce3+ exhibits an individual green-yellowish emission band centered at 550 nm which is ascribed to the incorporation of highly covalent C4− into the host lattice. The sp3 hybrid C4− was identified through high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy analysis (EELS). Direct evidence for sole substitution of Ce3+ for Y3+ in Y2Si4N6C is represented for the first time using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra. The red shift induced by the increasing Ce3+ content in Y2Si4N6C is reasonably deduced by the energy transfer model of intra-Ce3+ and inter-Ce3+ ions. A pc-w-LED packaging was fabricated via a combination of the yellow Y2Si4N6C:Ce3+ and blue La2Si4N6C:Ce3+ phosphors prepared using a 365 nm n-UV chip. The w-LED device shows a good color rendering index (Ra), CIE chromaticity coordinates and correlated color temperature (CCT) of 83.8, (0.3258, 0.3314) and 5819 K, respectively. These results suggest that Y2Si4N6C:Ce3+ has great potential for use in UV-LED-driven white emitting diodes.


While the Higgs model is the best studied scenario of electroweak symmetry breaking, a number strongly-coupled models exist, predicting new signatures. Recent studies of WW and WZ final states at the ATLAS and CMS experiments are summarized and expected sensitivities are presented within the frameworks of the technicolor straw-man model and the electroweak chiral Lagrangian.


Al-doped 4H and 6H epitaxial layers have been implanted with 200 keV hydrogen or irradiated with 1 MeV electrons. Heat treatments have been carried out up to 1000 °C and electrical characterization, by means of deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), has been performed after every annealing treatment in the 100-750 K temperature range. We have detected several deep levels and the possible involvement of hydrogen in the microscopic structure of these defects is discussed in the light of their thermal stability and previous results found in the literature. All the detected defects, except for a level located at 0.55 eV above the valence band (Ev), do not display any electric field dependence of their emission time constant.


: Bone changes of the upper extremity are rare manifestations of the M. Paget disease. Most frequently the disease affects the lower extremities, the pelvis followed by the calvarium and others. The rare asymptomatic, monostotic manifestation of Paget's disease of the left proximal ulnae of a 59 year old woman and the way of diagnosis is described. Symptomatic skeletal lesions are detected by radiological examination, bone scintigraphy reveals asymptomatic lesions. Laboratory tests (Alkaline serum phosphatase, Hydroxyproline in urine) monitor the activity of the disease.


Temporal representation and reasoning plays a fundamental and increasingly important role in some areas of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. A natural approach to represent and reason about time-dependent knowledge is to associate them with instantaneous time points and/or durative time intervals. In particular, there are various ways to use logic formalisms for temporal knowledge representation and reasoning. Based on the chosen logic frameworks, temporal theories can be classified into modal logic approaches (including prepositional modal logic approaches and hybrid logic approaches) and predicate logic approaches (including temporal argument methods and temporal reification methods). Generally speaking, the predicate logic approaches are more expressive than the modal logic approaches and among predicate logic approaches, temporal reification methods are even more expressive for representing and reasoning about general temporal knowledge. However, the current reified temporal logics are so complicate that each of them either do not have a clear definition of its syntax and semantics or do not have a sound and complete axiomatization.

In this thesis, a new complete reified temporal logic (CRTL) is introduced which has a clear syntax, semantics, and a complete axiomatic system by inheriting from the initial first order language. This is the main improvement made to the reification approaches for temporal representation and reasoning. It is a true reified logic since some meta-predicates are formally defined that allow one to predicate and quantify over prepositional terms, and therefore provides the expressive power to represent and reason about both temporal and non-temporal relationships between prepositional terms.

For a special case, the temporal model of the simplified CRTL system (SCRTL) is defined as scenarios and graphically represented in terms of a directed, partially weighted or attributed, simple graph. Therefore, the problem of matching temporal scenarios is transformed into conventional graph matching.

For the scenario graph matching problem, the traditional eigen-decomposition graph matching algorithm and the symmetric polynomial transform graph matching algorithm are critically examined and improved as two new algorithms named meta-basis graph matching algorithm and sort based graph matching algorithm respectively, where the meta-basis graph matching algorithm works better for 0-1 matrices while the sort based graph matching algorithm is more suitable for continuous real matrices.

Another important contribution is the node similarity graph matching framework proposed in this thesis, based on which the node similarity graph matching algorithms can be defined, analyzed and extended uniformly. We prove that that all these node similarity graph matching algorithms fail to work for matching circles.


A multiband phased array antenna solution is presented which allows to exceed capacity limitations of current fixed beam wireless transmission systems. Due to its small geometrical footprint the antenna lends itself especially for basestation and vehicular integration. For maximum diversity each band is covered by two orthogonal polarizations. A hybrid radiator feeding is introduced to adjust phase center separation and asymmetry of the primary radiation patterns. All crucial antenna parameters are discussed in view of their compatibility to legacy static beam hardware and their performance impact for the case that the array is deployed in a multichannel radio environment


Increasing student retention and persistence -- in particular classes or in their major area of study -- is a challenge for universities. Students' academic and social integration into an institution seems to be vital for student retention, yet, research on the effect of interpersonal interactions is rare. Social network analysis is an approach that can be used to identify patterns of interaction that contribute to integration into the university. We analyze how students position within a social network in a Modeling Instruction (MI) course that strongly emphasizes interactive learning impacts their persistence in taking a subsequent MI course. We find that students with higher centrality at the end of the first semester of MI are more likely to enroll in a second semester of MI. While the correlation with increased persistence is an ongoing study, these findings suggest that student social integration influences persistence.


