We have recently examined the status of the endocannabinoid transmission in the basal ganglia in Huntington's disease (HD) using a rat model generated by bilateral intrastriatal injections of 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP). In these previous studies, we focused on the early phase of hyperactivity that occurs 1–2 weeks after the lesion, comparable to early grades of the human disease, while in the present study, we wanted to explore the late akinetic phase observed 3–4 weeks after the lesion (similar to advanced grades). First, we confirmed that 3-NP-lesioned rats exhibited a marked akinesia tested at 4 weeks post-lesion. We observed a marked reduction in ambulatory and exploratory activities and a trend towards a decrease in stereotypies, paralleled by a strong increase in the time spent in inactivity. There was also a profound reduction in GABA contents and glutamic acid decarboxylase activity, particularly in the caudateputamen and the globus pallidus. Dopamine and DOPAC contents, as well as the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase, were also reduced, particularly in the caudate-putamen. mRNA levels for neuronal-specific enolase, proenkephalin and substance P were also dramatically reduced in the caudate-putamen, thus indicating a death of both the direct (striatonigral) and the indirect (striatopallidal) GABA ergic projection pathways, which corresponded with a marked loss of CB1 receptor-mRNA levels observed in both parts, lateral and medial, of the caudate-putamen. However, losses of CB1 receptor binding were confined to the globus pallidus and the caudate-putamen, whereas there were no changes in the substantia nigra and the entopeduncular nucleus. Finally, we failed to reduce the marked akinesia found in these animals by administering SR141716A, a selective antagonist of CB1 receptors, which had exhibited hyperlocomotor effects in previous studies with naive animals. In summary, behavioral and biochemical changes observed in rats intrastriatally lesioned with 3-NP were compatible with a profound degeneration of striatal efferent GABAergic neurons, similar to those occurring in advances stages of the human disease. As expected, a loss of CB1 receptors was evident in the basal ganglia of these rats during the late akinetic stage of the disease. Further studies should demonstrate whether these receptors might be a target for a new therapy in HD, a disease with a poor pharmacological outcome.


This article examines the role of critical reading in a racial literacy-focused composition curriculum. The author draws on student-produced data to demonstrate how the racial literacy curriculum prepares students to explore the situatedness of language, how individual positionalities influence the construction and interpretation of text, and how sociocultural ideologies are represented and disseminated through seemingly innocuous or objective reporting. Broadly, this article offers strategies for teaching critical reading to help teachers of writing improve students' rhetorical awareness and engage them more fully as participants in a textually mediated society.


OF DISSERTATION Muthuswamy Anantharaman The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2008 NITRATION AND INACTIVATION OF MANGANESE SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN METABOLIC SWITCH ________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION ________________________________________________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Graduate School at the University of KentuckyOF DISSERTATION ________________________________________________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Graduate School at the University of Kentucky By Muthuswamy Anantharaman Director: Dr. Daret St. Clair, Professor, Graduate Center for Toxicology University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 2008 Copyright © Muthuswamy Anantharaman 2008 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATIONOF DISSERTATION NITRATION AND INACTIVATION OF MANGANESE SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN METABOLIC SWITCH Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial, progressive, age-related neurodegenerative disease. Oxidative stress hypothesis is most prevalent and is gaining significant support. Inspite of the progress achieved on oxidative stress related damages in AD brain; the modification occurring on the various cellular antioxidant enzymes antioxidant has not been identified. Tyrosine nitration, a marker for peroxynitrite induced oxidative damage to protein is widespread in AD brain and Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), primary mitochondrial antioxidant enzyme is prone to peroxynitrite induced nitration and inactivation. Nitration of proteins involved in energy metabolism has been demonstrated in AD brain, which may explain the altered glucose metabolic status existing in AD brain. In the present study, we investigated the effect of tyrosine nitration of MnSOD on energy metabolism by the use of AD mouse model and cultured neuronal cells. The AD mouse model was generated from a double homozygous knock-in mouse, designated as APP/PS-1 mice, by incorporating the Swedish familial AD mutations in APP and P264L familial AD mutation in PS – 1. These animals develop age dependent increase in Aβ deposition beginning at 6 months along with an increase in insoluble Aβ1-40/Aβ1-42 levels. Genotype and age associated increase in nitration of MnSOD without any change in protein levels was also observed. MnSOD activity and mitochondrial respiration was decreased in APP/PS-1 mice. There was also concomitant increase in levels of lactate, an index of glycolytic activity in APP/PS-1 mice. To directly investigate the role of MnSOD inactivation in mitochondrial function and subsequent alteration in glycolytic activity, SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells line was used and treated with peroxynitrite. Enhanced nitration and reduction in the activity of MnSOD was observed upon peroxynitrite treatment. Peroxynitrite treatment also induced mitochondrial dysfunction, but MnSOD was inactivated at a concentration of peroxynitrite 10 times lower than that required to inhibit mitochondrial respiration. Mitochondrial dysfunction was alleviated by SOD mimetic and reproduced by MnSOD siRNA. The decline in mitochondrial function did not result in decreased ATP levels but was accompanied by an up-regulated glycolysis signified by high levels of lactate and lactate dehydrogenase activity but decreased activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase. These changes were prevented by SOD mimetic and were promoted by MnSOD siRNA. Specific reduction of MnSOD in MnSOD heterozygous knock-out mice resulted in decreased RCR and complex I activity with increased lactate levels. Taken together, these data demonstrate a critical role of MnSOD in influencing the mitochondrial function and thereby the switch in the energy metabolism switch that might occur under the pathological condition of MnSOD deficiency.


Understanding how disks dissipate is essential to studies of planet formation. However, identifying exactly how dust and gas dissipate is complicated due to the difficulty of finding objects that are clearly in the transition phase of losing their surrounding material. We use Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) spectra to examine 35 photometrically selected candidate cold disks (disks with large inner dust holes). The infrared spectra are supplemented with optical spectra to determine stellar and accretion properties and 1.3 mm photometry to measure disk masses. Based on detailed spectral energy distribution modeling, we identify 15 new cold disks. The remaining 20 objects have IRS spectra that are consistent with disks without holes, disks that are observed close to edge-on, or stars with background emission. Based on these results, we determine reliable criteria to identify disks with inner holes from Spitzer photometry, and examine criteria already in the literature. Applying these criteria to the c2d surveyed star-forming regions gives a frequency of such objects of at least 4% and most likely of order 12% of the young stellar object population identified by Spitzer. We also examine the properties of these new cold disks in combination with cold disks from the literature. Hole sizes in this sample are generally smaller than in previously discovered disks and reflect a distribution in better agreement with exoplanet orbit radii. We find correlations between hole size and both disk and stellar masses. Silicate features, including crystalline features, are present in the overwhelming majority of the sample, although the 10 μm feature strength above the continuum declines for holes with radii larger than ∼7 AU. In contrast, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are only detected in 2 out of 15 sources. Only a quarter of the cold disk sample shows no signs of accretion, making it unlikely that photoevaporation is the dominant hole-forming process in most cases.


ABSTRACT Eight Latin American strains of Aedes aegypti were evaluated for resistance to 6 organophosphates (temephos, malathion, fenthion, pirimiphos-methyl, fenitrothion, and chlorpirifos) and 4 pyrethroids (deltamethrin, lambdacyhalothrin, betacypermethrin, and cyfluthrin) under laboratory conditions. In larval bioassays, temephos resistance was high (resistance ratio [RR50], ≥10×) in the majority of the strains, except for the Nicaragua and Venezuela strains, which showed moderate resistance (RR50, between 5 and 10×). The majority of the strains were susceptible to malathion, fenthion, and fenitrothion. However, resistance to pirimiphos-methyl ranged from moderate to high in most of the strains. Larvae from Havana City were resistant to 3 of the pyrethroids tested and moderately resistant to cyfluthrin. The Santiago de Cuba strain showed high resistance to deltamethrin and moderate resistance to the other pyrethroids (lambdacyhalothrin, betacypermethrin, and cyfluthrin). The rest of the strains were susceptible to pyrethroids, except for the Jamaica and Costa Rica strains, which showed moderate resistance to cyfluthrin, and Peru and Venezuela, which showed resistance to deltamethrin. Adult bioassays showed that all the strains were resistant to dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethane and to the majority of pyrethroids evaluated. The use of the synergists S,S,S,-tributyl phosphorotrithioate and piperonil butoxide showed that esterase and monooxygenases played an important role in the temephos, pirimiphos-methyl, and chlorpirifos resistance in some strains. Biochemical tests showed high frequencies of esterase and glutathione-S-transferase activity; however, the frequency of altered acetylcholinesterase mechanism was low. The polyacrylamide electrophoresis gel detected the presence of a strong band called Est-A4. Insecticide resistance in Ae. aegypti is a serious problem facing control operations, and integrated control strategies are recommended to help prevent or delay the temephos resistance in larvae and pyrethroids resistance in adults.


Electrolytic in-process dressing (ELID) Grinding was an effective machining method for gaining of super smooth surface for hard and brittle materials due to its excellent surface generation capabilities. Bamboo charcoal bonded (BCB) grinding wheel was an environmental friendly ELID grinding wheel which was made up of bamboo charcoal and phenolic resin as bonding agent with high temperature sintering process. In this paper, the electrolysis performances of the BCB grinding wheel with the different resin ratios were researched, and the surface of BCB grinding wheel formed a dense oxide layer in electrolysis action, was illustrated with SEM and XRD analysis.


