Written constitutions are a major site of contestation in the political struggles by marginalised groups to have their identities respected within public institutions – the 'politics of recognition', in Charles Taylor's influential coinage. I argue in this paper that, in struggles over recognition, two dimensions of written constitutions are pertinent. The first – the constitutional dimension, which is the primary role of written constitutions – is to distribute and limit the most fundamental aspects of public power within the state. Accordingly, written constitutions may be amended to redistribute public power in a way that better respects a given group's identity. A second element of written constitutions – a non-constitutional, symbolic dimension – is their status as cultural symbols of the polities to which they are attached. Constitutional amendments recognising identity groups may thus seek to render these symbols more inclusive and representative of the polity overall. The politics of constitutional recognition have played out in recent years in Australia in relation to the nation's Indigenous peoples, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Though many proposals for constitutionally recognising Indigenous peoples have been controversial, one sort of reform has garnered significant mainstream political support. This kind of reform entails the insertion of explicit but legally ineffectual mentions of Indigenous peoples within either a preamble or discrete section of the constitutional text. Several amendments along these lines have already been made to constitutions at the State level, and there will likely be a similar proposal put forward at the national level within the next few years.Though these reforms take place within written constitutions, there is nothing particularly constitutional about them. Having no effect on the distribution of public power within the Australian legal order, such reforms focus entirely on the non-constitutional symbolic function of written constitutions. In this paper, I argue that attending to the expressive dimension of written constitutions should not be discarded from the politics of recognition: symbolic recognition in written constitutions can have salutary effects for those being recognised. However, as the Australian example shows, constitutional recognition that is purely symbolic can be deficient in two major ways. First, denying such forms of recognition any substantive constitutional function can have negative symbolic effects in itself. Second, the pursuit of wholly symbolic recognition in written constitutions often neglects valid grievances about how power is wielded by the state over the group in question. For both problems, the solution is pursuing substantive forms of constitutional recognition.


Methods: From a group of 477 early mild gestational hypertensive patients submitted to an echocardiographic examination, 236 patients with TVR>1350 dyn·s·cm-5 were randomly selected to pharmacological (119 patients, Group A) or non pharmacological treatment (117 patients, Group B). Pharmacological treatment was started within 24 hours from diagnosis and patients of goup A and B were submitted to another echocardiographic examination after 15 days. Pregnancy was followed by an independent observer who classified pregnancy as uneventful or complicated (fetal growth restriction, occurrence of proteinuria, HELLP syndrome, etc.) Results: Gestational age at diagnosis was 28.5 ± 1.5 for group A and 28.6 ± 1.6 for group B. TVR was 1524 ± 122 at diagnosis and 1238 ± 15915 days after initiation of treatment in group A (p < 0.05). TVR was 1499 ± 145 at diagnosis and 1432 ± 18815 days after diagnosis in group B (P = NS). The rate of complications was 23.5% (28 cases) in group A and 39.3% (46 cases) in group B (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Reduction of TVR might reduce the rate of complications in early mild gestational hypertension.


Museum Informatics explores the sociotechnical issues that arise when people, information, and technology interact in museums. It is designed specifically to address the many challenges faced by museums, museum professionals, and museum visitors in the information society. It examines not only applications of new technologies in museums, but how advances in information science and technology have changed the very nature of museums, both what it is to work in one, and what it is to visit one. To explore these issues, Museum Informatics offers a selection of contributed chapters, written by leading museum researchers and practitioners, each covering significant themes or concepts fundamental to the study of museum informatics and providing practical examples and detailed case studies useful for museum researchers and professionals. In this way, Museum Informatics offers a fresh perspective on the sociotechnical interactions that occur between people, information, and technology in museums, presented in a format accessible to multiple audiences, including researchers, students, museum professionals, and museum visitors.


Background Immunosuppressive treatment in pregnant organ recipients can affect functions of the fetal and newborn immune system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of this treatment on selected parameters of the immune system of children born to mothers after liver transplantation. Material/Methods The study included 52 children born to liver recipients and 52 children in the control group. The study was conducted in the 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Warsaw. Children from the 1st day of life to 10 years of age were examined. Serum antibody concentrations of IgG, IgM, and IgA were measured by the immune agglutination method on a Cobas 6000 analyzer. Results Comparison of mean IgG, IgM, and IgA levels and with reference values did not show a significant difference between the study and control group (p>0.05). Immunoglobulin concentrations were also analyzed in the groups of children according to their age at the time of the test and the type of calcineurin inhibitor used in the mother's treatment. The analysis showed a significant difference in the distribution of IgA concentrations in comparison to the normal values (p<0.05), as well as mean IgA (p<0.05) and IgM concentrations (p<0.05) according to the type of immunosuppressive treatment of the mother (tacrolimus or cyclosporin treatment regimen). Conclusions Analysis of the type of immunosuppressive therapy used during pregnancy revealed a possible influence of the type of calcineurin inhibitor on selected parameters of the immune system of the children; however, further research is needed to confirm these findings.


Background The specific function of pre-mRNA processing factors (Prps) in human malignancies has not been yet investigated. The aim of the present study was to determine the impacts of Prp8 in a common human malignancy, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods RT-qPCR and Western blotting were performed to measure the expression levels of Prp8 in various HCC cell lines and HCC tissues. A hepatic astrocyte line was transfected with a eukaryotic expression plasmid to overexpress Prp8. In addition, the endogenous expression level of Prp8 in HCC cells was silenced using a short hairpin RNA method, and the role of Prp8 on cell proliferation and migration was examined by Cell Counting Kit-8, wound healing assay and Transwell assays following knockdown in HCC cells, and overexpression in astrocytes. Results Upregulation of Prp8 expression was found to be associated with poor clinical outcomes in patients with HCC. The upregulation of Prp8 promoted cell viability, metastasis and the activity of the PI3K/Akt pathway in hepatic astrocytes cells and HCC cells. Interestingly, loss of Prp8 had no obvious impact on cell viability and migration in hepatic astrocytes, but significantly inhibit the cell malignancy of HCC cells. Functionally, the inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway reversed the increased cell viability and migration of HCC cells induced by Prp8 via inhibiting EMT process. Conclusion Collectively, the present results suggested that Prp8 served as a tumor promoter in HCC by targeting and regulating the PI3K/Akt pathway.


CARRIE DUNCAN: An Investigation into the Geography, Theology, and Architecture of the Byzantine Monastery at Tel Masos (Under the direction of Jodi Magness) The impetus for this study was the seeming lack of interest in Tel Masos as the site of a potential second East Syrian monastery in Palestine. Upon closer examination, the monastery's ascription as East Syrian was cast into doubt and a broader investigation began. It became clear that the monastery at Tel Masos had fallen into a void between academic disciplines. Geographically, the site falls within the discipline of Byzantine and early Islamic archaeology in Palestine, while theologically it belongs in the field of Syrian Christianity. Since the publication of the site, no one had taken the opportunity to bring the site into a dialogue wherein both facets, geographical and theological, were engaged. The main goal for this study was to start such a conversation.


This study was carried out for evaluating correlation of aging level and deformation resistance of asphalt mixtures conditioned by artificial aging treatment. The specimens were made of the short-term aged loose asphalt mixture which was kept in a convection oven at 154℃ for 2 hours, and then were artificially aged at 110℃ for 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours for longterm aging. Deformation strength (SD) and large molecular size ratio (LMS(%)) were measured after short-term and each long-term aging treatment to evaluate aging extents of each mixture with aging time using GPC(Gel-permeation chromatograph) test. It is shown that the SD and LMS(%) were increased with aging time increment, and that LMS(%) quantity and SD have relatively good correlation each other. This study found that the aged asphalt mixture had better resistance against rutting and it was possible to estimate rutting characteristics of asphalt mixtures by using LMS(%) without a binder recovery.


The Composites Design and Manufacturing HUB (cdmHUB) offers novel and useful capabilities for composites education. The cdmHUB is a cloud-based platform focused on advancing the best practice use of composites simulation. The distinguishing feature of the cdmHUB is the ability to run composites simulation tools over the browser. As of January 2016, the cdmHUB hosts 20 simulation tools with models for cure kinetics, laminate theory, lamina analysis, micromechanics, strength prediction, shear lag and multi-scale structural analysis. In addition, the cdmHUB offers collaborative and management features for community building and classroom management including groups, announcements, projects, calendaring, and discussion threads. At Purdue University, we have used the cdmHUB in teaching the graduate-level Mechanics of Composite Materials and Experimental Characterization of Advanced Composite Materials courses, including in distance-education classroom formats. In the mechanics course, the simulation tools allow the students to interact more readily and thoroughly with the models and theories presented throughout the course, such as micromechanics, lamina analysis, laminated plate theory and elementary strength prediction. In the experimental course, the tools facilitate comparison of experimental data to theory, for example comparison of off-axis strength data to off-axis failure theories; and fitting of model parameters, such as reverse engineering fiber strengths from lamina data. Browser-based access to the tools on the cdmHUB increases the freedom of the instructor to present real-time examples and demonstrations, including on-thefly responses to student questions and interests, and allows students to focus on exercising the model and exploring what the model can teach them rather than on the computer implementation of the model. Providing students with cdmHUBaccess to the simulation tools gives them a portable toolkit companion for their career. In the present, we will focus on the use of computational models and simulation tools and briefly touch on the use of the collaborative and management features offered by the cdmHUB. 1


The article deals with the main forensic issues in the fight against cybercrime, as a new threat to modern society. The statistics of cybercrime and the relevance of this problem in Ukraine and other countries of the world are given. The problems of applying the concept of computer crime and the need to amend the legal framework, as well as attracting the help of international organizations, companies and specialists in the field of information technology is examined. It analyzes the rapid increase in cybercrime in modern conditions. The interpretation of concepts related to crimes in cyberspace, both in national and international legislation, is considered. When considering the problem of combating cybercrime, the works of such scientists as L.P. Zverianskaia, M.A. Vinokurova, A.P. Kireenko, S.V. Chuprova.