A system for the content-based querying of large databases containing documents of different classes (text, images, image sequences, audio signals) is introduced.1 Queries are formulated in natural language and are evaluated for their semantic contents. For the document evaluation, a knowledge model consisting of a set of domain specific concept interpretation methods is constructed. Thus, the semantics of both the query and the documents can be interconnected, i.e. the retrieval process searches for a match on the semantic level (not merely on the level of keywords or global image properties) between the query and the document. Methods from fuzzy set theory are used to find the matches. Furthermore, the retrieval methods associate information from different document classes (texts, images, . . . ). To avoid the loss of information inherent to pre-indexing, documents need not be indexed; in principle, every search may be performed on the raw data under a given query. The system can therefore answer every query that can be expressed in the semantic model. To achieve the high data rates necessary for on-line analysis, dedicated VLSI search processors are being developed along with a parallel high-throughput media-server. A further speed-up is achieved by a mediator module which maintains an intelligent result cache. This caching mechanism plays a similar role in HPQS as that of pre-computed indexes in more traditional retrieval systems. In the report we outline the system architecture and detail specific aspects of the individual modules. Preliminary results, a brief overview of the current project status and a short discussion of further issues conclude the report. 1Parts of the work reported here were funded by the ministry of science and research of the state of NorthrhineWestphalia within the collaborative research initiative "Virtual Knowledge Factory". The group developing the HPQS system includes working groups at the universities of Aachen (T.G. Noll), Bielefeld (A. Knoll), Dortmund (J. Biskup), Hagen (H. Helbig) and Paderborn (B. Monien). HPSQ is an acronym for "High Performance Query Server".


Tanzania is among the countries striving to attain knowledgeable and skilled health workers who are capable of addressing health challenges facing its population. However, in regard of nurse's shortage in number, tight schedules sending them away from work place for further lessons is a challenge as will result into a more insufficient health services due to their absence. eLearning for nurses to upgrade their professional skills while they are still at their working place has been introduced in Tanzania, however, use of eLearning is only 4.9%. This paper examine determinants of nurses' intention to use eLearning in Tanzania. It is using mixed sequential explanatory design to explore several technology acceptance models, identify the appropriate ones and latter suggest strategies that will improve nurses' intention to use eLearning. Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) research model was adopted with some modification. Nine determinant factors were identified to be used: six adopted directly from UTAUT2 and three customized factors. The study collected data from 140 nurses and their inputs were tested against all nine determinant factors using Linear Regression Analysis. Out of nine factors, five were significant: Performance Expectancy (β=-0.214, ρ=0.005), Effort Expectancy (β=0.163, ρ=0.030), Social Influence (β=0.170, ρ=0.032), Hedonic Motivation (β=0.174, ρ=0.023) and Self-Management (β=0.242, ρ=0.002) while four were not significant: Habit (β=0.103,ρ=0.164), Price Value (β=-0.025, ρ=0.736), Resource Facilitating Conditions (β=-0.041,ρ=0.588) and Technology Facilitating Conditions (β=0.058, ρ=0.436). Inadequacy of: awareness with eLearning, knowledge to use eLearning, computers and lack of Internet are some of the problems facing nurses. This study used mixed research design with UTAUT2 model with the exception of mediating variables: age, gender and experience, therefore further research can be conducted by including the mediating variable.


The Durban Container Terminal (DCT) is currently the biggest and busiest container terminal in Africa and handles about 2.7-million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) a year (Naicker and Allopi 2015: 24). DCT handles approximately 70% of South Africa's containers and generates 60% of South Africa's revenue (Port of Durban, 2014).The existing Port of Durban is the leading port in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and the premiere trade gateway between South-South trade, Far East trade, Europe and USA and East-West Africa regional trade. It occupies a focal point in the Southern Africa transport and logistics chain with 60% of all imports and exports passing through the Port of Durban (Increasing South Africa\\\'s Economic Potential: 1). Thus the port assumes a leading role in facilitating economic growth in South Africa. Providing operating capacity ahead of the demand has become an essential element of managing national logistics capability in a fast changing and competitive global economic environment (Urban-Econ (PTY) Ltd 2012).In the South of Africa, ports suffer from insufficient storage spaces and long container dwell time, according to the Port Management Association of Eastern & Southern Africa (PMAESA), which is a regional grouping of ports in the two regions. PMAESA also adds that the ports continue to experience increased traffic and are not well served by access infrastructure (Africa embarks on massive expansion of sea ports, 2015). South Africa is currently proposing a port expansion that will include the deepening and widening of berths 203 to 205 which will allow larger vessels to safely berth, thus increasing the overall economic production gained from the terminal (Urban-Econ (PTY) Ltd 2012). However, this expansion needs to take place urgently as the port is restricted to ships with a carrying capacity of less than 3 500 containers.


To investigate whether the elevation of factor VIII coagulant activity observed in children with poor control of diabetes is due to increased levels of the factor VIII coagulant moiety of the factor VIII complex or reflects activation of the factor VIII coagulant moiety, factor VIII coagulant activity (VIII C), factor VIII coagulant antigen (VIM C:Ag), and factor VIII-related antigen (VIII R:Ag) were determined in 75 insulin-dependent children. All children were without signs of vascular disease based on negative funduscopy, negative fluorescein angiography, normal serum creatinine levels, and absence of proteinuria. Children with poor actual control of diabetes had significantly higher VIII C values than did children with good actual control of diabetes based on HbA1 values, but VIM C:Ag values did not differ in children with good or poor actual control of diabetes. A significant elevation of VIM C over VIII C:Ag values was observed in children with poor actual control of diabetes, but no elevation of VIII C over VIM C:Ag was found in children with good actual control. VIM R:Ag values were higher in children with poor actual control. VIM C, VIM C:Ag, and VIII R:Ag did not differ significantly in children with short or long duration of clinical diabetes. Our observation of significantly higher VIM C values, than VIM C:Ag levels strongly suggests intravascular activation of the factor VIM coagulant moiety during poor diabetes control. The process leading to activation of the coagulant moiety seems to be different from the process leading to the elevation of the other moiety of the factor VIM complex, the factor VIII-related antigen, in diabetic subjects.


PURPOSE
To create clinically useful models that incorporate readily available demographic and cancer treatment characteristics to predict individual risk of heart failure among 5-year survivors of childhood cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Survivors in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS) free of significant cardiovascular disease 5 years after cancer diagnosis (n = 13,060) were observed through age 40 years for the development of heart failure (ie, requiring medications or heart transplantation or leading to death). Siblings (n = 4,023) established the baseline population risk. An additional 3,421 survivors from Emma Children's Hospital (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), the National Wilms Tumor Study, and the St Jude Lifetime Cohort Study were used to validate the CCSS prediction models.

