Introduction Even during the progress of a campaign, when complete information is necessarily unattainable, it is well to assemble facts and probabilities in an orderly manner, and to make a review of the situation as a guide to further action. It is as yet far too early to pronounce finally upon the part which radioactivity will eventually play in cosmogonic theories, but not too early to consider the bearing of recent discoveries on the genesis and past history of the globe. Since geologists to whom this paper is addressed can not be expected to be very familiar with radioactivity, I shall first make an attempt to sketch in outline such features of that subject as seem to me of especial interest to us; next I shall try to show under what conditions radioactive substances can come into existence, and finally discuss the geological effects which may be expected from them. . . .


Research help emphasizing the sacramentality of human love and the salvific nature of Christian marriage, while addressing the tension between Christian marriage and Western culture.


Pre-eclampsia (PE) is uniquely a disease of pregnancy and is the major cause of foetal and maternal morbidity and mortality. Epidemiological studies show that PE is highly heritable, with a high incidence in all populations. The underlying pathology indicates that absent or shallow invasion of foetal trophoblasts into maternal arteries is a feature of true PE. The objective of this study was to determine the genetic factors influencing PE. A large number of mother-father-baby trios were collected in which the first pregnancy was complicated by severe PE. After careful examination of the epidemiology and pathology of the disease, two plausible candidate genes, namely insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) and HLA-G, were analysed for association with PE. No association was found between a commonly occurring polymorphism in IGF-II and PE. Three polymorphisms in HLA-G were analysed in the sample cohorts. No association was found between three polymorphisms in HLA-G and PE. However, the frequency of the HLA-G insertion/deletion polymorphism in exon 8 deviated significantly from Hardy-Weinberg expectations in PE off-spring, reflecting an excess of heterozygotes for these polymorphisms in PE offspring. The significance of this deviation is not clear and further genetic analysis will be necessary to confirm this finding and to explore further the candidacy of HLA-G in PE.


Canada receives a significant amount of solar radiation compared to other International Energy Agency (IEA) nations. It is important to recognize that from April to September, on average, Canadian cities receive over 90% of solar radiation as in Miami, Florida. However, due to our geographic location and climatic conditions, the solar radiation is more abundant in the summer months and relatively low during the winter season when our energy demand for space heating is at a peak. Underground thermal energy storage (UTES) may be implemented in rocks or soil via a series of vertical borehole heat exchangers or in deep aquifers. This paper will review recent technological advances in the area of high temperature underground thermal energy storage in Canada, including the construction of the first community-scale solar heated, inter-seasonal thermal storage system in Canada. A vast amount of knowledge and experience relating to UTES has been documented. Engineers need to become familiar with this promising technology so that this tool could be made available to business stakeholders in the development of an efficient energy management system. A significant quantity of fossil fuel is required to meet our heating and cooling demand. We have an opportunity to capture the energy potential and utilize the stored energy to displace a large portion of the fuel used for space heating and cooling and make a significant contribution to our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals.


The World Wide Web is opening up access to documents and data for scholars. However it has not yet impacted on one of the primary activities in research: assessing new findings in the light of current knowledge and debating it with colleagues. The ClaiMaker system uses a directed graph model with similarities to hypertext, in which new ideas are published as nodes, which other contributors can build on or challenge in a variety of ways by linking to them. Nodes and links have semantic structure to facilitate the provision of specialist services for interrogating and visualizing the emerging network. By way of example, this paper is grounded in a ClaiMaker model to illustrate how new claims can be described in this structured way.


Various research approaches to COVID-19 are currently being developed by machine learning (ML) techniques and edge computing, either in the sense of identifying virus molecules or in anticipating the risk analysis of the spread of COVID-19. Consequently, these orientations are elaborating datasets that derive either from WHO, through the respective website and research portals, or from data generated in real-time from the healthcare system. The implementation of data analysis, modelling and prediction processing is performed through multiple algorithmic techniques. The lack of these techniques to generate predictions with accuracy motivates us to proceed with this research study, which elaborates an existing machine learning technique and achieves valuable forecasts by modification. More specifically, this study modifies the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm, which is commonly beneficial for approaching solutions to nonlinear least squares problems, endorses the acquisition of data driven from IoT devices and analyses these data via cloud computing to generate foresight about the progress of the outbreak in real-time environments. Hence, we enhance the optimization of the trend line that interprets these data. Therefore, we introduce this framework in conjunction with a novel encryption process that we are proposing for the datasets and the implementation of mortality predictions.


Structural studies of the T7 bacteriophage DNA-dependent RNA polymerase (T7 RNAP) have shown that the conformation of the amino-terminal domain changes substantially between the initiation and elongation phases of transcription, but how this transition is achieved remains unclear. We report crystal structures of T7 RNAP bound to promoter DNA containing either a 7- or an 8-nucleotide (nt) RNA transcript that illuminate intermediate states along the transition pathway. The amino-terminal domain comprises the C-helix subdomain and the promoter binding domain (PBD), which consists of two segments separated by subdomain H. The structures of the intermediate complex reveal that the PBD and the bound promoter rotate by ∼45° upon synthesis of an 8-nt RNA transcript. This allows the promoter contacts to be maintained while the active site is expanded to accommodate a growing heteroduplex. The C-helix subdomain moves modestly toward its elongation conformation, whereas subdomain H remains in its initiation- rather than its elongation-phase location, more than 70 angstroms away.


The main objective of this study to produce yarns that in some properties outweigh their counterparts from other techniques in yarn production, and this is reflected in fabrics produced from Those strings and the producing yeast was 1/16 English, 1/20, 24/1. Yarn Tests: 1- The yarn 1/16 gave the best tensile strength and the best variation of the tigress. 2- The yarn 20/1 gave average degree between the rest of the yarns produced from the tensile strength, elongation, the coefficient of the difference of the yarn, the thick and thin places and the ratio of the hairnes. 3- The strands count 1/24 gave the best elongation ratios, the least thick places, the thinnest places, the lowest number of nodes, and the lowest hair rate between the yarns produced. Fabric tests: 1- The research proved that the fabrics produced from the yarn 1/16 gave the highest tensile strength, the lowest air permeability, the lowest degree of water absorption, and an average degree of elongation between all the strings produced. 2- The results at yarn 20/1 gave an average degree of water absorption, tensile strength, elongation and air permeability. 3- The results gave the highest degree of water absorption, the best elongation rate and the highest air permeability.


As a general rule, when the standard deduction is greater than a taxpayer's itemized deductions, claiming the larger standard deduction for regular income tax purposes will generate a lower tax liability. However, if the taxpayer is subject to the alternative minimum tax (AMT) the decision to take the standard deduction in lieu of itemizing her deductions could cost unnecessary tax dollars. An additional set of calculations is necessary to determine the most tax favorable alternative under the AMT. The additional calculations answer the question of whether the taxpayer's tax liability would be reduced by electing to itemize her deduction even though the total is less than the standard deduction. Tax professionals must include this additional analysis in their AMT planning strategies or risk imposing unnecessary tax dollars on their clients. Congress could resolve this obscure issue by amending the AMT provisions to ensure that the tax-minimizing alternative would be practically automatic. Both the government and the growing number of AMT taxpayers would benefit from reducing the number of alternatives requiring numerous obscure tax calculations, burdensome tax compliance and administrative complexity. The most favorable tax alternative should be the same under the regular income tax and the AMT systems. A recent projection estimates that by 2010, the AMT will affect thirty-three million taxpayers or one-third of all taxpayers. Much of this increase is in middle class households with income levels of less than $100,000. This group of taxpayers will then account for more than fifty percent of AMT taxpayers compared to less than ten percent today. As a result, all taxpayers must include AMT issues in their routine tax planning decisions. Simplifying AMT calculations to make the tax and tax elections more transparent would help to ensure that no one pays more tax than the law requires.


Extant literature on target-setting indicates that responding to achievability-related criticisms towards ex ante targets through repair actions are of significance in restoring fairness and maintaining the legitimacy of performance systems. By drawing on empirical materials on responses to unfairness criticisms raised against target-setting practices in a bank, the study shows that such legitimation work also requires responding to equity-related criticisms. Equity implies that, when situations differ, targets must be differentiated to make the intensity of efforts the same. This study shows that legitimately differentiating targets requires an original and highly complex commensuration work. This work is original because compared to prior commensuration studies it concerns the commensuration of efforts and not of entities. This work is complex because it is difficult to account for all differences during target-setting and because such differentiation can be made mechanically and discretionally, each form of differentiation bringing its own source of illegitimacy. Moreover, it is also complex because it is a distributed work, involving numerous actors with multiple concerns. Such commensuration work then appears to be continuous and dynamic. This complements prior studies in target-setting, which have focussed mainly on dyadic relations between a superior and a subordinate and on single-period adjustments to targets.