The main problems that arise in the study of such crimes are identified:

– the lack of an agreed theoretical base, and as a result, legislative regulation suffers;

– lack of specialists in the field of information technology in law enforcement agencies; Криміналістика і судова експертиза. Випуск 65 290 The issues of prevention and combating cybercrime, and the solution of these problems are investigated.

The main measures to combat and minimize existing problems, namely:

– technical and theoretical improvement: the need to justify a single concept of cyberspace in all national legislation, from the point of view of forensics, which will allow a new legislative regulation of this area;

– new approaches based on a wider use of the achievements of scientific and technological progress that will help to successfully identify and investigate such crimes;

– the need to provide law enforcement with highly qualified specialists in the field of information technology;

– attracting international support in the form of international organizations, companies and specialists.


Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic modification of the gamete or zygote leading to parental origin-specific differential expression of the two alleles of a gene in somatic cells of the offspring. We previously reported that the human KVLQT1 gene is imprinted and disrupted in patients with germline balanced chromosomal rearrangements and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome. In human, the gene is imprinted in most fetal tissues except the heart, and KVLQT1 is part of a 1-Mb cluster of imprinted genes on human chromosome 11p15. 5. We sought to determine whether the mouse Kvlqt1 gene is imprinted, by performing interspecific crosses of 129/SvEv mice with CAST/Ei (Mus musculus castaneus). We identified a transcribed polymorphism that distinguishes the two parental alleles in F1 offspring. Examination of embryonic, neonatal, and postnatal tissues revealed that Kvlqt1 is imprinted in mouse early embryos, in both female 129 x male CS and female CS x male 129 offspring, with preferential expression of the maternal allele, like the human homologue. Surprisingly, imprinting was developmentally relaxed, and the developmental stage and tissue specificity of relaxation of imprinting was strain-dependent. To our knowledge, this is the first example of an endogenous gene that shows strain-dependent developmental relaxation of imprinting.


In this paper, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based forest fire detection and tracking method is proposed. Firstly, a brief illustration of UAV-based forest fire detection and tracking system is presented. Then, a set of forest fire detection and tracking algorithms are developed including median filtering, color space conversion, Otsu threshold segmentation, morphological operations, and blob counter. The basic idea of the proposed method is to adopt the channel "a" in Lab color model to extract fire-pixels by making use of chromatic features of fire. Numerous experimental validations are carried out, and the experimental results show that the proposed methodology can effectively extract the fire pixels and track the fire zone.


The word soul in the cell-soul pathway does not have a scientific definition but has been hypothesized to be an indefinite, non-structured, massless energy made up of electromagnetic radiations that is confined in the cytoskeletal network of a living cell. It is a coherent, imperceptible, uncontainable and recyclable support pathway, which uses energy to promulgate consciousness in the cell supporting its functions (Pereira 2015). The pathway currently provides a mechanistic explanation of the flow of consciousness within the body, but the intent of this paper is to provide an arduous explanation of non-local consciousness or disembodiment observed in near-death experiences. The paper hypothetically subsets the cell-soul pathway with the presence of two forms of consciousness, consistent with a recently developed model by Reddy (2016b): bodily consciousness, which manages functions only at cellular level, and functional consciousness, which is present in the body but can get disembodied and perform non-locally; the two forms of consciousness represent the overall state of consciousness. The non-locality of subjective experiences observed in near-death cases can be related to the realm of quantum physics – quantum entanglement between the two forms of consciousness that can demonstrate the capability of storing information holographically within the void or vacuum with the ability to create memories beyond the limitations of the brain and body.


Small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) is a rare tumour. Large genomic analyses with prognostic assessments are lacking. The NADEGE cohort has enrolled 347 patients with all stage SBA from 2009 to 2012. Next‐generation sequencing investigates the presence of 740 hotspot somatic mutations in a panel of 46 genes involved in carcinogenesis. The mismatch repair (MMR) status was assessed by immunochemistry. We have collected 196 tumour samples and 125 had conclusive results for mutation analysis. The number of mutations was 0 in 9.6% of tumours, only 1 in 32.0%, 2 in 26.4% and ≥3 in 32.0%. Overall, at least one genomic alteration was observed in 90.4% of tumour. The most frequent genomic alteration was in KRAS (44.0%), TP53 (38.4%), PIK3CA (20.0%), APC (18.4%), SMAD4 (14.4%) and ERBB2 (7.2%) genes. KRAS mutations were more frequent in synchronous metastatic tumours than in localised tumours (72.7% vs 38.2%, P = .003). There was no significant difference in the mutation rates according to primary location for the most frequently altered gene. ATM, FGFR3 and FGFR1 gene alterations were associated with Lynch syndrome and IDH1 mutations with Crohn disease. dMMR tumours were associated with younger age, localised tumours, less KRAS but more SMARCB1 mutations. No genomic alteration was associated with overall survival. There is a trend for better survival in patient with dMMR tumours. In conclusion, there is a different genomic alteration profile in SBA according to predisposing diseases. No association between genomic alterations and prognoses was observed except for a trend of better prognoses associated with dMMR.


Abstract Objective: Concern exists regarding the possible hazards to the personnel handling anti-neoplastic drugs. The purpose of the present study was to assess the genotoxicity induced by anti-neoplastic agents in oncology department personnel. Materials and methods: To do this, the frequency of chromosomal aberrations (CAs) induced in peripheral blood lymphocytes was assessed at G0 phase of the cell cycle using metaphase analysis, cytokinesis block-micronucleus (MN) assay and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) assay. These cytogenetic end points were measured among 71 nurses in oncology department and 10 drugstore personnel handling and preparing anti-neoplastic drugs. The results were compared to those of 74 matched nurses for age and sex not exposed to any anti-neoplastic agents. Results: There was no significant difference between the age of study subjects and control group (p > 0.05). The results showed that the mean frequency of cytogenetic damages in terms of CAs [chromatid breaks (p = 0.01), chromosome breaks (p = 0.005), total CAs (p = 0.001)], MN formation (p = 0.001), and SCE (p = 0.004) in lymphocytes of personnel handling anti-neoplastic drugs were significantly higher than those in control unexposed group. Conclusion: Results of the present study demonstrate the cytogenetic damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes of oncology department personnel. Suitable training and proper knowledge when handling anti-neoplastic drugs are emphasized to avoid potential health hazards caused by cytostatic agents.


The paper describes the modelling and stability analysis of slender piles using finite element method. The concept of a modified stability analysis of 3D model pile–soil–pile cap is formulated; it is formed from solid finite element models for the two types of soil, and a single-pile. Connection in pile–soil contact is modelled using link elements. The terms of the level of normalised critical load Pcr/PE 3D model of pile–soil–pile cap are derived using regression analysis of the power function. On the basis of performed numerical tests and regression analyses expressions are derived for the buckling length coefficient  as a function of pile length, pile stiffness and soil stiffness. Research has shown that the use of sophisticated mathematical models and numerical analysis is justified and necessary in order to gain better insight into the behaviour of slender piles in terms of stability. The paper points to the complex shape of the buckling of slender piles with a number of half waves. Ključne reči • vitki šip • analiza stabilnosti • metoda konačnih elemenata • solid konačni elementi • kontaktni link elementi


The agreement on the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPs), signed within the GATT framework in 1994, set the international standards and objectives for the protection of intellectual property. Although the agreement was very favorable to western intellectual property oriented firms, the few concessions to developing countries, such as a ten-years delay to implement harsher intellectual property regulations, left some core country corporations dissatisfied. Indeed, as soon as the TRIPs agreement was signed, intellectual property firms, along with and via their respective states, started pushing for harsher intellectual property legislations in bilateral Free Trade Agreements, thus bypassing global regulations. Drawing from the debate on the state and globalization, as well as the question on the relation between intellectual property and capital accumulation, this paper exposes the new collusions between state and capital that rendered possible the emergence of strong intellectual property protection legislations virtually all over the globe, and proposes to interpret that evolution as a signal telling of the new functioning of the world economy. The author makes the case that one can define the current IP regime as a mercantilist system in which states, far from losing power against the growing internationalization of economic regulations, put their capacities in service of "their" IP-intensive corporations. In conclusion, the author suggests a further research agenda in which intellectual property issues can provide a window into our understanding of current trends in the workings of the world economy.


A well-planned patrol route plays a crucial role in increasing public security. Most of the existing studies designed the patrol route in a static manner. Situations when rerouting of patrol path are required due to the emergencies, e.g., an accident or ongoing homicide, are not considered. In this paper, we formulate the crime patrol routing problem jointly with dynamic crime event prediction, utilising crowdsourced check-in and real-time emergency call data. The extensive experiment on real-world datasets verifies the effectiveness of the proposed dynamic crime patrol route using different evaluation metrics.