RESULTS
Heart failure occurred in 285 CCSS participants. Risk scores based on selected exposures (sex, age at cancer diagnosis, and anthracycline and chest radiotherapy doses) achieved an area under the curve of 0.74 and concordance statistic of 0.76 at or through age 40 years. Validation cohort estimates ranged from 0.68 to 0.82. Risk scores were collapsed to form statistically distinct low-, moderate-, and high-risk groups, corresponding to cumulative incidences of heart failure at age 40 years of 0.5% (95% CI, 0.2% to 0.8%), 2.4% (95% CI, 1.8% to 3.0%), and 11.7% (95% CI, 8.8% to 14.5%), respectively. In comparison, siblings had a cumulative incidence of 0.3% (95% CI, 0.1% to 0.5%).

CONCLUSION
Using information available to clinicians soon after completion of childhood cancer therapy, individual risk for subsequent heart failure can be predicted with reasonable accuracy and discrimination. These validated models provide a framework on which to base future screening strategies and interventions.


This paper aims at designing an ecoconscious future-proof sensor enhanced fiber-wireless (SFiWi) network based on EPON, WLAN, wireless sensor (WS), and fiber optic sensor (FOS) technologies as a shared communications infrastructure for broadband access and smart grids. A total cost of ownership (TCO) model is developed to help utilities decide whether to deploy WSs or FOSs in different scenarios and estimate sensor-related costs. To prolong battery life of wireless devices and maximize the overall energy efficiency, a novel energy conservation scheme for SFiWi networks (ECO-SFiWi) is proposed. ECO-SFiWi designs the whole network in three TDMA layers to enhance network performance, while scheduling network components to sleep outside their transmission slots. A comprehensive energy saving model accounting for both optical backhaul and wireless front-end components and a delay analysis based on M/G/1 queuing are presented. Results reveal that with their extremely long lifetime and ability to sustain in harsh environments, FOSs are superior to WSs when advanced interrogation techniques are deployed to reduce their total cost. ECO-SFiWi achieves more than 89% of energy savings, while maintaining low delay for both broadband and smart grid traffic in typical scenarios. FPGA hardware emulation and analytical results match well verifying the effectiveness of ECO-SFiWi.


Due to excellent property enhancement and the versatile application in automotive, aeropspace and ocean engineering applications, research in nanoclay related polymer composites has been a hot topic in the past few years. It is believed that the use of this material to form composites is able to enhance the mechanical, thermal and electrical properties of Polyurethane (PU), Polyester (PE) and Epoxy. However, these composites have only achieved a small strength increment that is below expected potential. For making anti-foulng coatig materials for ocean engineeirng applications, the difficulties are on how to produce uniformly-dispersed nanoclay/polymer composites and avoid clustering effect. In this project, a new experiment setup is proposed to mix nanoclay and epoxy together to form uniformly-dispersed nano-sized nanoclay cluster/epoxy composites. In the experiment, it was found that the micro-hardness of the composites (with 5 wt.% of nanoclay) increased up to 50% under a controlled spinning, curing time and temperature environment.


Author(s): Datta, K; Williams, S; Volkov, V; Carter, J; Oliker, L; Shalf, J; Yelick, K | Editor(s): Kurzak, J; Bader, D; Dongarra, J | Abstract: © 2011 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC. The recent transformation from an environment where gains in computational performance came from increasing clock frequency and other hardware engineering innovations, to an environment where gains are realized through the deployment of ever increasing numbers of modest performance cores has profoundly changed the landscape of scientific application programming. This exponential increase in core count represents both an opportunity and a challenge: access to petascale simulation capabilities and beyond will require that this concurrency be efficiently exploited. The problem for application programmers is further compounded by the diversity of multicore architectures that are now emerging [4]. From relatively complex out-of-order CPUs with complex cache structures, to relatively simple cores that support hardware multithreading, to chips that require explicit use of software controlled memory, designing optimal code for these different platforms represents a serious impediment. An emerging solution to this problem is auto-tuning: the automatic generation of many versions of a code kernel that incorporate various tuning strategies, and the benchmarking of these to select the highest performing version. Typical tuning strategies might include: maximizing incore performance with loop unrolling and restructuring; maximizing memory bandwidth by exploiting non-uniform memory access (NUMA), engaging prefetch by directives; and minimizing memory traffic by cache blocking or array padding. Often a key parameter is associated with each tuning strategy (e.g., the amount of loop unrolling or the cache blocking factor), and these parameters must be explored in addition to the layering of the basic strategies themselves.


Neuropsychiatric lupus manifestations, especially the common disorders of mood and cognition, can be mediated by cytokines or by antibodies. In particular, a subset of anti-DNA antibodies has been shown to bind the N-methyl d-aspartate receptor. The antibodies preferentially bind the active configuration of the receptor, augmenting the effects of ligand binding. Meta-analysis has confirmed that high serum titers of these antibodies, present in 30%–40% of SLE patients, are associated with cognitive impairment. In a mouse model, antibody within the circulation is not harmful to the brain unless there is a breach in blood-brain barrier integrity. If there is an insult to the hippocampal vasculature, antibody gains access to hippocampal neurons and mediates tissue damage in 2 distinct stages. First, there is immediate antibody-mediated excitotoxicity causing neuronal loss. Second, after antibody is no longer present in the brain, there is microglial activation and dendritic pruning of surviving neurons. The brain injury that ensues leads to impairment in spatial cognition. These studies suggest there are two distinct approaches to therapy; one might modulate the initial damage by neutralising the pathogenic antibodies or maintaining blood-brain barrier integrity, the other might mitigate the later damage by inhibiting microglial cells.