In the context of the development of information, the main role of financial reporting is threatened by alternative sources of information that users use. However, the main source of information for decision-makers remain the accounting information relaxed from synthesis financial reporting, because the legal framework prescribes mandatory minimum information and a set of quality certification mechanisms thereof. As a starting point in our research we used relevant studies from the scientific literature regarding the understanding of the accounting information in financial reporting. We specify that many authors place the accounting information in the perimeter of the objectivity and the accuracy, which is essential in making economic decisions by the leadership. Thus, in support of decisionmakers, accountants apply professional judgment (judgment of International Financial Reporting Standards), taking decisions in terms of the use of accounting treatments to achieve a quality of financial reporting information. The contents of the article have been reported not only attributes on accounting information provided by IFRS, but also aspects of US GAAP regarding financial reporting, presenting the differentiation between the two accounting referential. We note that the accounting information can be the best friend of actual and potential investors if used properly understood


Background Only a few decades ago, the common recommendation given to patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was to rest. Nowadays, physical activity and other means to improve well-being and functioning are encouraged, and pharmacological treatment has improved tremendously. Objectives To examine if well-being and functioning in RA patients improved over the past two decades, and whether this is explained by a reduction of diseased activity. Methods From 1990 to 2011, consecutive annual cohorts of RA patients (N = 1151, age 17-86 years, 68% female, 62% rheumatoid factor positive) were monitored. Functional status, mood, and anxiety were assessed at diagnosis (baseline) and after 3 to 5 years of treatment (follow-up), and were subsequently predicted by year of assessment and disease activity (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, joint score) in hierarchical multiple regression analyses, controlled for age, gender, education level, marital status, and RF. Cohen's d expressed effect size. Results At baseline, small improvements in depressed mood (d = -0.36, p =.01), anxiety (d = -0.46, p =.001), and functioning (d = 0.32, p =.02) were observed. At follow-up, level of depressed mood and (baseline-adjusted) levels of cheerful mood and anxiety showed small improvements over the two decades (0.24 ≤ d ≤ 0.43, p ≤.04). A medium (baseline-adjusted) improvement in follow-up physical functioning was observed (0.72 ≤ d ≤ 0.79, p <.001). Taking decline in disease activity into account, trends in baseline functioning and follow-up well-being were no longer significant (p ≥.07) while upward trends in baseline well-being (p ≤.03) and follow-up functioning still were (p ≤.01; see Figure 1). Small effects on results were observed of variables that changed across the years such as an increase in education level and the number of males. Conclusions Over the past two decades, well-being and especially physical functioning have improved significantly. These trends are partly explained by a decline in disease activity. The results support the impression that improved pharmacological and educational interventions have contributed to an improved quality of life in RA. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


The immunoregulatory effects of glucocorticoids (GCS) are linked to their capacity to alter the production of various species of cytokines associated with immune and inflammatory processes. The present study determined that the influences of GCS within particular lymphoid organs vary, depending on the specific activity of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11 beta-HSD) within the tissue. This enzyme converts active GCS to inactive metabolites and was found to display greater activity in peripheral than in mucosal lymphoid organs. A direct correlation was found between 11 beta-HSD activity and the preferential production of type 1 cytokines by T-cells residing within certain lymphoid organs. It was established that lymphoid organ 11 beta-HSD was localized in the immobile stromal cell components. Inhibition of 11 beta-HSD activity in vivo reduced type 1 and enhanced type 2 cytokine production by activated T-cells, and it also depressed the ability of animals to generate contact hypersensitivity responses. We conclude that GCS levels can be controlled within lymphoid organs through oxidative inactivation by 11 beta-HSD. GCS action is, therefore, dependent on tissue levels of 11 beta-HSD activity, the number of GCS receptors in a responsive cell, and the concentration of circulating GCS.


The area of research interest for this study was the governance role of non-executive directors (NEDs) and Chairs on NHS Primary Care Trust (PCT) boards across England. This interest arose from the experience of the author, herself a PCT NED, who was aware of some of the tensions of the role that resulted from a model of corporate governance and accountability imported from the private sector to the public sector. The NED role was more complex within PCTs as there were additional stakeholder expectations of providing public accountability. The changing policy landscape also saw NEDs responding to different Government priorities and developing the role in quite different ways to their counterparts in the private sector.
Newman's (2001) model of governance is a dynamic one that highlights the tensions caused by the Government's use of different types of governance mechanisms, seeking to achieve sometimes-conflicting goals. In this thesis the model is developed to consider how these tensions led to a differentiation of roles in practice for NEDs. The empirical analysis is based on interviews with 52 PCT NEDs and Chairs across England between October 2011 and April 2012. The dominant emphasis for some respondents was the efficiency of the organisation, reflecting principles of new public management and providing accountability to the taxpaying public. Other respondents saw their accountability as being to the local community and patients, and their role to defend these interests. They saw themselves as having a role both within and outside of the organisation, oriented towards a decentralised model of governance and working collaboratively with other stakeholders to improve health outcomes.
This study identified that the NED role as a defender of public interests provided a motivation to act, was a source of power and was one influence on the board as it tried to act within the tensions of operating as a local organisation, responsive to local need in addition to meeting nationally-determined targets.
Previous studies found the NHS NED role to be marginalised, but this study found PCT NEDs and Chairs able to exercise power to achieve results in line
with their interests, although their power was often constrained by the power of other actors, notably the Strategic Health Authorities acting on behalf of the Department of Health.
Even though PCTs have been abolished, the corporate governance model of a board and NEDs remains in hospital trusts and other parts of the public sector to the present day. The tensions between national and local accountability remain. This thesis provides support for a differentiation of NED roles, recognising the limitations of the new public management approach and a model of corporate governance from the private sector. While those NEDs with business expertise may be able to contribute to organisational efficiency, there is also a need for NEDs with a public service interest and the skills to influence and work collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure health services best meet the needs of communities.


In this paper, we propose a comparative performance study to characterize the transmission of multiple subcarrier modulation signals with different M-ary phase shift keying (M-ary PSK) schemes over a radio-on-free-space optical system using the aperture averaging (AA) technique. First, we derive modified expressions for carrier-to-noise and distortion ratio (CNDR), outage probability, and bit-error rate (BER) based on the AA technique and take into consideration the laser diode nonlinearity effect. We also show that there is a design trade-off between the receiver lens aperture and the required average CNDR to achieve a given average BER, ensuring substantial scintillation fade reduction. Further, we perform a comparison between different M-ary PSK modulation schemes, i.e., BPSK, QPSK, and 16-PSK, to characterize the achieved performance improvement by using the AA technique. We found out that when higher order PSK modulation techniques are used such as 16-PSK, the fading reduction is far less impressive than that for schemes employing smaller constellation sizes such as BPSK and QPSK. We thus conclude that for more complex modulation techniques no matter how large the receiver aperture size, the accepted BER level cannot be attained only with the use of the AA technique.


With the number of new drug candidates increasing every year, there is a need for high-throughput human toxicity screenings. As the liver is the most important organ in drug metabolism and thus capable of generating relatively high levels of toxic metabolites, it is important to find a reliable strategy to screen for drug-induced hepatotoxicity. Microarray-based transcriptomics is a well-established technique in toxicogenomics research and is an ideal approach to screen for drug-induced injury at an early stage. The aim of this study was to prove the principle of classifying known hepatotoxicants and nonhepatotoxicants using their distinctive gene expression profiles in vitro in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, we undertook to subclassify the hepatotoxic compounds by investigating the subclass of cholestatic compounds. Prediction analysis for microarrays was used for classification of hepatotoxicants and nonhepatotoxicants, which resulted in an accuracy of 92% on the training set and 91% on the validation set, using 36 genes. A second model was set up with the goal of finding classifiers for cholestasis, resulting in 12 genes that appeared capable of correctly classifying 8 of the 9 cholestatic compounds, resulting in an accuracy of 93%. We were able to prove the principle that transcriptomic analyses of HepG2 cells can indeed be used to classify chemical entities for hepatotoxicity. Genes selected for classification of hepatotoxicity and cholestasis indicate that endoplasmic reticulum stress and the unfolded protein response may be important cellular effects of drug-induced liver injury. However, the number of compounds in both the training set and the validation set should be increased to improve the reliability of the prediction.