Abstract Palaeomagnetic data from the well-dated 2060.6±0.5 Ma Phalaborwa Complex in South Africa (Kaapvaal Craton) are of excellent quality. High unblocking components are carried by magnetite and single polarity remanence directions (mean declination 5.0°, inclination 57.3°, α95 = 5.2°) yield a palaeomagnetic pole (latitude 27.7°N, longitude 35.8°E, A95 = 6.6°) that overlaps with existing poles from the near coeval 2054.4±1.3 Ma Bushveld Complex. The Phalaborwa and Bushveld complex poles, along with poles from the well-dated Vredefort impact (2023±4 Ma) and Post-Waterberg Dolerites (1874.6±3.9 Ma), define the most reliable poles for the Kaapvaal Craton during this time interval (c. 2060–1875 Ma) and witness low rates of Mid-Palaeoproterozoic apparent polar wander. Poorly dated NE–NNE-trending dyke swarms that intrude the Phalaborwa and Bushveld complexes both yield dual-polarity remanence components that share a common mean at the 95% confidence level. Primary palaeomagnetic poles (Phalaborwa dykes pole latitude 7.6°, longitude 12.1°, A95 = 11.8°; Bushveld dykes pole latitude 12.6°, longitude 24.1°, A95 = 10.8°) suggest that they are of the same age as the Post-Waterberg dolerites (c. 1875 Ma). They could also be as old as the Phalaborwa and Bushveld Complexes, however; high-precision geochronology is required to resolve this issue and to enlarge the number of Palaeoproterozoic key poles for the Kaapvaal Craton.


Metabolism in cancer cells is reprogrammed. Cancer cells largely depend on glycolysis for ATP production. The metabolic alterations in cancer cells facilitate resistance to cell death as well as biosynthesis of nucleotides and lipids, building blocks for growth. The reprogrammed metabolism is increasingly seen as a target in cancer therapy. This review describes the metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells and illustrates how this is related to cell cycle and apoptosis resistance. Is also describes various scenarios for targeting cancer cell metabolism and highlights options for interventions with nutrition and bioactive food components.


Using a phenomenological model, the influence of quantum electrodynamical effects on the prediction of the chemical behavior of superheavy elements within a relativistic Dirac‐Slater calculation was investigated. This influence will be small and nondetectable for elements up to Z = 114. For elements near Z = 164 some changes in the ground state configurations occur but the chemical behavior will not change. Using this heuristic model, it is also possible to calculate elements beyond Z = 175. As an example we have chosen element E184 and are now able to make more valid speculations about the chemical behavior of the element than Penneman and co‐workers could.


The Arab population in Israel constitutes an ethnic minority, at around 20% of the population. The economy of this minority is characterized by inferior outcomes relative to the Jewish majority by all indicators, including employment, wages, occupational status, social welfare, education, and housing. This paper reviews key data facts and presents a model of barriers to integration facing Arabs in Israel, taking it to the data. The empirical analysis, based on a general equilibrium model of occupational choice with optimizing agents and barriers, points to an increase over time in barriers to the acquisition of human capital in highly skilled occupations, and, concurrently, a reduction in labor market barriers in all occupations. The analysis offers insights relevant to other developed economies with large ethnic minorities.


The thesis seeks to analyse the electric bicycle (e-bike) transition phenomenon in China by applying the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) Transition Theory and Multi-scalar Perspective MLP. The research is performed with abductive case studies drawn from mixed methods. Firstly, we synthesised secondary data to investigate the
e-bike transition at the national level (China) and the city level ("mini" case studies of Beijing and Fuzhou) to explore the research questions of 1) Can socio-technical
transition occur without deliberate policy support (RQ1)? 2) How can we explain the rapid emergence and enduring popularity of e-bikes in China (RQ2)? Then we performed exploratory research in Cardiff, UK and Nanjing, China using
semi-structured interviews. The interview results are used to help design survey questionnaire in Nanjing case study. It is the key research step and addresses the following research questions:
1) How are e-bikes embedded in the current transport
regime (RQ3)?
2) How much longer can e-bikes continue to be embedded in the
transport regime (RQ4)?
 3) What are the mechanisms underlying the rapid emergence
of e-bikes (RQ5)?
To analyse the data collected from the survey, Generalised Linear Models and Binomial Generalised Linear Models are adopted to investigate current mode choice behaviour and predict future choice. In the theoretical aspect, the thesis applied the Multi-scalar Perspective MLP, filling
the gap that traditional MLP does not take into account geographical, socio-political heterogeneity. In addition, we paid attention to the individual role in travel mode
behaviour. From a practical perspective, the thesis uses substantial empirical data to provide a comprehensive understanding of the e-bike transition. We invited various
groups in the survey, including e-bike users, bicycle users, car drivers, pedestrians and traffic police. The thesis explores a wide range of influencing factors, such as user anxiety, feelings related to e-bike adoption, e-bike user charging behaviour, other travel mode users and traffic police attitude towards e-bike development which have not been studied in previous e-bike literatures.
The main findings are:
1) The fast emergence of e-bikes in China is spontaneous,
without direct policy support from governments;
2) E-bike transition in China begins with transformation pathway (P1), followed by de-alignment and re-alignment
pathway (P2);
3) E-bike users in China are mainly young career-aged commuters and have a much higher education level than average, which are different from other countries;
4) E-bikes are well embedded in the current transport regime and they are adopted widely in many aspects of people's daily lives, including commuting, going
shopping, and collecting children;
5) The underlying reasons for the selection of
e-bikes are they provide affordable personal mobility due to the advantages of effort saving, flexible trip times, time saving in traffic jams, and high accessibility, whereas
environmental and health factors are negligible;
6) E-bikes are possibly an intermediate mode on Nanjing's motorisation pathway.


Tonsillectomy is one of the most common surgical procedure performed world wide by the ENT Surgeons.Various methods of tonsillectomy have been practiced over the century aimed at reducing or eliminating intraoperative and postoperative morbidity. Coblation tonsillectomy is a recently introduced surgical technique. Tonsillectomy over blunt dissection tonsillectomy in respect of operative time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative pain, rate of healing of tonsillar fossa and  other postoperative complications. This prospective randomized study was done at Maleka Nursing  Home, Bogra and Bangladesh ENT Hospital, Dhaka for 36 months from 1st January 2008 to 31December 2010. 200 children were divided into two groups of equal number. In one group, the tonsillectomy performed by Coblation method and in the other group the tonsillectomy Age ranged from 3-12 years with mean age 5.6 in coblation group and 4-14 years with mean age 7.2 in dissection group. Number of male patients were slightly more than female with male female ratio was 3:2 in coblation group and 3.7:2 in dissection group. Operative time and amount of blood loss is significantly reduced in the coblation group (10-25 min, mean 12 min in coblation group, 18-35 min, mean 25 min in dissection group. Tonsillectomy by using coblation have shown less intraoperative bleeding (5ml-100 ml, mean 15 ml compared with 50-230 ml, mean 65 ml in dissection method).During post operative follow-up on day 8, children of coblation group experienced mild to moderate  pain with maximum pain on day 2 and no pain on day 8. On the other hand dissection group  experienced moderate to severe pain with maximum pain on day 4 and little or no pain on day 8.Children of coblation group returned to normal diet on day 3 and children of dissection group on  day 8.On 8th post operative day, coblation group showed smooth healing without any granulation tissue in tonsillar fossa whereas granulation tissue is observed in dissection group. No major complications were noted in any group except one secondary haemorrhage in dissection group. Coblation tonsillectectomy offers less operative time, minimum blood loss, less post operative pain,early return to normal diet and rapid healing of tonsillar fossa. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/akmmcj.v4i1.13681 AKMMC J 2013: 4(1): 25-29


BACKGROUND
 Virtual reality (VR) relaxation is a promising mental health intervention that may be an effective tool for stress reduction but has hardly been tested in clinical trials with psychiatric patients. We developed an easy-to-use VR self-management relaxation tool (VRelax) with immersive 360° nature videos and interactive animated elements.

 OBJECTIVE
 To investigate the immediate effects of VR relaxation on negative and positive affective states and short-term effects on perceived stress and symptoms in patients with a psychiatric disorder, compared to standard relaxation exercises.

 METHODS
 A randomized crossover trial was conducted in 50 patients receiving ambulatory treatment for anxiety, psychotic, depressive, or bipolar disorder. Participants were randomly assigned to start with VRelax or standard relaxation and used both interventions for 10 days at home. They completed 8 visual analog scales of momentary negative and positive affective states before and after each session. Global perceived stress and psychiatric symptoms were measured before and after both intervention periods. Treatment effects were analyzed with multilevel mixed model regression analyses and 2-way analysis of variance.

 RESULTS
 Both VRelax and standard relaxation exercises led to a statistically significant immediate improvement of all negative and positive affective states. Compared to standard relaxation, VRelax resulted in a significantly greater reduction of total negative affective state (change 16.2% versus 21.2%; t1684=−2.02, 95% CI −18.70 to −0.28; P=.04). Specifically, VRelax had a stronger beneficial effect on momentary anxiety (t1684=−3.24, 95% CI −6.86 to −1.69), sadness (t1684=−2.32, 95% CI −6.51 to −0.55), and cheerfulness (t1684=2.35, 95% CI 0.51 to 5.75). There were no significant differences between short-term effects of the two treatments on global perceived stress and symptoms.