To the Editor .—The protection of the duodenum from the development of an aortoenteric fistula following aneurysm resection and graft replacement has been a concern of surgeons since the initiation of the procedure. NumerCreation of barrier against fistula using remaining aneurysm wall. ous techniques 1-5 have been proposed to prevent this complication. With the development of the inclusion technique, 6 a large amount of aneurysm wall remains, permitting construction of a barrier of thickened aneurysmal wall between the proximal anastomotic line and the overlying duodenum. Following the insertion of the graft to replace the aneurysm, a flap of aneurysm wall is fashioned from either side of the remaining aortic wall (Figure). This is swung anteriorly over the proximal anastomotic line and sutured to tissue overlying the proximal portion of the aorta with interrupted 3-0 polyglycolic acid sutures, with care being taken to avoid entering the vessel. The remainder of the


Selecting a man-machine interface for a programmable logic controller (PLC)-based process control system that will meet the needs of a cement industry plant over the projected lifetime of the control system requires consideration of many issues. Some of the issues are soft and include such things as opinions, personal prejudices, and judgments of the people involved. Other issues are hard facts such as the technical performance characteristics and specifications. The authors suggest evaluating both categories of issues while keeping them separate. Examining issues such as cost, modular design, data handling techniques, communication network concepts and open architecture and obtaining an evaluation copy of the software that will allow taking the system on a 'test drive' are also suggested. The authors suggest a format that can be used to arrange the critical issues into a table that will help the process of comparing the many issues in summary form so that the optimum solution can be selected for the specific requirements of the facility involved. >


Although recent X-ray computed tomography (CT) data show that ventral-dorsal gradients in density are common in the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), we hypothesized that the ventral-dorsal gradient of pulmonary vascular permeability would be evenly distributed in patients with ARDS. We tested this hypothesis by analyzing previously reported data (Am Rev Respir Dis 1991; 143:150-154) obtained by the nuclear medicine imaging technique of positron emission tomography (PET). Measurements of regional lung density (LD), extravascular density (EVD), and the pulmonary transcapillary escape rate (PTCER; an index of vascular permeability) were obtained in eight patients with ARDS and in 10 normal subjects. The data from four contiguous tomographic slices were organized into 20 anatomically oriented "bins" from the ventral (Bin #1) to dorsal (Bin #20) position. Mean overall LD, ERD, and PTCER were all significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the ARDS patients than in normal subjects. Regression slopes of LD versus bin and EVD versus bin were significantly positive (ventral-to-dorsal) in seven of eight and six of eight ARDS patients, respectively. Mean PTCER values showed no difference between ventral and dorsal bin values. A significantly negative slope of PTCER versus bin was detected in five cases and a positive slope in 3, so that the group value was not significant. These data confirm that ventral-dorsal gradients in LD and EVD exist in patients with ARDS. In contrast, no consistent ventral-dorsal distribution of increased pulmonary vascular permeability is present.


Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN networks) are becoming an important topic in the eyes of researchers because of its vast variety of applications in various fields. WSNs are application specific networks which have a large number of small, randomly deployed self-configurable sensor nodes, capable of sensing an event, computing and communicating the event details with the neighboring sensor nodes. In many technologies, like Internet of Things (IoTs), WSNs act as a digital skin by which the information about the outside world is obtained. WSNs are used in many applications, in particular, Personal applications like home automation, Business applications like sales tracking, Industrial applications, and military applications etc. So the task of WSN is not only sensing but also the computation of data which is their responsibility and hence the quality of data is very crucial. Since there are no particular criteria for the deployment of sensor nodes, the hostile environments in which they are deployed and their energy constraints, they are very much vulnerable to anomalies and attacks. Any deviation from the normal sensing profile can be considered as an abnormality in the network. This paper gives an overview of such cases in a WSN.


Despite the inverse association between physical activity (PA) and incident hypertension, a comprehensive assessment of the quantitative dose–response association between PA and hypertension has not been reported. We performed a meta-analysis, including dose–response analysis, to quantitatively evaluate this association. We searched PubMed and Embase databases for articles published up to November 1, 2016. Random effects generalized least squares regression models were used to assess the quantitative association between PA and hypertension risk across studies. Restricted cubic splines were used to model the dose–response association. We identified 22 articles (29 studies) investigating the risk of hypertension with leisure-time PA or total PA, including 330 222 individuals and 67 698 incident cases of hypertension. The risk of hypertension was reduced by 6% (relative risk, 0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.92–0.96) with each 10 metabolic equivalent of task h/wk increment of leisure-time PA. We found no evidence of a nonlinear dose–response association of PA and hypertension (Pnonlinearity=0.094 for leisure-time PA and 0.771 for total PA). With the linear cubic spline model, when compared with inactive individuals, for those who met the guidelines recommended minimum level of moderate PA (10 metabolic equivalent of task h/wk), the risk of hypertension was reduced by 6% (relative risk, 0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.92–0.97). This meta-analysis suggests that additional benefits for hypertension prevention occur as the amount of PA increases.


We present a SOFIA FORCAST grism spectroscopic survey to examine the mineralogy of the circumstellar dust in a sample of post-asymptotic giant branch (post-AGB) yellow supergiants that are believed to be the precursors of planetary nebulae. Our mineralogical model of each star indicates the presence of both carbon-rich and oxygen-rich dust species—contrary to simple dredge-up models—with a majority of the dust in the form of amorphous carbon and graphite. The oxygen-rich dust is primarily in the form of amorphous silicates. The spectra do not exhibit any prominent crystalline silicate emission features. For most of the systems, our analysis suggests that the grains are relatively large and have undergone significant processing, supporting the hypothesis that the dust is confined to a Keplerian disk and that we are viewing the heavily processed, central regions of the disk from a nearly face-on orientation. These results help to determine the physical properties of the post-AGB circumstellar environment and to constrain models of post-AGB mass loss and planetary nebula formation.


Acid soils have been responsible for the poor performance of most plant species, and liming is an efficient way of correcting the pH of such soils. The aim of this study was to assess the performance and establishment of the Brachiaria hybrid 'Mulatto II' under different doses and forms of limestone application. The experimental design was of five doses of limestone (0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 t ha-1) and two forms of application (broadcasting over the surface, and broadcasting followed by hoeing the top 20 cm of soil) with three replications, in 3 x 3 metre plots of the Brachiaria hybrid 'Mulatto II'. The greatest number of germinated seeds was at the dose of 4 t ha-1 limestone when incorporated into the soil. For height, the greatest values found were at the maximum dose of limestone when incorporated into the soil. Dry matter production was not influenced by the form of limestone application, however production increased with the supply of limestone. The hybrid variety proved easily adaptable to different soil and climate conditions.

 Key words: Liming,  tropical pasture, fodder availability, dry matter.