CLIPS, the C Language Integrated Production System, is a complete environment for developing expert systems -- programs which are specifically intended to model human expertise or knowledge. It is designed to allow artificial intelligence research, development, and delivery on conventional computers. CLIPS 6.0 provides a cohesive tool for handling a wide variety of knowledge with support for three different programming paradigms: rule-based, object-oriented, and procedural. Rule-based programming allows knowledge to be represented as heuristics, or "rules-of-thumb" which specify a set of actions to be performed for a given situation. Object-oriented programming allows complex systems to be modeled as modular components (which can be easily reused to model other systems or create new components). The procedural programming capabilities provided by CLIPS 6.0 allow CLIPS to represent knowledge in ways similar to those allowed in languages such as C, Pascal, Ada, and LISP. Using CLIPS 6.0, one can develop expert system software using only rule-based programming, only object-oriented programming, only procedural programming, or combinations of the three. CLIPS provides extensive features to support the rule-based programming paradigm including seven conflict resolution strategies, dynamic rule priorities, and truth maintenance. CLIPS 6.0 supports more complex nesting of conditional elements in the if portion of a rule ("and", "or", and "not" conditional elements can be placed within a "not" conditional element). In addition, there is no longer a limitation on the number of multifield slots that a deftemplate can contain. The CLIPS Object-Oriented Language (COOL) provides object-oriented programming capabilities. Features supported by COOL include classes with multiple inheritance, abstraction, encapsulation, polymorphism, dynamic binding, and message passing with message-handlers. CLIPS 6.0 supports tight integration of the rule-based programming features of CLIPS with COOL (that is, a rule can pattern match on objects created using COOL). CLIPS 6.0 provides the capability to define functions, overloaded functions, and global variables interactively. In addition, CLIPS can be embedded within procedural code, called as a subroutine, and integrated with languages such as C, FORTRAN and Ada. CLIPS can be easily extended by a user through the use of several well-defined protocols. CLIPS provides several delivery options for programs including the ability to generate stand alone executables or to load programs from text or binary files. CLIPS 6.0 provides support for the modular development and execution of knowledge bases with the defmodule construct. CLIPS modules allow a set of constructs to be grouped together such that explicit control can be maintained over restricting the access of the constructs by other modules. This type of control is similar to global and local scoping used in languages such as C or Ada. By restricting access to deftemplate and defclass constructs, modules can function as blackboards, permitting only certain facts and instances to be seen by other modules. Modules are also used by rules to provide execution control. The CRSV (Cross-Reference, Style, and Verification) utility included with previous version of CLIPS is no longer supported. The capabilities provided by this tool are now available directly within CLIPS 6.0 to aid in the development, debugging, and verification of large rule bases. COSMIC offers four distribution versions of CLIPS 6.0: UNIX (MSC-22433), VMS (MSC-22434), MACINTOSH (MSC-22429), and IBM PC (MSC-22430). Executable files, source code, utilities, documentation, and examples are included on the program media. All distribution versions include identical source code for the command line version of CLIPS 6.0. This source code should compile on any platform with an ANSI C compiler. Each distribution version of CLIPS 6.0, except that for the Macintosh platform, includes an executable for the command line version. For the UNIX version of CLIPS 6.0, the command line interface has been successfully implemented on a Sun4 running SunOS, a DECstation running DEC RISC ULTRIX, an SGI Indigo Elan running IRIX, a DEC Alpha AXP running OSF/1, and an IBM RS/6000 running AIX. Command line interface executables are included for Sun4 computers running SunOS 4.1.1 or later and for the DEC RISC ULTRIX platform. The makefiles may have to be modified slightly to be used on other UNIX platforms. The UNIX, Macintosh, and IBM PC versions of CLIPS 6.0 each have a platform specific interface. Source code, a makefile, and an executable for the Windows 3.1 interface version of CLIPS 6.0 are provided only on the IBM PC distribution diskettes. Source code, a makefile, and an executable for the Macintosh interface version of CLIPS 6.0 are provided only on the Macintosh distribution diskettes. Likewise, for the UNIX version of CLIPS 6.0, only source code and a makefile for an X-Windows interface are provided. The X-Windows interface requires MIT's X Window System, Version 11, Release 4 (X11R4), the Athena Widget Set, and the Xmu library. The source code for the Athena Widget Set is provided on the distribution medium. The X-Windows interface has been successfully implemented on a Sun4 running SunOS 4.1.2 with the MIT distribution of X11R4 (not OpenWindows), an SGI Indigo Elan running IRIX 4.0.5, and a DEC Alpha AXP running OSF/1 1.2. The VAX version of CLIPS 6.0 comes only with the generic command line interface. ASCII makefiles for the command line version of CLIPS are provided on all the distribution media for UNIX, VMS, and DOS. Four executables are provided with the IBM PC version: a windowed interface executable for Windows 3.1 built using Borland C++ v3.1, an editor for use with the windowed interface, a command line version of CLIPS for Windows 3.1, and a 386 command line executable for DOS built using Zortech C++ v3.1. All four executables are capable of utilizing extended memory and require an 80386 CPU or better. Users needing an 8086/8088 or 80286 executable must recompile the CLIPS source code themselves. Users who wish to recompile the DOS executable using Borland C++ or MicroSoft C must use a DOS extender program to produce an executable capable of using extended memory. The version of CLIPS 6.0 for IBM PC compatibles requires DOS v3.3 or later and/or Windows 3.1 or later. It is distributed on a set of three 1.4Mb 3.5 inch diskettes. A hard disk is required. The Macintosh version is distributed in compressed form on two 3.5 inch 1.4Mb Macintosh format diskettes, and requires System 6.0.5, or higher, and 1Mb RAM. The version for DEC VAX/VMS is available in VAX BACKUP format on a 1600 BPI 9-track magnetic tape (standard distribution medium) or a TK50 tape cartridge. The UNIX version is distributed in UNIX tar format on a .25 inch streaming magnetic tape cartridge (Sun QIC-24). For the UNIX version, alternate distribution media and formats are available upon request. The CLIPS 6.0 documentation includes a User's Guide and a three volume Reference Manual consisting of Basic and Advanced Programming Guides and an Interfaces Guide. An electronic version of the documentation is provided on the distribution medium for each version: in MicroSoft Word format for the Macintosh and PC versions of CLIPS, and in both PostScript format and MicroSoft Word for Macintosh format for the UNIX and DEC VAX versions of CLIPS. CLIPS was developed in 1986 and Version 6.0 was released in 1993.


Forest concessions in Central Africa are being subjected to a combination of pressures from agribusiness investments, population growth and the informalisation of the domestic timber trade. This puts them at a crossroad. Despite REDD+, the forest sector is not a policy priority for governments whose ambition is to achieve emerging country status. This article takes stock of the forest concessions and management rules in Central Africa, the slow progress of forest certification, and the difficulties facing the FLEGT/VPAs process, and proposes a preliminary assessment of the impact of the log export ban imposed in Gabon since 2011. Examples are given of the mounting influence of Asian companies, and the growing concentration of large corporate interests. The concession regime must be restructured to include multiple uses and take better account of local land rights inside and outside the concessions. The legitimacy of forest concessions depends on their transparency, their strict compliance with laws and regulations, and their provision of social and ecological guarantees. Certification has been a lever for improving the practices and the self-regulation of certified companies. Recognising the public interest of certification would legitimate financial and nonfinancial incentives for companies to become certified, and international transfers may contribute to the implementation of such incentives. (Resume d'auteur)


Objectives : The objective of this study was to examine whether there was significant risk associated with types of beverages consumed on the weight status in children. Design : Nationally representative cross-sectional sample. Setting : Demographic information was obtained from the NHANES interviews. Dietary intake data were obtained from Day 1, in-person 24-hour dietary recall interviews administered using an automated multiple-pass method. Height and weight were obtained according to NHANES Anthropometry Procedures Manual. Subjects : Children 2-18 years of age. Results : The likelihood of being overweight or obese was not significant for any of the beverages studied between consumers and non-consumers. For the total sample, for every 29.6 mL of water consumed the risk of being obese was 1%. For ages 6-11 years water consumption increased the risk of being obese and in ages 2-5 years, consumption of sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) increased the risk of being obese. The risk of being obese was significant p <0.05 for Hispanic males for every 29.6 mL of water consumed and for 100% fruit juice and SSB for other males; increased risk was ?3%. The risk of being obese increased for White females for every 29.6 mL of flavored milk consumed and water consumption for both Black females and Hispanic females; the significant p<0.05 increased risk of obesity was ?7%. Conclusions : Beverage consumption was not consistently associated with weight status in the diets of a nationally representative sample of children. In some cases the increased risk was very small.


Mammalian visual behaviors, as well as responses in the neural systems thought to underlie these behaviors, are driven by luminance and hue contrast. With tools for measuring activity in cell-type specific populations in the mouse during visual behavior gaining traction, it is important to define the extent of luminance and hue information that is behaviorally-accessible to the mouse. A non-uniform distribution of cone opsins in the mouse potentially complicates both luminance and hue sensitivity: opposing gradients of short (UV-shifted) and middle (blue/green) cone opsins suggest that hue discrimination and wavelength-specific luminance contrast sensitivity may differ depending on retinotopic location. Here we ask if, and how well, mice can discriminate color and wavelength-specific luminance across visuotopic space. We found that mice were able to discriminate hue, and were able to do so more broadly across visuotopic space than expected from the cone-opsin distribution. We also found wavelength-band specific differences in luminance sensitivity.


This HDR-thesis is devoted to the study of the rotation of the natural satellites of the giant planets and of Mercury. These bodies have a resonant rotation. Most of the natural satellites rotate synchronously, showing the same hemisphere to their parent planet (1:1 spin-orbit resonance). The case of Mercury is unique since its spin rate is exactly 1.5 its mean motion (3:2 spin-orbit resonance). These two configurations are dynamical equilibria, reached after damping of the initial rotation of the relevant bodies. Thus, the rotation quantities are a signature of the interior, in particular of a putative global ocean. This manuscript divides into 3 parts. The first part is devoted to the synchronous resonance. It presents different models of rotation from a fully rigid body to a one with a global subsurfacic ocean. We always consider all the degrees of freedom simultaneously, using analytical and numerical resolutions. These models are applied on Titan, Callisto, Janus, Epimetheus, Mimas, Hyperion, and Io. The second part presents the resonant rotation of Mercury, target of the two space missions MESSENGER and BepiColombo. We reveal in particular how it got trapped into its 3:2 resonance. The final part presents an algorithm I have elaborated to tackle the rotational problems.


To address the consequences of past torture experiences as well as current traumas and daily stressors, the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) developed a contextually appropriate psychosocial framework for the rehabilitation of individuals who have been affected by torture.

METHOD
To test the efficacy of this framework, a quasiexperimental study was conducted with torture survivor clients of the CSVR who met the 1985 United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT) definition. A comparison group of clients (n=38) was initially included on a waiting list and thereafter received treatment, whilst the treatment group of clients (n=44) entered straight into treatment.