In connection with access to information in developing countries, information flows through existing networks of communication is a main theme in the current IS literature . Information-intensive infrastructure is a requirement for information dissemination due to the shortage of network infrastructure in the majority of developing states. It is verified by many researchers that information managing technologies with their main purpose of 'handling information' have the advantage to enhance already existing technologies by making better information-communication a priori to new ICT innovations .Presently health information system infrastructure is deficient in resources to meet the demands and needs of increasing population in developing countries. Health care systems of developing countries have major barriers like poverty and lack of technological sophistication. The basic difficulties or barriers in using information technologies include poor or inadequate infrastructure, insufficient access to the hardware and inadequate or poor resources allocation. By eliminating these barriers population health status can be improved in developing countries. This study aims to determine the main issues and prospects for e-health in the current situation of developing countries like Pakistan and the way forward for policy makers to manage all issues in future for more effective and rational decision-making in healthcare organizations. Keywords : E-health, Issues, Prospects


OBJECTIVES
Occupational skin disease (OSD) arises from work-related activity. However, there is a paucity of literature on OSD in physicians. The aim of the this review was therefore to examine and summarize what types of symptomatic OSD physicians experience.

METHODS
We conducted a systematic literature search on Cochrane Library, Embase, and Pubmed.

RESULTS
Contact dermatitis from formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde were found in 11.5 and 13.5% of cases, respectively. In total 2.4-14.9% had latex allergy. The reported standardized incidence ratio of squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma was up to 2.15 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.57-1.95] and 3.2 (95% CI 1.38-6.31). Transmission of human papilloma virus (HPV) particles during carbon dioxide laser wart ablation were found in 70% of samples collected from protective gloves and in 52% of samples from vapors.

CONCLUSIONS
The most frequently reported OSD in physicians is contact dermatitis from allergens in disinfectants and rubber gloves. There is also a risk of cutaneous reactions to latex. The incidence of skin cancer was higher in physicians than in the general population, and the reason for this remains unexplained and potentially biased. There are no reports of transmission of patient HPV to surgeons during wart ablation, possibly because of proper use of protective equipment.


A large group of hereditary spherocytosis (HS) patients manifest the clinical signs of this condition during the neonatal period and most of them require transfusions. The authors describe a clinical case of a neonate that was transfused. They demonstrated that the splenectomized mother had an HS due to a de novo mutation of one ankyrin allele. By means of this molecular approach, they were able to perform a diagnosis of HS in the newborn. The administration of rhEpo during the first months of life created a condition of transfusion-independence and, after six months, they were able to demonstrate the biochemical defect on the red cell membrane.


We investigated the effects of exposure to sublethal concentrations of the water accommodated fraction (WAF) of fresh crude oil on phototactic behavior of the calanoid copepod Calanus finmarchicus (Gunnerus) copepodite stage 5 (C5). Exposure was conducted in closed bottle systems, and behavior was tested in a tailored setup. Exposure times were 24, 48, 72, and 96 h, and the chosen exposure concentration was 25% of the recorded LC50 value for the WAF (309 ± 32 μg/L total hydrocarbon, including 20.37 ± 0.51 μg/L total PAH). The exposure significantly increased the positive phototactic behavior of the copepods after 24 h exposure and a similar significant effect was observed for all exposure durations. Additionally, experiments were conducted with nonexposed copepods with low lipid reserves. The main effect of the exposure was a shift in the response to light toward a more positive phototaxis, similar to that observed in nonexposed C. finmarchicus with low lipid reserves. The observed change in phototactic behavior observed in these studies suggests that the depth distribution of this species could be altered following an oil spill. Thus, further research is warranted to determine the possible interactive effects of light and oil spill exposures on Calanus population dynamics under field conditions.


Species' ranges are changing at accelerating rates. Species distribution models (SDMs) are powerful tools that help rangers and decision‐makers prepare for reintroductions, range shifts, reductions and/or expansions by predicting habitat suitability across landscapes. Yet, range‐expanding or ‐shifting species in particular face other challenges that traditional SDM procedures cannot quantify, due to large differences between a species' currently occupied range and potential future range. The realism of SDMs is thus lost and not as useful for conservation management in practice. Here, we address these challenges with an extended assessment of habitat suitability through an integrated SDM database (iSDMdb). The iSDMdb is a spatial database of predicted sites in a species' prediction range, derived from SDM results, and is a single spatial feature that contains additional, user‐friendly data fields that synthesise and summarise SDM predictions and uncertainty, human impacts, restoration features, novel preferences in novel spaces and management priorities. To illustrate its utility, we used the endangered New Zealand sea lion Phocarctos hookeri. We consulted with wildlife rangers, decision‐makers and sea lion experts to supplement SDM predictions with additional, more realistic and applicable information for management. Almost half the data fields included in this database resulted from engaging with these end‐users during our study. The SDM found 395 predicted sites. However, the iSDMdb's additional assessments showed that the actual suitability of most sites (90%) was questionable due to human impacts. >50% of sites contained unnatural barriers (fences, grazing grasslands), and 75% of sites had roads located within the species' range of inland movement. Just 5% of the predicted sites were mostly (>80%) protected. Integrating SDM results with supplemental assessments provides a way to address SDM limitations, especially for range‐expanding or ‐shifting species. SDM products for conservation applications have been critiqued for lacking transparency and interpretation support, and ineffectively communicating uncertainty. The iSDMdb addresses these issues and enhances the practical relevance and utility of SDMs for stakeholders, rangers and decision‐makers. We exemplify how to build an iSDMdb using open‐source tools, and how to make diverse, complex assessments more accessible for end‐users.


Chinese-style yellow alkaline noodles (YAN) and Japanese-style white salted noodles (WSN) were prepared from a standard brand of hard red winter wheat flour (Red Bicycle) and from composite flours containing the wheat flour plus 25% sweet potato flour (SPF). SPF from four Philippine genotypes (CL-946-25, Miracle L, CN-941-32, and CL-1489-89) was used. The composite flours showed two distinct gelatinization endotherms corresponding to the two types of starch present. The gelatinization enthalpies of the composite flours were generally slightly lower than all-wheat flour, except for CL-1489-89, which had minimal amylase activity. Rapid Visco-Analyser (RVA) viscoamylographs of composite flours were significantly different under slightly acidic conditions (pH 5.7-6.0) but not under alkaline conditions (pH 10), primarily due to differences in SPF amylase activity. Correspondingly, YAN were firmer and had lower cooking loss than WSN. Sweet potato genotypes differed significantly in the color imparted to the composite flour noodles. The modified Pekar Slick test was conducted on SPF under alkaline and under slightly acidic conditions to show the extent of discoloration during processing. For wheat-sweet potato composite flours, the addition of ascorbic acid tended to increase noodle firmness. However, a higher degree of browning after 24 hr of storage at 4°C was observed in noodles containing ascorbic acid. RVA viscoamylographs and the modified Pekar slick test results can be used to screen sweet potato cultivars for noodle quality.


Long-term training is a common approach within the applied setting for components of physiology and strength and conditioning, for example. However, less is known about the reality of training across similar timescales from a technical perspective. Taking the highly technical sport of golf, current research rarely considers coaching technique beyond a single session or with the aim to understand the reality for, or challenges faced by, coaches working at the elite level. Accordingly, this qualitative study explored the goals, structure, and methods of coaches' long-term technical work with players at macro-, meso-, and microlevels. Findings revealed that (a) coaches attempted to undertake technical refinement with players but without a clear systematic process, (b) there is little coherence and consistency across the levels of work, (c) the process and timescales of technical work are considered unpredictable and uncertain, and (d) long-term planning is seen as subservient to meeting players' immediate performance needs. These results highlight the complexity of long-term technical work at the elite level and the need for coaches to develop both a sound and clear rationale through a more comprehensive case conceptualisation process, as well as a greater alignment to the scientific literature, to advance future practice.


A quantum wire with strong Rashba spin-orbit interaction is known to exhibit spatial modulation of spin density along its width owing to coupling between subbands caused by the Rashba interaction. This is known as spin texturing. Here, we show that a transverse external magnetic field introduces additional complex features in spin texturing, some of which reflect the intricate details of the underlying energy dispersion relations of the spin-split subbands. One particularly intriguing feature is a 90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} phase shift between the spatial modulations of two orthogonal components of the spin density, which is observed at moderate field strengths and when only the lowest spin-split level is occupied by electrons. Its origin lies in the fact that the Rashba interaction acts as an effective magnetic field whose strength is proportional to the electron's velocity.


Understanding the experience of women who become mothers during their teenage years is central to ensuring that the support that is offered is appropriate to meet their needs. This paper reports on a small part of a larger ethnographic study that captured the lived experience of young mothers who were between the ages of 16 and 19 years that potentially typifies and illuminates the experiences of young women who become mothers in their teenage years. By collecting data from narrative interviews as well as participant and non-participant observations over an extended period of time it was possible to identify how the young women experienced a range of difficulties as they made their transition into motherhood. Drawing on the findings, this paper argues that this transition for teenage mothers can be significantly different from the experience of older mothers, and it identifies the importance of appropriate support to mediate the challenges that they face. Understanding the young women's journey to 'becoming' is critical when planning services because if their experience of support is negative, it can lead to increased levels of maternal stress and reluctance to engage with support services.