 CONCLUSIONS
 If the results of this trial are replicated and extended, VRelax may provide a much-needed, effective, easy-to-use self-management relaxation intervention to enhance psychiatric treatments.

 CLINICALTRIAL
 Netherlands Trial Register NTR7294; https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/7096


Shifting to multi-core designs is so pervasive a trend to overcome the power wall and it is a necessary move for embedded systems in our rapidly evolving information society. Meanwhile, the need to increase the battery life and reduce maintenance costs for such embedded systems is very critical. Therefore, a wide variety of power reduction techniques have been proposed and realized, including Clock Gating, DVFS and Power Gating. To maximize the effec- tiveness of these techniques, task scheduling is a key but for multi-core systems it is very complicated due to the huge exploration space. This problem is a major obstacle for further power reduction. To cope with it, we propose a design method for embedded systems to minimize their energy consumption under performance constraints. This method is based on the clarification of properties of the above mentioned low power techniques and their interactions. In more details, we firstly establish energy models for these low power techniques and our target systems. We then explore for the best configuration by constructing an optimization problem especially for applications which have a longer deadline than the execution interval. Finally, we propose an approximate solution using dynamic programming with a lower computation complexity and compare it to a brute force explicit solution. We confirm with our evaluations that the proposed method successfully found a better configuration which reduces the total energy consumption by 32% if compared to the manually optimized configuration, which utilizes only one core.


A 12-y-old, castrated male Pomeranian dog was presented because of mandibular lymph node (LN) enlargement. Physical examination and a complete blood count revealed generalized lymphadenopathy and moderate lymphocytosis. Fine-needle aspirate cytology revealed expansion of medium lymphocytes in the right mandibular LN and expansion of large lymphocytes in the left popliteal LN. Flow cytometry identified 2 aberrant lymphocyte populations in both LNs, namely a CD5+CD45− T-cell population, and a large CD21+ B-cell population. Flow cytometry of the peripheral blood revealed an identical population of aberrant CD45− T cells. The patient was diagnosed with concurrent T-zone lymphoma and leukemia, and B-cell lymphoma. Multi-agent chemotherapy was instituted, and serial clinical and flow cytometric analysis revealed complete remission of the neoplastic B cells, but persistence of the neoplastic T cells and persistent lymphadenopathy. This case affirms the diagnostic value of flow cytometry and reveals a unique limitation of the RECIST criteria.


A facile and atom-economical boric acid catalyzed direct amidation without any coupling agents for the preparation of Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic Acid (SAHA) and SAHA-based inhibitors targeting anti-proliferation of cancer cells is described. It is applicable to the preparation of SAHA-based inhibitors having an unprotected hydroxyl group in the phenyl ring without the need of the protection. The in-vitro assays data indicate that the nature and the position of the substituents (activating and/or deactivating) in the capping group (phenyl ring) of SAHA-based inhibitors synthesized in this study have a vital impact on the potency of anti-proliferative activity against cancer cells. With low toxicity toward the normal cells, a number of synthesized SAHA-based inhibitors with two substituents in the phenyl ring possess higher antiproliferative activity than SAHA and Cisplatin toward six studied cancer cell lines: A375 human skin cancer cells, A549 human lung cancer cells, MGC80-3 human gastric cancer cells, H460 human lung cancer cells, H1299 human lung cancer cells, and HepG2 human liver cancer cells. Cisplatin is a common chemotherapeutic drug with high cytotoxicity for a variety of cancer treatments. The inhibitors provided in this study might signify future therapeutic drugs for cancer treatment.


Copyright © 2007, American Concrete Institute. All rights reserved including rights of reproduction and use in any form or by any means, including the making of copies by any photo process, or by electronic or mechanical device, printed, written, or oral, or recording for sound or visual reproduction or for use in any knowledge or retrieval system or device, unless permission in writing is obtained from the copyright proprietors.


Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are considered to be a promising technology for clean and efficient power generation in the twenty-first century. In this study, high performance of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and proton conductivity of poly(1-vinyl-1,2,4-triazole) (PVTri) were combined in a graft copolymer, PVDF-g-PVTri, by the polymerization of 1-vinyl-1,2,4-triazole on a PVDF based matrix under UV light in one step. The polymers were doped with triflic acid (TA) at different stoichiometric ratios with respect to triazole units and the anhydrous polymer electrolyte membranes were prepared. All samples were characterized by FTIR and 1H-NMR spectroscopies. Their thermal properties were examined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). TGA demonstrated that the PVDF-g-PVTri and PVDF-g-PVTri-(TA)x membranes were thermally stable up to 390°C and 330°C, respectively. NMR and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) results demonstrated that PVDF-g-PVTri was successfully synthesized with a degree of grafting of 21%. PVDF-g-PVTri-(TA)3 showed a maximum proton conductivity of Scm−1 at 150°C and anhydrous conditions. CV study illustrated that electrochemical stability domain for PVDF-g-PVTri-(TA)3 extended over 4.0 V.


Even though organic management practices are intended to enhance soil performance by altering the quantity or quality of soil organic matter (SOM), there is no consensus on how to measure or manage SOM status. We investigated the veracity of common perceptions about SOM quantity in organically and conventionally managed soils by evaluating the relative responsiveness to organic management of particulate organic matter (POM) and the Illinois Soil N Test (IL-N), which has been proposed as a direct measure of labile N. Soil samples were obtained from nine farming systems trials in the USA. Soil organic C (SOC), total N (TN), POM-C, POM-N, and IL-N were compared among manure 1 legume-based organic, legume-based organic, and conventional farming systems. The organic systems had higher SOC and TN concentrations than conventional systems whether or not manure was applied. The POM-C, POM-N, and IL-N concentrations did not differ between manure 1 legumeand legume-based organic systems. The amount of N recovered in POM and IL-N was similar. Organic management enriched soil POMC and -N by 30 to 40% relative to the conventional control and this level of enrichment was two to four times greater than that in any other fraction. The IL-N fraction was not a good measure of labile N as it was less enriched than POM and included recalcitrant components. This is evidenced by the strong correlation between IL-N and SOC, TN, climate and textural characteristics. Particulate organic matter provided clearer evidence of SOM and labile N accrual under organic management. Direct links between POM status and soil N supply and physical condition are being pursued to help farmers manage biologically based fertility.


This thesis presents a two-layer uniform facet elastic object for real-time simulation based on physics modeling method. It describes the elastic object procedural modeling algorithm with particle system from the simplest one-dimensional object, to more complex two-dimensional and three-dimensional objects. The double-layered elastic object consists of inner and outer elastic mass spring surfaces and compressible internal pressure. The density of the inner layer can be set different from the density of the outer layer; the motion of the inner layer can be opposite to the motion of the outer layer. These special features, which cannot be achieved by a single layered object, result in improved imitation of a soft body, such as tissue's liquidity non-uniform deformation. The construction of the double-layered elastic object is closer to the real tissue's physical structure. The inertial behavior of the elastic object is well illustrated in environments with gravity and collisions with walls, ceiling, and floor. The collision detection is defined by elastic collision penalty method and the motion of the object is guided by the Ordinary Differential Equation computation. Users can interact with the modeled objects, deform them, and observe the response to their action in real time.


Rivers typically flow through multiple flood-protected areas which are clearly interconnected, as risk reduction measures taken at one area, e.g., heightening dikes or building flood storage areas, affect risk elsewhere. We call these interconnections 'hydraulic interactions'. The current approach to flood risk management, however, neglects hydraulic interactions for two reasons: They are uncertain and, furthermore, considering them would require the design of policies not only striving for risk reduction, but also accounting for risk transfers across flood-protected areas. In the present paper, we compare the performance of policies identified according to the current approach with those of two alternative formulations: One acknowledging hydraulic interactions and the other also including an additional decision criterion to account for equity in risk distribution across flood-protected areas. Optimal policies are first identified under deterministic hydraulic interactions, and, next, they are stress-tested under uncertainty. We found that the current approach leads to a false sense of equal risk distribution. It does, however, perform efficiently when a risk-averse approach towards uncertain hydraulic interactions is taken. Accounting for hydraulic interactions in the design of policies, instead, increases efficiency and both efficiency and equity when hydraulic interactions are considered deterministically and as uncertain, respectively.


Miller-Fisher syndrome (MFS) is an uncommon neurological disorder that is considered a variant of the Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). It is clinically defined by a triad of symptoms, namely ataxia, areflexia and ophthalmoplegia. These acute inflammatory polyradiculopathic syndromes can be triggered by viral infections, major surgery, pregnancy or vaccination. While the overall incidence of GBS is 1.2-2.3 per 100 000 per year, MFS is a relatively rare disorder. Only six cases of GBS after cardiac surgery have been reported, and to our knowledge, we describe the first case of MFS after coronary artery bypass surgery. Although cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass may increase the incidence of MFS and GBS, the pathological mechanism is unclear. Cardiac surgery may be a trigger for the immune-mediated response and may cause devastating complications. It is also important to be alert to de novo autoimmune and unexpected neurological disorders such as MFS after coronary bypass surgery.