RESULTS
Baseline t-test comparisons conducted on 13 outcome indicators revealed significantly better initial psychological health and functioning of clients in the treatment group than those in the comparison group, with moderately large differences on PTSD, trauma and anxiety, and strong difference in depression scores. Three-month follow-up comparisons using the conservative Wilcoxon test revealed significantly greater improvement on the functioning and anxiety indicators of the treatment group relative to the waiting-list comparison group (odds ratios = 2.49 and 2.61 respectively). After a further three months, when treatment was based on the CSVR framework for both groups, fewer than half the respondents remained in the study (n=20 in the treatment group; n=16 in the comparison group), and the Wilcoxon repeated measures test results on changes since baseline were counter-intuitive: for these remaining clients, there were now more significant outcome improvements for the comparison group than for the treatment group. However, the relative odds ratios for the groups were not significant for these indicators. Furthermore, the clients who dropped out from the treatment group had shown overall improvement in their psychological health and functioning in the initial three months of the study, whereas those who dropped out from the comparison group had shown improvements on fewer indicators. Thus, the research findings on the efficacy of the framework are inconclusive.

DISCUSSION
We suggest that this inconclusiveness can be explained by the severe challenges and ethical complexities of psychosocial research on vulnerable groups. The study highlights the serious problem of attrition of participants in the treatment programme which affected the overall study, and which may explain findings that at first appear counter-intuitive.


In this article, we present the method we used to create a middle-sized corpus using targeted web crawling. Our corpus contains news portal articles along with their metadata, that can be useful for diverse audiences, ranging from digital humanists to NLP users. The method presented in this paper applies rule-based components that allow the curation of the text and the metadata content. The curated data can thereon serve as a reference for various tasks and measurements. We designed our workflow to encourage modification and customisation. Our concept can also be applied to other genres of portals by using the discovered patterns in the architecture of the portals. We found that for a systematic creation or extension of a similar corpus, our method provides superior accuracy and ease of use compared to The Wayback Machine, while requiring minimal manpower and computational resources. Reproducing the corpus is possible if changes are introduced to the text-extraction process. The standard TEI format and Schema.org encoded metadata is used for the output format, but we stress that placing the corpus in a digital repository system is recommended in order to be able to define semantic relations between the segments and to add rich annotation.


Visual prostheses based on a stimulating microelectrode array to restore vision offer a promising approach for the blind and has become a rapidly growing scientific field in neurorehabilitation engineering. A number of research groups from major developed countries lead the research activities in this field. The goal of the C-Sight Project is to develop an implantable microelectronic medical device that will restore useful vision to blind patients. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and age-related macular degeneration are the two leading causes for blindness, for which there have been no effective treatments, both surgically and biologically, until now.The ultimate goal of our project is to develop a completely implantable visual prosthesis based on a penetrating microelectrode array at the optical nerve; to implement this, it requires many technical advances. However, in our study, an implantable microcamera, the wearable information processor, and the multichannel neurostimulator are investigated. Electrophysiological experiments were also performed to provide evidence for the feasibility of our approach. Some related psychophysical studies including simulated phosphene positioning and recognition of pixelized images are also reported in this article.


Resource efficiency has become an important topic due to dramatic increase of world-population and globalization. A company that is not able to efficiently utilize its resources is less sustainable. It produces at higher cost as well as with higher environmental impact. Especially small and medium-sized enterprises are mostly not able to deal with these kinds of issues in addition to their daily business. Their characteristics differentiate them from large companies and require approaches that respond to their specific needs. Not only technological aspects but also organizational problems as well as lack of methodology are reasons for low resource efficiency in small companies. This thesis therefore focuses on developing a tool which facilitates the increase of resource efficiency particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises.To start with, this thesis investigates the meaning of resource efficiency and the basics of performance measures as well as special characteristics of small and medium-sized enter-prises. Afterwards, measures are designed in order to quantify resource efficiency. A case study is carried out as well to investigate how to ensure applicability of a supporting tool in small and medium-sized enterprises from different industries. In the final part, a computer-based tool is developed which facilitates the assessment of resource efficiency potentials using 12 resource efficiency measures, a consistent approach and a ranking method.Keywords: Resource efficiency, performance measures, small and medium-sized enterprises


Interleukins (IL) are a type of cytokine first thought to be expressed by leukocytes alone but have later been found to be produced by many other body cells. They play essential roles in the activation and differentiation of immune cells, as well as proliferation, maturation, migration, and adhesion. They also have pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory properties. The primary function of interleukins is, therefore, to modulate growth, differentiation, and activation during inflammatory and immune responses. Interleukins consist of a large group of proteins that can elicit many reactions in cells and tissues by binding to high-affinity receptors in cell surfaces. [1] The immunoregulatory cytokine IL-41 (also known as meteorin-like protein) is expressed at high levels in the synovium of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).[2]


This brief text is based on the commentary delivered by the authors at the 5th Annual Conference of the Global Competition Law Centre: The Commission's review of regulation 1/2003. (Brussels, 11 June 2009). The organisers of the conference invited the authors to take the role of "discussant" and panel member, respectively, and to examine critically the extensive draft report prepared by a group of lawyers and scholars coordinated by Bernard van de Walle de Ghelcke, entitled "The directly applicable exception system and the direct applicability of article 81(3) EC: positive enforcement and legal certainty". Apart from minor editing (typos and addition of footnotes) the paper retains the format -and the limitations- inherent in an almost improvised commentary on a draft report received by the authors a few days before the conference.The authors take issue with some of the critical views and proposals contained in the report. In their view, the experience so far with the application of Article 81 EC under Regulation 1/2003 is, overall, satisfactory. The authors' commentary focuses on the respective roles of paragraphs 1 and 3 of Article 81, on the evaluation of the functioning of the ECN and of the role of national courts in applying EC competition law.


It seems today to be an indisputable fact that ISO 9000 is a powerful instrument, which cannot be disregarded. It is, far and away, the most influential initiative that grew from the quality movement of the late 1980s. This paper contains an evaluation of results from a survey on ISO 9000 certified companies and aims to present some aspects of the current state of the standard in Swedish industry. This study is focused on motives for implementation, perceived benefits and key implementation factors. The predominant reasons identified for seeking certification were the desire to improve corporate image and quality. Like many previous studies this study underlines the need for management commitment and participation. The very important conclusion drawn from this survey is that the motivation for certification may influence the performance of ISO 9000. The overall benefits which the companies gain from the standard showed dependence on the motivation which initiated the drive for the certification.


Making clothes and developing your own brand of clothes may not be innovative although it is a sign of entrepreneurial behaviour. However, the entrepreneurship does not stop there. For some years now, a young man has been selling a clothing range, as well as collaborating with other brands, in order to help kids and youths coming from the same background as himself, i.e., surrounded by drugs and criminality. His idea is to catch the kids/youths before they start taking drugs, become addicted or commit a crime, and show them that there are other better ways to live their lives. He is working towards several new goals: One of them is to open a school where they not only learn "the ordinary curriculum", but which also focuses on making a living for themselves and how to stand up for themselves. It is about adapting the schooling and learning to their life situation, rather than the children adapting to school. The earnings are not great (yet), but his eagerness to present the objective of the business has earned him some attention, not only among potential customers, but also with local and other authorities. His passionate and yet humble appearance appeals to customers and authorities. In addition to earning money to fund other youths, he also invests in them setting up micro businesses in order to become independent. In other words, his entrepreneurship skills have helped develop other entrepreneurs. In this paper, we will present the initial findings of our entrepreneur and his entrepreneurial achievements, characteristics and transformative style. We seek to explain the success behind such entrepreneurial activities using social entrepreneur and transformative leadership theories. We have conducted our first initial semi-structured interviews via zoom using interview guides and more research is planned for the next phase of our research.


Dynamic Adaptive Neural Network Arrays (DANNAs) are neuromorphic systems that exhibit spiking behaviors and can be designed using evolutionary optimization. Array elements are rapidly reconfigurable and can function as either neurons, synapses or fan-out elements with programmable interconnections and parameters. Currently, DANNAs are implemented using Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and are constrained in capacity and performance by this technology. To alleviate these constraints and introduce new and improved features, a semi-custom Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) design has been created. This VLSI design improves upon the FPGA implementations in three key areas: 50x improvement in element capacity, 10x improvement in clock speed, and a significant reduction in power consumption. Finally, the VLSI design allows for near real time monitoring of the individual elements in the array.


Semi-organic single crystals of glycine potassium sulphate were synthesized by a slow evaporation technique. Good quality single crystals with size 6.02mm x 2.63mm x 1.81mm were grown in 32 days. Single crystal and powder XRD analyses confirmed the orthorhombic crystal structure. Vibration spectrum was recorded to determine the symmetries of molecular vibrations. The TGA, DTA shows that the material has good thermal stability; the UV-Vis spectrum shows the transmitting ability of the crystal in the entire visible region. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss were calculated by varying frequencies at different temperature. The microhardness test reveals that the crystals possess good mechanical strength.


The objective of this study is to determine the frequency of depression among pregnant adolescents and explore the potential risk factors associated to the depression. The sample comprised 59 pregnant teenagers recruited from the Program for Pregnant Adolescents in the Hospital General "Dr. Manuel Gea Gonzalez". All subjects completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and a sociodemographic and medical questionnaire. The frequency of depression was 39%. Sociodemographic correlates of depression were not identified using ratios and 95% confidence limits. Results indicate that the depression is common among pregnant teenagers. Adequate prenatal cares including screening for depression symptoms and development of treatment programs for affected pregnant adolescents are of particular importance for young mothers. In further studies is necessary to explore the impact of family environment.