Background: Xylene is used as a clearing agent in hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) staining of tissue sections in routine histopathology based diagnosis. However, the hazards associated with exposure to xylene are of concern. Numerous solutions mainly essential oils have been evaluated in the past as clearing agents, which can possibly be substituted for xylene during the routine tissue processing. Aim: The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of essential oil (cedarwood oil), as a possible replacement for xylene in H and E staining procedures. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in the Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology. Thirty paraffin blocks of the routine biopsy specimen were retrieved from the department archives. The cedarwood oil was procured from organic and essential oil dealer in the local market. Two to three paraffin sections of four micron thickness were cut from each of the 30 paraffin blocks of processed tissue specimens, were subjected to different clearing agents: Essential oil (8% cedarwood oil) or xylene and stained with H and E stain. The stained sections were scored based on nuclear and cytoplasmic details, clarity and uniformity of staining. Results: Significant correlation was observed between cedarwood oil and xylene in terms of the three staining quality parameters assessed. Conclusions: We conclude that cedarwood oil can be an effective, eco-friendly and safe alternative to xylene as a clearing agent in the histopathological laboratory.


Basic food must be guaranteed by States as a fundamental right of all people. In this article we defend the hypothesis that the path of justiciability is insufficient to achieve full recognition of the right to food as a fundamental social right. A strong and active public sphere is needed to address the obstacles to this recognition today. Some of them are actually related to the inherited legal culture. And, on the other hand, that promotes the creation of new institutions to guarantee social rights. The constitutional State needs a "fourth estate" that guarantees fundamental rights and protects the common good from private powers.


Inbreeding mating systems are uncommon because of inbreeding depression. Mating among close relatives can evolve, however, when outcrossing is constrained. Social spiders show obligatory mating among siblings. In combination with a female‐biased sex ratio, sib‐mating results in small effective populations. In such a system, high genetic homozygosity is expected, and drift may cause population divergence. We tested the effect of outcrossing in the social spider Stegodyphus dumicola. Females were mated to sib‐males, to a non‐nestmate within the population, or to a male from a distant population, and fitness traits of F1s were compared. We found reduced hatching success of broods from between‐population crosses, suggesting the presence of population divergence at a large geographical scale that may result in population incompatibility. However, a lack of a difference in offspring performance between inbred and outbred crosses indicates little genetic variation between populations, and could suggest recent colonization by a common ancestor. This is consistent with population dynamics of frequent colonizations by single sib‐mated females of common origin, and extinctions of populations after few generations. Although drift or single mutations can lead to population divergence at a relatively short time scale, it is possible that dynamic population processes homogenize these effects at longer time scales.


This poster presents the satellite based Interferometric Synthethic Aperture Radar (InSAR) processing we carried out in the framework of the European Seventh Framework Programme "Perpetuate" project (Performance-Based Approach To Earthquake Protection Of Cultural Heritage In European And Mediterranean Countries). "Perpetuate" project intends to develop European Guidelines for the evaluation and mitigation of seismic risk to cultural heritage assets, with innovative techniques for the seismic strengthening of historical buildings and the preservation of unmovable artworks. Our objective was to perform an assessment of ground surface displacement in the historical centre of the city of Rhodes using the satellite based Persistent Scatterers Interferometry technique (PSI).To do so we used the European Space Agency ENVISAT Advances Synthetic Aperture Radar data acquired between 2002 and late 2010 (28 images). We produced a velocity map for the period 2002-2010 on the historical center of city of Rhodes using PSI techniques. This map shows us a subsidence trend on selected ground targets (buildings). The maximum observed trend of subsidence is as high as 1.5 cm per year. On selected targets, we have extracted Time Series of surface displacements. The Time Series allow us to follow the temporal evolution and trends of the subsidence movement on selected targets. We suggest that the buildings associated to these targets should be monitored in more details with ground observation. In a further work, we suggest to couple our InSAR PSI measurement to ground measurements in order to better characterize the surface movements. The results presented here complement field observation and might be very useful to plan new dedicated field missions and measurements. The PSI results provide a new look to help evaluating seismic risks in the city of Rhodes.


We describe the anisotropic swelling within the Flory-Rehner thermodynamic model through an extension of the elastic component of the free-energy, which takes into account the oriented hampering of the swelling-induced deformations due to the presence of stiffer fibers. We also characterize the homogeneous free-swelling solutions of the corresponding anisotropic stress-diffusion problem, and discuss an asymptotic approximation of the key equations, which allows us to explicitly derive the anisotropic solution of the problem. We propose a proof-of-concept of our model, realizing thin bilayered gel sheets with layers having different anisotropic structures. In particular, for seedpod-like sheets, we observe and quantitatively measure the helicoid versus ribbon transition determined by the aspect ratio of the composite sheet.


Abstract. Coastal salt marshes are dynamic, intertidal ecosystems that are increasingly being recognised for their contributions to ecosystem services, including carbon (C) accumulation and storage. The survival of salt marshes and their capacity to store C under rising sea levels, however, is partially reliant upon sedimentation rates and influenced by a combination of physical and biological factors. In this study, we use several complementary methods to assess short-term (days) deposition and medium-term (months) accretion dynamics within a single marsh that contains three salt marsh vegetation types common throughout southeastern (SE) Australia. We found that surface accretion varies among vegetation assemblages, with medium-term (19 months) bulk accretion rates in the upper marsh rush (Juncus) assemblage (1.74 ± 0.13 mm yr−1) consistently in excess of estimated local sea-level rise (1.15 mm yr−1). Accretion rates were lower and less consistent in both the succulent (Sarcocornia, 0.78 ± 0.18 mm yr−1) and grass (Sporobolus, 0.88 ± 0.22 mm yr−1) assemblages located lower in the tidal frame. Short-term (6 days) experiments showed deposition within Juncus plots to be dominated by autochthonous organic inputs with C deposition rates ranging from 1.14 ± 0.41 mg C cm−2 d−1 (neap tidal period) to 2.37 ± 0.44 mg C cm−2 d−1 (spring tidal period), while minerogenic inputs and lower C deposition dominated Sarcocornia (0.10 ± 0.02 to 0.62 ± 0.08 mg C cm−2 d−1) and Sporobolus (0.17 ± 0.04 to 0.40 ± 0.07 mg C cm−2 d−1) assemblages. Elemental (C : N), isotopic (δ13C), mid-infrared (MIR) and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses revealed little difference in either the source or character of materials being deposited among neap versus spring tidal periods. Instead, these analyses point to substantial redistribution of materials within the Sarcocornia and Sporobolus assemblages, compared to high retention and preservation of organic inputs in the Juncus assemblage. By combining medium-term accretion quantification with short-term deposition measurements and chemical analyses, we have gained novel insights into above-ground biophysical processes that may explain previously observed regional differences in surface dynamics among key salt marsh vegetation assemblages. Our results suggest that Sarcocornia and Sporobolus assemblages may be particularly susceptible to changes in sea level, though quantification of below-ground processes (e.g. root production, compaction) is needed to confirm this.