Action research was used to explore student impressions of both learning and enjoyment associated with specific laboratory exercises in two semesters of a Zoology laboratory. The initial laboratories had primarily included observations of slides, preserved and living specimens, and group dissections of preserved animals, all lower cognitive levels according to our analysis using Bloom's taxonomy. Four laboratory activities (Annelids, Molluscs, Arthropods, and Echinoderms) were altered to include higher levels of intellectual challenge, as reflected in an increase in the use of verbs associated with higher levels according to Bloom's taxonomy. Improved and expanded animal behavior experiments, a dichotomous key activity, tables of structures and function, classification exercises, and a model building activity were added to the traditional laboratory observation and dissections. A survey was given at the end of the semester in both 2002 and 2003 to assay student reactions to the new activities, as well as to compare both student learning and student enjoyment for each type of activity done in the laboratory throughout the semester to determine if student enjoyment and student learning were correlated. In addition, the results of the survey were compared with results of a lab practical exam for one semester to determine if student impressions of learning correlated with performance. The results of this study will be used to further adjust Zoology laboratory activities to maximize both student enjoyment and student learning. In addition, a closer look at dissections as an intellectually challenging learning experience learning tool will be implemented in following semesters.


Finding the right data source for research is a challenge that many of us face. Although we live in times where 'Open Data' and 'Big Data' have become buzzwords, getting hold of a reasonable size and quality dataset is often hard. When it comes to user data such as mobility data, this becomes even tougher due to privacy-related concerns. This paper briefly explains our research in the area of multi-user context modeling and presents some criteria that we believe are important while selecting a dataset for testing different approaches in this domain. To find the right dataset, some relevant publicly available human mobility datasets are examined using these criteria. The following are the datasets that have been analyzed: Microsoft Research GeoLife Trajectory Dataset, Tracking Delft I Pedestrian Trajectory Dataset, MIT Media Lab Reality Mining Dataset and LifeMap Dataset. Besides these, some other useful data sources for researchers have been cited.


In order to write about the relationship of four Hungarian kings with the Holy See during the eleventh century, one must first make acquaintance with the ecclesiastical policy of King Stephen I (ob. 1038), who established the political and religious unity of the country. One must also consider the relations with Rome and with the German court of Kings Andrew I (ob. 1060) and Solomon (1063–1074) in the 1050s through the early 1070s. Finally, it is important to point out that only Ladislas I, who reigned during the last quarter of the century and died in 1096, had shown a firm attitude toward Rome, though his policy went too far and, in the view expressed by Urban II to Coloman the Learned of Hungary (ob. 1116), led to a rapture of relations with the Holy See.


The nature of private commercial real estate markets presents difficulties for monitoring market performance. Assets are heterogeneous and spatially dispersed, trading is infrequent and there is no central market place in which prices and cash flows of properties can be easily observed. Appraisal based indices represent one response to these issues. However, these have been criticised on a number of grounds; that they may understate volatility, lag turning points and be affected by client influence issues in relation to the underlying inputs. Thus, this paper presents an econometrically derived transaction based index of the UK commercial property market using IPD data and compares it with published IPD valuation indices for this market. The method is similar to that presented by Fisher et al. (2007) and used by the MIT Centre for Real Estate on NCREIF portfolio records, although it employs value rather than equal weighting. The results show stronger growth from the transaction based index in the run up to the peak in the UK market in 2007 as well as larger falls thereafter. They also show that the transaction index is more volatile than the valuation series, but, surprisingly, differences in the timing of turning points are not found. Hence, the paper concludes by debating why this might be so, as well as the applications and limitations that this transaction based series has as a practical market performance measure.


A finite‐element model is used to compute acoustic pressure in an inhomogeneous region, and coupled to mode expansions on the left and right boundaries of that region. By allowing the incident field to consist of a single mode, one can determine a mode scattering matrix, i.e., the amplitudes for backscattered modes and amplitudes for modes transmitted through the far boundary. The modal expansions used on the two boundaries need not be the same. Examples with rapid bathemetry changes and strong range‐dependent changes in sound speed and density will be shown. [Work supported by ONR and the ONR Acoustic Reverberation SRP.]


End-to-end ASR models trained on large amount of data tend to be implicitly biased towards language semantics of the training data. Internal language model estimation (ILME) has been proposed to mitigate this bias for autoregressive models such as attention-based encoder-decoder and RNN-T. Typically, ILME is performed by modularizing the acoustic and language components of the model architecture, and eliminating the acoustic input to perform log-linear interpolation with the text-only posterior. However, for CTC-based ASR, it is not as straightforward to decouple the model into such acoustic and language components, as CTC log-posteriors are computed in a non-autoregressive manner. In this work, we propose a novel ILME technique for CTC-based ASR models. Our method iteratively masks the audio timesteps to estimate a pseudo log-likelihood of the internal LM by accumulating log-posteriors for only the masked timesteps. Extensive evaluation across multiple out-of-domain datasets reveals that the proposed approach improves WER by up to 9.8% and OOV F1-score by up to 24.6% relative to Shallow Fusion, when only text data from target domain is available. In the case of zero-shot domain adaptation, with no access to any target domain data, we demonstrate that removing the source domain bias with ILME can still outperform Shallow Fusion to improve WER by up to 9.3% relative.


Small and medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in promoting inclusive growth in the contemporary economy of Sri Lanka. However, the growth and expansion of SMEs are constrained by some unknown factors and those are yet to be revealed. Hence, the main objective of this study was to recognize the factors that influence the growth of SMEs in Sri Lanka. The present study was based on a sample of fifteen SMEs which may have positive or negative growth in sales. The stratified sampling technique was used to select an appropriate sample of SMEs. Among the selected sample of SMEs, two SMEs were selected for case studies. A questionnaire and informal interviews were the primary data collection methods used in this study. The correlation analysis and the Chi-square test were used to determine the possible influence of the factors on the growth of SMEs in Sri Lanka. The study revealed that the growth of SMEs is constrained by financial inadequacy, the lack of access to new technology, and some regulations imposed by the government. Moreover, it was revealed that the level of education of the owner of the enterprise has a direct impact on the growth of SMEs.


The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of social context on the different usage of address terms (first name "FN", pet name "PN", and respect name "RN") according to distinctive contexts between spouses (1. together alone, 2. in the presence of child(ren), and 3. in the presence of husband/wife's parents). Data were collected through interview and a questionnaire. 200 participants were selected according to researcher's criteria: being married and having child(ren). Participants were divided into three different groups according to their age, and into three groups according to their educational level. The results show women and men use PN more when alone. And they use RN more than FN in the third situation. In address terms usage there was no difference between men regarding their educational degree and age differences. Considering women's educational degree there was no difference in usage of PN, FN, and RN. But regarding age differences, there was difference: the first and second age groups prefer to use FN more than RN in order to show more affection, while the third age group is very likely to use more RN in order to show their respect towards their husbands. The findings of the study, therefore, support the view that language is sensitive to its social context. As a result, simply presenting the learners with linguistic input would not guarantee that they would be able to express themselves appropriately in different situations; they should be taught when to say what to whom and how.


Several SiC bulk crystals were grown with erbium and ytterbium as doping materials. Erbium contents determined by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) ranged from 1.2 · 1014 cm-3 to 1.04 · 1015 cm-3, while ytterbium contents were below SIMS detection limit. Photoluminescence (PL) investigations of the characteristic 4f-4f-transition lines revealed a reduced luminescence yield in highly nitrogen and aluminum co-doped samples. Also, samples without intentional co-doping grown on the C-face showed less luminescence intensity than those grown on the Si-face. A stabilizing effect of erbium doping on the 4H polytype was observed.


Aim: The Prevalence of Thinness and Associated Risk Factors among School Going Adolescents. Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Home Science, Purnea University, Purnea, Bihar, India, for 1 year. The study was conducted in 3 secondary school in Purnea, Bihar. This study was conducted among adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years attending secondary school in Purnea, Bihar. A simple random sampling technique was used to pick the five schools and a Systematic sampling was used to obtain the number of children from each school. A sampling frame derived from a list of pupils aged between 12-18 years in the randomly selected schools was then used. Results: A total of 100 adolescent girls were included in the study with a response rate of 100%. The mean age of respondents was 16.17 (±2.77 standard deviation) years. Nearly one-quarter (25%) of respondents was found to be in the first quintile range of wealth index. Majority 90(90%) of the respondents were followers of Hindu, followed by Muslims (8%). 65(65%) of the respondents were urban dwellers. Regarding parents of the study participants 30 (30%) of mothers and 36 (36%) of fathers were educated at least at a primary school level. By occupation majority 72(72%) of mothers and 40(40%) of fathers were housewives and farmers, respectively. From the respondents, 55(55%) and 55(55%) were involved in moderate to vigorous work and moderate intensity sport activities for ≥10 min continuously per day, respectively. Regarding to eating habit of the respondents, 22(22%), 20 (20%), and 65 (65%) of them ate fruits, vegetables, and snack, respectively, at least once/day. In general, only 5(5%) of the respondents consumed at least three meals/day. 88 (88%) of the respondents had used adequate diet diversity and the rest had used inadequate diet diversity. Of the respondents, 45(45%) had begun their first menstruation in the age range of 14–16 years of age and 5 (5%) had begun their first menstruation above 16 years of age. Conclusion Thinness was found to be a serious problem in the study area. Strategies are needed to improve the nutritional status of adolescent girls before they reach conception to break the vicious cycle of intergenerational malnutrition.