From the Publisher:
The Linux operating system continues to gain market share, based largely on its reputation as the most secure operating system available. The challenge faced by system administrators is that Linux is secure only if installed and configured properly, constantly and meticulously updated, and carefully integrated with a wide variety of Open Source security tools. Hack Proofing Linux provides the system administrator with coverage of the most popular Linux operating systems and Open Source security tools, along with the techniques necessary to properly configure and maintain Linux systems and to counter malicious attacks.


Investigation of the Spatial and Temporal Structure of Internal Waves Andy I Pickering Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Matthew H. Alford School of Oceanography A collection of field experiments and model simulations are used to investigate the spatial and temporal aspects of internal waves, with a focus on near-inertial waves and internal tides. First, the near-inertial wave field in the North Pacific is investigated using an array of 5 profiling moorings and shipboard ADCP transects. The ship transects reveal the horizontal structure of near-inertial shear, which is coherent over large distances (∼ 80km) and exhibits a change in character crossing 28.9N. Second, the spatial structure of internal tidal beams is studied with repeated shipboard ADCP transects across Kaena Ridge, Hawaii. Harmonic fits are used to isolate the M2 component of velocity, revealing a beam structure that compares well with theoretical ray paths and numerical simulations. Third, internal tides are investigated with moorings deployed in Luzon Strait, a major internal tide generation site with complex bathymetry and mesoscale variability. The coherence of internal tides over 4 spring-neap tidal cycles is quantified, and a model is used to diagnose the mechanisms responsible. Intrusions of the Kuroshio current shift large-scale patterns of internal tide pressure, leading to lower coherence and possibly affecting the wave field radiated from Luzon Strait. Finally, the turbulent mixing caused by tidal flow over topography in southern Luzon Strait is investigated with a profiling mooring and model simulations. Depth-integrated turbulent dissipation varies by an order of magnitude between spring and neap tides. Model simulations show that turbulence is due to the formation and breaking of lee waves. Dissipation varies for similar barotropic forcing over the 50 day record, suggesting that mesoscale variability is important in modulating mixing.


Understanding links between thermal performance and environmental variation is necessary to predict organismal responses to climate change, and remains an ongoing challenge for ectotherms with complex life cycles. Distinct life stages can differ in thermal sensitivity, experience different environmental conditions as development unfolds, and, because stages are by nature interdependent, environmental effects can carry over from one stage to affect performance at others. Thermal performance may therefore respond to carryover effects of prior thermal environments, yet detailed insights into the nature, strength, and direction of those responses are still lacking. Here, in an aquatic ectotherm whose early planktonic stages (gametes, embryos, and larvae) govern adult abundances and dynamics, we explore the effects of prior thermal environments at fertilization and embryogenesis on thermal performance curves at the end of planktonic development. We factorially manipulate temperatures at fertilization and embryogenesis, then, for each combination of prior temperatures, measure thermal performance curves for survival of planktonic development (end of the larval stage) throughout the performance range. By combining generalized linear mixed modeling with parametric bootstrapping, we formally estimate and compare curve descriptors (thermal optima, limits, and breadth) among prior environments, and reveal carryover effects of temperature at embryogenesis, but not fertilization, on thermal optima at completion of development. Specifically, thermal optima shifted to track temperature during embryogenesis, while thermal limits and breadth remained unchanged. Our results argue that key aspects of thermal performance are shaped by prior thermal environment in early life, warranting further investigation of the possible mechanisms underpinning that response, and closer consideration of thermal carryover effects when predicting organismal responses to climate change.


ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to investigate prospective middle school mathematics teachers' proportional reasoning before and after receiving a practice-based instruction based on proportional reasoning. The Proportional Reasoning Test, semi-structured interviews and observations of student teachings were used to collect data about the participants' proportional reasoning. The results indicated that prospective teachers improved their proportional reasoning by completing a practice-based instruction. Before the instruction, they generally applied algebraic procedures without associating meaning and used a limited number of strategies to solve problems. Furthermore, they had difficulties in distinguishing proportional from nonproportional situations. However, by the end of the instruction, while they mostly preferred to use informal strategies, they relied less on formal strategies. Additionally, they utilized a broader range of strategies to solve problems and made sense of these strategies. Further, they could determine whether the quantities in a situation were related additively, multiplicatively, or in some other way.


BACKGROUND
Adolescence is a period marked by important physical and social changes, which often leads to an increase of body dissatisfaction. Recent studies have shown an association between interoception and body dissatisfaction in female adolescents. One variable that may contribute to the association between interoceptive awareness and body dissatisfaction is intolerance of uncertainty (IU). This study aims to investigate multiple facets of interoceptive awareness, IU, and their relations with body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls.

METHODS
In a cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of 307 adolescent girls (mean age = 17.73; SD = 1.02) was recruited in the Netherlands in 2022. Three questionnaires were completed measuring interoceptive awareness, IU, and body dissatisfaction. A moderation analyses using a multiple hierarchical regression was used to investigate associations between variables.

RESULTS
Correlation analyses indicated that several facets of lower interoceptive awareness (Not distracting, Not worrying and Trusting) were related to higher levels of body dissatisfaction. IU only marginally moderated the relationship between several domains of interoceptive awareness (Notice, Attention regulation and Emotional awareness) and body dissatisfaction.

DISCUSSION
Findings suggest that experiencing bodily signals as ambiguous and uncertain may result in more complex body image issues. Within certain domains of interoceptive awareness, IU may affect the process of appraising bodily signals. Furthermore, adolescent girls who do not feel safe in their body and who find it difficult to distract their thoughts when experiencing pain or discomfort in their body may be particularly at risk for developing more complex body image disturbances and may benefit from interventions improving both interoceptive awareness and IU. Moreover, future research should focus on interoceptive awareness and IU as potential underlying mechanisms for body image issues.


By contrast with static fracture toughness determination, the methodology for dynamic fracture toughness characterization is not yet standardized and appropriate approaches must be devised. The accurate determination of the dynamic stress intensity factors must take into account inertial effects. Most methods for dynamic fracture toughness measurement are experimentally complex. However, dynamic fracture toughness determination using strain measurement is extremely attractive in terms of experimental simplicity. In this study, dynamic fracture toughness tests using strain measurement are performed. High rate tension and charpy impact tests are carried out for titanium alloy, maraging steel and Al alloys. In the case of evaluating the dynamic fracture toughness using high rate tension and charpy impact tests, load or energy methods are used commonly. The consideration about inertial effects is essential, because load or energy methods are influenced by inertia. In contrast, if the position for optimum response of strain is provided, dynamic fracture toughness evaluation using strain near crack tip is more accurate. To obtain the position for optimum response of strain, a number of gages were attached at angles of 60°. Reliability for experimental results is evaluated by Weibull analysis. The method presented in this paper is easy to implement in a laboratory and it provides accurate results compared to results from load or energy methods influenced by inertia.


The differential evolution (DE) algorithm is equipped with the recently proposed adaptive encoding (AE) which makes the algorithm rotationally invariant. The resulting algorithm, DEAE, should exhibit better performance on non-separable functions. The aim of this article is to assess what benefits the AE has, and what effect it has for other function groups. DEAE is compared against pure DE, an adaptive version of DE (JADE), and an evolutionary strategy with covariance matrix adaptation (CMA-ES). The results suggest that AE indeed improves the performance of DE, particularly on the group of unimodal non-separable functions, but the adaptation of parameters used in JADE is more profitable on average. The use of AE inside JADE is envisioned.


The thesis investigates if the use of a reserve seat system of parliamentary quotas that has produced a substantial descriptive increase in the number of women in the Tanzanian parliament has translated into substantive representation for women in terms of either process or outcome.

It utilized the Tanzanian parliamentary database as its primary source of empirical data. From this it draws biographical details on the members of the parliaments, their membership of committees and their contribution to parliamentary debates.

The study finds that the increase in the number of women has not produced a significant enhancement of substantive representation. Although women contribute as frequently as men to the parliament they are disadvantaged in terms of their occupation of positions of leadership as they have a lower level representation in the 'prestige' ministries and committees. Also debates on the issues of direct concern to women remain at a very low level both in term of the volume of contributions and the progressiveness of the content. However the overwhelming majority of contributions on women's issues are made by women. The small number of contributions made by men tends to be of a conservative nature seeking to limit women's freedom of choice and action. In addition to this in contradiction of some of the current literature, the thesis found no evidence that the reserve seat system was a pathway for women into constituency seats.


Purpose: Cervical cancer (CC) incidence and mortality rates are increased and CC screening rates are low among women living in Ohio Appalachia. Mailing human papillomavirus (HPV) self-tests to women to complete at home is a potential new strategy in the United States to engage women in the CC screening process. Our study sought to understand both providers' and women's perspectives on an HPV self-test that could be mailed to women and how those viewpoints may differ and/or concur. Methods: Focus groups were conducted (2014–2015) among: 1) healthcare providers practicing in four Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) located in three Ohio Appalachia counties; and 2) women living in Ohio Appalachia. Results: Providers (n = 28) and women (n = 15) were accepting of HPV self-testing, however, the reason for acceptance differed between groups. Providers thought HPV self-testing would increase the possibility that under-screened women would return to the healthcare system, while women thought completing HPV self-tests at home would eliminate logistical/psychological CC screening barriers. Facilitators of completing an HPV self-test at home reported by women included decreased embarrassment, and the time and money saved by avoiding a doctor's appointment. Barriers to completing an HPV self-test at home reported by providers and women included women not being aware of the test, concerns about incorrectly completing the test and potential contamination of the obtained specimen, potential discomfort associated with completing the test, safety of the sample when returning it through the mail, issues associated with communicating test results (timing, channel, findings), and needed follow-up care. Both providers and women stressed the importance of including educational information about HPV and cervical cancer and detailed HPV self-test instructions with the mailed device. Conclusions: Findings provide insights into the facilitators and barriers of completing an HPV self-test at home, returning it, reporting results, and providing needed follow-up care. This information will be useful in developing CC screening programs that include mailed HPV self-tests.