We present 5–36 μm mid-infrared spectra of 82 young stars in the ∼2 Myr old Chamaeleon I star-forming region, obtained with the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS). We have classified these objects into various evolutionary classes based on their spectral energy distributions and the spectral features seen in the IRS spectra. We have analyzed the mid-IR spectra of Class II objects in Chamaeleon I in detail, in order to study the vertical and radial structure of the protoplanetary disks surrounding these stars. We find evidence for substantial dust settling in most protoplanetary disks in Chamaeleon I. We have identified several disks with altered radial structures in Chamaeleon I, among them transitional disk candidates which have holes or gaps in their disks. Analysis of the silicate emission features in the IRS spectra of Class II objects in Cha I shows that the dust grains in these disks have undergone significant processing (grain growth and crystallization). However, disks with radial holes/gaps appear to have relatively unprocessed grains. We further find the crystalline dust content in the inner (≲1–2 AU) and the intermediate (≲10 AU) regions of the protoplanetary disks to be tightly correlated. We also investigate the effects of accretion and stellar multiplicity on the disk structure and dust properties. Finally, we compare the observed properties of protoplanetary disks in Cha I with those in slightly younger Taurus and Ophiuchus regions and discuss the effects of disk evolution in the first 1–2 Myr.


A detailed analysis of electron swarm transport through neon gas at applied reduced electric fields of E/N < 2 Td is presented. The root mean square difference of transport parameters calculated from a recent all-order many-body perturbation theory treatment (Cheng et al 2014 Phys. Rev. A 89 012701) with drift velocity measurements by the Australian National University group (Robertson 1972 J. Phys. B 5 648) is less than 1%. Differences of about 3% exist with characteristic energies, DT/μ, (Koizumi et al 1984 J. Phys. B 17 4387) indicating an incompatibility at the 3% level between drift velocity and transverse diffusion coefficient measurements. Multi-term solutions of the Boltzmann equation indicate that the two-term approximation gives transport parameters accurate to better than 0.01%. The diffusion constant at thermal energies is found to be sensitive to the numerical representation of the cross section. A recommended elastic momentum transfer cross section has been constructed that has a maximum difference of 0.5% with all ANU drift velocity data for E/N < 1.6 Td and a root mean square difference that is about a factor of 2 smaller.


Neuropixels probes present exciting new opportunities for neuroscience, but such large-scale high-density recordings also introduce unprecedented challenges in data analysis. Neuropixels data usually consist of hundreds or thousands of long stretches of sequential spiking activities that evolve non-stationarily over time and are often governed by complex, unknown dynamics. Extracting meaningful information from the Neuropixels recordings is a non-trial task. Here we introduce a general-purpose, graph-based statistical framework that, without imposing any parametric assumptions, detects points in time at which population spiking activity exhibits simultaneous changes as well as changes that only occur in a subset of the neural population, referred to as "change-points". The sequence of change-point events can be interpreted as a footprint of neural population activities, which allows us to relate behavior to simultaneously recorded high-dimensional neural activities across multiple brain regions. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method with an analysis of Neuropixels recordings during spontaneous behavior of an awake mouse in darkness. We observe that change-point dynamics in some brain regions display biologically interesting patterns that hint at functional pathways, as well as temporally-precise coordination with behavioral dynamics. We hypothesize that neural activities underlying spontaneous behavior, though distributed brainwide, show evidences for network modularity. Moreover, we envision the proposed framework to be a useful off-the-shelf analysis tool to the neuroscience community as new electrophysiological recording techniques continue to drive an explosive proliferation in the number and size of data sets.


Colloidal GaP nanowires (NWs) were synthesized on a large scale by a surfactant-free, self-seeded solution-liquid-solid (SLS) method using triethylgallium and tris(trimethylsilyl)phosphine as precursors and a noncoordinating squalane solvent. Ga nanoscale droplets were generated in situ by thermal decomposition of the Ga precursor and subsequently promoted the NW growth. The GaP NWs were not intentionally doped and showed a positive open-circuit photovoltage based on photoelectrochemical measurements. Purified GaP NWs were used for visible-light-driven water splitting. Upon photodeposition of Pt nanoparticles on the wire surfaces, significantly enhanced hydrogen production was observed. The results indicate that colloidal surfactant-free GaP NWs combined with potent surface electrocatalysts could serve as promising photocathodes for artificial photosynthesis.


The CP -violating weak phase φ s and the decay width difference (cid:4)(cid:5) s between the light and heavy B 0 s mass eigenstates are measured with the CMS detector at the LHC in a sample of 48 500 reconstructed B 0 s → J / ψ φ ( 1020 ) → μ + μ − K + K − events. The measurement is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 96 . 4fb − 1 , collected in proton-proton collisions at √ s = 13 TeV in 2017–2018. To extract the values of φ s and (cid:4)(cid:5) s , a time-dependent and flavor-tagged angular analysis of the μ + μ − K + K − final state is performed. The analysis employs a dedicated tagging trigger and a novel opposite-side muon flavor tagger based on machine learning techniques. The measurement yields φ s = − 11 ± 50 (stat) ± 10 (syst)mrad and (cid:4)(cid:5) s = 0 . 114 ± 0 . 014 (stat) ± 0 . 007 (syst)ps − 1 , in agreement with the standard model predictions. When combined with the previous CMS measurement at √ s = 8 TeV, the following values are obtained: φ s = − 21 ± 44 (stat) ± 10 (syst)mrad, (cid:4)(cid:5) s = 0 . 1032 ± 0 . 0095 (stat) ± 0