Ecuador has the largest number of species by area worldwide, but also a low representation of species within its protected areas. Here, we applied systematic conservation planning to identify potential areas for conservation in continental Ecuador, with the aim of increasing the representation of terrestrial species diversity in the protected area network. We selected 809 terrestrial species (amphibians, birds, mammals, and plants), for which distributions were estimated via species distribution models (SDMs), using Maxent. For each species we established conservation goals based on conservation priorities, and estimated new potential protected areas using Marxan conservation planning software. For each selected area, we determined their conservation priority and feasibility of establishment, two important aspects in the decision-making processes. We found that according to our conservation goals, the current protected area network contains large conservation gaps. Potential areas for conservation almost double the surface area of currently protected areas. Most of the newly proposed areas are located in the Coast, a region with large conservation gaps and irreversible changes in land use. The most feasible areas for conservation were found in the Amazon and Andes regions, which encompass more undisturbed habitats, and already harbor most of the current reserves. Our study allows defining a viable strategy for preserving Ecuador's biodiversity, by combining SDMs, GIS-based decision-support software, and priority and feasibility assessments of the selected areas. This approach is useful for complementing protected area networks in countries with great biodiversity, insufficient biological information, and limited resources for conservation.


Developments in the field of image understanding in remote sensing over the past four decades are reviewed, with an emphasis, initially, on the contributions of David Landgrebe and his colleagues at the Laboratory for Applications of Remote Sensing, Purdue University. The differences in approach required for multispectral, hyperspectral and radar image data are emphasised, culminating with a commentary on methods commonly adopted for multisource image analysis. The treatment concludes by examining the requirements of an operational multisource thematic mapping process, in which it is suggested that the most practical approach is to analyze each data type separately, by techniques optimized to that data's characteristics, and then to fuse at the label level.


A scalable synthesis of magnetic core–shell nanocomposite particles, acting as a novel class of magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agents, has been developed. Each nanocomposite particle consists of a biocompatible chitosan shell and a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) core where multiple aggregated γ‐Fe2O3 nanoparticles are confined within the hydrophobic core. Properties of the nanocomposite particles including their chemical structure, particle size, size distribution, and morphology, as well as crystallinity of the magnetic nanoparticles and magnetic properties were systematically characterized. Their potential application as an MR contrast agent has been evaluated. Results show that the nanocomposite particles have good stability in biological media and very low cytotoxicity in both L929 mouse fibroblasts (normal cells) and HeLa cells (cervical cancer cells). They also exhibited excellent MR imaging performance with a T2 relaxivity of up to 364 mMFe−1 s−1. An in vivo MR test performed on a naked mouse bearing breast tumor indicates that the nanocomposite particles can localize in both normal liver and tumor tissues. These results suggest that the magnetic core–shell nanocomposite particles are an efficient, inexpensive and safe T2‐weighted MR contrast agent for both liver and tumor MR imaging in cancer therapy.


This Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) report and any recommendations made herein are for the specific facility evaluated and may not be universally applicable. Any recommendations made are not to be considered as final statements of NIOSH policy or of any agency or individual involved. Additional HHE reports are available at The employer shall post a copy of this report for a period of 30 calendar days at or near the workplace(s) of affected employees. The employer shall take steps to insure that the posted determinations are not altered, defaced, or covered by other material during such period.


The surface systems technology under development has long-range objectives that are quite challenging and will lead to revolutionary capabilities. Many of the technologies needing development are in their infancy: multiple, coordinated multiscale (small and large) special robots forming networks; Remote robotic work systems; Extension of lifetime and power performance envelopes by orders of magnitude; Local robotic outpost communication architectures and systems, high-rate surface switching and aggregation centers, and/or aero-synchronous network relays; Manufacture of propellants, oxygen, water, and other resources. However, substantial initial steps are being made toward the long-range goals by seeking and supporting activities that lead to early proof-of-principle experiments in selected areas. Evolution of the technology and infusion into flight systems will require major achievements from the community of researchers involved, and this effort will be interesting and exciting.


Based on the reports of 18 fever related deaths in Bhojpur Primary Health Centre (PHC) of Moradabad District (UP), a study was undertaken during September and October, 2000 to explore the possibility of outbreak of malaria in the area and the reasons of the outbreak. The slide positivity rate (SPR) and slide falciparum rate (SFR) in active fever surveys were found to be 84.7% and 82.2% respectively. Among children the average enlarged spleen and spleen rate were 1.9 and 27.4 per cent respectively. The mortality rate of Anopheles culicifacies in DDT, Malathion and Deltamethrin was 42.5, 86.7 and cent per cent respectively. The results of the study revealed that the outbreak was of malaria with predominance of Plasmodium falciparum causing several deaths in the affected villages. The investigation revealed that there was disruption of surveillance and supervision of malaria activities.


Welfare state conception has been adopted in the substance of the 1945 Constitution of Republic Indonesia (UUD 1945), that extracted in fourth paragraph of Preambule of UUD  1945,  by  posting  the  phrase  'to  improve  public  welfare'  as staatsidee of Republic of Indonesia. In amendment of UUD 1945, UUD 1945 determines economic democracy principles, as prescribed in Article 33 paragraph (4) UUD 1945. In its economic democracy, there is efficiency with justice principle that recognized as capitalistic unsure which lifts the spirit of neoliberalism. After analysing that corelation, I found and identify that some unsures of neoliberalism has been emulted in some legal policy in economic issued by the Administration of Indonesia, such as privatisation, market regulation, deregulation, and reducing public spending.


Summary 1. Significant deviations between macro- and microclimates are quite common in different ecosystems. Such deviations have also been observed between leaf and air temperatures. The surface of leaves hosts a huge diversity of organisms. Here, we point out the crucial role of leaf microclimates in the fate of leaf-dwelling organisms in a changing climate. 2. Leaf microclimate, which includes temperature and humidity at the leaf surface, results from the biophysical filtering of local macroclimates by the plants themselves through complex and nonlinear processes. However, because the processes contributing to leaf microclimate are poorly understood, we lack a strong basis for predicting the impacts of global warming on plants and their denizens. 3. We describe two mechanisms that generate climate uncertainty at the leaf surfaces. First, stomatal responses to the environment generate great complexity in the dynamics of leaf temperatures. Secondly, herbivores, by feeding on leaf tissues, modify their leaf microclimates. Little is known about how these modifications affect the ecophysiology of organisms at the leaf surface, an effect called physical feedback of herbivory. 4. Recent findings report a latitudinal gradient in the temperatures of tree leaves, which can be linked to gradients in plant structural traits. We propose two competing hypotheses to describe how the leaf microclimate will change with global warming across latitudes. These hypotheses predict opposite patterns of change in the leaf microclimate. 5. How can we reduce our uncertainty about what will happen at leaf surfaces? Recent advances in stomatal biology give cues regarding the direction and the speed at which plant stomata will influence the evolution of leaf microclimates. In addition, local heterogeneity in microclimatic conditions might help leaf-dwelling organisms to find suitable microhabitats, as long as they can migrate over short distances. 6. The challenges now are to understand whether leaf microclimates will buffer or magnify the amplitude of warming, and to determine how much the outcome will affect ecological processes within new microclimates. Leaf microclimates can provide suitable microhabitats in an unfavourable climate, and conversely, they can bring a species to local extinction in what would seem to be an otherwise favourable climate.


Understanding defect chemistry, particularly ion migration, and its significant effect on the surface's optical and electronic properties is one of the major challenges impeding the development of hybrid perovskite-based devices. Here, using both experimental and theoretical approaches, we demonstrated that the surface layers of the perovskite crystals may acquire a high concentration of positively charged vacancies with the complementary negatively charged halide ions pushed to the surface. This charge separation near the surface generates an electric field that can induce an increase of optical band gap in the surface layers relative to the bulk. We found that the charge separation, electric field, and the amplitude of shift in the bandgap strongly depend on the halides and organic moieties of perovskite crystals. Our findings reveal the peculiarity of surface effects that are currently limiting the applications of perovskite crystals and more importantly explain their origins, thus enabling viable surface passivation strategies to remediate them.


The modular and scalable leverage planning for flexible platform is crucial for derivative product design. A multi-objective flexible platform leverage planning method with quantitative indices is proposed. Including customer requirement analysis and product attributes - components mapping, a platform planning process model is presented. The importance rate of product attributes and levels utilities of customer satisfaction are achieved with conjoint analysis. Quality function deployment is applied to acquire the co-relational matrix between attributes and components. Then the quantitative platform diversity index and commonality index are proposed to construct a two-objective leverage model and calculated by evolutionary algorithms to get Pareto optimal design solutions. The effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated by the leverage planning for large-scale hydraulic support platform.


Background: Acquired dysgraphia (impaired writing/spelling skills) can significantly restrict people from participating in social, professional, and educational life. Using writing in order to access the Internet via computers, tablets, and mobile phones has become an important part of everyday life for people of all ages. Improving writing in people with acquired dysgraphia could facilitate communication, reduce isolation, and increase access to information. Aims: This review evaluates the writing therapy literature in terms of its usefulness in guiding clinicians in training writing in adults with acquired dysgraphia generally, with specific reference to functional writing activities. The databases Web of Knowledge and Psychinfo were searched for studies evaluating writing therapies for participants with acquired dysgraphia following brain injury. Studies were categorised according to type of treatment (e.g., impairment-based or assistive technology training) and outcome measures (e.g., single words or sentences). Main Contribution: Sixty-two studies were found. Of these, 54 described impairment-based writing therapies targeting single words or sentences using either lexical or phonological therapies. A small body of 14 studies evaluated the use of assistive writing technologies either alone or in conjunction with an impairment-based therapy. Although all studies reported positive effects of some kind, only 28 measured the effects of therapy on functional or spontaneous writing and only 21 explicitly encouraged the transfer of writing skills to functional tasks. Conclusions: The writing therapy literature has a dominant tradition of using theoretically motivated treatments to improve single-word writing. It provides limited guidance to clinicians treating functional writing, especially in natural contexts. There may be a specific therapeutic role for assistive technologies which have been as yet largely unexplored in the literature. Furthermore, the cognitive requirements of effective use of assistive technology for dysgraphia warrant research in order to understand which people with dysgraphia may benefit from their use.