An experiment was carried out to determine the effects of dietary supplementation of Albizia lebbeck seed oil (ALO) on the fatty acid composition of weaner rabbits. Fifty (50) weaned rabbits of mixed breed and sexes, aged between 6-7 weeks with an average initial body weight of 460 ± 1.3 g were randomly assigned into five dietary treatments of ten rabbits per group; each group was further divided into 5 replicates consisting of two rabbits each. Basal diet was formulated to meet the nutritional requirements of rabbits according to NRC (1977). Rabbits in treatment 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 were supplemented with ALO at 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4% respectively. Feed and water were given ad libitum and the experiment lasted for 12 weeks. The results showed that significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed in saturated fatty acid (SFA), polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and omega-6/omega-3 ratio (n-6:n-3) values obtained. Rabbits fed diet containing 0.4% ALO had the highest PUFA value (54.17%), followed by Treatment 4 (T4) (53.01%), T3 (45.13%), T2 (37.61%) and T1 (26.93%) respectively. Similarly (n-6:n-3) composition in T5 (3.65 %) increased in T5 fed 0.4% ALO compared with T1 (1.38%) fed 0% ALO. Antherogenic index were significantly (P < 0.05) different among the treatments. It can be concluded that supplementation of ALO at 0.4% highly influenced the composition of fatty acid in rabbit meat.


Numerical approximations based on different forms of the governing partial differential equation can lead to significantly different results for unsaturated flow problems. Numerical solution based on the standard h-based form of Richards equation generally yields poor results, characterized by large mass balance errors and erroneous estimates of infiltration depth. Conversely, numerical solutions based on the mixed form of Richards equation can be shown to possess the conservative property, so that mass is perfectly conserved. This leads to significant improvement in numerical solution performance, while requiring no additional computational effort. However, use of the mass-conservative method does not guarantee good solutions. Accurate solution of the unsaturated flow equation also requires use of a diagonal time (or mass) matrix. Only when diagonal time matrices are used can the solution be shown to obey a maximum principle, which guarantees smooth, nonoscillatory infiltration profiles. This highlights the fact that proper treatment of the time derivative is critical in the numerical solution of unsaturated flow.


Objectives The interpretation of clinical data for the diagnosis of coronary heart disease can be done using algorithms in data mining. Most clinical data interpretation systems for diagnosis developed using data mining algorithms with a black-box approach cannot recognize examination attribute relationships with the incidence of coronary heart disease. Methods This study proposes a system to interpretation clinical examination results for the diagnosis of coronary heart disease based the decision tree algorithm. This system comprises several stages. First, oversampling is carried out by a combination of the synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE), feature selection, and the C4.5 classification algorithm. System testing is done using k-fold cross-validation. The performance parameters are sensitivity, specificity, positive prediction value (PPV), negative prediction value (NPV) and the area under the curve (AUC). Results The results showed that the performance of the system has a sensitivity of 74.7%, a specificity of 93.7%, a PPV of 74.2%, an NPV of 93.7%, and an AUC of 84.2%. Conclusions This study demonstrated that, by using C4.5 algorithms, data can be interpreted in the form of a decision tree, to aid the understanding of the clinician. In addition, the proposed system can provide better performance by category.


Informally, structural properties of mathematical objects are usually characterized in one of two ways: either as properties expressible purely in terms of the primitive relations of mathematical theories, or as the properties that hold of all structurally similar mathematical objects. We present two formal explications corresponding to these two informal characterizations of structural properties. Based on this, we discuss the relation between the two explications. As will be shown, the two characterizations do not determine the same class of mathematical properties. From this observation we draw some philosophical conclusions about the possibility of a 'correct' analysis of structural properties.


Patel, Rig S., and Satish S. C. Rao. Biomechanical and sensory parameters of the human esophagus at four levels. Am. J. Physiol. 275 (Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 38): G187– G191, 1998.—The biomechanical and sensory characteristics of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and those of the striated and smooth muscle portions of the esophagus have not been compared in humans. Our aim was to determine sensory perception, cross-sectional area (CSA), and biomechanical parameters at different levels of the esophagus. We studied 11 healthy volunteers, using impedance planimetry. Intermittent balloon distensions (5–60 cmH2O) were performed at four sites: 1) the LES, 2) 5 cm above LES (distal), 3) 10 cm above LES (mid), and 4) 5 cm below the upper esophageal sphincter (proximal). During these distensions, CSAs, biomechanical parameters, and sensory responses were measured. The mid-esophagus had a higher (P , 0.05) CSA than the distal esophagus. The LES had the smallest CSA (P , 0.05). The LES and the proximal esophagus had greater (P , 0.05) wall tension and were less (P , 0.05) deformable than the midor distal esophagus. Sensory thresholds were lower (P , 0.05) in the proximal compared with the midor distal esophagus. Biomechanical and sensory parameters are not uniform along the length of the esophagus. The striated muscle portion is more sensitive and less compliant than the smooth muscle portion. These differences could affect the results of balloon distension tests of the esophagus.


Cytokines are major controller of HIV replication and represent, at the same time, a target for viral-induced immune dysregulation. This mutual relationship has profound implications for both active HIV replication and immune-mediated governance of latency; in addition, cytokines have therapeutic value in the perspective of immune reconstitution. In the current article we will review the most relevant aspects emerged in almost 20 years of research in this area with particular reference to the distinct, but interconnected contribution of the most simple (cell lines) to the most complex (animal) models of HIV infection.


For downloading the full-text of this article please click here. Background and Objective: The medical teachings of Islam have numerous recommendations for the health of body and soul. Part of these teachings is about mental illnesses such as insanity. Islam has given many instructions to cope with insanity. Besides, organizing these recommendations and explaining them are the aims of this research. Method : This study is a library research which has reviewed for words such as "insane", "madness", "jinn" and "touching" in religious texts and also for the aforementioned keywords provided in the databases of articles. All ethical issues were observed in this study and the researcher declared no conflict of interests. Results: Insanity has been pointed out in the medical teachings of Islam in two dimensions of prevention and treatment. In these teachings, there are many material and spiritual methods presented that have been examined in the present paper and ultimately up to twenty methods have been introduced. Findings in the field of research suggest that the issue of insanity in the related literature has been investigated only from the jurisprudential, legal, medical, and literary viewpoints, and no comprehensive research has ever been done on insanity using the approach of Islamic medicine. Conclusion: In terms of Islamic teachings, insanity is a severe illness and it is easy to prevent. Proposed ways of Islam to prevent and treat illnesses in general and insanity in particular are simple, inexpensive and natural. Prayers and demanding needs of the Lord along with practical measures for treatment and prevention corroborate psychologists' experiences. And eventually, Islam has considered all aspects of human existence and has given special attention to human dignity when dealing with diseases. For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.