In Multimodal Neural Machine Translation (MNMT), a neural model generates a translated sentence that describes an image, given the image itself and one source descriptions in English. This is considered as the multimodal image caption translation task. The images are processed with Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to extract visual features exploitable by the translation model. So far, the CNNs used are pre-trained on object detection and localization task. We hypothesize that richer architecture, such as dense captioning models, may be more suitable for MNMT and could lead to improved translations. We extend this intuition to the word-embeddings, where we compute both linguistic and visual representation for our corpus vocabulary. We combine and compare different confi


This paper presents a novel algorithm for estimating complex human motion from 3D video. We base our algorithm on a model-based approach which uses a complete surface mesh of a 3D human model to be matched with 3D video data. This type of method usually works well against partly incomplete input data. However, it fails to estimate what we call ldquocomplex motionrdquo: where some parts of the body touch each other for a long period. It is because the touching deteriorates the visibility of the neighbouring surface, which causes matching failures. In order to solve this problem, we introduce a ldquovisibilityrdquo measure for each mesh vertex that represents how it is occluded or missed on the observed surface. Using the ldquovisibilityrdquo we selectively suppress the outliers caused by low observability while traditional surface matching algorithms try to find corresponding area for the entire surface and cannot converge to the real posture by definition. Our algorithm shows improvements over naive surface matching algorithm on both synthesized and real 3D video.


We propose a model of the magnetic coupling (MC) of a retating black hole(BH) with the surrounding accretion disc in order to study the radial temperature profile in the inner region of the disc,in which a linear map from the angular coordinate on the BH horizon to the radial coordinate on the thin disc is given by closed magnetic field lines.The MC power and torque are derived using a modified equivalent circuit.It is shown that the MC effects on the temperature profile are related intimately to the BH spin,resulting in the variation of the value and the position of the peak temperature.It turns out that the value range of the colour temperature of the disc is extended by the MC effects.


It is useful to think of intellectual property (IP) law both as a system of property rights that promotes the production of valuable information and as a system of government regulation that unintentionally promotes socially harmful rent-seeking. This Article analyzes methods of controlling rent-seeking costs associated with opportunistic and anti-competitive IP lawsuits. My thinking is guided to some extent by the analysis of procedural measures for controlling frivolous litigation, and analysis of antitrust reforms designed to control strategic abuse of antitrust law. These analogies lead me to focus on pre-trial and post-trial control measures that reduce the credibility of weak IP lawsuits. I conclude that intellectual property courts show some awareness of the value of fee-shifting and summary judgment as tools for controlling opportunistic and anti-competitive lawsuits. Courts display less awareness of the need to restrict preliminary injunctions or encourage declaratory judgments as control measures. Antitrust suits have only a limited role in deterring the most egregious anti-competitive conduct. Besides attacking the credibility of weak lawsuits, it is probably desirable to eliminate the threat of some kinds of IP lawsuits entirely. This could be accomplished by eliminating or restricting IP rights such as business method patents, trade dress protection of product configuration and design, and copyright protection of art reproductions. In other words, it may be desirable to curtail the "standing" of parties who own IP rights that generate a substantial threat of opportunistic or anti-competitive litigation with little corresponding benefit in terms of productive incentives.


In this letter, we explore a method to obtain accurate ocean heights using measurements of the global positioning system (GPS) carrier phase after reflection on the sea surface. A carrier tracking algorithm is employed in measuring travel path differences between GPS direct and reflected signals collected from antennas suspended over a marine estuary, when roughness guarantees partially coherent reflections at the GPS L1 frequency. This technique proves to be sensitive to surface roughness and able to follow tide variations with a precision better than 5 cm (1-sigma) for sea states with significant wave heights below 10 cm. It is expected that this technique could be further extended to rougher sea states using GPS frequency combinations with longer synthetic wavelengths.


Computational models for sarcasm detection have often relied on the content of utterances in isolation. However, the speaker's sarcastic intent is not always apparent without additional context. Focusing on social media discussions, we investigate three issues: (1) does modeling conversation context help in sarcasm detection? (2) can we identify what part of conversation context triggered the sarcastic reply? and (3) given a sarcastic post that contains multiple sentences, can we identify the specific sentence that is sarcastic? To address the first issue, we investigate several types of Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks that can model both the conversation context and the current turn. We show that LSTM networks with sentence-level attention on context and current turn, as well as the conditional LSTM network, outperform the LSTM model that reads only the current turn. As conversation context, we consider the prior turn, the succeeding turn, or both. Our computational models are tested on two types of social media platforms: Twitter and discussion forums. We discuss several differences between these data sets, ranging from their size to the nature of the gold-label annotations. To address the latter two issues, we present a qualitative analysis of the attention weights produced by the LSTM models (with attention) and discuss the results compared with human performance on the two tasks.


Social networking sites engage millions of users around the world. The users' interactions with these social sites, such as Twitter and Facebook have a tremendous impact and occasionally undesirable repercussions for daily life. The prominent social networking sites have turned into a target platform for the spammers to disperse a huge amount of irrelevant and deleterious information. Twitter, for example, has become one of the most extravagantly used platforms of all times and therefore allows an unreasonable amount of spam. Fake users send undesired tweets to users to promote services or websites that not only affect legitimate users but also disrupt resource consumption. Moreover, the possibility of expanding invalid information to users through fake identities has increased those results in the unrolling of harmful content. Recently, the detection of spammers and identification of fake users on Twitter has become a common area of research in contemporary online social Networks (OSNs). In this paper, we perform a review of techniques used for detecting spammers on Twitter. Moreover, a taxonomy of the Twitter spam detection approaches is presented that classifies the techniques based on their ability to detect: (i) fake content, (ii) spam based on URL, (iii) spam in trending topics, and (iv) fake users. The presented techniques are also compared based on various features, such as user features, content features, graph features, structure features, and time features. We are hopeful that the presented study will be a useful resource for researchers to find the highlights of recent developments in Twitter spam detection on a single platform.