This paper describes the application of curve fitting algorithms to aid the evaluation of lightning impulse parameters. A number of popular curve fitting algorithms have been evaluated and compared. Investigations using the genetic algorithm and other optimisation methods for the purpose of curve fitting have also been carried out and will be described.


Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) are widely used as standard candles to probe the Universe. However, how these fierce explosions are produced itself is still a highly debated issue. There are mainly two popular models for SNe Ia: the double-degenerate scenario and the single-degenerate scenario. The double-degenerate scenario suggests that SNe Ia are produced by the coalescence of two degenerate white dwarfs, while the single-degenerate scenario suggests that the continuous accretion of a single degenerate white dwarf from its normal stellar companion will finally lead to a disastrous explosion when it is over-massive, resulting in an SN Ia. The rapid development of the gravitational wave astronomy sheds new light on the nature of SNe Ia. In this study, we calculate the gravitational wave emissions of double white dwarf coalescences and compare them with the sensitivities of several upcoming detectors. It is found that the gravitational wave emissions from double white dwarf mergers in the local universe are strong enough to be detected by LISA. We argue that LISA-like gravitational wave detectors sensitive in the frequency range of 0.01 — 0.1 Hz will be a powerful tool to test the double-degenerate model of SNe Ia, and also to probe the Universe.


In this paper we present results from an experimental study addressing the use of mobile agents in the retrieval of management information. We compare several agent-based models for distributed collection and processing of management data, focusing on performance but also considering network traffic and setup costs. This study reveals that in many situations the performance of mobile agent systems is mainly determined by distribution, rather than locality. Furthermore, it shows that despite its importance in the flexibility and adaptability of the management system, agent mobility does not increase the system performance.


Introduction: Despite the high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children with Down syndrome (DS), very few subjective pediatric assessments have been evaluated in this population. The Sleep-Related Breathing Disorder subscale of the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (SRBD-PSQ) and Obstructive Sleep Apnea-18 Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (OSA-18) are two sleep-related questionnaires previously validated for the general pediatric population. Our aim was to assess the performance of these questionnaires in our DS population. Methods: We performed a retrospective case series of patients with DS, ages 2-18 years, seen in our tertiary care DS clinic between May 1, 2009 and October 1, 2018. We included those who returned complete sleep questionnaires and had polysomnography testing within the same year. Patients were excluded for history of OSA or lack of questionnaire data. A Student's t-test was used to compare mean SRBD-PSQ total score to published norms. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated between obstructive apnea-hypopnea index (oAHI) and SRBD-PSQ or OSA-18 total scores, as well as domain scores. Results: SRBD-PSQ (N = 50) and OSA-18 (N = 36) average total scores were 0.46 ± 0.20 and 55.47 ± 22.9, respectively. OSA-18 total score was better correlated with oAHI (rs= 0.46, p < 0.05) than SRBD-PSQ (rs = 0.23, p > 0.05). Questionnaire scores seemed to be most strongly, positively correlated with oAHI in adolescents and negatively correlated in children. Conclusion: The SRBD-PSQ and OSA-18 demonstrated weak to moderate correlations with oAHI, but scores within domains of each questionnaire showed varying strengths of correlation with polysomnography. Further study is needed to better define how these questionnaires should be used and interpreted in the DS population.


Rapid advancement of distributed computing systems enables complex services in remote computing clusters. Massive applications with large-scale and disparate characteristics also create high requirements for computing systems. Cloud computing provides a series of novel approaches to meet new trends and demands. However, some scalability issues have to be addressed in the request scheduling process and few studies have been conducted to solve these problems. Thus, this study investigates the scalability of the request scheduling process in cloud computing. We provide a theoretical definition of the scalability of this process. By modeling the scheduling server as a stochastic preemptive priority queue, we conduct a comprehensive theoretical and numerical analysis of the scalability metric under different structures and various environment configurations. The comparison and conclusion are expected to shed light on the future design and deployment of the request scheduling process in cloud computing.


Porphyry dikes and hydrothermal veins from the porphyry Cu-Mo deposit at Butte, Montana, contain multiple generations of quartz that are distinct in scanning electron microscope-cathodoluminescence (SEM-CL) images and in Ti concentrations. A comparison of microprobe trace element profiles and maps to SEM-CL images shows that the concentration of Ti in quartz correlates positively with CL brightness but Al, K, and Fe do not. After calibrating CL brightness in relation to Ti concentration, we use the brightness gradient between different quartz generations as a proxy for Ti gradients that we model to determine time scales of quartz formation and cooling. Model results indicate that time scales of porphyry magma residence are ~1,000s of years and time scales from porphyry quartz phenocryst rim formation to porphyry dike injection and cooling are ~10s of years. Time scales for the formation and cooling of various generations of hydrothermal vein quartz range from 10s to 10,000s of years. These time scales are considerably shorter than the ~0.6 m.y. overall time frame for each porphyry-style mineralization pulse determined from isotopic studies at Butte, Montana. Simple heat conduction models provide a temporal reference point to compare chemical diffusion time scales, and we find that they support short dike and vein formation time scales. We interpret these relatively short time scales to indicate that the Butte porphyry deposit formed by short-lived episodes of hydrofracturing, dike injection, and vein formation, each with discrete thermal pulses, which repeated over the ~3 m.y. generation of the deposit.


The advancement of e-business applications and IT infrastructure has had massive impact on construction business processes over the last decade. The added effects of globalisation coupled with global economic recession have forced businesses to implement e-business applications within their organisations. It is clear in all industries, that e-business technologies have become a key strategic vehicle in improving performance. In Construction, e-business applications complement most of the business functions and have removed geographical boundaries resulting in a global construction market with increased competition, increased collaboration and have helped reducing the fragmentation of the industry. However, even though the successes are inevitable, it is scrutinized that the advancement is still constrained within the industry. Thus there is a need to undertake an analysis of current construction e-business usage and attitude of construction professionals towards e-business trends to ensure a productive and beneficial implementation of construction e-business tools within organisations. This study acknowledged the niche for research into current e-business usage in UK construction organisations and aimed to determine and map the use of ICT in construction cost management activities, and explore the attitudes of professionals towards e-business approaches. Initially a comprehensive literature review was carried out together with an online web search to identify what ICT and software packages are being used for construction cost management activities. Results from this review aided in developing the research questionnaire and a detailed an online structured survey was carried out using the chartered quantity surveying organisations within the UK. This paper presents the findings of the survey and discusses the ICT usage within construction organisations for cost management activities and the attitude of construction professionals towards BIM and construction e-business trends.


Australia, like other jurisdictions, is recognising the poorer physical health of people with mental health disorders. This paper explores policy responses to this issue through discourse analysis of 22 Australian Federal and State government policy documents published in 2006-2011. The paper utilises Bacchi's 'what's the problem represented to be?' approach to explore policy solutions in relation to the representation of the issue, enabling identification of issues which are not problematised and policy solutions that have not been considered. The poor physical health of people with mental health disorders is attributed in policy to poor lifestyle habits and limited access to monitoring of physical health care. Three policy solutions are offered: collaborative care delivery involving greater use of fee-for-service primary care to manage physical health; the monitoring of physical health status by mental health teams; and the promotion of lifestyle change. These solutions fail to address ongoing issues with collaboration between specialist mental health and primary care services. Reliance upon fee-for-service primary mental health care may, in fact, reduce rather than increase access to services. The strategies are discussed in light of neoliberal ideals of governance and personhood which are underpinned by informed consumer choice and personal responsibility for health.


Replication protein A (RPA) consisting of three subunits is a eukaryotic single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-binding protein involved in DNA replication, repair and recombination. We report here the identification and characterization of a RPA large subunit (CpRPA1) gene from the apicomplexan Cryptosporidium parvum. The CpRPA1 gene encodes a 53.9-kDa peptide that is remarkably smaller than that from other eukaryotes (i.e. approximately 70 kDa) and is actively expressed in both free sporozoites and parasite intracellular stages. This short-type RPA large subunit has also been characterized from one other protist, Crithidia fasciculata. Three distinct domains have been identified in the RPA large subunit of humans and yeasts: an N-terminal protein interaction domain, a central ssDNA-binding area, and a C-terminal subunit-interacting region. Sequence analysis reveals that the short-type RPA large subunit differs from that of other eukaryotes in that only the domains required for ssDNA binding and heterotrimer formation are present. It lacks the N-terminal domain necessary for the binding of proteins mainly involved in DNA repair and recombination. This major structural difference suggests that the mechanism for DNA repair and recombination in some protists differs from that of other eukaryotes. Since replication proteins play an essential role in the cell cycle, the fact that RPA proteins of C. parvum differ from those of its host suggests that RPA be explored as a potential chemotherapeutic target for controlling cryptosporidiosis and/or diseases caused by other apicomplexans.