We live in a society where the individual is prioritised over the collective. Newspaper articles abound lamenting adolescents' lack of personal responsibility and social commentators are increasingly highlighting the need to recapture and interweave an agenda of personal responsibility into the social fabric. Personal responsibility has been defined as being accountable to oneself and the needs and well-being of others (Ruyter, 2002). Doherty (1998) has argued that there is an increasing trend in society to refuse accountability and to blame others for one's situation. Despite these assertions, there is little empirical research that has attempted to define and examine personal responsibility. This dissertation is about the role of personal responsibility in the lives of adolescents. The research program was divided into three studies utilising quantitative and qualitative research methods to answer four research questions. Study 1: How do adolescents and teachers understand 'personal responsibility?' Study 2: Can a quantitative questionnaire define and measure an adolescent's level of personal responsibility? Study 3: Can a program aimed at enhancing the personal responsibility level of adolescents be taught in a high school and demonstrate measurable effect? Is there a relationship between personal responsibility, emotional intelligence and self-esteem? Study 1 used focus groups to address research question 1. Four focus groups with a total of 20 Year 11 students, and two focus groups with a total of 10 teachers were conducted. The results revealed that key components of the personal responsibility variable were choices and consequences, behavioural control, thoughts and feelings, and consideration for others. This finding complemented the definition derived from the literature review. Additionally, the focus group data served to inform Study 2, the development of the Personal Responsibility Questionnaire and Study 3, the creation, implementation and evaluation of the Personal Responsibility Program. Study 2 involved examining appropriate literature, focus group data from Study 1, and related measures to create a quantitative measure assessing personal responsibility in adolescents. A 100-item measure was created and tested on more than 500 adolescents. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were used to determine a final 30-item Personal Responsibility Questionnaire with two factors (factor 1 - 'self control of emotion and thoughts' and factor 2 - 'self control of behaviour'). This measure was to serve in the evaluation of the Personal Responsibility Program. A fundamental aim of the study was to determine whether a Personal Responsibility Program could be implemented in a high school and demonstrate measurable effect. Study 3 involved the creation of the Personal Responsibility Program through examining other values-based education programs and the focus group data obtained in Study 1. Once created, the five-lesson program was implemented twice in one high school, with approximately half of the Year 11 students undertaking the first implementation (the experimental group), and the remaining Year 11 students completing the program during its second implementation (the control group). To assess whether the program had generated any changes in the adolescents' levels of personal responsibility, the Personal Responsibility Questionnaire developed in Study 2 was administered pre- and post-intervention to both the experimental and control groups. Additionally, the well-established constructs of emotional intelligence and self-esteem were assessed using the Emotional Intelligence Scale (Schutte et al., 1998) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965) to determine potential relationships between these variables and to provide additional construct validity for the measure. The results from Study 3 revealed no significant findings on any variable at any time (pre- or post-intervention). Despite this finding, certain data trends were apparent between males and females across the experimental and control groups. Overall, females demonstrated slightly higher mean scores on emotional intelligence and personal responsibility than males, while males had slightly higher mean scores than females on self-esteem. In order to gather additional feedback about the program and the students' learning, qualitative data were gathered from the students and the teachers by completion of a feedback sheet at the end of each lesson and a teacher focus group interview after the first implementation of the Personal Responsibility Program. In relation to student learning, the qualitative data offered by the students showed that learning in the key areas targeted had occurred, with students reflecting on their growth and changing understandings about personal responsibility. With reference to the program, the students commented that the program was fun, interesting, relevant, valuable, and enabled them to learn new things about themselves. Feedback from the teachers highlighted that the students appeared to engage with the program, and that teaching it was rewarding. This research program has contributed to the literature by providing a theoretically and empirically derived definition of personal responsibility. The focus group process highlighted that personal responsibility could be understood and considered by adolescents due to the cognitive and moral sophistication that develops early in this developmental timeframe. Study 2 generated a Personal Responsibility Questionnaire that can be used to assess personal responsibility in adolescents, and Study 3 contributed a Personal Responsibility Program which has been developed from conceptual and empirical literature. The program was designed to be "teacher friendly' and allowed the schools to gather qualitative and quantitative feedback on the success of the program's implementation. As school administrators and teachers often lament the lack of personal responsibility in their students (Lickona, 1992), this program could be used to address this concern and put the issue of personal responsibility firmly on the agenda in high schools.


Objective The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of supervised and unsupervised functional level-based exercises program for elderly inpatients on physical activity, mobility, health-related quality of life and depression status. Design A single-blinded randomised controlled trial. Setting Internal medicine service. Subjects Patients aged 65 years or older. Interventions A supervised functional level-based exercise program was applied to the intervention group by a physiotherapist, for 40 min 5 times a week during their hospitalisation. Patients in the control group were asked to perform an unsupervised functional level-based exercise program which was described by the physiotherapist during the first visit. Main measures Mobility, physical activity level and health-related quality of life were assessed at admission and discharge in both groups. Depression status was evaluated at admission and 3 months after discharge. Results Sociodemographic features between intervention group (n = 62) and control group (n = 62) were similar. The intervention group showed a higher increment in mobility, physical activity level and quality of life scores than the control group (d = 0.62, p < 0.05; d = 0.57, p < 0.05; d = 1.12, p < 0.05 respectively). Inpatients in the intervention group, depression scores were lower 3 months after discharge (d = 0.42, p < 0.05). The length of stay in the hospital was not different between the groups. Conclusions A supervised functional level-based exercise program is more effective than an unsupervised functional level-based exercise program for mobility, physical activity, depression and quality of life in elderly inpatients. These positive contributions are seen within a short period like a 5 to 10 days stay in hospital. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov(NCT03516032).


This study focuses on the effect of spatial non-uniformity in the ambient flow on the forces acting on a spherical particle at moderate particle Reynolds numbers. A scaling analysis is performed to obtain conditions under which such effects are important. A direct numerical simulation, based on spectral methods, is used to compute the three-dimensional time-dependent flow past a stationary sphere subject to a uniform flow plus a planar straining flow. The particle Reynolds number, Re, in the range 10 to 300 covering different flow regimes, from unseparated flow to unsteady vortex shedding, is considered. A variety of strain magnitudes and orientations are investigated. A systematic comparison with the potential flow results and axisymmetric strain results is given. Under elongational strain, both the planar and axisymmetric cases are found to stabilize the sphere wake and delay the onset of unsteadiness, while compressional strain leads to instability. In terms of separation angles, length of the recirculation eddy and topology of the surface streamlines, planar and axisymmetric strains yield nearly the same results. The drag force appears to have a linear relation with strain magnitude in both cases, as predicted by the potential flow. However, contrary to the potential flow results, the drag in planar strain is higher than that in axisymmetric strain. The generation of higher drag is explained using the surface pressure and vorticity distributions. Planar strain oriented at an angle with the oncoming uniform flow is observed to break the symmetry of the wake and results in a lift or side force. The variation of the drag and lift forces may be quite complex, and unlike the potential flow results they may not be monotonic with strain magnitude. The direction of the lift force may be opposite to that predicted by the inviscid and low Reynolds number (Re [Lt ] 1) theories. This behaviour is dictated by the presence or absence of a recirculation eddy. In the absence of a recirculation region at low Reynolds numbers (Re < 20), or at a very high strain magnitude when the recirculation region is suppressed, the results follow somewhat the pattern observed in potential flow. However, with the presence of a recirculation region, results opposite to those predicted by the potential theory are observed.


Citizens are increasingly sharing their location and movements through'check-ins' on location based social networks (LBSNs). These services are collecting unprecedented amounts of
 big data that can be used to study how we travel and interact with our environment. This paper will present the development of a destination choice model for Ontario, Canada which uses data
 from Foursquare, the largest LBSN to model destination attractiveness. Models are estimated for leisure, visit and business long distance travel purposes separately. A methodology to
 collect, process and aggregate historical check-in counts has been developed, allowing the utility of each destination to be calculated based on the intensity of different activities
 performed at the destination. Destinations such as national parks and ski areas are very strong attractors of leisure trips, yet do not employ many people, and have few residents. Trip
 counts to such destinations are therefore poorly predicted by models based on population and employment. Traditionally, this has been remedied by extensive manual data collection. The
 integration of Foursquare data offers an alternative approach to solve this problem that has not been deeply explored until now.The Foursquare based destination choice model is evaluated
 against a traditional model that is estimated only with population and employment. The results demonstrate that data from LBSNs can be used to improve destination choice models,
 particularly for leisure travel.


This paper focuses on the impact of government investment on growth and employment in South Africa. As a prelude to the analysis, the paper refers to theory and practical evidence which indicates the way investment can influence growth and employment. Also, a review of investment patterns in South Africa in the past two decades is followed by a discussion of the impact of government investment. In the conclusion, suggestions arc made, based on the content of the paper for improving government investment strategy, in order to bring about growth and employment. Journal of Social Development in Africa Vol 15 No 1 2000, pp. 79-92


In the development of architectural representation, the image has become a metonym of architectural experience. This productive tension is maintained by the expectation of fragmented representation to identify and reproduce the experiential and phenomenological dimensions perceived in the physical experience with architecture. Returning to the investigation of representation and perception exemplifies that each new technology introduces a new scale of extension in both design capability and opportunity for feedback. The degree of immersivity introduced by virtual reality
technologies elicits several scales of experience. This thesis uses virtual prototyping in the design stage to elicit a product that is not a reflection of intention, but a result of something discovered, evaluated and experienced in immersion prior to realization. An increase in receptivity to the qualities of the design and its context relative to the perceiver has the potential to change the relationship of digital space to digital place.


The focus of the paper is on the use of a toolkit to bridge the divide between research and practice. The JUBILEE project (JISC User Behaviour in Information seeking: Longitudinal Evaluation of Electronic Information Services (EIS)) is being funded by the UK JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) to: • improve the understanding of information behaviour in relation to EIS in a variety of disciplines and organisational contexts, and • develop an evaluation toolkit for use by Higher and Further Education managers to guide and benchmark their own institution's development in relation to the adoption of EIS. The ongoing development and use of the JUBILEE toolkit is described, with examples. It is argued that the toolkit brings structure and coherence for both researchers and participating practitioners alike, and thereby does indeed bridge the divide between research and practice.


Dysregulation of key signaling molecules and pathways are causative of many Human diseases and cancers. A point mutation in the Drosophila Janus kinase (called hop) causes constitutive activation of the JAK/STAT pathway and results in blood cell tumours. We provide robust genetic evidence that Hipk is required for endogenous JAK/STAT activity. Overexpression of Hipk can phenocopy the effects of overactive JAK/STAT mutations and lead to melanized tumors and loss of Hipk can suppress the effects of hyperactive JAK/STAT. Furthermore, Hipk expression in blood cell progenitors causes tumors. PLA experiments show that Hipk can interact with the pathway effector Stat92E. Together our results show that Hipk is a novel factor required for effective JAK/STAT signaling. Summary Statement Loss of hipk impairs JAK/STAT activity in multiple tissue types and elevated Hipk leads to the formation of blood cell tumors in Drosophila.