Long-distance bidirectional transport of organelles depends on the motor proteins kinesin and dynein. Using quantitative data obtained from a fungal model system, we previously developed ASEP-models of bidirectional motion of motors along unipolar microtubules (MTs) near the cell ends of the elongated hyphal cells (herein referred as "unipolar section"). However, recent quantitative live cell imaging in this system has demonstrated that long-range motility of motors and their endosomal cargo mainly occurs along extended antipolar microtubule bundles within the central part of the cell (herein referred to as "bipolar section"). Dynein and kinesin-3 motors coordinate their activity to move early endosomes (EEs) in a bidirectional fashion, with dynein mediating retrograde motility along the unipolar section near the cell poles, whereas kinesin-3 is responsible for bidirectional motions along the antipolar section. Here we extend our modelling approach to simulate bidirectional motility along an antipolar microtubule bundle. In our model, cargos (particles) change direction on each MT with a turning rate $\Omega$ and the MTs are linked to each other at the minus ends where particles can hop between MTs with a rate $q_1$ (obstacle-induced switching rate) or $q_2$ (end-induced switching rate). By numerical simulations and mean-field approximations, we investigate the distribution of particles along the MTs for different overall densities $\Theta$. We find that even if $\Theta$ is low, the system can exhibit shocks in the density profiles near plus and minus ends caused by queueing of particles. We also discuss how the switching rates $q_{1,2}$ influence the type of motor that dominates the active transport in the bundle.


Edward Gordon Craig (1872-1966) is known as one of the 20thcentury's most influential theatre theorists and makers; he was also a trained actor. The broad scope of 'theatre maker', albeit not a term Craig would have used himself, aptly captures how his ideas on the fusion of 'technical stagecrafts' (conventionally seen as set construction, stage management, lighting and sound) and 'creative stagecrafts' (acting, music, literature, and dance) inform approaches to directing and anticipate collaborative models of authorship. While this relates to the role of a director, the notion of a theatre maker is also inclusive of the collaborative roles and practices of a contemporary scenographer or dramaturg, actor or choreographer. Accordingly, Craig's practicalexperiments and theoretical arguments positioned the material and spatial elements of theatre as complementary and integral, rather than in service to performers or as superficial decoration. Influenced by the staging principles of Ancient Greek drama, Craig argued that theatre had become too focused on literary texts and needed to rediscover an art of staging that embraced the experiential qualities of light and sound. The ideas that inform contemporary approaches to theatre making are partly in debt to Craig through his argument for a renewed harmony between the individual stagecrafts.


PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-urolithiasis effects of aqueous extracts of Malva neglecta Wallr on ethylene glycol and ammonium chloride induced kidney stones in a rat model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total number of 64 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into eight groups equally: group I (normal control), group II (disease control), groups III and IV (sham), groups V and VI (preventive groups), and groups VII and VIII (curative groups). Group I received tap drinking water, groups III and IV were given intra-peritoneal injections of 200 and 800 mg/kg aqueous extracts for 28 days. Groups II, V, VI, VII, and VIII received 1% ethylene glycol plus 0.25% ammonium chloride in drinking water for 28 days. Groups V and VI were given intra- peritoneal injections of 200 and 800 mg/kg aqueous extracts for 28 days and groups VII and VIII received intra-peritoneal injections of 200 and 800 mg/kg aqueous extracts from the 14th day of the experiment. After 28 days the kidneys were removed and observed for calcium oxalate (CaOx) deposits and tubulointerstitial changes.

RESULTS
The extract significantly decreased CaOx deposits and tubulointerstitial damage in the preventive groups (P < .001). In curative groups, a low dosage of extract, reduced kidney oxalate deposits and tubulointerstitial damage (P < .05). In addition a significant decrease was observed in crystal deposition and tubulointerstitial damage in high dosed group (P < .001). However, high dosed preventive and curative groups seemed to be more effective (P ≤ .001).

CONCLUSION
Malva neglecta Wallr has beneficial effects on preventing and treating CaOx deposition and decreasing tubulointerstitial damage on a dosage dependent manner. These effects may be due to the components presented in this plant such as saponins, flavonoids, mucilage, and phenolic compounds.


Objective(s) Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most important cause of chronic lung infections and death in patients with cystic fibrosis. Determining the distribution of specific strains within patient populations is important in order to examine the epidemiology of the disease and the possibility of cross infection among patients. Materials and Methods Forty six Iranian patients with cystic fibrosis were studied for colonization with P. aeruginosa. Colony phenotype was recorded and antibiotic susceptibility to 11 antibiotics was determined using the disc diffusion method. Genetic fingerprinting was carried out by RAPD–PCR and by PFGE. Results Forty five P. aeruginosa isolates were recovered from 31 patients including sequential cultures from 9 subjects. The rate of colonization increased with age. All isolates were susceptible to tobramycin and ciprofloxacin, 97.8% were sensitive to amikacin and piperacillin, 93.3% to gentamycin, 91.1% to ticarcillin, 86.7% to colistin, 80% to carbenicillin, 48.9% to cefotaxime, 26.7% to imipenem and 11.1% to ceftazidime. Genetic fingerprinting showed similar distribution profiles for RAPD-PCR and PFGE and the majority of the isolates had unique fingerprints. Conclusion No relationship was observed between the obtained genotypes and antibiotic susceptibility profiles and common predominant virulent clones were not found among the isolates.


textabstractThis dissertation brings together results of my NWO-funded ethnography --into the
drug taking rituals of regular users of heroin, cocaine and other psychoactive
substances--, resulting studies and some twenty years of puzzlement and subsequent
pondering. The NWO study was initiated in the former Erasmus University Institute for
Preventive and Social Psychiatry (IPSP) by professor Charles D. Kaplan and the late
institute director professor Kees Trimbos. The work was completed within the walls of
the new-born lnstituut voor Verslavingsonderzoek (IVO), Addiction Research Institute,
and the safety of my home.
The assumed failure of users of illicit drugs to conform with common standards of
socially appropriate conduct is directly associated with the use of a substance which
supposedly renders them powerless. This image is not only part of popular wisdom,
but, in different forms also recognized in several scientific theories.' Many theories
emphasize the powerful pharmacological properties of psychoactive drugs. others
relate (problematic) substance use to f.e. deficient personality structures, ego
problems, impaired psychological development, acute distress or psychiatric problems.
Again other theories associate drug use with environmental deficits, such as poverty.
All of these factors may, indeed, explain part of the phenomenon, but the frequent
emphasis on only one aspect, be it a pharmacological, psychological or social factor,
is in my opinion erroneous. Until now, none of these schools has produced specific
correlations between cause and effect. A number of recent studies have
questioned these (rather) mono-causal explanations and emphasized the multi·
dimensionality of drug taking behaviors.