Microbes are routinely engineered to synthesize high-value chemicals from renewable materials through synthetic biology and metabolic engineering. Microbial biosynthesis often relies on expression of heterologous biosynthetic pathways, i.e., enzymes transplanted from foreign organisms. Metallocluster enzymes are one of the most ubiquitous family of enzymes involved in natural product biosynthesis and are of great biotechnological importance. However, the functional expression of recombinant metallocluster enzymes in live cells is often challenging and represents a major bottleneck. The activity of metallocluster enzymes requires essential supporting pathways, involved in protein maturation, electron supply, and/or enzyme stability. Proper function of these supporting pathways involves specific protein–protein interactions that remain poorly characterized and are often overlooked by traditional synthetic biology approaches. Consequently, engineering approaches that focus on enzymatic expression and carbon flux alone often overlook the particular needs of metallocluster enzymes. This review highlights the biotechnological relevance of metallocluster enzymes and discusses novel synthetic biology strategies to advance their industrial application, with a particular focus on iron-sulfur cluster enzymes. Strategies to enable functional heterologous expression and enhance recombinant metallocluster enzyme activity in industrial hosts include: (1) optimizing specific maturation pathways; (2) improving catalytic stability; and (3) enhancing electron transfer. In addition, we suggest future directions for developing microbial cell factories that rely on metallocluster enzyme catalysis.


In this paper a model for the forecast and control of atmospheric pollution caused by particulate matter (PM10) is proposed. It is based on the use of cellular neural networks (CNNs). More precisely, the model is the result of the integration of the mass balance equation and, at the same time, by the use of cellular neural networks (CNNs) and Bayesian networks in the context of a planar grid which describes a whole urban area; we considered the "areal" sources conditioned by meteorological and pollutant parameters. The CNNs allow one to define a cellular system which gives the redefinition of the mass balance equation trough a dynamic discrete rule (update) that considers the contributions of the near cells. Bayesian nets provide the forecast in a fixed time interval which will be used for the determination of the pollutant amount in the interested area. Dynamics of the single cell feel the effect of meteorological and environmental parameters; contributions of these parameters are considered by means of some weights that will be determined through the minimization of an error index that is a function of the estimated data and the provisional data coming from the learning process by Bayesian networks tested with values from monitoring stations. The results obtained with this approach are quite interesting and the proposed model produces innovative results because it takes advantage of the combination of two models: CNN (for mesoscale topology) and Bayesian network (for the daily forecast of the PM10 concentration).


The principal reference of the Royal Commission was certification and detention, and treatment without certification of persons suffering from mental disorder.The general principles laid down as the result of the inquiry are set forth and shown to accord with the views of the medical profession.The Commission supports the medical view that greater facilities should be granted for treating mental disorders in their early stages without certification and repudiates the contention that grave abuses exist.It makes proposals for avoiding the stigma of certification by admitting patients to treatment under a provisional order without full certification. The real objection of the public to certification appears to lie in the judicial intervention and the legal formalities. Since these are accentuated in the proposed method, it is very little different from the present procedure. The reason for this anomaly appears to be adherence to what is said to be "an inviolable principle of law."This principle is violated in the present law, in the proposals of the Royal Commission and was disregarded prior to 1890.A scheme is put forward to avoid these objections by extending the present facilities on the lines of the Report and simplifying the procedure, thus eliminating the magistrate from the proceedings prior to admission unless the patient desires his intervention, and placing the authorization for treatment on the relatives and friends in all cases where the patient does not apply voluntarily for treatment. The Board of Control is the safeguard in these matters. These two procedures would be applicable to all cases in the first instance; but should the friends prefer full certification, that should be possible at any stage.The proposals for voluntary boarders are approved with the proviso that it should not be necessary to apply these proposals where restraint is neither necessary nor, in fact, applied.The protection that doctors signing certificates need is considered and it is proposed that a medical assessor should advise the judge to whom application to stay an action is made.It is held that if the law is at present wrongly interpreted and unjust, this should be cleared up by public action rather than that a doctor should have to go through the anxiety and expense of appeal to the House of Lords.In the main the Report commands professional approval, but in points of the greatest importance to doctors practising psychiatry and to their patients it is unsatisfactory.


A triple hurdle model is used to estimate cattle farmer willingness to adopt prescribed grazing on farmland east of the 100th meridian in response to a hypothetical incentive program. First the interest in adoption is modeled, then willingness to accept a hypothetical incentive, followed by modeling of acreage converted. Farm size did not influence program interest, but positively impacted acres converted among those interested. The supply elasticity of program acres with respect to an incentive is 0.13; thus an additional percent incentive is projected to result in an additional 0.13 percent of acres enrolled into the program on owned acres.


The avian conservation community struggles to design and implement large scale, long-term coordinated bird monitoring programs within the northern Gulf of Mexico due to the complexity of the conservation enterprise in the region; this complexity arises from the diverse stakeholders, multiple jurisdictions, complex ecological processes, myriad habitats, and over 500 species of birds using the region for at least some part of their annual cycle. In addition, long-term monitoring over large spatial scales is difficult because of the need for monitoring data to both (1) evaluate management and restoration outcomes, and (2) provide reliable information about the status and trends of bird populations over time. To address these challenges, the Gulf of Mexico Avian Monitoring Network developed a problem statement: "How can a cost-effective monitoring strategy for the Gulf Coast bird community and ecosystem be developed that evaluates ongoing conservation activities and chronic and acute threats; maximizes learning; and is flexible and holistic enough to detect novel ecological threats and evaluate new and emerging conservation activities?" A structured decision-making framework was then used to articulate and quantify stakeholder values related to the problem statement. One use of the stakeholder values was to develop a regional, strategic plan for bird monitoring, which is presented elsewhere. A formal and complete decision support tool for conservation investments in monitoring and research guided by the stakeholder values is presented in this report. The technical aspects of the stakeholder value model and a portfolio analysis that could be used to guide decision making when allocating resources for monitoring activities is described. Whereas the decision analysis presented here could be useful to any decision maker faced with difficult choices about resource allocation, it is designed for decision makers who request monitoring study proposals and then determine which combination of proposals to fund. The portfolio decision support tool is designed to help funding agencies and organizations identify resource allocation strategies to maximize stated objectives. To begin the decision analysis, an objectives hierarchy and quantitative performance metrics from the values of the Gulf of Mexico bird conservation community were created by a panel of regional stakeholders. Each fundamental objective and sub-objective in the hierarchy is composed of several performance metrics. To test the decision support tool, the authors evaluated a combination of monitoring study proposals written for the region and simulated proposals. Each proposal was scored against the performance metrics and used multi-attribute utility theory to combine the multiple objectives into a measure of total monitoring benefit. The total monitoring benefit and costs of each proposal were then used in a constrained optimization routine to identify optimal monitoring portfolios, Structured Decision Making and Optimal Bird Monitoring in the Northern Gulf of Mexico By Auriel M.V. Fournier1+, R. Randy Wilson2, James E. Lyons3, Jeffrey S. Gleason4, Evan M. Adams5, Laurel M. Barnhill6, Janell M. Brush7, Robert J. Cooper8, Stephen J. DeMaso9, Melanie J.L. Driscoll10, Mitchell J. Eaton3, Peter C. Frederick11, Michael G. Just12, Michael A. Seymour13, John M. Tirpak14, and Mark S. Woodrey1,15 1 Mississippi State University, Biloxi, Mississippi 2 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Jackson, Mississippi 3 U.S. Geological Survey 4 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Chiefland, Florida 5 Biodiversity Research Institute, Portland, Maine 6 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta, Georgia 7 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gainesville, Florida 8 University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 9 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Lafayette, Louisiana 10 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 11 University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 12 North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 13 Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 14 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Lafayette, Louisiana 15 Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Point, Mississippi + Current address: Forbes Biological Station–Bellrose Waterfowl Research Center, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Havana, Illinois 2 Structured Decision Making and Optimal Bird Monitoring in the Northern Gulf of Mexico that is, a combination of activities that maximizes monitoring benefits while meeting cost and other constraints of interest to stakeholders. A graphical solution based on the concept of Pareto efficiency, which is useful in situations when cost constraints and exact budgets are not known, is also provided. Finally, an evaluation of the sensitivity of the decision-making framework to the weights assigned to objectives by stakeholders is included. This decision support tool allows decision makers to identify an optimal suite of monitoring proposals with a transparent portfolio analysis that includes user-defined constraints (such as costs).


This critical review argues that the experiences and perspectives of women in relation to the extractive industries have often been absent from analysis of the impacts of mining in the global South. This paper therefore explores the ways in which women in developing countries are affected by the expansion of extractive industries, bringing together a dispersed literature, scattered across disciplines and relating to geographically diverse locations, in order to provide a comprehensive overview of key debates in relation to women and mining, and generate momentum for a new research agenda in this area. The review concentrates on four key intersecting areas – women as mineworkers; the gendered impacts of mining, and specifically the disproportionately negative impacts on women; women's changing roles and identities in communities affected by mining; and finally gendered inequalities in relation to the benefits of mining.


In this article, the ethno-linguistic features of French Canadian and English Canadian linguistic world-images are subjected to comparative analysis. As the result of the mentioned linguistic world-images comparison according to a number of criteria, the author comes to conclusion that there is a significant number of differences between them. First of all, these differences come from the peculiarities of English and French Canadians' historical paths: for a long time English Canadians and English have dominated in all spheres of public life, whereas francophone minority has been oppressed (which is reflected in idioms), and the use of French was confined to a family circle. The differences in morphological and grammatical features of languages determine the differences in mentality: though the system of tenses (respectively, the mental division of the time space by the nations) is quite similar, a greater analyticity of the English language and a greater linguistic "flexibility" of French is observed. When English Canadian and French Canadian phraseology is compared, the greater role of religion in the French Canadian community is evident, rather than in English Canadian; the influence of the Canadian variant of the English language on the Canadian variant of French is clearly expressed. With all the differences, both LWI share a number of common (common Canadian) concepts ("northness", "homeland", etc.) and values (tolerance, peacefulness, discretion, etc.). Key words : linguistic world image, concept, value, phraseology, ethno-linguistic specific feature.