Background Adverse drug reactions are a major problem of modern pharmacotherapy. Many drugs' side effects narrow their field of use; require special medical care and careful checks when they are used. One of such drugs is an antitumor antibiotic adriamycin, which causes the development of cardiomyopathy that manifests itself first of all by causing heart failure in patients. The adriamycin-induced intoxication is also accompanied by severe disturbances of many heart muscle cell enzyme systems. The administration of cardiac glycosides in the event of adriamycin-induced intoxication does not reduce its severity, but rather increases the structural abnormalities in the myocardium. Purpose To explore the possibilities of correcting energy metabolism and oxidative homeostasis disorders in the myocardium of rats, which were given sufan during adriamycin-induced intoxication. Materials and methods The investigations were conducted on 120 Wistar male rats, weighing 150–200 g. These animals were divided into 4 groups: 1st – the control group; 2nd – animals that were injected only with sufan (35 mg/kg); 3rd group – animals that were injected only with anthracycline antibiotic; 4th group – animals that were injected with adriamycin in combination with sufan. Adriamycin was administered intramuscularly once a week (5 mg/kg) for 5 weeks; sufan was administered daily intramuscularly (IM) for 5 weeks. The rats' myocardial tissue, brain and spleen were studied. 10% homogenates were prepared in 0.05 M Tris buffer (pH 7.4). All manipulations were carried out at a temperature + 4°C. In myocardial tissue the content of nicotinamide coenzymes (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide oxidised form (NAD+) and the reduced form (NADH), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidised form (NADP+) and the reduced form (NADPH) was determined with the use of fluorometry; the activity of NAD-hydrolase by the enzymatic method; the content of creatine phosphate (CP) in the myocardial homogenate was determined as a difference between total and free creatine via spectrophotometry; the activity of the creatine phosphokinase (CPK) was assessed using the photo-colorimetric method; the adenine system components were determined with the help of spectrophotometry. Results We determined that the IM administration of sufan in intact rats at a dose of 35 mg/kg daily for 5 weeks led to a 10.5% reduction in the reduced form of the nicotinamide coenzymes in the myocardium, which in turn increased the ratio of oxidised: reduced forms (+14.3%). This fact indicates a decrease in the degree of coenzyme reduction that can be regarded as a positive effect on the functioning of various chains of cell metabolism. In the same experimental conditions sufan showed little effect on the number of adenine system components and on the content of inorganic phosphate; it increased slightly the level of CP and glycogen in the myocardium. Anthracycline intoxication was induced experimentally in rats (by the IM administration of adriamycin at a dose of 5 mg/kg a week for 5 weeks). This intoxication was characterised by a deterioration in the energy metabolism in myocardial tissues (a decrease in oxidised forms and the total amount of nicotinamide coenzymes, CP, glycogen, ratio of oxidised: reduced forms, the amount of ATP and ADP and at the same time an increase in NAD-hydrolase activity and the ADP/ATP ratio and the amount of inorganic phosphate). It was also characterised by LPO [lipid peroxidation] activation in myocardial, brain and spleen tissues. Conclusions The IM use of sufan at a dose of 35 mg/kg during adriamycin-induced intoxication reduced the severity of energy metabolism and oxidative homeostasis disorders in myocardium, brain and spleen. No conflict of interest.


A case study of a real world project-based course designed for Master of Science in Industrial Distribution (MSID) program at XXXX University is presented. It primarily focuses on a weeklong residency course offered as a part of fall semester course work for the second year students. During the week, students work on a company-sponsored real world project. At the end of the week, students present their analysis and results to faculty and industry executives based on which their course performance is evaluated. In the paper, we first briefly describe the objectives, learning outcomes, and schedule of the course. Next, we present the case study on an animal health care distribution firm, which was used for 2011 class. The case study provides the problem statement, analysis methodologies, and important results. The case study firm has already implemented a part of students' recommendations. The paper also presents a survey of the residency class over the past four years with respect to its contribution to student learning. Our results show that project-based course enhances student learning far more than the traditional topic based learning.


Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumours. Despite advances in surgical techniques, postoperative supportive care, radiation and adjuvant systemic therapy, the life expectancy of patients with high grade glioma has remained essentially poor. Furthermore differential diagnosis among astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas and oligoastrocytomas is very challenging and subject to inter-observer variability.
The purpose of the research was: 1) to investigate a series of high grade and low grade gliomas at gene and protein (immunohistochemistry) levels to disclose possible genetic portraits of malignancy; 2) to verify the utility of Nogo-A, Olig-2 and synaptophysin in providing a correct histological diagnosis of oligodendroglioma and to investigate a possible complementary role in selecting the best areas suitable for detecting 1p/19q codeletion using FISH analysis; 3) to study the role of microRNA in high grade gliomas. In order to obtain these goals large series of brain tumors were studied with DNA microarrays, immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR
The results demonstrated that:
- Overexpression of IGFBP-2 and CDC20 is highly related to glioblastomas and their immunopositivity can be useful for the identification of glioblastoma in small biopsies.
- Nogo-A is the most useful and specific marker in differentiating oigodendrogliomas from other gliomas. Furthermore, using a Nogo-A driven FISH analysis, it is possible to identify a larger number of 1p19q codeletions in gliomas.
- microRNAs can be studied in paraffin embedded tissues better than in fresh tissues. A series of six microRNA, significatively deregulated in glioblastomas, may represent a genetic signature with prognostic and predictive value and could constitute candidates for novel anti-cancer therapeutics.


Discovering relevant knowledge from large-scale geospatial image databases is challenging because of the complexity of describing visual semantics, the computational cost of processing petabytes of data, and the difficulty in summarizing and presenting knowledge. In this paper, we revisit a selective set of core data mining algorithms, namely association rules mining, spatial mining, and temporal mining. We then customize these algorithms using visual content and potential objects extracted from geospatial image databases with other relevant information, such as text-based annotations. Queries utilizing the mining results are also discussed in this paper. These mining and query processing algorithms play an important role in GeoIRIS- Geospatial Information Retrieval and Indexing System.


Objectives: Previous studies have indicated that cardiopulmonary resuscitation by some healthcare professionals does not measure up to current standards. We evaluated the attitude, knowledge, and behavior of healthcare professionals towards basic life support courses at the Postgraduate Training Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: Crosssectional and longitudinal analyses were performed. Data were initially collected after each basic life support course over 11-months. A follow-up questionnaire was sent 6-months after each course. The Kirkpatrick model was used to assess the effectiveness of the course for improving attitudes, knowledge, and behavior. Results: Total 455 trainees (87.5%) and 53 instructors (88.3%) responded at baseline. The mean attitude and knowledge scores were 55.6 ± 6.09 and 92.1 ± 7.06, respectively. After 6-months, 193 individuals responded. The mean knowledge score difference was -9.27 ± 12.9. The mean behavior score was 43.2 ± 4.29 at baseline; after 6-months, 26.4% of participants showed a decline in confidence in their cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills. Attitude and behavior scores were correlated (p<0.001). Conclusion: Healthcare professionals had generally positive attitudes and behavior concerning basic life support. There was a clear deterioration in basic life support knowledge 6-months after the course. To ensure the delivery of high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation, frequent training and knowledge assessment are imperative.


Introduction: Intraoral chair side porcelain repair system is a quick, painless and highly patient acceptable procedure, without removal of restoration or fabrication of new restoration. There are very limited studies conducted to evaluate the shear bond strength of repair systems after different surface treatment. Objectives of Research: The objective of research was to evaluate the shear bond strength of two intraoral porcelain repair systems Clearfil repair system (Kuraray) and Ceramic repair system (Ivoclar) to repair metal-ceramic restoration after three different surface treatment. Materials and Methods: Totally, 120 discs of base metal alloy were fabricated. The opaque, dentine and enamel of ceramic were applied to achieve the uniform thickness. Defect was created, and repair was done using two repair systems after different surface treatment. Shear bond strength was measured. Results: Analysis of variance was utilized. Ceramic repair system after 40% phosphoric acid surface treatment showed the highest mean value and Clearfil repair system after surface treatment with 37% phosphoric acid showed the lowest. The statistical difference was found to be significant between the groups. Conclusion: The shear bond strength of Ceramic repair system with 40% phosphoric acid etching showed highest shear bond strength as compared to other system and surface treatment used in the study.


Planning the transport of maritime containers from the seaport to final inland destinations is challenged by uncertainties regarding the time the container is released for further transport and the transit time from the port to its final destination. This paper assesses the value of information in container transport in terms of efficiency and reliability. The analysis uses a stylized single period model where a decision maker allocates released containers to two transport modes slow, low price, no flexible departure times versus fast, high price, flexible departure times and plans the departure time of the inflexible mode. We construct Pareto frontiers and the corresponding Pareto optimal decisions under various information scenarios and show that the Pareto frontiers move in a favorable direction when the level of information increases. The mathematical results are explained and illustrated by means of a numerical example involving barge transport. We also perform a sensitivity analysis and study the impact of erroneous information on efficiency and reliability based on a numerical analysis.


An algorithm to evaluate the sleep macrostructure based on heart rate fluctuations from ECG signal is presented. This algorithm is an attempt to evaluate the sleep quality out of sleep centers. The algorithm is made up by a) a time-variant autoregressive model used as feature extractor and b) a hidden Markov model used as classifier. Characteristics coming from the joint probability of HRV features were used to fed the HMM. 17 full polysomnography recordings from healthy subjects were used in the current analysis. When compared to Wake-NREM-REM given by experts, the automatic classifier achieved a total accuracy of 78.21±6.44% and a kappa index of 0.41±.1085 using two features and a total accuracy of 79.43±8.83% and kappa index of 0.42±.1493 using three features.


The complexity of new products steadily increases and therefore integrated engineering designers have to be skilled in various fields in order to develop innovative and successful products. This trend has to be considered in university education. Therefore, a new educational concept called "Concept Development for Innovative Products" (CIP) is proposed. In this subject the students are confronted with a vague task and are asked to develop and to present concepts for innovative products in teams of five. In this regard, CIP is a combination of three forms of teaching, which are presenting the working progress, discussing and lectures on demand. During mandatory working meetings the students have to present the project status to the supervisors and discuss the next steps with them. Furthermore, they can ask for lectures on specific engineering design methods which are presented using a comprehensive method catalog. The student feedback for CIP in the first semester was excellent and it is a very good enhancement for the curriculum. Consequently, the students are well prepared for a harmonic transition from university to their professional careers.