We report composition of Ruellia tuberosa L. (Acanthaceae) leaf, stem, root, fruit, and flower volatile oils from Nigeria. The five volatile oils were obtained by hydro-distillation using all-glass Clevenger apparatus designed to British Pharmacoepia specifications and were procured in 0.09 to 0.36% yields. Each was separately examined using gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Our results revealed leaf oil contain 24 compounds, which make-up 86.95% of it; stem oil has 15 compounds (accounting for 93.96%); root oil with 42 compounds being 91.49%; fruit oil contain 60 compounds which amount to 89.68% and flower oil has 6 compounds representing 95.06% of the oil. Dominant compound sin each essential oil are (%): leaf (E-phytol 21.06, tributylacetyl citrate 19.44, heptacosane 7.55); stem (m-xylene 33.83, heptacosane 16.57, p-xylene 9.67); root (heptane 22.25, heptacosane 12.89, borneol 12.48); fruit (hexacosane 15.43, sextone 13.12, heneicosane 11.14) and flower (tributylacetyl citrate 67.78, 2-methyl-2-pentanol 10.15, 1-methyl-1-cyclopentanol 6.90). Important classes of compounds in Nigerian R. tuberosa volatiles are monoterpenes, monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenes, sesquiterpenoids, hydrocarbons, aromatics, esters, alcohols, sulphur compounds, ketones and aldehydes.109 compounds were identified in the five essential oils of R. tuberosa. These compounds have high therapeutic effects and are characteristic of R. tuberosa. The oils are good sources of sextone (methylcyclohexane), β-linalool and alcohols. We present the volatile constituents in the leaf, stem, root, fruit, and flower of R. tuberosa which have not been earlier reported in literature.

 Key words: Ruellia tuberosa, Acanthaceae, essential oil, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), sextone, monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, linalool, alcohol.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the factors that influence the reproductive performance in patients who had previous salpingectomy by laparotomy for ectopic pregnancy in the South-west Region of Saudi Arabia.

METHODS
Fifty four patients who had pregnancies following salpingectomy for previous ectopic pregnancy were studied retrospectively at Abha Maternity Hospital in the Southern Region of Saudi Arabia.

RESULTS
There were 130 ectopic pregnancies during the study period out of which 54 patients became pregnant subsequently. Of the subsequent pregnancies, there were 41 (80%) intrauterine pregnancies and 13 (20%) extrauterine recorded pregnancies. Out of the intrauterine pregnancies, 36 (88%) resulted in full term live births while abortion occurred in 5 (12%) of the cases. The risk of a 2nd ectopic pregnancy seemed to be positively related to the age of the patient and also the interval between the previous ectopic and new pregnancy, while it was negatively related to the parity of the patient. The mean age of the patients was 27.89 years and the mean parity 2.74. Of the 13 patients who had extrauterine pregnancies, 4 (30%) were nulliparous while 9 (70%) had had between 1-5 children. In those patients who had a repeat ectopic pregnancy, the mean gestation of the ectopic pregnancy was 6.78 weeks while the interval between admission to hospital and surgery ranged between 1 to 48 hours with a mean of 21.85 hours. At the time of surgery, the fallopian tube was ruptured in 6 (46%) of the cases and these included patients who were nulliparous. They all had repeat salpingectomy. Conservative surgery was performed only in 2 (28%) of those whose fallopian tubes were not ruptured at the time of surgery.

CONCLUSION
It seemed as if the probability of repeat ectopic pregnancy increased as the age of the patient increased and the interval between the previous ectopic gestation and new pregnancy is prolonged. At the same time the probability of another ectopic pregnancy decreased as the parity increased. The obstetric outlook following laparotomy for ectopic pregnancy seemed not to be very encouraging as the fertility rate was about 48% and therefore, efforts should be geared at managing patients with ectopic pregnancy laparoscopically. A larger multicenter study is needed to validate these findings.


This paper compares the rate of biogas production of cattle dung and a mixture of plantain peels with cattle dung. 18kg of cattle dung mixed with 36kg of water were charged to a digester while 9kg each of cattle dung and plantain peels mixed together with 36kg of water were charged to a separate digester. Both digesters were filled to three quarter of their capacity of 88litres. They were subjected to anaerobic digestion for forty days. The digesters were made of mild steel 2mm thick. 297K more characteristic of the ambient temperature was the lowest and 303K which was more of the digesters temperatures were the maximum temperatures recorded. 13998.88N/m 2 and 27864.44N/m 2 were respectively the initial and highest pressures for the cattle dung digester while 19331.79N/m 2 and 27931.10N/m 2 were observed as the initial and highest pressures for that of the cattle dung and plantain peels mixture. Also 8.4m 3 /kg and 17416.2m 3 /kg of estimated specific volumes were obtained for the cattle dung digester in the same manner. Conversely 6.1m 3 /kg and 27480.7m 3 /kg were estimated initial and cumulative specific volume for the biogas in cattle dung with plantain peels mixture digester. It was therefore concluded that the mixture of cattle dung with plantain peels produced more biogas than only the cattle dung. Keywords : Comparative, study, biogas, cattle dung, mixture, plantain peels


In this paper, the mechanism of fatigue crack propagation of one-way rail road and the effects of some parameters such as crack length, initial crack angle, contact stress, friction, hydraulic pressure and crack propagation direction, in fracture toughness are presented so that it can be used to predict the fatigue life of rail road. The results of stress intensity range factor in one-way rail road are compared with two-way rail road. It is demonstrated that the crack in one-way growth faster than two-way rail road.


This report describes the psychosocial interventions of AVSI [an international nongovernmental organization (INGO) operating in Uganda since 1984] in Kitgum District of northern Uganda. These interventions are part of the educational programmes aimed at supporting vulnerable youth through vocational training. Apart from the educational support, the beneficiaries of the programme are also offered psychosocial support. This support is meant to help youth who have undergone difficult, and at times, traumatic experiences during the insecurity that has lasted for two decades and affected almost all families in northern Uganda. For many of the youth, access to education cannot be the only means to empower them to overcome psychosocial problems; but in combination with counselling, they can be supported to gain self confidence and to redefine their roles as independent and important members of their communities.


BACKGROUND
A link between chronic inflammation and several non-communicable diseases (NCD) has been established. Although chronic infection with the human T-cell leukaemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the recognised cause of several inflammatory diseases and these are associated with a high number of HTLV-1 infected cells in peripheral blood (proviral load, PVL), possible interactions between PVL and NCDs have not been studied at a community level.

METHODS
Adult Aboriginal residents of seven remote communities were invited to do a health survey between 25 August 2014 and 30 June 2018. Blood was drawn for HTLV-1 serology and PVL and relevant medical conditions were obtained from health records. Associations between HTLV-1 PVL and diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and coronary artery disease (CAD) were determined using logistic regression, adjusting for available confounders.

RESULTS
Among 510 participants (56% of the estimated adult resident population, 922), 197 (38.6%) were HTLV-1 infected. A high HTLV-1 PVL was associated with a two-fold increase in the odds of diabetes and CKD (diabetes, adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.95 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06, 3.61, p = 0.033; CKD, aOR 2.00, 95% CI, 1.03, 3.8, p = 0.041). A non-significant association between high PVL and CAD (aOR, 7.08; 95% CI 1.00, 50.18; p = 0.05) was found for participants younger than 50 years at the time of angiography.

CONCLUSION
In a community-based study in central Australia people living with HTLV-1 who had high HTLV-1 PVL were more likely to have diabetes and CKD. These findings have potential clinical implications.


This paper presents a cognition path planning with control algorithm design for a nonholonomic wheeled mobile robot based on Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm. The aim of this work is to propose the circular roadmap (CRM) method to plan and generate optimal path with free navigation as well as to propose a nonlinear MIMO-PID-MENN controller in order to track the wheeled mobile robot on the reference path. The PSO is used to find an online tune the control parameters of the proposed controller to get the best torques actions for the wheeled mobile robot. The numerical simulation results based on the Matlab package show that the proposed structure has a precise and highly accurate distance of the generated reference path as well as it has obtained a perfect torque control action without spikes and no saturation torque state that leads to minimize the tracking error for the wheeled mobile robot.


We investigated the potential of wild hop and determined the effects of different solvent extractions on quality and quantity of hop extracts. Three different solvents - aqueous-ethanol (75%), methanol and acetone - were applied to elicit the secondary metabolites of Humulus lupulus L. cones by automatic Soxhlet system, and extraction yield, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and antioxidant capacity were compared. The antioxidant activity tests, DPPH, ABTS and FRAP, were used to analyze the antioxidant capacity of extracts. The crude extract obtained by aqueous-ethanol, methanol and acetone extraction were 98.65±5.2, 61.39±3.25, 69.28±4.1 mg g‑1 dry matter, respectively. The total phenolic content (TPC) as well as the total flavonoid content (TFC) of aqueous extracts exhibited the highest values. Also the antioxidant activity of extracts was different: the acetone extract had the highest value of IC(50) in the DPPH test, while the methanol extract has the highest antioxidant activity (1.79±0.25 mM Fe2+ g(‑1)) in the FRAP test, and the best result of percent inhibitors of ABTS (58.12±0.48) was observed for the aqueous-ethanol extract. In addition, ABTS value in aqueous-ethanol extract was 6.45±0.33 mmol Trolox equivalent g‑1 sample, significantly higher than others. No significant correlation was found among antioxidant measurement methods. Overall, 75% ethanol is suggested for the extraction of phenolic compounds from hop flowers due to its polarization diversity. Finally, the wild hop flowers have high antioxidant activity and a remarkable amount of phenolic compounds. They could be applied in food industries as a rich source of antioxidant activity. Characterization of the genetic diversity of wild hops is underway.