Due to the flow behavior of molten metal is affected by the back pressure of mold residual air in high pressure die casting (HPDC) process, the back pressure conditions should be considered in order to simulate the HPDC process precisely. In this study, an aluminum colander of automobile's filling process in HPDC was calculated by combining the back pressure conditions. The optimized schemes were given by considering the simulation results. Both initial and optimized schemes simulation results were compared with actual parts. The contribution of gas porosity between simulation and actual part were in agreement when back pressure conditions were applied. The local back pressure can be controlled by coordinating the position of the vents. Therefore the flow behavior of molten metal can be changed and the porosity defects can be fixed.


Choice preferences can shift depending on whether outcome and probability information about the options are provided in a description or learned from the experience of sampling. We explored whether this description-experience "gap" could be explained as a difference in probabilistic mindset, that is, the explicit consideration of probability information in the former but not the latter. We replicated the gap but found little evidence to support our main hypothesis. Nevertheless, the data inspired a number of interesting proposals regarding experimental design, preference for probability information, sampling strategies, optimal presentation format, and the probability judgment probe.


The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether personal and institutional characteristics of professors at the University Center for Biology, Agronomic and Animal Sciences (CUCBA) in the University of Guadalajara, Mexico could be used to predict their adoption of computers and the Internet for traditional classroom instruction and their potential adoption of distance education for learning and for teaching. Four variables explained 18% of the variance in professors' adoption of computers and the Internet for classroom instruction. Potential adopters of distance education for learning were more likely to choose distance education for learning via the Internet, report that their highest level of education was a bachelor's degree, report their subject matter discipline as veterinary science, have been teaching longer and were less likely to be self-taught computer users than those who were not potential adopters. Predictors of the adoption of distance education for teaching were consistent with those identified for the adoption of distance education for learning.


The most common cause of encrustation and blockage of long term urinary catheters is colonisation of the urinary tract by Proteus spp. However, the degree of encrustation experienced by those with Proteus colonisation differs markedly between individuals. This study assessed the range of problems experienced by those colonised by Proteus and the factors which may differentiate severe from mild encrustation in this group. 21 long term catheter users found to have Proteus on urine screening were followed for approximately 3 months with weekly microbiological and chemical urine analysis and examination of their catheters. There was considerable variation in catheter lifespan within and between individuals. Some with persistent Proteus colonisation had no encrustation problems, others experienced frequent catheter blockage. Proteus was usually a stable component of urinary and catheter flora. Rapid encrustation was associated with a lowered nucleation pH (pHn). There was no clear difference in voided pH (pHv) between rapid and slow encrusters, but rapid blockers had a lower mean safety margin (pHn - pHv). pHv was not a useful predictor of catheter blockage. pHn was variable within and between individuals, but was higher in those who encrusted slowly. It was dependent on the calcium concentration and, to a lesser extent, the magnesium concentration of urine, with rapid encrusters having higher urinary calcium. Proteus isolates were assessed for urease activity. Strains with higher urease activities produced more alkaline urine, but this did not clearly result in shorter catheter lifespans. Proteus isolates from catheter users were found to have greater antibiotic resistance, particularly to trimethoprim and amoxicillin, than other local urinary tract isolates. Courses of antibiotic appeared ineffective at altering the urinary flora. The source of Proteus urinary colonisation, examined using Dienes typing and pulsed field gel electrophoresis of bacterial DNA, was commonly found to be the subject's own intestinal flora.


Activation Functions are crucial parts of the Deep Learning Artificial Neural Networks. From the Biological point of view, a neuron is just a node with many inputs and one output. A neural network consists of many interconnected neurons. It is a "simple" device that receives data at the input and provides a response. The function of neurons is to process and transmit information; the neuron is the basic unit in the nervous system. Carly Vandergriendt (2018) stated the human brain at birth consists of an estimated 100 billion Neurons. The ability of a machine to mimic human intelligence is called Machine Learning. Deep Learning Artificial Neural Networks was designed to work like a human brain with the aid of arbitrary choice of Non-linear Activation Functions. Currently, there is no rule of thumb on the choice of Activation Functions, "Try out different things and see what combinations lead to the best performance", however, sincerely; the choice of Activation Functions should not be Trial and error. Jamilu (2019) proposed that Activation Functions shall be emanated from AI-ML-Purified Data Set and its choice shall satisfy Jameel's ANNAF Stochastic and or Deterministic Criterion. The objectives of this paper are to propose instances where Deep Learning Artificial Neural Networks are SUPERINTELLIGENT. Using Jameel's ANNAF Stochastic and or Deterministic Criterion, the paper proposed four classes where Deep Learning Artificial Neural Networks are Superintelligent namely; Stochastic Superintelligent, Deterministic Superintelligent, and Stochastic-Deterministic 1 and 2 Levels Superintelligence. Also, a Normal Probabilistic-Deterministic case was proposed.


An insulin-secreting islet cell tumour of the Syrian hamster has been transplanted serially in the congenitally immune-deficient nude mouse, in order to test the potential usefulness of this mouse mutant as a graft carrier of heterologous tumours with stable differentiated phenotypes. The incidence of tumour growth was very high, and the hamster tumour retained its functional and histologic characteristics during consecutive passages in nude mice. These results show that nude mice may be useful carriers of differentiated tumours from non-inbred species including man, and for the isolation of cell lines from such tumours.


The posterior tela of the rhombencephalon, the overlying arachnoid mater, and the pial surface of the medulla were examined by transmission electron microscopy in the frog, Rana pipiens. The arachnoid mater and the pia mater have, with minor exceptions, similar ultrastructural characteristics to the same structures in mammals. The posterior tela, on the other hand, is an unusual membrane, the ependymal cells of which are modified to form numerous intercellular pores. These cells are pleomorphic (round, columnar or squamous) and have relatively few surface specialisations while their cytoplasm in electron-dense due to numerous microfilaments. Ependymal cells at the edges of pores are characterised by dense coils of basal lamina inserted into indentations of the lateral plasmalemma and, near the apical surface, by small specialised attachments to adjacent ependymal cells which are otherwise in a different plane.


The design of virtual reality user interfaces (VRUI) is still an open field of research and development. One category of VRUI is the 3D floating menus that can be manipulated by users in free space. These menus can contain various controls such as buttons, sliders, and text. This article presents an experimental study that aims at testing the impact of five spatial frames of reference on human performance in VRUI. 15 subjects participated in the study. Wearing a head-mounted display and tracking hardware, they were asked to move a slider on a floating menu in a 3D virtual space. Main results show that the frame of reference has a significant impact on the task execution time and on the user preference.


Local image representation based natural image classification is an important task. SIFT descriptors and bag-of-visterm (BOV)method have achieved very good results. Many studies focused on improving the representation of the image, and then use the support vector machine to classify and identify the image category. However, due to support vector machine its own characteristics, it shows inflexible and slower convergence rate for large samples,with the selection of parameters influencing the results for the algorithm very much. Therefore, this paper will use the improved support vector machine algorithm be based on ant colony algorithm in classification step. The method adopt dense SIFT descriptors to describe image features and then use two levels BOV method to obtain the image representation. In recognition step, we use the support vector machine as a classifier but ant colony optimization method is used to selects kernel function parameter and soft margin constant C penalty parameter. Experiment results show that this solution determined the parameter automatically without trial and error and improved performance on natural image classification tasks.


We develop the first structural estimation of reputational cheap-talk games using data on movie reviews released in the US between 2004 and 2013. We identify and estimate movies' priors, as well as movie reviewers' abilities and strategic biases. We find that reviewers adopt reporting strategies that are consistent with the predictions of the literature on reputational cheap-talk. The average conservatism bias for low prior movies lies between 8 and 11%, depending on the specifications of the model. The average conservatism bias for high prior movies ranges from 13 to 15%. More- over, we find a significant, albeit small, effect of the reputation of the reviewers on their strategies, indicating that incentives to manipulate demand in order to prevent reputation updating are present in this industry. Our estimation takes into account and quantifies potential con icts of interest that might arise when the movie reviewer belongs to the same media outlet as the film under review. Out-of-sample predictions confirm that movie reviewers do have reputational concerns.


To design a Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system, it is important to understand phenomenologically and quantitatively the wave propagation in composite materials and the influence of the geometrical and mechanical properties of the structures. To accelerate the design of SHM systems, the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) effect on the wave propagation has to be considered. In this contribution, a concept of coupling FSI with an ultrasonic wave propagation is proposed, which is referred to as eXtended Fluid-Structure Interaction (eXFSI) problem. The eXFSI is a one-directional coupling of typical FSI problem with an ultrasonic wave propagation in fluid-solid and their interaction (WpFSI). The WpFSI is a strongly coupled problem of acoustic and elastic wave equations and automatically adopts the boundary and initial condition from previous time step. To the best of our knowledge, such a model is new in the literature. The FSI is modelled in terms of the arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) technique and couples the isothermal, incompressible Navier-Stokes equations with nonlinear elastodynamics using the Saint-Venant Kirchhoff (STVK) material model. The WpFSI problems are solved on the moving mesh which is automatically adopted from the FSI problem at each time step. The ALE approach provides a simple, but powerful procedure to couple solid deformations with fluid flows by a monolithic solution algorithm. However, Combining fluid dynamics with structural analysis traditionally poses a formidable challenge for even the most advanced numerical techniques due to the disconnected, domain-specific nature of analysis tools. The principal aim of this research is the exploration and development of concepts for the efficient numerical solution of the eXFSI problem. The finite element method is used for the spatial discretization. Temporal discretization is based on finite differences and is formulated as a one step- scheme, from which we can consider shifted Crank-Nicolson and the fractional-step- schemes. The nonlinear problem is solved by a Newton-like method. Our application of the eXFSI and WpFSI models is the design of on-line and off-line Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems for composite material and lightweight structure, respectively. The implementation is accomplished via the software library package DOPELIB.