Disruption of prepulse inhibition (API) of startle response is manifested in schizophrenia and Huntington's disease among other neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by sensorimotor gating deficit. Antagonism of GABA A receptor function was documented to reduce PPI response. However, whether GABA A antagonism reduces PPI response is yet to be established because of contradicting reports. Cefepime is one of the fourth-generation cephalosporins documented to antagonize GABA A receptor function. This study investigated the effect of intramuscular injection of cefepime (45 and 90 mg/kg) twice daily for three consecutive days on both PPI of acoustic startle response and acoustic startle amplitude in rats. The effect of administration of the GABA A receptor agonist midazolam (I mg/kg, i.p.) in conjunction with cefepime on PPI response and startle amplitude was also investigated. Results showed that administration of both dose levels of cefepime caused PPI deficit. Treatment of animals with midazolam in conjunction with cefepime reversed the effect of the lower dose, but not the higher one, on API of startle response without affecting startle amplitude in both dose levels. Results of this study, therefore, support the view that GABA A antagonism reduces PPI response. It is also concluded that antagonism of GABAergic transmission may be involved in the effect of the lower dose of cefepime on PPI response. Other mechanisms may mediate the effect of the higher dose of cefepime on PPI response. Clinical investigations arse needed to determine the consequence of using cefepime in disorders of Sensorimotor gating.


Abstract: Background Nicotine exposure affects the hippocampus through activation of hippocampal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), which are present throughout excitatory and inhibitory hippocampal circuitry. The role of cholinergic functioning in the hippocampus varies across developmental stages so that nicotine exposure differentially affects this region depending upon timing of exposure, producing developmentally distinct changes in structure, function, and behavior. Methods We synthesize findings across literature in this area to comprehensively review current understanding of the unique effects of nicotine exposure on the hippocampus throughout the lifespan with a focus on hippocampal morphology, cholinergic functioning, and hippocampus-dependent learning and memory. Conclusions Chronic and acute nicotine exposure differentially affect hippocampus structure, functioning, and related learning and memory in the perinatal period, adolescence, and aging. Age-related differences in sensitivity to nicotine exposure should be considered in the research of nicotine addiction and the development of nicotine addiction treatments.


Abstract Manuscript inv. No. 4434 is a record of horoscope astrological fortunetelling with an example of divining the fortune of somebody during the age of 37–67 by the "Great Limit of Dongwei" paralleling certain statements in A Corpus of Astrology. Simultaneously, it is meaningful to unscramble the shape and structure of this manuscript and to provide the methods of fortunetelling at that time.


The construction of efficient adsorption materials for the removal of pollutants from water is of primary importance for environmental protection. Here, we present a novel cationic porous organic polymer C-NSANaphHCP@Br, that features a permanent porosity with a high surface area and moderate pore volume, and exhibits excellent chemical stability. More importantly, the new cationic network was found to be an excellent platform for the removal of anionic organic dyes and Cr2O72− from water with rapid adsorption rates, excellent selectivity and high efficiency, as well as good recyclability.


Dr. Wright: I shall describe a boy with ulcerative colitis whom we have been following for the last 15 years. His father is of Swedish extraction, American born. He is a very placid, long-suffering gentleman who enters very little into the picture which follows. His education extended slightly beyond the high school level as he went to college for 2 years at a technical school.
 The boy's mother, by contrast, was born in Italy. Her family migrated to this country when she was only 9 months. They settled in Chicago and set up a closely knit family unit which spoke Italian most of the time. His mother grew up under circumstances which made her feel considerably inferior to persons around her. She had a younger sister of whom she was very jealous during the early part of her life. She also had many feelings of resentment toward her mother from whom she apparently received little or no affection. During her early childhood she had clubbed feet which were corrected by her mother by the application of an apparatus which was painful and which caused her to cry a good ideal without receiving much solace from her mother. Her education extended only through grammar school, with the addition of 2 years of secretarial training. After this, she never held a job for any length of time. She worked sporadically as a waitress. She lived at home with her family and became closely attached to them. In spite of her feeling toward her mother, she was quite dependent upon her.


Epigenetic mechanisms, such as histone modifications, play an active role in the differentiation and lineage commitment of mesenchymal stem cells. In the present study, epigenetic states and differentiation profiles of two odontogenic neural crest-derived intermediate progenitor populations were compared: dental pulp (DP) and dental follicle (DF). ChIP on chip assays revealed substantial H3K27me3-mediated repression of odontoblast lineage genes DSPP and dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1) in DF cells, but not in DP cells. Mineralization inductive conditions caused steep increases of mineralization and patterning gene expression levels in DP cells when compared to DF cells. In contrast, mineralization induction resulted in a highly dynamic histone modification response in DF cells, while there was only a subdued effect in DP cells. Both DF and DP progenitors featured H3K4me3-active marks on the promoters of early mineralization genes RUNX2, MSX2, and DLX5, while OSX, IBSP, and BGLAP promoters were enriched for H3K9me3 or H3K27me3. Compared to DF cells, DP cells expressed higher levels of three pluripotency-associated genes, OCT4, NANOG, and SOX2. Finally, gene ontology comparison of bivalent marks unique for DP and DF cells highlighted cell-cell attachment genes in DP cells and neurogenesis genes in DF cells. In conclusion, the present study indicates that the DF intermediate odontogenic neural crest lineage is distinguished from its DP counterpart by epigenetic repression of DSPP and DMP1 genes and through dynamic histone enrichment responses to mineralization induction. Findings presented here highlight the crucial role of epigenetic regulatory mechanisms in the terminal differentiation of odontogenic neural crest lineages.


As a design rule of memory devices is scaled down to sub-100 nm, shallow trench isolation (STI) technology is faced with gap-filling problem in case of CVD oxide and O3-TEOS oxide processes. To overcome the gap-filling problem, a perhydropolysilazane (PHPS) based spin-on dielectric (SOD) has been implemented for nanoscale devices because of self-planarization and excellent gap-filling property [1]. However, the stability of the SOD has been concerned about because it has relatively softer and more porous than conventional HDP oxide. In this paper, we report the effect of wet oxidant treatment on the stability of the SOD for STI gap-filling.


CD98 heavy chain (CD98hc) is a multifunctional transmembrane spanning scaffolding protein whose extracellular domain binds with light chain amino acid transporters (Lats) to form the heterodimeric amino acid transporters (HATs). It also interacts with β1 and β3 integrins by its transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. This interaction is proposed to be the mechanism whereby CD98 mediates cell survival and growth via currently undefined signaling pathways. In this study, we determined whether the critical function of CD98-dependent amino acid transport also plays a role in cell proliferation and defined the signaling pathways that mediate CD98-dependent proliferation of murine renal inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) cells. We demonstrate that downregulating CD98hc expression resulted in IMCD cell death. Utilizing overexpression studies of CD98hc mutants that either lacked a cytoplasmic tail or were unable to bind to Lats we showed that CD98 increases serum-dependent cell proliferation by a mechanism that requires the CD98hc cytoplasmic tail. We further demonstrated that CD98-dependent amino acid transport increased renal tubular epithelial cell proliferation by a mechanism that does not require the CD98hc cytoplasmic tail. Both these mechanisms of increased renal tubular epithelial cell proliferation are mediated by Erk and p38 MAPK signaling. Although increased amino transport markedly activated mTor signaling, this pathway did not alter cell proliferation. Thus, these studies demonstrate that in IMCD cells, the cytoplasmic and extracellular domains of CD98hc regulate cell proliferation by distinct mechanisms that are mediated by common MAPK signaling pathways.


We present a case with a ten-year-old girl with trimethylaminuria (TMAU). Primary TMAU is caused by a deficiency of flavin monooxygenase 3 (FMO3) due to mutations in the FMO3-gene. Patients suffering from TMAU show an impaired enzymatic oxidation of fish-smelling trimethylamine, and their excretion of this amine in body fluids produces an unpleasant body odour. TMAU is also seen secondary to e.g. liver diseases. It remains unknown if TMAU causes other problems than malodour, and today social and psychological problems are considered the most important consequence. Treatment includes a low-choline diet and antibiotics.


: By means of a method of rheography, in 74 patients with acute cholecystitis before and after the operation, and in 26 healthy subjects as well, the blood flow of the brain, lungs, liver and lower extremities under conditions of the use of benzohexamethonium, obsidan, aminazine and neostigmine methylsulfate was studied. Resulting from the use of sympathetic pharmacologic blockade, already by day 2, the indices of cerebral, pulmonary and hepatic blood flow normalized or exceeded the normal level.


This paper discusses current Indonesia's local government accountability system which has undergone fundamental change since the reform era. Through a number of regulations, local governments now have to submit reports which include LPPD, LKPj, ILPPD, and LKPD. In line with what have been constructed by many experts, from normative perspective, those reports have the potential to facilitate a sound local government financial management and in turn, make them more accountable. Has current Indonesia's local government accountability system been effectively implemented? Have these accountability mechanisms delivered their potential benefits as promised and constructed by many experts? In order to critically answer the questions, this study employs qualitative method with theory-driven approach. The data is mainly obtained through conducting meta-analysis through critically reviewing relevant sources or documents. Analysis goes from data reduction, to data organization and to interpretation. Research findings show that Indonesia's existing local government accountability system has not been effectively implemented and brought all the potential benefits as calculated in both theoretical realm of accountability as well as constructed Indonesian government regulations. The findings of the study are particularly valuable in terms of filling the void on the analysis and information of current practice of local government accountability system in Indonesia's reform era which have been marred by a number of problems, irregular and incomplete reporting, the absence of enforceability, limited capacity of local governments to produce appropriate reports, corruptive behavior of the auditors, and limited public participation.