Motivation is one of the key factors in the job performance of employees, especially in colleges of education libraries. Despite their being important, there is a lingering need to find their effect on the job performance of library workers in colleges of education in South-west, Nigeria. A Survey research design of correlational approach was adopted using a questionnaire as the only data gathering instrument of information from the respondents. On the whole, 210 copies of the questionnaire were administered; out of which, a total number of 198 copies were retrieved this gives 94.3% return rate of the administered research instrument for the study. The data for this study was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency count, simple percentages method, mean and standard deviation. The hypothesis was analyzed using simple regression analysis. The result affirmed that the level of job performance of library workers in colleges of education in South-West, Nigeria was high. The study established that motivational factors extensively predict job performance of the library workers. Findings also indicated that there was a positive significant influence of motivation on job performance of library workers in colleges of education in South-West, Nigeria, [t(190) = 8.422, p<.05], which implies that library workers cannot perform best on their job when motivated. The study concludes by recommending, that that motivational strategies applied by the college management paved a good way for library workers on job performance in South-West, Nigeria and this must be sustained by the college administrators.


Older people are the fastest growing segment of the population today. Over a period of 50 years between the year 2000 and 2050, the number of older persons is projected to increase from 600 million to over two billion. The ageing of individuals and populations is usually accompanied by a growing burden of age-related, chronic diseases that drastically increase health care costs and mortality levels. In connection to this, the objective of this research project was to assess the health situation of older persons in Kenya with regard to chronic illnesses. The study also sought to determine the factors that influence the chronic illnesses status of older persons. This assessment used the 2005-06 Kenya Integrated Household and Budget Survey (KIHBS) dataset. The analysis of the health situation of older persons in Kenya was done using the following three methods; univariate analysis using frequencies and means to describe the study population and estimate prevalence of chronic illnesses, bivariate analysis using the Chi-square test to identify significant associations between variables, and multivariate analysis using logistic regression to determine variables that have a significant influence on chronic health status. The dependent variable was 'presence of a chronic illness' while the independent variables were; sex, age, education, residence, disability status, poverty status, and marital status. From the findings, the health situation of pre-elderly persons (55-59 years) was compared to that of elderly persons. Study findings showed that 17.6 percent of the pre-elderly and 26 percent of the elderly persons were living with chronic illnesses. Their respective mean morbidities (average number of chronic illnesses) were 0.20 and 0.29 for the pre-elderly and elderly persons. Among the elderly, the disability status, sex, age cohort (except 65-69 years), education, and poverty status were found to have a significant influence on their chronic illnesses status. For the pre-elderly, only disability status and sex were found to have a significant influence on chronic illnesses status. Females were found to have a higher prevalence of chronic illnesses among both the pre-elderly and elderly persons. These findings have implications for policy, programmes. Areas for further research were also identified by the study.


This chapter documents the intended and unintended outcomes of three recent organisational changes in sports medicine. It argues that these combined developments have provided opportunities for clinicians to work full-time, be involved in supportive networks and assisted those wishing to enter or progress in sports medicine through a more structured career path. At the same time, however, the commitment to 'professionalising' sports medicine has led to inter- and intra-professional tensions between practitioner groups. In particular, in polarising
medical support around the Home Countries Institutes of Sport (HCIS) the labour of some medical providers is being increasingly marginalised, the support offered to athletes in different sports remains inequitable and, due to the closer link between sports performance and funding, there is evidence to suggest that medical support is likely to be withdrawn from athletes at the point when it is most needed. Such changes potentially have significant implications for athlete welfare.


: Intravenous injection of endotoxin (LPS) from S. typhimurium (3,3 microng per kg body weight) or E. coli O111B4 (0,1 microng per kg body weight) caused fever and stasis of the forestomach contractions in conscious goats. Pretreatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents only had a partial antagonistic influence upon endotoxin induced ruminal stasis. In this respect, acetaminophen was the most potent drug of all agents tested. In dependence of the doses used, the following rank order of potency can be given in relation to the antipyretic activity: sodium flurbiprofen, sodium meclofenamate, acetaminophen, sodium novaminsulphonum and phenylbutazone. In the goat, sodium flurbiprofen (2 mg per kg i.v.) is a very potent and long acting antipyretic agent. It seems unlikely that the inhibition of forestomach motility by endotoxins is simple due to a release of prostaglandins. Since the inhibition also occurred in absence of a febrile response, it is concluded that the inhibition is not primarily due to hyperthermia.


: The author describes a proposed innovative method for the determination of normal values in hematology in which a large number of laboratories participating in the CAP proficiency testing program submit results of a previously performed, complete blood count. These data are compared with those derived from more formal studies of normal values. The advantages of this system, if validated, include its inexpensive simplicity and the possibility of determining normal values for relatively uncommon groups of patients such as neonates, infants, and small children.


One essential yet often-ignored factor in pronunciation teaching is learners' beliefs towards teaching and learning of pronunciation. Awareness of this factor can help both learners and teachers achieve their language learning and teaching objectives. The current study investigated 195 Iranian EFL learners' beliefs and perceptions about various aspects of pronunciation teaching and learning. The learners answered a 30-item Likert-scale online questionnaire which inquired about their views regarding the overall importance of pronunciation instruction, the type of syllabus, the design of classes devoted to pronunciation, the introduction of pronunciation features, the ways of practicing these features, and the role of error correction. To enhance the findings from the questionnaire, the researchers interviewed a subsample of the participants about various pronunciation dimensions specified in the questionnaire. Results revealed that the majority of the participants believed teaching and learning pronunciation was of paramount importance in EFL contexts as it helped them achieve their communicative goals more effectively. The learners also largely preferred a structural over a task-based syllabus for pronunciation instruction but differed regarding whether pronunciation features should be taught in isolation or in communicative contexts, and whether correction of their pronunciation errors should be done by the teacher or peers. Findings of this study can inform the mainstream pronunciation teaching and learning practices and materials designs.


A number of social, technological and economic trends have produced an environment which promotes the demand and distribution of mobile communication services. This has caused dramatic changes in the mobile communications value chain which is in a state of flux. While numerous studies seek to explain the varied pace of diffusion and adoption of mobile services by looking at such trends in isolation, relatively few examine the complex interplay between them. This paper studies available accounts of mobile services adoption and diffusion in order to examine the regulatory, market and the innovation systems which are the main drivers behind the innovation, diffusion and adoption of mobile services. This highlights the requirement for a more holistic analytical framework to explain this complex and dynamic phenomenon. Lyytinen's and King's (2002) model is adapted as a holistic analytical tool and four different accounts of mobile diffusion are examined using text analysis. The findings indicate that existing reductionist and fragmented perspectives used to explain the adoption and diffusion of mobile and wireless services across markets are of limited use when seeking an overall understanding of the changes that are transforming the provision of mobile services. On this basis we therefore advocate the use of a holistic research framework which incorporates the interacting and dynamic interconnected value systems framing the multi-faceted wireless enabled marketplace.


Tuberculosis (TB) primarily involves the respiratory tract, but any
organ in the body can be affected. In recent years, extrapulmonary TB
cases have significantly increased due to the prevalence of
immunocompromised patients. Here, we report a case of unilateral ankle
arthritis due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.