Lung Cancer may be a variety of Cancer that begins in the Lungs because of those that smokes often. However, there Area unit rare probabilities those area unit non-smokers get Affected because of unhealthy pollution and Harmful gasses. The detection of tumor is incredibly vital that helps to detect affected neoplasm areas in the lungs. Computed tomography help us to understand the cancer positions in patients. The detection of cancer tumours are performed by scanning the images of computed tomography. Lung cancer identification system goes with a method of Morphological opening and Gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) feature extraction and Normalized cross-correlation with patches Analysis. Lung cancer classification using Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) gives good results of Accuracy of 81.81%. Patch Analysis is a new method to find lung cancer.


When manufacturing firms increase the share of service revenues, managing service provision becomes challenging. This study extends previous research on servitisation in individual firms by analysing the challenges service provision creates in a value network. The challenges are identified both within the firms and in the business relationships in the value network. In addition, the paper identifies and describes service manoeuvres firms use to address challenges resulting from servitisation. This case study of a value network is based on interviews carried out at 13 firms in the automotive industry, including suppliers, original equipment manufacturers and consultancies. The research shows that service manoeuvres, such as new types of resource integration and value constellations, are used to overcome challenges in the value network.


Twenty-four isolates of Didymium squamulosum, 18 isolates of Physarum compressum, and two isolates of Physarum melleum were cultured and their reproductive system determined. These isolates are additions to the 85 isolates (33 D. squamulosum, 33 P. compressum, and 19 P. melleum) that have been studied previously. Eleven of the 24 D. squamulosum isolates were nonheterothallic and presumptive apomictics, while the remaining 13 isolates belonged to three new biological species: A4 (three isolates from Costa Rica, sympatric with the A I and A2 biological species), AS (one isolate from Mexico), and A6 (one isolate from Thailand, two isolates from New Zealand, and six isolates from Australia). Seventeen ofthe P. compressum isolates were nonheterothallic, with the remaining isolate from Costa Rica (CR 18) being compatible with the previously determined Al biological species isolated from the Canary Islands. Both of the P. melleum isolates were nonheterothallic. These results confirm and extend the conclusions derived from earlier studies. The D. squamulosum morphospecies, which consists of two overlapping morphotypes, appears to be an extremely complicated species complex consisting of numerous geographically restricted sympatric and allopatric biological species and many apomictic lines. The biological species are usually, but not always, confined to one of the morphotypes. On the other hand, the P. compressum morphospecies seems to be a species complex consisting of a single uncommon but widespread biological species and countless apomictic lines with relatively minor morphological variations. The Physarum melleum morphospecies is probably similar to P. compressum, although to date no heterothallic isolates have been reported.


Network bioinformatics and web-based data collection instruments have the capacity to improve
the efficiency of the UK's appropriately high levels of investment into cardiovascular research.
A very large proportion of scientific data falls into the long-tail of the cardiovascular research
distribution curve, with numerous small independent research efforts yielding a rich variety of
specialty data sets. The merging of such myriad datasets and the eradication of data silos, plus
linkage with outcomes could be greatly facilitated through the provision of a national set of
standardised data collection instruments—a shared-cardioinformatics library of tools designed
by and for clinical academics active in the long-tail of biomedical research. Across the
cardiovascular research domain, like the rest of medicine, the national aggregation and
democratization of diverse long-tail data is the best way to convert numerous small but
expensive cohort data sources into big data, expanding our knowledge-base, breaking down
translational barriers, improving research efficiency and with time, improving patient outcomes.


In the wild, pinyon jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) live in large, integrated flocks and cache tens of thousands of seeds per year. This study explored social aspects of caching and recovering by pinyon jays. In Experiment 1, birds cached in a large experimental room under three conditions: alone, paired with a dominant, and paired with a subordinate. In all cases, birds recovered caches alone seven days later. Individuals ate more seeds before caching when alone than when paired and started caching sooner when subordinate than when dominant. Pinyon jays accurately returned to sites containing their own caches but not to sites containing caches made by partner birds. However, they went to areas containing partner caches sooner than would be expected, indicating memory for the general areas containing caches made by other pinyon jays. In Experiments 2 and 3 birds were placed closer to each other and allowed to recover one or two days after caching. In Experiment 2, both free-flying and caged observers found caches with accuracies above chance. Cachers made significantly fewer errors than observers. During Experiment 3, caged observers saw the cachers recover some seeds one day after they were cached. On the next day cachers and observers were separately allowed to visit all cache sites. Both cachers and observers performed accurately and did not differ in accuracy. Neither group discriminated between extant and depleted caches. Observational spatial memory in pinyon jays may allow economical cache robbery by wild pinyon jays under some circumstances, particularly shortly after caches are created.


Matrix GLA protein (MGP) has been identified as a calcification inhibitor in cartilage and vasculature. Part of this effect may be attributed to its influence on osteoinductive activity of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2). To detect binding between MGP and BMP-2, we performed immunoprecipitation using MGP and BMP-2 tagged with FLAG and c-Myc. The results showed co-precipitation of BMP-2 with MGP. To quantify the effect of MGP on BMP-2 activity, we assayed for alkaline phosphatase activity and showed a dose-dependent effect. Low levels of MGP relative to BMP-2 (<1-fold excess) resulted in mild enhancement of osteoinduction, whereas intermediate levels (1–15-fold excess) resulted in strong inhibition. High levels of MGP (>15-fold excess), however, resulted in pronounced enhancement of the osteoinductive effect of BMP-2. Cross-linking studies showed that inhibitory levels of MGP abolished BMP-2 receptor binding. Immunoblotting showed a corresponding decrease in activation of Smad1, part of the BMP signaling system. Enhancing levels of MGP resulted in increased Smad1 activation. To determine the cellular localization of BMP-2 in the presence of MGP, binding assays were performed on whole cells and cell-synthesized matrix. Inhibitory levels of MGP yielded increased matrix binding of BMP-2, suggesting that MGP inhibits BMP-2 in part via matrix association. These results suggest that MGP is a BMP-2 regulatory protein.


Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is currently recognised as a major health issue. Individuals with T2DM are at higher risk of developing a number of microvascular, macrovascular and neuropathic complications. Globally, the prevalence of T2DM is increasing at epidemic rates and it is reaching alarming levels worldwide. Published data confirms that management of diabetes is more challenging among minority ethnic groups, compared to the general population, for several reasons: higher diabetes-related morbidity and mortality rates, worse glycaemic control, underutilisation of medical services, lower adherence rates, cultural and communication barriers. Understanding the relationship between patients' cultural and health beliefs and diabetes self-care practices such as dietary behaviours, exercise, self-monitoring of blood glucose and medication-taking has been shown to provide an opportunity to inform development of culturally appropriate diabetes education. Drawing on substantial evidence documenting its effect on clinical outcome measures, the provision of culturally appropriate diabetes self-management education is widely acknowledged as an integral component of diabetes care among ethnic minority groups. Currently, there is a large body of research on cultural beliefs and diabetes experiences that have been conducted among ethnic minority groups such as Latinos/Hispanics, African Americans, Asians, Pacific Islanders and others. Anecdotally, it is known that ASB immigrants have a strong sense of cultural identity, adherence to their traditional and cultural norms and do not assimilate easily into western host society. There is, however, little research conducted among Arabic-speaking background (ASB) immigrants. Diabetes experiences from the perspective of ASB immigrants in Australia were needed to be explored to identify difficulties in performing self-management activities and to recognise modifiable health beliefs that are associated with non-adherence behaviours. This research, through the two stages reported herein, has investigated ASB immigrants' views and beliefs about diabetes, identified issues in quality use of medicines, explored factors that influenced health care seeking behaviours, assessed diabetes learning needs and preferences, and measured the relationship between health beliefs, adherence and glycaemic control. Prior to this study, little was known about the diabetes profile, cultural and health beliefs and barriers to diabetes care among ASB immigrants in Australia. The results obtained highlighted poorer knowledge about diabetes and its management among ASB immigrants, compared to their English-speaking background (ESB) counterparts. Arabic-speaking background immigrants intentionally delayed accessing medical services when they experienced classical signs of diabetes, so diabetes complications were already developed at the time of diagnosis for the vast majority of them. Diabetes control of ASB immigrants was suboptimal and they were significantly less adherent to all aspects of diabetes self-care activities (dietary behaviours, exercise and physical activity, foot care, SMBG and medication-taking) than the ESB group. The negative health beliefs held by ASB immigrants were associated with non-adherence behaviours and with worse glycaemic control. This research has made a significant contribution to diabetes treatment adherence research in an ASB immigrant population. Findings of this research provide detailed information about the interplay between an individual's cultural and health beliefs, adherence behaviour and glycaemic control. Such understanding, which has previously been lacking, may assist diabetes health professionals in planning culturally appropriate diabetes interventions and establishing best practice for this ethnic minority group.


Environmental fiscal effort, when compared with environmental fiscal pressure, represents a far more precise parameter when measuring a country's environmental sacrifice given that it introduces GDP per capita as an analysis variable. This paper focuses on the analysis of convergence in environmental fiscal effort amongst the EU-15 Member States between 1987 and 2008, employing, to this end, the techniques of sigma, beta and gamma convergence. On a complementary level, a spatial autocorrelation study is carried out in order determine whether or not the geographical proximity of countries has any bearing on similar fiscal effort.