This dashboard summarizes progress made by partners involved in the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) and highlights trends affecting people in need. The Protection sector in Lebanon aims to achieve the following results: OUTCOME 1: Women, men, girls and boys in all their diversity have their fundamental rights respected and have access to an effective justice and protection system ; OUTCOME 2: Women, men, boys and girls in all their diversity are safe, empowered and supported in their communities ; OUTCOME 3: Women, girls, men and boys in all their diversity live in dignity and are resilient to shocks


INTRODUCTION Fifteen years ago, the Supreme Court's decision in Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Pena (1995) was interpreted as a "major setback" (Rice and Mongkuo 1998, 86) for affirmative action initiatives intended to address discrimination of minority-owned businesses in federal contracting. In Adarand, the Court set a high standard of "strict scrutiny" for justification of minority preferences in federal contracts--a ruling that, according to Rice and Mongkuo (1998), would weaken and in some cases eliminate these preferences (83). Today, however, data indicate that these fears have not materialized; levels of federal contract awards to minority-owned businesses have continued to increase (Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation [FPDS-NG] 2011). In this article, we explain that this outcome has little to do with the success of federal agencies in meeting Adarand's strict scrutiny standard for minority preferences. Rather, agencies have continued to take advantage of the expedited contract award authorities that accompany minority preference programs--authorities that help reduce agencies' workload. As a consequence, both the Court's standards and the intent of Congress to redress past discrimination take a back seat to transaction cost considerations when agencies make minority contract awards. The continued use of these expedited authorities is to be expected, especially when, as we will show, agencies suffer from a lack of organizational contracting capacity. Governance of diversity in federal contracting has thus become more an exercise in expedience and convenience than in recognizing and redressing disadvantage and discrimination. When agencies focus inwardly on their own interests of efficiency rather than outwardly on the public they are supposed to serve, perceptions of government's commitment to enhancing minority opportunities via federal contracting are eroded. This failure of diversity governance reflects a failure to invest in the capacity to govern--more specifically, in the capacity to contract as constituted in people and organizational processes. Unless federal agencies increase their contracting capacities, they will likely continue to rely heavily on minority preference programs, mainly for the sake of convenience. We begin with a brief review of public sector contracting as an important function of public administration and as a means for accomplishing public policy objectives. In the discussion, we also address organizational contracting capacity; specifically, how it has been lacking in federal agencies and how it may be increased. We then review the legislative-regulatory context of policies and policy objectives related to minority contracting, along with some difficulties in their implementation. Next we turn to describe the judicial context by documenting some important court decisions that would be expected to shape those policies and their implementation in significant ways. We present data that indicates, however, that the court decisions have had apparently negligible effects. We explain this result in terms of agencies seeking to reduce their contracting workload because of inadequate capacity, and we present and discuss an illustrative case study. We conclude the article with comments on connections between diversity governance, discretion, and the capacity to contract. In this article, we use the term small disadvantaged businesses (SDB) to refer generally to those small businesses owned by minorities and groups that are the targets of federal preferences. (1) We also limit our analysis to contracting by U.S. federal agencies, although many of the issues will apply to state and local jurisdictions as well as to government agencies in other nations. CULTURAL COMPETENCY AND MINORITY CONTRACTING The increasing attention during the past decade to cultural competency in public administration and management (see, for example, Benavides and Hernandez 2007; Carrizales 2010; Norman-Major and Gooden 2012; Rice 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008) provides motivation and grounding for our analysis and arguments. …


We study the partition function of the free Sp(N) conformal field theory recently conjectured to be dual to asymptotically de Sitter higher-spin gravity in four-dimensions. We compute the partition function of this CFT on a round sphere as a function of a finite mass deformation, on a squashed sphere as a function of the squashing parameter, and on an S2xS1 geometry as a function of the relative size of S2 and S1. We find that the partition function is divergent at large negative mass in the first case, and for small $S^1$ in the third case. It is globally peaked at zero squashing in the second case. Through the duality this partition function contains information about the wave function of the universe. We show that the divergence at small S1 occurs also in Einstein gravity if certain complex solutions are included, but the divergence in the mass parameter is new. We suggest an interpretation for this divergence as indicating an instability of de Sitter space in higher spin gravity, consistent with general arguments that de Sitter space cannot be stable in quantum gravity.


This paper describes a quick and simple method to detect brush editing in JPEG images. The novelty of the
proposed method is based on detecting the discarded coefficients during the quantization of the image. Another
novelty of this paper is the development of a subjective metric named intentions. The method directly analyzes
the allegedly tampered image and generates a forgery mask indicating forgery evidence for each image block.
The experiments show that our method works especially well in detecting brush strokes, and it works reasonably
well with added captions and image splicing. However, the method is less effective detecting copy-moved and
blurred regions. This means that our method can effectively contribute to implementing a complete imagetampering detection tool. The editing operations for which our method is less effective can be complemented
with methods more adequate to detect them.


The process of learning is manifested by the modification of an organism's response to a given set of input stimuli. This altered response to brought about by a gradual change in the neural logic of the animal's nervous system. The authors show that gradual changes in logic can be achieved by the use of digital and analog properties of the natural prototype. A two-input, one-output neural network is described which gives a continuum of logic functions, including the analog equivalent for each of the sixteen binary functions. This multifunction response is accomplished by varying four interconnecting weighting elements which control the excitatory and inhibitory signals to the three neurons of the network. The logic capabilities of the basic network can be increased by replacing some of its fixed weights with variable ones and expanding the network to accommodate additional input signals. A simple procedure has been developed which automatically sets the weighting elements in a reinforcement learning process. Rapid convergence to the desired logic function is achieved. It is shown that human learning and behavior can be approximated by expanding the flexible neural logic technique to functional networks.


The Work Preference Inventory (WPI) is designed to assess individual differences in intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations. Both the college student and the working adult versions aim to capture the major elements of intrinsic motivation (self-determination, competence, task involvement, curiosity, enjoyment, and interest) and extrinsic motivation (concerns with competition, evaluation, recognition, money or other tangible incentives, and constraint by others). The instrument is scored on two primary scales, each subdivided into 2 secondary scales. The WPI has meaningful factor structures, adequate internal consistency, good short-term test-retest reliability, and good longer term stability. Moreover, WPI scores are related in meaningful ways to other questionnaire and behavioral measures of motivation, as well as personality characteristics, attitudes, and behaviors.


We used a memory shortening transformation method to forecast the future prices of the seven selected commodities in the Southeast USA. These forecasted prices were used to find the optimal crop selection in a model farm in a representative county of each of the ten states in the Southeast US under three likely climate change scenarios. It is found that the Hadley climate change scenario may be benign compared to Hot and Very Hot Scenarios.


Abstract. In India, rapid growth of slums in urban areas, especially in metropolitan cities, has become a major problem for the planners and decision-makers. The slum expansion is mainly due to the rural-urban migration and pressure of the population on un-used, un-protected, and un-suitable public land. It leads to many issues like poverty, unemployment, lack of access to clean water, lack of durable housing, traffic congestion, environmental pollution, insufficient living area, inadequate sanitation, scarcity of land, inappropriate land use, skyrocketing land value and insecure tenure, etc. Planning controls are usually ineffective in slum areas due to lack of timely information and people having little regard for such things in the absence of any other alternative. In most of the municipal bodies, proper updated information/map of slums are not available, which, create a problem in the decision-making process. Thus, there is an imperative need to resolve above-mentioned issues with the help of Geospatial techniques. This paper aims to identify and mapping of slums in Pune City using Geospatial techniques. The slums were identified based on high-resolution satellite images such as Resourcesat-2 (LISS-IV) data with the help of visual interpretation and standard image processing techniques, i.e., image rectification, enhancement, and classification. Afterward, the database was created and labeled with the help of the GIS tool. In Pune, there is around 40 percent of the urban population resides in slums. Such a large proportion of slum population also adds to the burden of already scarce resources and on overall urban infrastructure. The entire slum population of the city was accommodated in a total of 477 slums of which 238 and 239 were declared and undeclared slums respectively. The most of the slums in Pune mainly occurred in the central part due to natural increases as well as migration. But, the peripheral areas it's happen due to vacant land/open areas along to river, canal, railway line and hill slope. The study reveals that more than 200 slums are located near environmentally sensitive areas and encroachment activities are increased in southern part of the city i.e., Ambegaon Bk., Vithhal Nagar and Warje areas.


A 26-yr-old registered nurse who is employed as a diabetes nurse care coordinator had episodes of symptomatic fasting hypoglycemia associated with hyperinsulinemia and a relatively suppressed plasma C-peptide concentration, arousing the suspicion of self-induced illness. However, using a species-specific radioimmunoassay, the species of insulin during an episode of hypoglycemia was determined to be human in origin. Once the patient's illness was attributed to endogenous insulin hypersecretion, prompt surgical intervention and the diagnosis of nesidioblastosis in an adult was made.


One of the problems of acid soils such as Latosol is very low in P-availabi/ity due to high P-j'vcation in those soils. Since soils is deficiency of P, adaptation of plants and microorganisms to overcome deficiency of P in soil is by producing phosphatase. Phosphatase. is an enzyme that able to catalize transformation of organic P to inorganic P, and produced by plant roots, residual of plants and microorganisms. Organic mailer as a source of P besides N and energy for microorganisms, and then rock phosphate as an alternative P fertilizer were used in this research. The objective of the research was to study the effect of organic matter (Centrocema pubescent) and rock phosphate application on phosphatase activity and P fraction of Latosol soil from Darmaga, Bogor. The experiment was designed by completely randomized design with two factors and three replications. The first factor was application of organic matter with the rate of 0, 2.5, and 5 %, and the second factor was application of rock phosphate with the rate of 0, 20, and 40 ppm P. Soil equivalent to four hundred grams of oven dried soil, organic matter, and rock phosphate were mixed based on the treatments of the experiment, and were placed in plastic pots, and then were incubated for 8 weeks period After incubation period, the soil were air dried and analyzed for phosphatase activity, available P, and organic and inorganic P. The result showed that organic mailer increased activities of acid and alkaline phosphatase, organic and inorganic-P of soil. On the other hand, rocle phosphate increased inorganic P but decreased activities of acid phosphatase,. Application of organic matter or rock phosphate on activity of acid phosphatase was higher (2.3-2.6 times) than on alkaline phosphatase. There was no effect of combination between organic matter and rock phosphate on the activity of phosphatase and organic/inorganic P. Combination between organic matter and rock phosphate Significantly affected available P. In each rates of rock phosphate given, the increasing rate of organic matter increased available P in their interactions, on the contrary, in each rates of organic matter, the increasing rate of rock phosphate did not affect available P in their interactions. However it was tended to decrease in the rate of 40 ppm P.